Just started to plan my Mediterranean cruise and need your help

[jess427rn]

We have done Athens all 3 ways……

 

Ship tour was called "athens on your own" and was basically a ride into town and back. We only used this option for one visit as we were there right after the bad demonstrations in Syntagma square. We were worried there would be strikes on the public transportation (as there are from time to time) so we used this option. It worked out fine for us……

 

We did DIY once. Walked to the metro ( before the express bus) and took it into town. It was not hard but a long walk. We did a lot of walking that day. We ended up taking a taxi back as I was feeling yucky with a bad head cold and it just wasnt worth it to hassle with metro…….. but it is a good option for those who don't mind a lot of walking once in town…..

 

that said we have done private tours TWICE and it was really really nice. Our driver picked us up early early !!!! and we were the first ones on the Acropolis. YES the first ones !!!! Very different experience than with thousand of other tourists …….. it was quiet and peaceful. No people in our pictures and the raising of the flag was not to be missed. We actually had to wait for the ticket office to open on our last visit……. early May of this year. ADD as we were leaving the hundreds of huge buses were pulling up……what a mad house !

 

Our driver took us to each site driving right up as close as possible - changing of the guards, the marble Olympic stadium etc….. and then he took us to a wonderful restaurant for lunch. We asked him to take us somewhere for real Greek food and not a tourist place. He came through !!! They kept bringing out food and bringing out food and it was all so good…… for 5 of us (we asked him to join us) it was a little over 50 euros including drinks !!!!!!! Amazing. He took us to the top of Libiticus (sp?) hill for some amazing views…..

 

with a private tour you can really cover a lot more ground and easier…… you can customize your day to see what you want, when you want and how you want……

 

So it can be done all different ways…… but I think you know which one I chose from now on :D

 

 

We will be in Athens for two days in July and reading this was very informative! Thank you!

 

 

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[tampagirl2]

I did a cruise with a stop there in March. You still need to plan to get to the Acropolis early as there will be crowds. We didn't have to wait in a line to get in and we were there within an hour or so of them opening. If you take the metro and can handle stairs there is an entrance near the metro. (Wheel chair/ stroller access requires walking around the front). The line for tickets is shorter by the metro too.

 

As far as weather it is on the cooler side, but wear sun screen since we were there on a particularly beautiful sunny day. We were taking off our coats and indulging in an iced cappuccino, which we saw lots of tourist and locals indulging in as well. ( so good and only 1.50 Euro ).

 

The Piraeus bus will not be running until April so you will need to walk or take a bus. There are two I believe that pass in front of the cruise ship terminal that will take you to to metro, if you don't want to walk. Get the 4 Euro pass. I

walked it there and bussed it back. After a day of walking just take the bus, you will need it. We were playing tag with another family and they took the bus while we walked, we got there at the same time.

 

For me financial concerns made the metro/ bus a no brainer. We did the Rick Steve's app which gave free walking tours of the city and sites ( download at home before you go, used it in other ports on our trip) so we could stop at our leisure. While a private taxi is the most flexible it is also the most expensive so I found this way the most flexible for my budget. You can read my family review by searching Norwegian Jade family review from last March.

 

I was traveling with toddler twins so most will not apply to you but you can get a sense of timing and weather etc...

Happy planning!

 

Thanks for this! What kind of stroller did you take?

[nolatravelgirl]

Not sure what stops you are doing but I did a detailed review on my 12 Day Grand Mediterranean cruise last summer. There are details on each port and tour we did, including photos, tour operators, prices, etc.

 

You can check out the review here:

12 Day Grand Mediterranean Review on the Norwegian Spirit

 

I covered the following ports:

 

Barcelona, Spain

Provence (Toulon), France

Florence/Pisa (Livorno), Italy

Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy

Naples, Italy

Mykonos, Greece

Istanbul, Turkey

Ephesus (Kusadasi), Turkey

Athens (Piraeus), Greece

Venice, Italy