Assistance with 2nd visit to Athens

[Ken&Judy]

We took the Med tour on Millie in June/July 2003 and visited Athens at that time. We did a private tour, saw all the major highlights and had a great time. We're returning on the May 14th sailing and are finding it easy to pick different activities for all the ports except for Athens. Does anyone have suggestions for what to do on a second visit to Athens?

[juliejoe]

We have also been there - done that and wanted something different for our return visit next month. We will be doing a Peloponnese Tour.

 

Check out: http://*****/#Peloponnese

 

Julie

[Ken&Judy]

Thanks, Julie. We will definitely check that out!

[BuckGuy]

I too returned to Athens for my second time when I took my Med cruise this past July 2005. Because our shore excursion was really just for a few hours, my friend and I just walked around the Plaka, looked upwards to the Parthenon, found a nice cafe and enjoyed a nice coffee and other pastries and goodies.

 

When you get yourself a taxi outside the ship, in case your previous experience didnt afford you this practical tidbit, make sure your taxi has a meter. If it doesnt (even though the driver and his manager might say "meter, meter, yes" just stick your head in the taxi and ask where the meter is. If it doesnt have one, look for the taxi line that has metered rides. We are talking about 8 Euros metered one way from ship to Plaka, as oppsed to 25 un-metered.

[shoshona2]

Hi Ken and Judy,

 

We were just in Athens two weeks ago and used Spiros at http://***** (which Julie just posted). He was wonderful and speaks perfect English. He drove four of us around for two days -- we went to Delphi one day and to the Peloponnese and the Corinth Canal the next day. The Olympic sites are wonderful and the city is so clean and beautiful. Spiros will also pick you up at the airport. It is terrific to be met at the airport with a sign showing your name after a long flight or flights to Athens.

 

Sheila

[cberge]

Like BuckGuy said..how about just hanging out in the Platka area,checking out some shops and the people who work there,some cafes,and the wait staff,taking some offbeat pictures,and enjoying the day,people and chilling out in Athens...:D Just a thought

[Compass Rose Monica]

Hi Ken and Judy,

 

We were just in Athens two weeks ago and used Spiros at ***** (which Julie just posted). He was wonderful and speaks perfect English. He drove four of us around for two days -- we went to Delphi one day and to the Peloponnese and the Corinth Canal the next day. The Olympic sites are wonderful and the city is so clean and beautiful. Spiros will also pick you up at the airport. It is terrific to be met at the airport with a sign showing your name after a long flight or flights to Athens.

 

Sheila

 

Hi Sheila, could you please tell me more about your second day to Peloponnese and the Corinth canal? Price? Length of tour? What did you get to see? Lunch? etc.

 

Thanks!

 

Monica

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Depends how long you have--you could take a hydrofoil to an island for the day, or do a tour up to Delphi. Delphi is very beautiful, although crawling with tourists, I'm sure. How long will you be in port?

[NancyBancy]

We were in Athens for about a week in April/May of this year, after having been there twice as cruise ports. We used Paul at admin@***** for two full day tours. On the first we visited Corinth Canal / Ancient Corinth / Mycenae / Epidaurus, which lunch at Nauplion. It was a fantastic day and there were no crowds anywhere, not even approaching crowds. On another we used Paul for a trip to Delphi, which was a little bit more crowded but that was mostly due to school groups and I say it was "more crowded" only in relation to the fact that in Corinth there was hardly anyone else. Paul lived in the US for many years & his English is flawless & he's very accomodating & willing to follow whatever your interests are. Since you're on a cruise with stricter time regulations, you will obviously have to adjust your timing accordingly. On another day, we took a catamaran ferry from Piraeus to the island of Hydra. This was another great day though going anywhere by boat when you have time issues probably isn't a good idea in case for some reason the ferry can't run. I'd probably pick the Corinth version if I were you only because Corinth is closer to Athens than Delphi. :D

[drwong]

I've heard the drive down to Cape Sounion and the view from the Temple of Posideon is quite spectacular, but it's quite a drive. Have other CC members made the trek and was it worth it?

[shmabbies]

Been to Sounion twice and loved it both times. I wouldn't call the drive all that long. Most people do it in conjunction with something else, like basic Athens sightseeing, so by the time they are in the car to go to Sounion they welcome the time off their feet, and the scenery is interesting. The second time we went was with a car & driver & it was the very last thing we did. By the time we got there we had the place entirely to ourselves, and THAT was magical, except there was no one there to take our obligatory photo so we had to set up a tripod! The original poster was looking for, I think, a full day further out of Athens and, as I said, most people book Sounion in conjunction with Athens and not on its own. :D

[Trixsea]

Take a ferry or hydrafoil to Aegina. Very close to Piraeus (about 45 minutes by hydrafoil). Beautiful beaches, great restaurants and very laid back.

[shmabbies]

Except with the caution that sometimes the ferries don't run due to high seas and you'd be stuck in Aegina! We went to Hydra by ferry but this was while we were STAYING in Athens, not on a cruise. Personally I wouldn't do anything involving a ferry while in Athens on a cruise stop. :D

[Ken&Judy]

Wow, so many good ideas. We found interesting information about Monastiraki, Hadrian's Library, The Roman Agora, and the Tower of the Winds. I have sent inquiries to Spiros (as recommended) and will see if I can contact Paul at Greek Taxi. Thanks, everybody.

[steveg]

We just used Spiros for our second visit to Athens. He was our guide last year for an all day tour of Athens and the Sounian coast. This year he took us on a full day tour of Corinth Canal, Ancient Cornith, Epidaurus, and Mycenae, with a stop for lunch a Naupili (spelling?). It was a great day, and as I have said in other posts, Spiros is excellent and very accommodating. Wish you had been on our cruise since we were desparately looking for another couple to share our tour but everyone seemed to be a first-time visitor and wanted to visit the Acropolis and Athens, for which I couldn't blame them.

[juliejoe]

Steveg - we will be doing the same tour with Spiros in a couple of weeks. What were the highlights for you? Was Spiros able to give you enough information about the sites - could you hire a guide? In other words, did you feel like you know what you saw?:) If you were going to do a repeat, would you make any changes.

 

Were admissions and lunch reasonably priced? Any memorable purchases you made in that area?

 

Any & all suggestions welcome!

 

Thanks!

Julie

[LynnSD]

We booked this tour with Spiros but our driver was Takis, who was a delight. (Grand Princess 7/25/05) He was well informed about the history of the area and the current state of Greece as well. He had a few guidebooks for us to use in the car and lots to say about the sights, but did not guide us, and we didn't notice any guides for hire. You get more out of it if you "study up" before hand and take a guidebook with you.

 

Corinth was harder to understand since it has ruins from several civilizations, and not a lot of labels on the site. The museum was very helpful to understanding the site.

 

Mycenae just took our breath away - it is spectacular. Be prepared for the long hike up to the top, it is worth it. There are several tombs to see at the lower level. Again, it is helpful to have read about Agamemnon, the house of Atreus, etc, so you can appreciate what you are seeing. and again the museum is exceptional.

 

There is a review on this board by a woman named Kathy that is very specific to this tour - if you haven't seen it I will find it and bump it up to the top of the page. It was very helpful to us.

 

As for your other questions - the admission fees are reasonable. When we stopped at the Corinth Canal, Takis took my husband to a stand selling "the best" pork souvlaki and he loved that. There was a stand outside Mycenae selling fresh oj, which we needed after the climb. We also stopped at a tiny roadside town for a glass of homemade wine, and to buy a bottle of the local "Hercules" wine.

 

We had lunch in Nauplio, after seeing some of the views around that town. Takis took us to a wonderful seaside cafe and recommended the octopus grill! The table next to us ordered some kind of fried squid and I wish we had tried that too!

 

We did not make it to Epidaurus -- I suppose we could have, but it would have meant watching the minutes all day and probably no lunch stops. You will need to work that out with the driver.

 

This was one of the highlights of our trip, and I hope it is for you also!

 

Enjoy - Lynda

[juliejoe]

Thanks Lynda!

 

The review you referred to was great. I will locate and re-read it now as our cruise is getting closer. I'm always looking for more information and what you have added it appreciated!

 

I will be sure to review what I have on Corinth and Mycenae - and take along some notes. My problem is that my rememberer is broke and my forgetter is getting better! Good to know that the museums at these sites will help!

 

We are getting more excited as our turn gets closer (Grand 9/11). Those of you who were on the earlier sailings of this itinerary have been so good to share with us!:)

 

Thank You!

Julie

[LynnSD]

You're welcome. I also have to recommend the tour which includes the Terrace Houses at Ephesus, and Olympia site + museum(Katakalon.) Those and Mycenae were our top three sites! As my friend says, tromping on history...

 

Have a great time!

[morningstar]

You're welcome. I also have to recommend the tour which includes the Terrace Houses at Ephesus, and Olympia site + museum(Katakalon.) Those and Mycenae were our top three sites! As my friend says, tromping on history...

 

Have a great time!

 

 

Going to Ephesus and saw you remcommended the Terrace Houses, my guide told us that they were being re-built and were not worth seeing and that they might be closed. Please give me some information on your trip to Ephesus. thanks

[LynnSD]

We took a small (9 person) Princess excursion which included the Terrace Houses. They are two 100 room villas which are indeed being rebuilt, we climbed around on scaffolding and talked to the workers. You can see original mosaics and frescoes, and the piping for the aquaducts. It was one of the highlights of the trip as far as historical sites.

 

I have no idea if private guides have access, or if it's a cruise ship perk. I know the tours were sold out on our trip, and the cost was more than the other Ephesus excursions. (They had it titled an "elite" excursion.)

 

Good luck! Lynn

[Makita]

Hello,

LynnSD mentioned a review of a day tour of the Peloponese? Can someone tell me where this review is, we are going on this tour in a couple weeks?

THank you very much,

beth

[juliejoe]

Makita,

 

Here is the thread that includes Kathy's post about her day in the Peloponnese. Look through the thread for posts by TourDeCruise (Kathy). There are more than one post that you will want to read. Her review was done on June 14th.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=3990985#post3990985

 

We will be on this tour with Spiros on 9/16:D

 

Julie