Kat01843

I made a reservation with the HOHO bus in kotor and was able to get onboard right at Port, it was a great value for 20€ and very educational. The price included Evans to a museum in Perast. We took a boat to our Lady of the Rock church (not included in price) and spent time swimming in one the the local beaches! It was amazing and the views coming in to Port and driving around were amazing!

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Hi Mommyz - sorry to have taken so long to reply, been swamped at work after the vacation. We had a fabulous time on the cruise and met some wonderful people. Re: shore excursions... We booked ones in Santorini and Athens. We used Nikki Olympic tours and were overall quite happy. The other Greek ports were spent doing our own thing and using the lack of plans to rest as the cruise was very port intensive.

 

Santorini - it's a tender port and the tendering that morning was awful. That said we got a bit of a late start on the tour with another boat ride to the single dock that serves Oia. Once finally there, the time in Oia was less of a tour and more of a "here's where we'll meet, be back in 2 hours" sort of thing. Our tour guide was friendly, patient and informative and always willing to answer questions, but we weren't really on a tour, per se. After Oia we boarded the bus and drove to a winery on the other side of the island and made a stop to take in the view along the way. After the winery we ended in Thira. To be fair, we booked this tour almost entirely for its transportation and logistics and then expecting some commentary, which we got, so based on my expectation I was satisfied. Expectations of others in the group were not met. YMMV. I could have done without the winery and have had more time in Oia and/or Thira.

 

Athens - fantastic experience and wish it was longer! Between the port of Piraeus and Athens we were given commentary on Athens history etc... Once in Athens we drove by many important monuments, sites and buildings. But the only one we stopped at was the Panathenaic stadium. Then we went to the Acropolis museum and had an incredible private tour of the terrific museum in the comforts of wonderful a/c. It was one of the hottest days of the year that day and the daunting task of climbing the acropolis to the Parthenon was still looming. After the museum, we did make that trek to the Parthenon but it was worth every ounce of sweat. The journey wasn't difficult, it was just bloody hot. Afterwards we had some time in the Plaka, but not nearly enough. We then headed back to the ship. Not sailing until 11pm that night we had so much more time and I considered returning to the city for more. It was a wonderful snapshot of Athens and will definitely be back.

 

As I mentioned earlier, the other ports we had no plans and just took the day as it came.

 

Rhodes - spent most of the day on the ship, nursing a cold that was clearing up. I did wander through the old town next to the port in search of some medicine, but quickly realized there was nothing there but shops, restaurants and beggars. With more time, planning and not being sick, I'm sure there's a lot more to see there.

 

Crete - hired a cab and went to Knossos Palace. It was pricey, (80 euro) but it was efficient and the cab driver obtained our entry tickets for us, allowing us to bypass the snaking line to just buy tickets, let along entry. Well worth the euros. The palace was interesting, worth our time, but I only wished we followed that with the archaeological museum afterwards. The heat and still feeling slightly under the weather had the ship calling for our return. Yes, one can do it cheaper, but I was all about paying for convenience at this point.

 

Nauplion - A quaint and charming old town. We tendered to port and wandered around the old town admiring the charm. Here we did some shopping for gifts as well as art/pottery for home. There is a hop on hop off train option here, which we would have done purely to get to the fortress high atop the city. With more time (we got a late and leisurely start) we would have done it.

 

Argostoli - another leisurely day. I had been dying to get into the water and had discovered this may be the best place to hit the beach. We took a cab from the port to a nice beach for a few hours. Tip - spend the euro for chairs and umbrella. While HAL provides beach towels, there isn't much natural shade. Water was fantastic. There are water sports for hire as well, which looked fun. We went to Lassi beach, but there are others to visit as well.

 

Corfu - we just wandered around the town, did some shopping. We stumbled upon a toy train tour, which was pricey, but it was a nice way to get a quick overview, a place to sit and catch some breeze, as it was quite hot. From the port, there are multiple ways to get to the old town. We took the public bus which is set up perfectly for the cruise ships. Cabs and Hop on Hop off busses are also available.

 

That's it in a nutshell. I hope this helps!

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For me the best option is a taxi tour, but there are some good tour companies on the island too with most notable Avalon travel. There is also Ainos Travel and Ertsos Travel but from what I know they are associated with the cruise ships, so the shore excursions that company does is with the help of these tour companies. Avalon, from what I know, is working independently. Also give a look to Caesars Limo Kefalonia. I hope I helped you a little bit. And btw when are you sailing and in which ship? :)

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If you have energy and no serious mobility issues, you can wander around old town Kotor on your own and then climb the 1500 stairs up to the fortress for some beautiful views. It costs 3 euros (paid to the man at the bottom of the stairs) to go up. Along the way you would probably find several individuals selling bottled water. The way up is a slog, but well worth it. View is gorgeous and the beer afterwards, at one of the cute little cafes in old town, is delicious! We are in our mid 60s and my husband had bypass surgery 5 years ago and we were able to make it up, so it's not that hard.

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IMHO, I would not spend the money on a tour. It is so easy to get around and see so much. The car cost us 45 euros. We went to Budva (amazing beach town, about a half hour away), went to the beach and then had a fantastic lunch. Then back to Kotor, returned the car and went to the walled city. We have been a few times, and this is one of the most beautiful places we have been. We absolutely love it. I hope you have a fantastic vacation!

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I will answer my own question in hopes to help someone else. ;)

Oasis car rental is walkable from the port, and we got 2 great little cars for the day.

They require cash, but it was super easy and I would rent from them again.

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Following

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Following

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I'm from Kefalonia so feel free to ask me anything you need to know about the island! First of all, Argostoli, the capital city of Kefalonia has Lithostroto which is It is the place that local people drink coffee, make serenades and here is the place where the customs of local tradition are revived. It starts from Kampana Square and and reaches almost to the central square of Argostoli, Vallianos’ Square. Apart from the various shops, you will find the church of Saint Spyridon with its beautiful carved gold temple and the Catholic church of Saint Nicholas. At the end of Lithostroto you will see “Kefalos“, the grand theater of Kefalonia. Also near the sea you can see turtles and take some photos. The place has been recently reformed with palm trees and pebbles. Also the main square of Argostoli was recently reformed and has many caffes. The port where you will dock is about 5-10 minutes by walking to the main city. But, in my opinion you shoud try and hire a taxi with other cruisers (the best choice for money around 60 euros totally I think) or take an excursion (costly but safe option). Best places to see is 1. Melissani and Drogarati Caves. Melissani cave has an underground lake which is open from above and the rays from the sun make the water so clear you think your boat is flying and not floating (best time to visit around 12) 2. Myrtos Beach is the most famous beach on the island but I dunno you will have the opportunity to swim there cause of the time limit. But it has spectacular scenery for sure and this place is a must for some photos. 3. Rombola winery and Saint Gerasimos monastery.

You can taste local wines among them the famous Robola first and then you can visit the monastery where the island’s patron saint and his relics are kept in a silver sarcophagus which is opened during services for the congregation to kiss his feet .Set in the Omala valley ,known for its robola vineyards,the monastery is the island’s largest and more majestic ,with a splendid bell-tower build in the architectural style peculiar to the Ionian Islands. This is the top 3 choices of places to visit in Kefalonia in my opinion and I think only by taxi you can visit all of them. Other places of interest: Sami (where Captain Corelli's mandolin was filmed), Agia Efimia (beautiful fishing village), Fiscardo (another picturesque village which many celebrities usually visit every summer but it's the the most time consuming to reach village cause it's too far away from Argostoli) and if you decide to stay in Argostoli you can take the local bus (very cheap) to go to the nearest beaches Makris or Platis Gialos with beach bars and water sports. I hoped I helped you with this info about my island and I wish you a nice cruise! Everything else you need, you can ask me!

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F

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Is it better than kayak.com?

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Try momondo.com

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This is my second year traveling to Europe and I have found that you can get great deals on airfare if you book early enough.

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We did it ourselves we got of the ship then took the open top tour bus which was waiting.Cheapest way for us to do Athens and we had plenty of free time too.It was hot though :eek:

Grrr just read the year

I'm going in August and am sensitive to sun. Do you recommend the bus for someone like me? Or a taxi?

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