Athens hat trick advice needed please!

[kadey]

We are really gong back to Athens for our third time this May. We have done city tours, Acropolis (twice) and Acropolis Museum ,Lykavittos Hill ,Platka and surrounding neighborhoods and other assorted great ancient sites. With Med trips being so poert intensive I'm thinking of spending our day at a beautiful beach this time but I feel a little guilty! Who know if I'll ever get back to Athens again! How could I go to Athens and not go to the Acropolis? Is there a "must see" in Athens that I've missed or at this point beach day near Athens another great experience? Please give me some well needed advice! Thanks!! Kade

[24butterfly]

We are really gong back to Athens for our third time this May. We have done city tours, Acropolis (twice) and Acropolis Museum ,Lykavittos Hill ,Platka and surrounding neighborhoods and other assorted great ancient sites. With Med trips being so poert intensive I'm thinking of spending our day at a beautiful beach this time but I feel a little guilty! Who know if I'll ever get back to Athens again! How could I go to Athens and not go to the Acropolis? Is there a "must see" in Athens that I've missed or at this point beach day near Athens another great experience? Please give me some well needed advice! Thanks!! Kade

 

Since u've said that u've seen and done the Acropolis 2x, why do it again? Have you considered taking a hydrofoil to the island of Aegina? We've been to Athens many times and were looking for something other than the usual tourist thing, as Athens and the Plaka can get VERY crowded....From the cruise ship port, you can walk to where the hydrofoils are--we took a Blue Dolphin that left about 9:00am and returned at 3pm. Plenty of time--- Forgot how much we paid, but it was about 60 USD rt for both of us a few years back. Hope this helps.

[k9x8]

We went to Athens for the third time this year. The first time, we did the Acropolis, etc. The second year, we took the ship's excursion to Corinth, which included a ride on the canal.

 

This year, we booked a private trip to Delphi (George's Taxi), a place I'd only dreamed of seeing. The naysayers all said it couldn't be done with ten hours in port, and they were wrong. Rounding the bend and coming upon Mt Parnassus was spectacular.

 

There are so many places to visit from Athens. In my opinion, the Acropolis is best viewed from a distance. Too many people!

[numbersix]

Another vote for Aegina. We had a few days in Athens (our second time) a few years ago, and spent a really nice day and evening on Aegina...30-45 mins by Dolphin ("fast ferry"/hydrofoil)...easy to do, and you'll already be at the port in Piraeus, right? They run regularly, and often throughout the day. Ferries go either to Aegina Town (west side of the island), or to Agios Marina (east side).

 

We rented a car (kind of a dumpy car, but it worked fine), and explored. We drove down the west coast to Perdika, a small fishing village, and had lunch there on the water, then spent some beach time nearby. We drove through the middle of the island and visited the Agios Nektarios, an absolutely huge church in the middle of relative nowhere (nice road, though)...it's about 10 mins, equally, from either Aegina Town or Agios Marina. Nearby there's some fascinating abandoned stone huts/homes/churches all up and down the hillside. There's also quite a spectacular Temple (of Aphaea, 489 BC), after which we wandered back along the north coast beach road. Hard to get lost, as the island is sort of a triangle shape, about 6 miles east-west, and about 7 miles north-south. We ended our day (as we were staying in Athens that night) with a nice leisurely dinner at a waterfront Taverna in Aegina Town, and when we saw the ferry come in, paid our bill and waalked across the street and got on and returned to Piraeus.

 

http://www.greektravel.com/greekislands/aegina/

 

Also, check it out on Google Maps (or the map provider of your choice).

 

 

Of course, being so close to Athens, some may say one might not get the real Greek Island experience, but we really liked it, a lot, and were surprised that it was so nice and peaceful being so close to the hustle-and-bustle of Athens. Lots of nice beaches, too.

 

There is also a one day Saronic Island cruise, which stops at Aegina, Poros, and Hydra, but that might be too "busy", and may be too late back, so maybe not great on a port day?

 

Enjoy your day!

[cruisemom42]

Personally, I can't get enough history and archaeology but I understand it isn't everyone's cup of tea. In that vein, have you been to the National Archaeological Museum? (Not the Acropolis Museum but the one with all the best stuff from all of Greece?)

 

I also like the Agora (Greek and Forum (Roman) in Athens, as well as the Temple of Zeus.

 

As someone else recommended, Corinth makes for a nice day -- but again, more ruins. Corinth was an extremely wealthy and powerful city when it was smashed by the Romans in 146 BC (same year they defeated Carthage); of course it was later rebuilt and repopulated as part of the Roman Empire. If you get a tour that combines Corinth with a ride on the canal, it would be an interesting experience.

 

Some people really enjoy a drive to Cape Sounion to see the ruins of the Temple of Poseidon there. Someone (I think it was Hank) said they rented a car and stopped at a beach enroute, which sounds nice if you are into a more relaxing day.

 

Finally, I can offer a very easy day -- get off the ship and walk around Piraeus a little. There is a small but very worthwhile Archaeological Museum with 5 stunning bronze statues (discovered in what was an ancient warehouse in the harbor area) that are the equal of anything in the larger museums!

[kadey]

Thank you all for your suggestions!(special hello to Cruisemom42!)Now that we've past the New Year,I feel that we have turned the bend on this upcoming trip and can get into serious planning. It's late at night and I haven't checked in on this post in awhile and am so happy to see these replies. Tomorrow when my eyes aren't closing I will research each of these suggestions!Thank you!

[John Bull]

We had the same quandry.

 

So instead of digging around for other options, we spent the day looking round Piraeus.

I strongly advise you to carry on digging around for other options :o:D

 

JB :)

Edited January 23, 2014 by John Bull

[cruisemom42]

We had the same quandry.

 

So instead of digging around for other options, we spent the day looking round Piraeus.

I strongly advise you to carry on digging around for other options :o:D

 

JB :)

 

Did you get to the Piraeus archeological museum? I thought it was great!

[John Bull]

Did you get to the Piraeus archeological museum? I thought it was great!

 

Yep.:)

 

Well ............. errr ............ walked past the entrance, on the way from the market to the marina. :o

But you know me, I'm a heathen - bits of pottery & stuff really aren't my scene.;)

 

Nor, as it turns out, are Greek markets or marinas. :D

 

For those who care, the archaeological museum is 15 minutes from the current cruise berths mainly slightly uphill

 

JB :)