Athens

[Grumpy100]

Is it possible to do Athens on your own. I am mostly interested in seeing the Acropolis (I think that is what it is called). Would like to climb to the top. I heard that it was possible to walk there from the cruise ship or take a train there. Is there an admission fee.

[paul929207]

I do not think it is walkable, but it is certainly possible to take the Metro. A ticket for the bus to the Metro (about 1 mile) and the Metro to the Acropolis is about 1.50 Euros pp each way. As I recall, in 2011, it was 12 Euros for the Acropolis.

[CruiserBruce]

A little reading on the board would reveal it would be a very long walk from your ship. However, there is a metro station at the head of the port. Most take that into town.

 

There will be no problem walking to the top of the Acropolis. It is open to the public. The stairs can be a little tricky, but it is very doable. There is an admission fee, but don't know what it currently is.

[John Bull]

If you try walking it you really will be grumpy, it's about 7 miles. ;)

 

About a 15-20 min walk from port to metro station, metro costs pennies.

 

Or use a ho-ho. It has two routes, one from port to city & the other around the city. Even if you don't take a city tour, at about 18 euros it's better value than ship's transfer.

 

Or plenty of taxis. Don't know the cost, but about a 20 min drive.

 

Make the Acropolis your first stop, before the day heats up.

 

JB :)

[flcruiser3]

We just returned from our cruise. We walked to the metro (it took about 20 minutes) then bought an all day transportation pass for 4€/pp. We took the metro to the Acropolis. (We took the green line from Piraeus to Omonia, then switched to the red line and got off at Acropoli). The admission to the Acropolis was 12€/pp. It is not a bad walk to the top of the Acropolis. The later in the day, the heat will make it more difficult. The metro is easy to use, we took it several times during the day. We then took the metro back to Piraeus and took the bus back to the port. (bus 843, the fare is included in all day transportation pass).

[cruiseathon]

A better way of reaching the metro station from the cruise terminal is by bus, as walking it can be very hot work. Just cross to the opposite side of the main road that runs by the terminal, buy a day ticket at the little kiosk next to the bus stop, and catch a 833, 843 or 859 bus to the metro station.

[Grumpy100]

We just returned from our cruise. We walked to the metro (it took about 20 minutes) then bought an all day transportation pass for 4€/pp. We took the metro to the Acropolis. (We took the green line from Piraeus to Omonia, then switched to the red line and got off at Acropoli). The admission to the Acropolis was 12€/pp. It is not a bad walk to the top of the Acropolis. The later in the day, the heat will make it more difficult. The metro is easy to use, we took it several times during the day. We then took the metro back to Piraeus and took the bus back to the port. (bus 843, the fare is included in all day transportation pass).

 

Well we are going in November hopefully it won't be too hot. Thanks for the info.

[maryann ns]

It was warm the November we went. A good guidebook is Rick Steves' Athens and the Peloponnese.

[griffy116]

Don't miss the Acropolis museum. I'm not a big museum fan, but it was absolutely worth it! Most unusual and amazing!

[mozfoz]

I found this website to be most helpful. Plenty of directions, options and maps.

 

http://www.tomsportguides.com/Athens-08-12-2011.pdf

[Russty Nails]

If you want to make the most of your time, don't do it on your own. We just returned from a Royal Caribbean cruise and visited Athens (Pireaus) for a day. My original plan was to "Do-it on our own" using metro but as we left the ship we were approached by several taxi drivers offering tours. Initially I declined the first few, but then decided to use one for transport to the Acropolis only. On the drive into town he convinced us to let him be our tour guide for the day. It was good advice. He got us to more sights than we could have seen if we had used the metro. He was also a wealth of advice and information. Emmanuel used our Acropolis tickets to get us into other attractions beyond the Acropolis ( something which we would not have known about on our own) He also timed it so that we were in front of the presidential palace for the changing of the guards. For lunch we were dropped off at the Plaka with a list of phrases and suggestions to make our visit pleasant. Emmanuels services were all on the basis of " payment at the end if you were satisfied, otherwise don't pay at all". Look for Emmanuel, his C-Class Mercedes says "Mr. France"

[cruiserfromohio]

I think Russty Nails is correct. You can do things on your own, but odds are you'd miss a lot of interesting things that someone who was familar with Athens, what to see in only one day and the timing of events could show you.

 

When we were in Athens we use Sprios Taxi, but I'm sure there are a bunch of others too.

 

As for what was aid above, by all means go the the Acropolis Museum.

 

The Acropolisis climbable, but if you're unsure of the steps be careful. Much of the walkways are on 3-century, worn marble and the wooden walks can be slippery when wet.

[sgcc2866]

If you want to make the most of your time, don't do it on your own. We just returned from a Royal Caribbean cruise and visited Athens (Pireaus) for a day. My original plan was to "Do-it on our own" using metro but as we left the ship we were approached by several taxi drivers offering tours. Initially I declined the first few, but then decided to use one for transport to the Acropolis only. On the drive into town he convinced us to let him be our tour guide for the day. It was good advice. He got us to more sights than we could have seen if we had used the metro. He was also a wealth of advice and information. Emmanuel used our Acropolis tickets to get us into other attractions beyond the Acropolis ( something which we would not have known about on our own) He also timed it so that we were in front of the presidential palace for the changing of the guards. For lunch we were dropped off at the Plaka with a list of phrases and suggestions to make our visit pleasant. Emmanuels services were all on the basis of " payment at the end if you were satisfied, otherwise don't pay at all". Look for Emmanuel, his C-Class Mercedes says "Mr. France"

 

 

Thanks for this info. I was going to do it on our own but may reconsider. What sights did you see? Cost? Can you prebook with Emmanuel?

[ellay864]

When we were there last year we did the ho-ho. A few minutes walk from the ship takes you to one bus that stops by the entrance to the whole Acropolis site. We spent quite a while there, and I agree with the comment about trying to avoid the heat - there's very little shade once you head on the walk up.

Back down again and there's another ho-ho (one ticket covers both buses) that goes through the city. We found the commentary good, along with other guide info we'd copied beforehand. We went through a lovely park, saw the guard changing at the palace and walked down to the Plaka for lunch.

I guess any proper guide would give more info but we saved a fortune and felt we saw a lot on our day