Athens: pros and cons of diy vs taxi tour

[trvlrs]

In Athens we only went from the port to the Acropolis. We used cabs and it was very doable. Within walking distance of the Acropolis is the Plaka, Hadrians Arch, the Agora, Mars Hill and many other sites. If you are looking for a great place to eat in the Plaka, try Scholario. It's family style Greek and the food was great.

 

There were six of us and we traveled in 2 cabs. The cost of the cabs was 20 euros per cab not per passenger. We were told if the cab drivers balked at the price to turn around and walk away. The moment we did the price came down.

 

We were there on a Sunday and the crowds and the traffic was very light. Travel time between Pireaus and the Acropolis was about 20 minutes. I have been told however that on a weekday or a Saturday the trip can take up to 1 1/2 hours each way because of the traffic...

 

Thank you Ulvazell for the info. That is exactly what we want to do. Port to the Acropolis, walk to Plaka and back to ship. Thanks for the feedback

[trvlrs]

I am going to jump in on this discussion for the newer people who might be looking for private tour info on this thread. We were in Athens in mid-May (a month ago). We did our homework and contacted www.toursofathens.com and Dennis (the owner) hooked us up with two other couples for the entire day in Athens. It was economical because the per person charge was so much less than a ship shore ex, and very personalized. I checked on the demographics of the other two couples, and since we were similar in age, our day together was incredible because our interests were similar. Cost ended up to be E75 per person. I think this option was the best of all worlds. I wrote an extensive review of our cruise on the reviews thread in Celebrity Equinox.

 

Thanks for the info. I'll make sure and check out your review

[Olde Gnome]

Hi,

We were on the Celebrity Century and we arranged for "George the Famous Taxi Driver" (he actually has a web site, http://www.greecetravel.com/taxi/) to pick us up. We arrived in port at 7AM, and were able to get off the ship at 7:20. George was waiting for us. We saw far, far more with George than we would have either on our own or with a tour. George got us to the Acropolis before any of the ship's tours arrived. He really took us where we wanted to go, and was a wealth of information on Athens. George not only has his air conditioned Mercedes taxi, he also has a couple of vans, and a limo. The highest recommendation. We had a great day in Athens.

Vicki

[utsoob]

Thank you Ulvazell for the info. That is exactly what we want to do. Port to the Acropolis, walk to Plaka and back to ship. Thanks for the feedback

 

Ditto. Thanks for all the info!!!

[abc2media]

We arranged an afternoon tour through Paul at Greek taxi on our arrival afternoon. We were very tired after our trip over and this was the perfect way to get an overview of Athens and do a little touring. We stopped for a while at the Acropolis Museum, Temple of Zeus, and the Greek Agora and rode around the rest of the time seeing old Olympic Stadium, Parliament building, Lycabettus hill (spectacular view), changing of guards, etc. We enjoyed getting the Greek perspective on things along the way from our driver.

 

The next AM we arranged a round trip transfer with Andreas Kambas at http://www.taxidrives.gr. He picked us up at Piraeus at 7:30AM and we were at the Acropolis a little before 8AM which was great as we beat the tour bus crowds for a little bit as well as the heat. We then walked around the Plaka, had lunch, took the metro one stop to Syntagma Square (for the metro experience which was very nice), and then a local cab to the Archeology Museum (about 5 E from Syntagma Square). I would not recommend walking if you've been on your feet all day already - especially if it is hot. We had arranged for a pickup with Andreas at 3:30 outside the museum. With Friday afternoon rush hour traffic we were back at the cruise terminal about 4:10. Roundtrip fare on our day at least was about 40E and it was well worth it. Andreas would also be available for a half or full day site to site tour as well. He is a German who has leaved in Greece for many years so his perspective is different.

 

For a limited time visit I would definitely recommend one of these 2 options. Although the metro was very nice for the little ride we took, the extra walking at the cruise port might have done us in! And seeing more local sights in an air-conditioned cab with a friendly English speaking driver waiting was worth it.

[trvlrs]

 

The next AM we arranged a round trip transfer with Andreas Kambas at www.taxidrives.gr. He picked us up at Piraeus at 7:30AM and we were at the Acropolis a little before 8AM which was great as we beat the tour bus crowds for a little bit as well as the heat. We then walked around the Plaka, had lunch,

 

Thank you abc2media for the great infomation. That is exactly what we need. A drop off and a pick up... We want to see the Acropolis and walk around the Plaka. I just e-mailed Andreas. Fingers crossed...

[trvlrs]

Thank you again abc2media. This was a great tip. We have our confirmation :)

[ny4cruise]

We have booked Nikos at privategreecetours. The charge is 400 Euro for 8-9 hours of touring in Athens for up to 12 people. We have posted on our Roll call and hopefully we can get 6 people to join us. At that rate ($33 Euro per person) it is a great value (in my opinion). In comparison, I was quoted over $35 per person for a 5 hour tour of Sicily.

 

I also have school aged children and cannot imagine trying to navigate a city on foot that I've never been to in 100 degree heat. There is a VERY GOOD chance that public transport will be on Strike (this is Greece, and they are going through so much turmoil right now)... then how would we get back to the ship? Rely on a taxi which has probably already raised rates under that situation.

 

Athens is a place I have always dreamed of visiting and with only 1 day to see it, I don't want to risk getting lost, stuck without transport, wasting time looking for sites, or dealing with cranky kids in the heat.

 

We used Nikos at privategreecetours in our last visit in Athens too. I totally agree that his pricing is a great value. I am sure that you will have a great time. We had our kids with us too and the ability to stop whenever we needed and modify the itinerary according to our needs was priceless. Nikos is also great with kids. Our children loved him so… no cranky kids for us! Top this with his vast knowledge of… well just about anything and… what more could we ask for?! We have booked him again for this July.

 

 

Enjoy your tour!

[rian90]

We are going to do it on our own in Athens but if we had our kids along, we would definitely book a tour! Cranky tired kids and hot sun do not make for a fun day, I must admit.

 

Since the kids are not going, we are sharing a taxi with another couple from our roll call to the Acropolis and then using Rick Steves' audio tours. I have always found that I don't get to see what I want to see on a tour but instead what someone else thinks I want to see. :) I suppose a $230 private tour would get me what I want, but I would prefer to spend that money on a nice dinner or a gift to take home for my kids.

 

I do think that the costs of anything is worth it if its something you enjoy or you prioritize and something that you can afford. So for those who can afford private tours and prefer them, the cost is worthwhile. For those of us who like a little adventure and either can't afford the private tour or have other things they would rather spend their money on, then a DIY with a taxi ride or public transportation is the best choice.

 

To each his own, I say. :)

[abc2media]

Thank you again abc2media. This was a great tip. We have our confirmation :)

 

 

Tell Andreas hello from Alan and Carol when you see him. And have a great trip. We really loved our Athens to Istanbul cruise on Azamara Quest. Have to write a trip report soon.

[D4]

DH can't walk a lot or do many steps, so we didn't know what to do at this port. It's also impossible to know in advance whether he'll be having a good walking day or not. The Celebrity tours that didn't require a lot of walking sounded boring, so we decided to play it by ear and not plan anything in advance for Athens.

 

We let the rush of people get off the ship and then we hired a taxi driver at the port to give us a half day tour of Athens. We paid as much as a ship tour, but we got to see exactly what we wanted at our own pace. The driver let me out to walk around and take pictures at various sites while he stayed in the taxi with DH. It wasn't cheap, but it was a perfect day for us.

 

He wasn't a licensed guide, but he told us plenty of guide type information. He was very careful to always do it from inside the vehicle so he wouldn't get in trouble.

[trvlrs]

Tell Andreas hello from Alan and Carol when you see him. And have a great trip. We really loved our Athens to Istanbul cruise on Azamara Quest. Have to write a trip report soon.

 

I definetely will...

[t-and-t]

Tell Andreas hello from Alan and Carol when you see him. And have a great trip. We really loved our Athens to Istanbul cruise on Azamara Quest. Have to write a trip report soon.

I just wanted to chime in and say thank you for posting this information! We're cruising in November (for our 10th wedding anniversary!) and really wanted to do Athens on our own, but DH has some minor mobility issues and therefore we needed a convenient and reliable transportation option. After reading your post, we just booked Andreas to pick us up at port, drop us at the Acropolis, and come get us later in the day for the return trip. He was very pleasant and quick with his replies, and as far as I'm concerned 40 euros is an excellent deal and suited us just fine! Thanks again for offering up this recommendation!

[UlvaZell]

We did a DIY in Athens. There were 6 of us and we took 2 cabs. We were informed that the going rate was 20 euros per cab and that if they balked at the rate to simply turn and walk away and when we did the price came down.

 

We were in Athens on a Sunday and it only took around 20 minutes to travel from Piraeus to the Acropolis. On weekdays we have been told that the traffic is so bad it could take an hour to an hour and a half to make the same trip.

 

We ate lunch at a great taverna in the Plaka called Scholario. It was family style Greek and it was fantastic. We toured the Acropolis, the Plaka, the old stadium, and the agora. Then we caught a cab back to Piraeus.

 

It was a great day. Whatever you decide have a great trip!

[pasha2004]

How did your trip to Athens go? Did you do it on your own?

[trvlrs]

The next AM we arranged a round trip transfer with Andreas Kambas at www.taxidrives.gr. He picked us up at Piraeus at 7:30AM and we were at the Acropolis a little before 8AM which was great as we beat the tour bus crowds for a little bit as well as the heat. .

 

Hello Alan and Carol - Just back from our Med cruise and I wanted to thank you once again for the wonderful recommendation. Andreas was very professional and on time. We also had the pleasure of meeting his wife, lovely woman. He remembered you well.

Anyone else looking to do Athens on your own, it is definetely doable.

Andreas picked us up at 8:00am and we were at the Acropolis at 8:20am (August is the month with the least traffic or should I say no traffic in Athens). We were told September would be very different. You have to deal with everyone back to work and back to school.

Since it was early, there were no lines at the ticket office. We bought our tickets, went in and were out by 9:30am just when all the crowds were coming in. I heard about the crowds at the Acropolis but never imagined it could be so bad. Needless to say, we were very happy with our decision to start early. We had the Acropolis practically to ourselves.

We then walked down to La Plaka, it was still cool in the little alleys. The stroll was about 10 minutes. You leave the main entrance and turn right. About 300meters you'll see a small church ahead of you and a set of steps to your left. Take the steps and you are in La Plaka

[Dadams2763]

We were on the Ruby Princess and visited Athens for 1 day on June 30,2010. We arranged a private mini-van for 4 adults for the day with nikos loukas of privategreecetours.com. He was waiting at our ship when we got off at 7:45AM and took us promptly to the Acropolis, and drove right up to the ticket booth area saving our 2 companions with walking problems a lot of strain. We spent an hour there and spent the rest of the day visiting every site you'd want to - his driving was carefully done and well planned - we made it to the changing of the guard right on time! We also had a great lunch and learned a lot with him. He was courteous, intelligent and very professional. We truly enjoyed our time with him and even spent an hour at the Archeological museum that was awesome. Would definitely recommend his tours for anyone going there!

[fllchick]

We were on the Ruby Princess and visited Athens for 1 day on June 30,2010. We arranged a private mini-van for 4 adults for the day with nikos loukas of privategreecetours.com. He was waiting at our ship when we got off at 7:45AM and took us promptly to the Acropolis, and drove right up to the ticket booth area saving our 2 companions with walking problems a lot of strain. We spent an hour there and spent the rest of the day visiting every site you'd want to - his driving was carefully done and well planned - we made it to the changing of the guard right on time! We also had a great lunch and learned a lot with him. He was courteous, intelligent and very professional. We truly enjoyed our time with him and even spent an hour at the Archeological museum that was awesome. Would definitely recommend his tours for anyone going there!

 

I'm booked with Nikos in a few weeks so I'm so excited to read your review! I'm trying decide if I should get a guide for the acropolis, for the whole day, or no guide at all. Any thoughts?

 

thanks!

[trvlrs]

I'm booked with Nikos in a few weeks so I'm so excited to read your review! I'm trying decide if I should get a guide for the acropolis, for the whole day, or no guide at all. Any thoughts?

 

thanks!

 

Hello fllchick - We just got back from our med cruise and we had a fantastic time and fantastic guides throughout our trip except at the Acropolis. We felt like we've been had.

Our driver dropped us at the Acropolis, we picked up our tickets and that's when the guide approached us. I don't want to bad mouth all of them because I don't know what the others would have been like but we had the worst guide ever. A lady probably in her late 50's to early 60's, her name was Maria (I am almost positive - I am drawing a blank at the moment). The cost was 100 euros for 40mn. We shared it with another couple from our cruise ship who happenned to walk up to us at that moment.

The guide complained about the heat and the steps all the way up. She was frustrated anytime we stopped to take pictures. When we asked her to repeat something she had explained, she did, but not before telling us we should be paying attention. At exactly 40 minutes in the tour, she extended her arm to us and wished us a good day and disappeared. This was the easiest 100 euro anyone has ever made. What a waist of money and we learned absolutely nothing.

Based on our experience, I would not recommend a guide at the Acropolis. At the very least, stay away from Maria.

Enjoy your time in Athens, we did...