Visit
Lavrion city
Visit the impressive and beautiful Lavreotiki
Lavrion
Lavrion is located 40 km SE of Athens (60 km by road) and 7 km north of Cape Sounio. The modern city is built around the port and faces east to the island of Makronisos (formerly the island of Eleni).
Full of sightseeings, the tour of the historic Lavreotiki land reveals impressive archeological sites, the oldest surviving theater in Greece, pine-covered areas ideal for walkers and cyclists, but also ancient mines that will take you back in time to the city's glorious history.
Walk in the city
A reference point for fresh fish and short getaways, the atmospheric and authentic Lavrio takes you back in time, while its island air makes you feel like you are far away from the tiring urban centres. A tour of the city reveals a number of beautiful neoclassical buildings, such as the old Town Hall of the Municipality of Lavreotiki, which houses the Historical Archive of Lavrio and the Municipal Library, the offices of the first mining company in the port, which today house the Town Hall, the building of the Philomouson Association (now the Cultural Centre), the historic building of "Evterpi" in the preserved quarter of the old Kyprianos, the old 1st Primary School and the Fish Market, built in a simple neoclassical style in the shape of a "P" with pylons and arched openings. In the districts of Nychtochori, Agia Paraskevi and around the Central Square, simple, popular, neoclassical houses with the courtyard at the back, complete the aesthetics of the city in an attempt to resist the "modernist" intervention of cement.
Lavrion Technological-Cultural Park
Housed in the old premises of the French Mining Company of Lavrion, the Park spreads over 24.5 hectares and includes 41 building units that have been characterised as listed monuments by the Ministry of Culture. This centre for technology, research and culture was created by the NTUA and it permanently hosts companies involved in the production, development and implementation of innovative ideas, products and services in the field of modern technologies and NTUA laboratories and educational institutions, such as the Lavrion Environmental Education Centre and the Handicraft-Industrial Educational Museum. Additionally, periodic seminars and workshops are held here along with a variety of cultural events, while the venue is also often used as a film set.
Archaeological Museum
Very small but extremely interesting, the museum sheds light on the centuries-old history of the land of Lavreotiki from the antiquity to the 19th century, presenting all the ancient finds collected from the area. Among the exhibits in the first hall you will admire findings related to mining and you will learn how ore was mined and processed in the antiquity. Meanwhile, the second hall houses mainly ceramic findings from excavations at various sites of Lavreotiki dating back to the Neolithic and all the way to the Early Christian period (6th century BC - 4th century AD). The patio houses the impressive surviving relief frieze of the Temple of Poseidon created by Cycladic artisans of the 5th century BC
Mineralogical Museum
Housed in a fine specimen of the 19th century industrial architecture of Lavrio and one of the few remnants of the stunning industrial complex of the "Hellenic Society" ore washeries, the museum presents the grandeur of the inexhaustible natural wealth of the land of Lavreotiki. The Museum's collection of unique, rare and beautiful minerals from the land of Lavreotiki is constantly enriched with more than 3,200 mineral specimens. Everything is in crystalline form with striking lustre and colours. More than 610 types of minerals have been found in its subsoil to date (16% of the world's known minerals), which is why Lavreotiki has been rightly described as an "endless natural, mineral-chemical laboratory".
Ancient Theatre of Thoricus
The first stone theatre of ancient Greece dates back to the end of the Archaic Age (between 525-480 BC) and is considered to be the oldest surviving theatre in Greece. Just before the northern entrance to the city of Lavrio, the easily accessible ancient theatre of Thoricus is not circular like the ancient theatres of later years, but ellipsoid with a rectangular orchestra. Equally impressive is its location, which offers astounding views across the area. The entry is free and there are scattered ancient tanks and washeries around the place. On the east side of the hill lies the largest vaulted tomb of the Mycenaean period while the rest of the tombs are near the top of the hill. According to the findings of the Belgian archaeological mission that worked here between 1963-1976, Thoricus was one of the oldest settlements in Attica and one of its oldest naval fortresses.
Access to Lavrion
From the beach
If you come from the southern suburbs, follow the road along the beach and continue after Sounio, for about 10 km.
From Attiki Odos
Lavrio is exactly in its extension and you will not have to make any turns, continuing straight ahead after Markopoulos and Kalivia.
From Eleftherios Venizelos Airport
The route to Lavrio, following the extension of Attiki Odos, lasts 30 minutes.