Athens port stop in July - Walk up Acropolis or Acropolis Museum?

[LGinPA]

We'll be in port for one day in July. It seems every tour offered by NCL or privately first takes us to some other important sites before going to the Acropolis. If the tours were to go directly to the Acropolis we'd be there maybe 8:30 - 9 am. But based on all the descriptions we'd be reaching it closer to 10 or later.  Since I have concerns about the heat (I tend to faint in excess heat), I was thinking of skipping walking up to the top and instead going to the air conditioned Acropolis Museum.

 

Has anyone been to the museum and feel it will be worthwhile substitute?  I do think we're go back to Athens on a land tour at a cooler time of year.

 

[MeHeartCruising]

Well, I have been to both.  The museum is a wonderful museum and well worth visiting.  It has a very nice outdoor viewing area where you can look up at the Acropolis.  Notice that the angle of the upper portion of the building was specifically placed to mirror the angle of the Parthenon itself.  Only you can decide if a museum is worthwhile to you personally or not.

 

https://www.theacropolismuseum.gr/en

 

Also, I have learned to not trust the sequence of stops that are included in shore excursion descriptions, especially in Europe.  I have found that hired excursion companies often visit their stops in varying orders to decrease the number of buses that appear at any location at one time.  There may be 3 buses for the same excursion.  One will visit the stops in ABCDE order and another may do it in EDCBA order while another does it in CBDAE order.  Your experience may differ.

 

Edited March 5, 2023 by MeHeartCruising

[irvington]

I was in Athens before a cruise the summer before last. Have you thought about hiring a driver, or just getting a taxi to the Acropolis? I'm the same way with you and heat. It would be easy to do both in the same day, and they're very near each other. I would get a ride to the Acropolis first thing, climb as far as you want to, then walk over to the museum (which is amazing).

[LGinPA]

4 hours ago, MeHeartCruising said:

....

Also, I have learned to not trust the sequence of stops that are included in shore excursion descriptions, especially in Europe.  .....

 

 

Thanks, I didn't think of this.

Also, since we're in a group we can easily get a private tour, and ask them to take us to the Acropolis first. So it's unlikely going to be an NCL excursion, since not a big bus. 

[LGinPA]

3 hours ago, irvington said:

I was in Athens before a cruise the summer before last. Have you thought about hiring a driver, or just getting a taxi to the Acropolis? I'm the same way with you and heat. It would be easy to do both in the same day, and they're very near each other. I would get a ride to the Acropolis first thing, climb as far as you want to, then walk over to the museum (which is amazing).

 

Yes, I have inquired about getting a private driver and asking them to take us directly.  So we may do that.  We're in port from 7am - 6pm. This may be a day for breakfast room service! 

 

If we get a hired driver for let's say 7 - 8 hours which of the following would work better? A or B.  I'm open to all suggestions from everyone!  

 

Option A

1) Top of the Acropolis, 2) Plaka district for tourist shopping and lunch, 3) Acropolis museum.   

 

Option B 

1) Top of the Acropolis, 2) Acropolis museum, 3) Plaka district for tourist shopping and lunch. We'll need to eat lunch, not sure if this order will push it too late. 

 

Is the Plaka walking distance from the Acropolis Museum?

 

Thanks to all who reply! 

 

 

Edited March 5, 2023 by LGinPA

[cruisemom42]

The Acropolis Museum is a great, modern museum but if push comes to shove, it's not the Acropolis. Maybe once the British return the Elgin marbles it will move up a few notches in that direction. 😉

 

If you go the private tour route, I think doing the Acropolis first makes sense -- check opening time, I think it is 8am and it pays to be there and ready to go in. Not only is it cooler, but the crowds are much less. Then I would suggest the Plaka, lunch and then the Acropolis Museum, which is air conditioned. 

 

The Plaka is the area around the base of the Acropolis and the Acropolis museum is right at the edge of it.  A simple touristic map shows the main points:

 

 

If you get a private driver, ask if you can get a quick photo op of the Tower of the Winds at the end of the day before heading back. It's a most interesting and beautiful structure.

 

[irvington]

Cruisemom42 is way more of an expert than I am, but it was very hot when we were there in summer of 2021 and the Acropolis-Plaka-Museum idea would be very doable in the time you have alotted. The entrance to the Acropolis hill (realize that is redundant) is on a good side to do all of those things. You would also likely have time to wander across the busy street to the Temple of Zeus area park. (Sorry forgetting names for all of this)

[Wishing on a star]

We are planning to arrange a private tour.

I am sure that there are many good tour operators out there.

PK tours gets a lot of great reviews.

It might be a good idea to have a tour that can be responsive to your limitations and the things that you would like to see and do.

[pdmlynek]

I would get to Acropolis as early in the morning as possible.  The crowds later in the morning are so huge, that it makes it unpleasant.

 

As far as the Acropolis Museum goes, it is very nicely built, very nicely organized, but the exhibits leave much to be desired.  The artifacts are somewhat poor.  It too seems to be pretty crowded, which, I suppose, is due to its proximity to the Acropolis. There are a dozen archeological museums that are better, the best of them the National Archaeological Museum.

[LGinPA]

23 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

The Acropolis Museum is a great, modern museum but if push comes to shove, it's not the Acropolis. Maybe once the British return the Elgin marbles it will move up a few notches in that direction. 😉

 

If you go the private tour route, I think doing the Acropolis first makes sense -- check opening time, I think it is 8am and it pays to be there and ready to go in. Not only is it cooler, but the crowds are much less. Then I would suggest the Plaka, lunch and then the Acropolis Museum, which is air conditioned. 

 

The Plaka is the area around the base of the Acropolis and the Acropolis museum is right at the edge of it.  A simple touristic map shows the main points:

 

If you get a private driver, ask if you can get a quick photo op of the Tower of the Winds at the end of the day before heading back. It's a most interesting and beautiful structure.

 

 

Thanks for the tips. 🙂 

I think we'll consider George's taxi and ask for Tower of the Winds stop. I appreciate the map also. 

[LGinPA]

7 hours ago, Wishing on a star said:

......

It might be a good idea to have a tour that can be responsive to your limitations and the things that you would like to see and do.

 

Yes, I agree this seems important which is the main advantage to the private tour. Thanks! 

[LGinPA]

36 minutes ago, pdmlynek said:

I would get to Acropolis as early in the morning as possible.  The crowds later in the morning are so huge, that it makes it unpleasant.

 

As far as the Acropolis Museum goes, it is very nicely built, very nicely organized, but the exhibits leave much to be desired.  The artifacts are somewhat poor.  It too seems to be pretty crowded, which, I suppose, is due to its proximity to the Acropolis. There are a dozen archeological museums that are better, the best of them the National Archaeological Museum.

 

If we ever go back to Athens, not on a cruise, we'll be sure to check out the National Archaeological Museum, Thanks for the suggestion. But this brief excursion I think we'll stick to the Acropolis area. 

[dani negreanu]

We took a taxi to Acropolis first thing in the morning.

 

Until we found out where is the skip the line entrance, it got very very crowded, to the point of just standing amid masses, without be able to go right, left or forward. If you're stuck behind some organized groups, you're "toast".

 

It was hot.

 

It was interesting.

 

In that order.

[LGinPA]

21 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

We took a taxi to Acropolis first thing in the morning.

 

Until we found out where is the skip the line entrance, it got very very crowded, to the point of just standing amid masses, without be able to go right, left or forward. If you're stuck behind some organized groups, you're "toast".

 

It was hot.

 

It was interesting.

 

In that order.

 

Dani, thanks for replying. 

 

Do you remember if you were there by 8 am?

Did you already have your skip-the-line-tickets before arrival?

[dani negreanu]

13 minutes ago, LGinPA said:

 

Dani, thanks for replying. 

 

Do you remember if you were there by 8 am?

 

No, by the time we disembarked and negotiated a taxi, and actually made it "inside", it was 9AM, and the sun was very strong on our heads already.

 

 

13 minutes ago, LGinPA said:

Did you already have your skip-the-line-tickets before arrival?

 

Yes, it was very recommended.

 

We had the concierge print them out, since we couldn't complete the booking on our mobiles (I was warned that the official site is sometimes off), and she's done it on her computer.

 

That was the reason we were delayed, everyone had their reservation on their mobiles...

 

Since we cruised while Covid was still an "issue" (mid June 2022), we waited for the last moment to make the booking -- one day before arrival.

[LGinPA]

6 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

We had the concierge print them out, since we couldn't complete the booking on our mobiles (I was warned that the official site is sometimes off), and she's done it on her computer.

 

That was the reason we were delayed, everyone had their reservation on their mobiles...

 

Thanks, I was told to try to get there by 8 am which will be challenging from the cruise port.

 

Why did you having a printed paper reservation cause a delay?  I can't understand how scanning a paper takes longer than scanning a mobile phone. 🤔

[dani negreanu]

6 minutes ago, LGinPA said:

I can't understand how scanning a paper takes longer than scanning a mobile phone. 🤔

 

Beats me.... We had to wait for the "in-charge" to position the paper in the right angle... Lost the "skip-the-line" advantage in the "proceedings"....

 

I was told the official site can be iffy (thanks CC 👍) and it didn't disappoint 😉

[Sunny429]

I am enjoying reading this thread as we will be visiting Athens again Ne t month prior to a cruise. To the OP, the Acropolis museum is not a substitute for visiting the actual Acropolis. However, it is very interesting. We are looking forward to visiting the Archeological Museum this time, which I understand is wonderful. The Parthenon and the Erechtheion are fascinating, especially with a guide. Definitely worth the hike up the hill. 

 

 

[LGinPA]

 

9 hours ago, Sunny429 said:

I am enjoying reading this thread as we will be visiting Athens again Ne t month prior to a cruise. To the OP, the Acropolis museum is not a substitute for visiting the actual Acropolis. However, it is very interesting. We are looking forward to visiting the Archeological Museum this time, which I understand is wonderful. The Parthenon and the Erechtheion are fascinating, especially with a guide. Definitely worth the hike up the hill. 

 

 

 

 

Thanks. We will be going up for sure. My struggle is that it's in July and I don't handle heat well, so we'll need to try hard to get off the ship early and go directly there. And yes, we'll have a guide too! 

[cruisemom42]

11 hours ago, Sunny429 said:

We are looking forward to visiting the Archeological Museum this time, which I understand is wonderful.

 

The Archaeological Museum is one of my favorites. There is so much to see there. In addition to the "biggies" such as the statue of Zeus and the bronze jockey on horseback, these are some other "Don't miss" items culled from several visits:

 

• A small size replica of the statue of Athena that once stood in the Parthenon -- it is not as prominently displayed as it should be, you have to look for it. It's in a glass case, about half life-size
• The incredible gold items from Mycenae excavated in the 1800s by Heinrich Schliemann
• The frescoes from Akrotiri on Santorini (there are a few still on Santorini but the best ones are in Athens)
• The incredible Anti-Kythera mechanism (world's first computer? Read more here)

[MeHeartCruising]

3 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

• The incredible Anti-Kythera mechanism (world's first computer? Read more here)

 

Sold!  I've been going back and forth on what I wanted to do while in Athens on my May cruise.  I've been there 3 times, so I've seen the typical sites.  I was contemplating just revisiting the Acropolis and Agorras to refresh my memory because it's been several years since I was last there.  I knew of the Archeological Museum, but had somewhat forgotten about it, I'll admit.  

 

But having always been intrigued by the Anti-Kythera Mechanism, I now think I will make the Museum my prime target for the upcoming stop.  I want to see it up close.  I wasn't aware it was in the museum (or I forgot that it was!).

 

Thanks @cruisemom42 for reminding me on this topic.  I'm looking forward to it now.

[Sunny429]

8 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

The Archaeological Museum is one of my favorites. There is so much to see there. In addition to the "biggies" such as the statue of Zeus and the bronze jockey on horseback, these are some other "Don't miss" items culled from several visits:

 

• A small size replica of the statue of Athena that once stood in the Parthenon -- it is not as prominently displayed as it should be, you have to look for it. It's in a glass case, about half life-size
• The incredible gold items from Mycenae excavated in the 1800s by Heinrich Schliemann
• The frescoes from Akrotiri on Santorini (there are a few still on Santorini but the best ones are in Athens)
• The incredible Anti-Kythera mechanism (world's first computer? Read more here)

Thank you! My husband was a classics major in college so I have a feeling he may want to spend the whole day in that museum. 😉😀

[cruisemom42]

One more thing about the Archaeological Museum -- there is a lovely cafe and courtyard if you go down to the ground floor level (below the entry on the 1st floor). Great if you just need a brief coffee break and pastry or a light lunch. Around the courtyard are some ancient stone sculptures too.