Getting to Athens safely? Mr. Pimentel help!

[kendu]

Hey, our biggest concern is getting to Athens safely w/o a hassle. I don't want to pay more than $325 for a glorified bus ride and nothing more and the transportation there is spotty. Anyone done this before? What can I rely on? Getting to Athens is worth quite a bit but it is still only, I hear, about forty minutes away? Public transportation available? ANy tour companies that you recommend and trust besides the NCL excursions?

Ken

[cruisemom42]

Transportation is not spotty. Athens has excellent public transportation and it is very easy, cheap, and convenient to use. The "worst" part is the walk from the ship to the Metro station (Green line).

 

Search this board and you'll find numerous posts with step-by-step directions for taking the Metro. Here is one, for starters:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1109593

 

(Cost is about 3 euro for an all-day ticket; hard to beat that.)

[cberge]

Hey, our biggest concern is getting to Athens safely w/o a hassle. I don't want to pay more than $325 for a glorified bus ride and nothing more and the transportation there is spotty. Anyone done this before? What can I rely on? Getting to Athens is worth quite a bit but it is still only, I hear, about forty minutes away? Public transportation available? ANy tour companies that you recommend and trust besides the NCL excursions?

Ken

 

I have no idea where your info came from,but if you take the time and read some posts on this board all your questions will be answered and as Cruisemom says..transportation is very good in Athens and you should not have any problems,but please do soem reading on the board.

[kendu]

Read up on your advice, Karen. I spent a lot of time with it and feel much better about the situation. Do you think if it is the middle of August the thirty minute walk might be a very bad idea?

Thanks

ken

[kendu]

Sorry, Cynthia I meant to thank you also for your helpful response.

[cberge]

Read up on your advice, Karen. I spent a lot of time with it and feel much better about the situation. Do you think if it is the middle of August the thirty minute walk might be a very bad idea?

Thanks

ken

Middle of Aug is going to be HOT!!! Take a taxi to metro or arrange to be picked up at pier and taken into Athens.You can do a day of sightseeing with a driver and if you share you can cut the cost.Here is a link ro two that may be of help to you..

Athens, Greece: Survival Guide

 

Greece Travel: Matt's Guides to Greece, the Greek islands,Athens, hotels, trave

[sunshine nana]

Have you checked with your roll call? Maybe you can go together with others and hire a van and driver. Also, be sure to read the thread on the pickpockets on the Athens metro.

[kendu]

Thanks so much for the advice. Did I do this right? Is there a better way.

Here is what I did: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=23250145#post23250145

[sunshine nana]

That's good for the roll call. To get to the Ports forumn, go to the bottom of the page on this page and click on the arrow until ports of call comes up, then click on Greece. Or go to the BOARDS top left of home page, click on Europe in the Ports section, then on Greece.

[felestel]

I am sure that this is a useful link for you

 

http://www.athensguide.org/piraeus-port.html

[RoadTripFanatic]

Please be sure to check to see if the Metro is running when you are there. Sections of the line to Athens were closed d/t construction when we were there 3 weeks ago! We were told that we would have to take the bus for a few segments of the trip. I thought maybe the taxi guys were just saying this but I did verify it when we got home. We started walking toward the Metro to see for ourselves but the rain forced us to take a taxi. :) If you do take a taxi walk a few blocks away from the dock to find one for much cheaper! We walked all over the ruins of Athens and had a wonderful time!

[kendu]

Hi, Thanks for the great advice. I will make sure Metro is running. Is there a way to be sure the taxi is honest? How much did they charge you?

Thanks

Ken

[TLCOhio]

Hi, Thanks for the great advice. I will make sure Metro is running. Is there a way to be sure the taxi is honest? How much did they charge you? Thanks Ken

 

Excellent point on watching and being very careful on "some" of the Athens cab drivers. A certain number of the drivers can be "creative" in how they do things, what they will do in "forgetting" to turn on the meter, claim it's a flat rate cost, how people don't notice or realize what's going on, etc. As you get in the cab, ask up front about costs, the meter running, etc.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio