Athens Archeological Museum - how best to get there

[HeddaGarbled]

We have a port stop in Athens in September. Our number one must-see is the Acropolis but we would also really like to visit the National Archeological Museum, which I understand is a long way away from all the other attractions. I have been researching organised excursions and have not been able to find one which does both the Acropolis and the Archeological Museum, so I think we’ll have to do this independently.

 

Does anyone have any advice about the best way to do this? Are the hop-on-hop-off buses any good? Are there massive queues at Piraeus to get on the HOHOs? I would be grateful for any advice. 

[dogs4fun]

1 hour ago, HeddaGarbled said:

We have a port stop in Athens in September. Our number one must-see is the Acropolis but we would also really like to visit the National Archeological Museum, which I understand is a long way away from all the other attractions. I have been researching organised excursions and have not been able to find one which does both the Acropolis and the Archeological Museum, so I think we’ll have to do this independently.

 

Does anyone have any advice about the best way to do this? Are the hop-on-hop-off buses any good? Are there massive queues at Piraeus to get on the HOHOs? I would be grateful for any advice. 

There are probably several options but we find it very easy to navigate Athens using public transportation. We usually avoid HOHOs so can't comment on the Athens HOHO - we took the bus to the Piraeus metro station & then the metro to Acropolis. After visiting the Acropolis, we simply took the metro to Victoria - from here it was a short walk (less than 10 minutes) to the National Archaeology Museum. You can simply download the free audio tour of the museum to your smartphone here:  https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/audio/audio-tours/greece-turkey

Note: there are other free Athens audio tours in the link above including the Acropolis.

Edited January 18, 2020 by dogs4fun

[marazul]

Taxis are an option and they are reasonable. Use this website to get the prices for transportation.

https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Piraeus/Ethniko-Archeologiko-Mousio-28is-Oktovriou-44-Athina-106-82-Greece

 

[HeddaGarbled]

Thank you both for your very helpful replies 🙂

[cruisemom42]

Based on my experiences and several (many?) stops in Athens, what I would advise is:

 

• Get a taxi straight to the Acropolis gate. It pays to be there first thing before the crowds arrive. Believe me, this is the single best advice I can give. It makes such a difference to see it before it is chock-a-block with tour groups.
• After spending time at the Acropolis, walk through the area where the Greek and Roman agoras are located to reach Monastiraki metro station (if interested, I recommend at least a quick detour into the Greek agora, or to see the Tower of the Winds in the Roman agora).  Take the green metro line to Victoria stop and it's an easy walk to the museum from there.
• When you are done, the green line will take you back to Piraeus (end of the line) and from there you can get a local bus (same ticket) to the port. Or you can walk, but it can be a VERY long walk at the end of the day (as much as 45 minutes).

[kellymccrea]

I’m doing the PKTravel semi private full day Athens in June and the description on the website says it goes to the museum as well as the Acropolis. 

[dogs4fun]

2 hours ago, kellymccrea said:

I’m doing the PKTravel semi private full day Athens in June and the description on the website says it goes to the museum as well as the Acropolis. 

The OP wants to visit the National Archaeology Museum. Doesn't your tour visits the Acropolis Museum rather than the archaeology museum? 

Edited January 21, 2020 by dogs4fun

[HeddaGarbled]

That’s useful thank you. I’m glad I asked on here - you’re very helpful.

[kellymccrea]

21 hours ago, dogs4fun said:

The OP wants to visit the National Archaeology Museum. Doesn't your tour visits the Acropolis Museum rather than the archaeology museum? 

Oooooooh, good catch. Thanks and sorry!

[rdt10]

Nikos Loukas of Private Greek Tours has a full day tour of Athens that includes either the National Archaeological Museum or the Acropolis Museum. We have done the tour twice and recommend it. 

 

Taxis are also plentiful at the port.