Piraeus » City Info » Geography

It is situated in the southwest part of the central plain of Attica, also widely known as Attica Basin. Located 8km (5miles) southwest of Athens, overlooking the Martoum Sea, it is a peninsula surrounded by a sea with three natural harbours.

Despite being laid out around 450BC, Piraeus was destroyed by the Romans in 86BC. It gained importance only after Greece achieved independence in the 19th century.

Climate

The climate in Piraeus is similar to that of any other Mediterranean region. In the lowlands, the summers are hot and dry, with clear, cloudless skies. The winters are relatively mild but rainy. The mountainous regions are much cooler, with considerable rain during the summer months.

Frost, sleet, ice, or snows are rare in the lowlands, but most mountains are covered with snow during the winters. Precipitation varies from region to region. The mean annual temperature is about 17°C (62.6°F); the extremes range from an average low of -0.6°C (30.92°F) in January to an average high of 37.2°C (98.96°F) in July and at times higher in August.