“Must see” sights in Athens

[CrazyJess]

I’m going to my first cruise to Greece and I plan to spend two days in Athens. What will be absolutely must see sights in Athens? At the moment I have 4 in my list:

1. Acropolis and Parthenon

2. Archeological museum

3. Plaka district

4. National Art Gallery (to see El Greco and Rembrandt)

I guess two museums will be enough for the first time. May be even more than enough…:rolleyes:

What else shall I see/visit???

Thank you!

Jess :)

[CruiserBruce]

"Must see" is what interests you, not what I tell you is. For example, from your list, I have no interest in the National Art Gallery, so it is not a "must see" for me. The others are important to me.

[Keith1010]

For me it would be items 1, 2 and 3.

 

I would add to the list.

 

Parthenon

Pantsenaic Stadium

 

Keith

[cruisemom42]

Athens is the center of Classical history, so for me the main must sees would include:

 

--The Acropolis with full attention paid to all the key monuments, not only the Parthenon

 

--The Greek Agora, which is just at the foot of the Acropolis (in my opinion, you do not get the full picture unless you do both the Acropolis and the Agora, not to mention the temple of Hephaestion in the Agora is a wonder that is too often missed).

 

--The National Archaeological Museum, which has an absolutely outstanding collection of art from the Mycenean, Classical Greek, and Roman periods, among others.

 

I would rate those three the highest "must see" places. If you have more time, I also recommend:

 

-- Temple of Olympian Zeus

-- Acropolis Museum

-- Roman Agora (especially the Temple of the Winds)

 

I find the Plaka very touristy. A brief walk through in the evening, on the way to a nice dinner would be sufficient for me. I also am not a huge fan of the "Changing of the Guard" unless it is a Sunday morning when they have the extended ceremony.

[CrazyJess]

Thank you cruisemom42 and thank you all. Thanks for the good ideas. I will certainly revise my listing.

Acropolis Museum sounds good for me.

I have one more question. I’m still choosing a cruise… Are there any cruses with tours to Delphi? I was told so much about Delphi… I really want to visit this sight. I know it’s not a port. Are there any cruise ports nearby? I goggled for it but haven’t found anything :confused:.

Thank you!

 

Jess :)

[cberge]

Thank you cruisemom42 and thank you all. Thanks for the good ideas. I will certainly revise my listing.

Acropolis Museum sounds good for me.

I have one more question. I’m still choosing a cruise… Are there any cruses with tours to Delphi? I was told so much about Delphi… I really want to visit this sight. I know it’s not a port. Are there any cruise ports nearby? I goggled for it but haven’t found anything :confused:.

Thank you!

 

Jess :)

 

Did you check any cruises that go out of Athens, since you are staying in Athens,and not see that they have tours to Delphi listed as this would be the port to do this?? You may want to do some research as to what you want to see and locations on a map as this may help you find a cruise. It looks like one of your days in Athens would be to book a trip to Delphi before your cruise.It would be a day trip. There is info on this board that may be of help to you.

[cruisemom42]

As cberge says, you can easily book a full-day trip from Athens to Delphi. Warning -- it is a looong drive there and back, but you get a reasonable few hours at the site and museum. If it were me, I'd add a third day in Athens if you want to do this.

 

Itea is the port from which you can also get to Delphi (closer than Athens) but very few ships stop here; mainly smaller ones.

[agabbymama]

As others have posted, a day trip to Delphi is possible from Athens. However a word of caution, knowing nothing about you, I hope you are physically fit with no mobility issues. Delphi is a beautiful location, but it is a very strenuous climb to actually see all of the ruins.

 

We were in our late 50s and thought we were fit, but the climb was too much, and we stopped about half way up. We were there on a Sunday, and unfortunately all of the shops were closed.

 

I would add Lycabettus Hill (Sp?) for an awesome overview of Athens. You really see the grand scale of the city from atop that hill, but you would need a car or taxi driver/guide.

 

We shared a taxi tour with another couple from our Roll Call for 50 EUR pp. We did the Acropolis, Plaka, Agora, Old Roman Agora, Hadrian's Temple, Olympic Stadium, Changing of the Guards & Lycabettus Hill then stopped at a small local restaurant for a typical Greek meal at (10 EUR pp) before returning to the ship.

 

So know your own capabilities and do some research before heading that way.

Have a great cruise!

[CrazyJess]

Thank you! Thank you both. I know sometimes I’m too lazy to do my research:rolleyes: …

Thank you Cruisemom42, your information as always is very detailed and helpful. I really appreciate it. Thank you!

 

Jess :)

[CrazyJess]

Thank you Agabbymama! Thank you for the precautions. We are in are in our early 40th and really fit. At least I hope we are fit enough for this trip :rolleyes: I’m a little bit afraid of the long driving.

Lycabettus Hill sounds great. I’ve googled for it and I think we will do it. Did Funicular work when you were there? Otherwise it’s about 1 hour climing….

Jess :)

[Iluvcruising2]

I agree you should spend enough time at the Acropolis.

 

I have blogged about our cruise stop at Athens (NCL Jade Dec 2014) here.

http://guitar123foodandtravel.blogspot.sg/2014/12/athens-greece-port-of-piraeus-ncl-jade.html

 

For a quick overview of what we did in Athens, check out this video.

[YOUTUBE]bfABTgvEFRY[/YOUTUBE]

[susanpayne]

We are cruising to Athens in May. Trying to decide whether to book a private tour or do the day on our own. Any suggestions?

[cruisemom42]

We are cruising to Athens in May. Trying to decide whether to book a private tour or do the day on our own. Any suggestions?

 

Either one is very doable. Depends on how you prefer to sightsee.

 

There are a couple of easy options for getting into Athens on your own, including an express bus that picks up and drops off right at the port. The metro stop is a distance away and rather inconvenient.

 

I like to recommend getting into Athens quickly and getting right to the Acropolis. If you take a taxi -- only about 20-25 euro from port to Acropolis -- it's well worth the money IMO. You can get in a good hour at the site before the cruise tours begin to arrive. PRICELESS!

 

Once in the area, most everything can be done on foot -- the Agora, Acropolis Museum, Plaka, Arch of Hadrian, Temple of Olympian Zeus, etc.

Edited January 10, 2016 by cruisemom42

[susanpayne]

Either one is very doable. Depends on how you prefer to sightsee.

 

There are a couple of easy options for getting into Athens on your own, including an express bus that picks up and drops off right at the port. The metro stop is a distance away and rather inconvenient.

 

I like to recommend getting into Athens quickly and getting right to the Acropolis. If you take a taxi -- only about 20-25 euro from port to Acropolis -- it's well worth the money IMO. You can get in a good hour at the site before the cruise tours begin to arrive. PRICELESS!

 

Once in the area, most everything can be done on foot -- the Agora, Acropolis Museum, Plaka, Arch of Hadrian, Temple of Olympian Zeus, etc.

 

 

If we hire a private tour guide do you think it is still possible to beat the crowds. My fiance is thinking that if we dont have an English speaking guide we may miss the history and not experience everything that port has to offer.

[susanpayne]

Do you think it is possible to still beat the crowds with a private guide? My fiancé is thinking that we will miss some of the history and experience if we don't have a guide for the day.

[susanpayne]

UGH! Sorry for double posting. Not sure how that happened.

[cruisemom42]

You absolutely CAN use a private guide and get a head start. Many people have done this. You just need to be ready to roll early. What time do you dock in Athens?

 

The issue is that most times people hire a driver but that person is not a guide. The driver may give you some information (sometimes just a handout) on what you'll see but they cannot go into the site with you. For that you would need to hire an additional licensed guide.

 

Also, FWIW, there are usually some guides waiting around at the entrance of the Acropolis who are for hire -- you can either pay their fee or try to get together a small group to split it.

[susanpayne]

UGH! Sorry for double posting. Not sure how that happened.

[susanpayne]

We are in port from 7am-7pm. We would love to do the Accropolis and everything around there then lunch and shopping in Plaka then if possible Cape Sounion and the Temple of Poseidon.... Is that too much for 12 hours? Just want to get all that we can out of the port. Hate to spend that afternoon on the ship when we could be in Greece.

[cruisemom42]

We are in port from 7am-7pm. We would love to do the Accropolis and everything around there then lunch and shopping in Plaka then if possible Cape Sounion and the Temple of Poseidon.... Is that too much for 12 hours? Just want to get all that we can out of the port. Hate to spend that afternoon on the ship when we could be in Greece.

 

There is more than enough to do in Athens for a full day. Cape Sounion is a long drive for an admittedly pretty temple. But it's one temple.

 

Most people do not even take the time to go into the Greek Agora and see the beautifully preserved Temple of Hephaestos there -- much better preserved than the Parthenon and gives you a great idea of what these temples looked like. Not to mention the Agora's other sights, and a nice small but meaningful museum on site there that explains how Athens' democracy worked....

 

And the Acropolis museum should also not be missed -- you need at least an hour there to see it all.

 

Whether you do it on your own or with a guide, please give Athens her due and leave Sounion for another time.

[susanpayne]

OK Thanks. That is exactly the info I was looking for.

[brunello22]

We spent one day on the hop on hop off bus, and went back only to those sites that were of interest to us.

 

On the second day, we wandered around Plaka, did some shopping, and ate wonderful food.

[NatalieWood]

Lluvcruising2- may I ask how much your private tour was? I'm visiting Athens in July and trying to figure out how to maximize our time and deal with the heat. Thanks!