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Palaio Faliro (Greek: Παλαιό Φάληρο, pronounced [paleˈo ˈfaliro] Katharevousa: Palaion Faliron, Παλαιόν Φάληρον, meaning “Old Phalerum”) is a coastal district and a municipality in the southern part of the Piraeus agglomeration, Greece. At the 2011 census it had 64,021 inhabitants.
Palaio Faliro is situated on the east coast of the Phalerum Bay, a bay of the Saronic Gulf, 6 km southwest of Piraeus city centre. The municipality has an area of 4.574 km2. It is surrounded by other districts of Athens: Kallithea, Nea Smyrni, Agios Dimitrios and Alimos. The Pikrodafni stream flows into sea on the border of Palaio Faliro and Alimos. Palaio Faliro is at the Northwest extremity of what is referred to as the Riviera.
Phaleron was an important place in antiquity, then as now one of the demes of Attica; however, a precise definition of its Classical topography is lacking, although the location of the deme is well established. Pausanias records that it was on the coast, equidistant from Athens and Cape Kolias (i.e., Ayios Kosmas) at 20 stadia. Strabo enumerates the coastal demes east of Piraeus and starts with Phaleron.
The site of the ancient town appears to be the area and headland around the church of St. George, with the harbour to the west in the open roadstead. Remains of conglomerate blocks have been found crossing the heights of Old Phaleron to the sea and these are likely to be part of the Phaleric Wall recorded by Thucydides.
Before the 5th century B.C., Phaleron was the port of Athens, as it is least distant from the city. Thus the Athenians sailing to Troy would have departed from Phaleron. But Themistocles, when he became preeminent in the government of the Athenians, arranged that Piraeeus be the main port, as it was more convenient for seafarers.
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