Greece
Athens (Lavrion), Greece
Lavrio: Ancient Silver Mines Near Cape Sounion
- Port traffic
- QuietNext 30 days
Good to know
Where Ships Dock
Ships listed as Athens (Lavrion) use the port of Lavrio, a town in the southeast of Attica that is built around its harbor. Central Athens is about 60 km away by road, and Cape Sounion is 7 km to the south.
- The currency is the euro.
- Always carry your passport to show the police if they ask for identification; they may not accept a copy.
Lavrio on Your Own
Lavrio is a small town, and its main square and port area are close together. Its two museums tell the story of the mines, and the Temple of Poseidon at Sounion is a short bus or taxi ride away.
- The main square: Cafés and restaurants surround Plateia Heroon, the main square near the port.
- The Mineralogical Museum: It occupies an industrial building of 1875 that was part of an ore-washing works, and shows minerals from the area, miners' tools and silver coins of ancient Athens.
- The Archaeological Museum: It tells much of the story of the ancient mines.
- To Sounion: Buses on the inland route from Athens continue from Lavrio to Sounion, where the Temple of Poseidon stands on the cape.
- Heat: In summer, carry a hat, sunscreen and plenty of water.
- Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own.
- Watch the clock: All-aboard is given in ship's time, which may not match the local clocks or your phone.
Getting to Athens
Two regional bus routes link Lavrio with Athens, one inland and one along the coast. Timetables change, so check before you go.
- Inland route: Buses run from Athens via Paiania, Koropi, Markopoulo and Keratea to Lavrio and on to Sounion.
- Coastal route: Buses run from Pedion tou Areos in Athens along the coast via Glyfada and Sounion to Lavrio.
- Ferries: In high season up to five ferries a day cross to Kea, taking between one hour and 90 minutes.
Tipping in Greece
Tipping in Greek restaurants is traditionally not customary. Customers usually leave something small on the table.
- Taxis: Tipping taxi drivers is uncommon.
Culture and Local Life
Lavrio has been a mining town for most of its history, and its museums and old industrial buildings show it. The ground around the town holds an unusually wide range of minerals.
- Minerals: More than 610 mineral species have been found in the ground around Lavrio, about 16 percent of all known minerals.
- The Lavrion owls: The silver coins of ancient Athens, known as owls, were minted from Lavrio silver.
- Industrial heritage: The buildings of the former French mining company are now the Lavrion Technological and Cultural Park.
A Brief History
Lavrio's story is the silver and lead under its hills, mined from the Bronze Age. That silver helped make Athens a sea power, and mining returned in the 19th century.
- About 3200 BC: The earliest evidence of mining in the area dates from the start of the Bronze Age.
- 6th century BC: Systematic mining seems to have begun under the Athenian ruler Peisistratus.
- About 525 to 480 BC: The theater of Thorikos, the ancient settlement on the Velatouri hill at Lavrio, was built.
- About 483 BC: After a rich new vein was struck, Themistocles persuaded the Athenians to spend the silver on a fleet of 200 triremes, laying the foundation of Athenian sea power.
- 444 to 440 BC: The Temple of Poseidon at Sounion was built.
- 86 BC: The Roman general Sulla destroyed Thorikos.
- Middle Ages to 1908: The town was known as Ergastiria.
- Late 19th century: French and Greek companies reworked the old mines, mainly for lead, manganese and cadmium.
- 1885 to 1957: A railway ran between Athens and Lavrio.
- 1896: A miners' strike ended in violence, and workers were killed when the government sent in the army.
- To learn more ashore: The Archaeological Museum of Lavrion covers the ancient mines, and the Mineralogical Museum shows their minerals, tools and coins.
Lavrio with Children
Lavrio is a quiet start or end to a cruise, and its mining story gives children something concrete to look at. Sounion is a short bus ride away.
- Younger children: Look at the old mine wagon and the huge blocks of slag outside the Mineralogical Museum.
- School age: Inside the museum, compare the colors of the minerals from the Lavrio hills, and find the silver owl coins of ancient Athens.
- Teenagers: Take the bus to Sounion and the Temple of Poseidon, built in the 440s BC on the cape that ships passed on their way to Athens.
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