How to find your perfect hotel in Piraeus
This unpretentious 35-room hotel by the famous port became a canvas for world-class street art—and the ultimate pre-ferry stopover.
Athens may be the cradle of democracy but it’s also the domain of some of the most compelling street art you’ll find in the world right now. Years of economic distress sent creative energy through the roof, literally, in neighborhoods like Psirri and Exarcheia, both with strong bohemian streaks (in Exarcheia, bordering on anarchist). So when a hotel however modest opens with a dramatic piece of art by a leading artist spanning six stories of an exposed facade, locals take note. Or rather, they look up.
Even more so because the hotel in question, called the Filon, is not glamorous and not in the center of town but rather on the fringes of the famously scruffy Piraeus port—where you catch the ferries for Greek islands like Mykonos and Santorini. More precisely, the property anchors a prominent corner in the heart of Trouva, a neighborhood that gained notoriety in the post-World War II years as a place where American sailors went on shore leave to grab a beer and whatever else. Those days are long gone but an mistakably salty air still blows through, and anyone with a fondness for New York when it was a bit more like this will feel right at home.
Greek artist INO hails from Piraeus and is celebrated for his oversized works of street art that adorn some of the larger “blank” wall spaces in central Athens. Often they are done in grayscale with splashes of blue, and his painting here is no exception. Many works touch on socio-economic themes, though the woman portrayed in the mural on the Filon simply looks like she’s enjoying the sea breeze. You will, too.
How did this particular piece of artwork happen? I asked hotel manager Yiannis Sakkos, who explained that INO lives just a few blocks away from the property. “He wanted to do something a long time ago but the hotel was closed…,” Sakkos says. “When we started repainting from the outside he noticed the scaffolding and told me that he’d like to do something here. So I said, do whatever you like.” He did.
The hotel has just 35 rooms and is housed in a completely renovated building. It is a happy exception to the rule that says port hotels have to be dreary. Au contraire here. Repeat: I'm not talking about luxury but you don't really need a luxury hotel in Piraeus. What you want and may well need is a place to stay for a night or two before (or after) your island adventure. And you probably want a hotel that is clean, light and new. This is that place.
