With the sea breezes blowing over the morning hustle and bustle, the Piraeus market is an excellent slice of life. There's a broad range of food and bric-a-brac, as well as cheap bars and cafes around the periphery, especially in the back alley behind.
Standing in weird contrast behind the market is a derelict 25-storey office tower, the tallest building for kilometres around. It's a failed project of the junta (1967–74) that was never completed above the 3rd floor. No one can agree whether to pull it down or revamp it. Now it's an accidental monument to that military era.