shore excusion athens

[delgirl]

we are going to do the ship excusion to the acropolis don't know whether to do acropolis only or acropolis and plaka, only £4.00 difference. The one just for acropolis is for 4 hours starting at 8.00am the other one is for 6.5 hrs starting at 8.30am. We are going in august so am concerned about the heat, but don't want to spend all afternoon on the ship. Suggestions appreciated.

[tartanexile81]

We haven't done an excursion but we have been to Athens a few times. Once we just went to the Acropolis. It's amazing and it takes your breath away just to be there, but I'd want to combine it with something.Do they not give you a panorama tour on the way to and from the port?

 

We also took the subway to the Acropolis, spent an hour or so there then walked down the Plaka. We allowed enough time so we could have a wander then a bit of lunch. The tour won't be a guided tour round there - it's just a rabbit warren of streets shops, restaurants etc. We also took a little tourist train from the Plaka and that was good, taking us round some of the main sights too. Yes it is very, very hot in Athens in August but just pace yourself, stop regularly for drinks. It's more shaded  in the Plaka but in full sun at the Acropolis and also a good walk uphill.

 

[P-L-B]

1 hour ago, delgirl said:

we are going to do the ship excusion to the acropolis don't know whether to do acropolis only or acropolis and plaka, only £4.00 difference. The one just for acropolis is for 4 hours starting at 8.00am the other one is for 6.5 hrs starting at 8.30am. We are going in august so am concerned about the heat, but don't want to spend all afternoon on the ship. Suggestions appreciated.

We are looking forward to our Oceana cruise in June.

 

We were originally going to book the ‘Transfer to Athens with Map and (food) Voucher’ trip 6 hrs and do our own thing but as it will be a busy Saturday in June we didn’t fancy the hassle of queuing for tickets for the Acropolis.

 

Therefore we decided to book the ‘The Acropolis and The Plaka’ trip 6.5 hrs as it includes a guided tour and admission tickets to the Acropolis. Also, some free time in the Plaka area which we wanted as it’s apparently a nice area to explore.

 

We haven’t been to Athens before but after Reading tartanexile81 post above I can’t wait.

 

BTW, I think you do get a guide to explain the various attractions on board the tour bus.

Edited April 30, 2019 by P-L-B

[Son of Anarchy]

We got the HoHo bus.  Two years ago (I think) was about €20.  About 5-10 minutes walk from the terminal entrance, there was the red bus and the yellow bus companies.  Might have been a blue one as well.  We used the red bus.  Takes you to the Acropolis.  Once you've done the Acropolis you can use the 2nd route of that bus to get you to The Plaka, and other parts of the city. Getting back to the ship you use the second bus route to get back to the Acropolis and change to the first route to get back the drop off near the cruise terminal.

A cheaper alternative too the ship's excursion. 

[brian1]

We went early September last year and it was very hot.We're sort of used to it cos it's late 30;s every day where we are, in the summer.The Acropolis was manic,with thousands of people squeezed into 2 bottlenecks,one in and one out.whilst climbing uneven steps.Not recommended for people with walking difficulties.Glad we went though,fantastic views at the top.

[Wiltonian]

There is a normal bus from just outside the cruise terminal - but ticket from machine. If definitely taking a tour, the earlier you arrive at the Acropolis the better.

 

Stuart

[kruzseeka]

10 minutes ago, Wiltonian said:

There is a normal bus from just outside the cruise terminal - but ticket from machine. If definitely taking a tour, the earlier you arrive at the Acropolis the better.

 

Stuart

With water, sun hat and shoes with a good grip - the pavers can be quite shiny and slippery.  The earlier the better in terms of crowds and heat.

[travelers2Med]

August is a very hot month indeed, however I think that a walk around Plaka would be nice, definitely better than staying on the ship.  If you are worried about the heat then you could consider a private tour.   We used Private Greece Tours and owner Nikos Loukas was very accommodating.

[mskaufman]

We did the tour with the plaka and it was a nice way to spend the afternoon, especially for the small price difference.  Most of the shops were touristy.  However, we had a nice lunch and were able to "run" up the few blocks to catch the changing of the guard.