Athens-Acropolis-Handicapped Access

[infolady]

My husband and I are going on the Nautica June 20th from Istanbul to Athens. Unfortunately, my husband is unable to walk very long distances. I have read several places where there is a lift up to the Acropolis on the north slope of the Sacred Rock (above the Kanellopoulos Museum). Does anyone know anything about this and if there are any tours that will take advantage of it?

 

Cynthia

[drwong]

The elevator is on the north side, and very well marked. The guides at the Acropolis know all about it, as do most taxi drivers. When we were last there just prior to the 2004 Olympics, the elevator was working but it wasn't a conventional indoor elevator. Rather, it was more like those cage lifts you see at outdoor construction sites mounted to a steel scaffolding. We were told that a permanent one would be constructed to replace the lift, but we didn't get a chance to go back up to the Acropolis to see whether they had installed it when we were in Athens prior to our November 2005 cruise. If you get there before we do (we'll be back in July), let us know if it's been completed!

 

I recommend using a taxi to get to the lift site. Otherwise, it's up a long, steep grade from the main entrance, across uneven cobblestones (or are they marble?) with wide gaps between the stones. You'll see a green gate that marks the accessible entrance. First you'll board a stair-climber lift that transports you to the elevator landing, where you'll enter the lift cage for the ride up to the Acropolis itself. It's a pretty exciting open-air ride - an "E" ticket by the old Disney standards!

 

You can get around the Acropolis, although much of the surfaces are a bit uneven due to age, marble chunks, and loose gravel - just don't get bogged down. Believe it or not, the underground museum is accessible via another stair-climbing lift, and it has a wheelchair-accessible restroom inside (which is a welcome relief in hot weather).

 

See my previous posting about the fees to the Acropolis - the tickets should cost you only 6 Euros apiece, unless you're getting them through one of the ship's tours.

[infolady]

Thank you so much for your wonderfully detailed reply!! It sounds as if the lift is as I had hoped it would be, and we certainly will let you know if the "permanent" lift has been installed after we return on July 3.

 

Cynthia

[drwong]

We might be swapping cabins!!! :eek: We're planning to arrive in Athens on the 1st, check into the Athens Hilton, spend the day picking up souvenirs, and boarding the Nautica on the evening of the 2nd, disembarking in Istanbul on the 14th.

 

Where will you be staying in Athens? The Athens Hilton is very wheelchair-accessible - there's a slight grade to the Hilton when you exit the elevator from the Evangelismos Metro Station, but the entire Metro system (subway cars and low-floor buses) is wheelchair-accessible.

 

There's a guide booth just outside the main entrance to the Acropolis - we rented one for 10 Euros per person as part of a larger group. We found having a guide was much more interesting (and easier) than trying to remember everything I had read in my tourbook!

[infolady]

Yes, we might well be swapping cabins! ;) We are staying at the Athens Ledra Marriott (NOT through Oceania - we made our own reservations). We will arrive in Athens on June 1, go the Marriott on July 2, and fly back to New York on July 3.

 

My husband is not in a wheel chair -- he has COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulminary Disease) which makes him very short of breath if he walks long distances. But thank you for letting us know about the Hilton.

 

I am sure we will take advantage of a guide for the Acropolis ... as you said, it would work so much better than relying on a guidebook.

 

Perhaps we could get together for a drink or coffee in Athens since our times there will overlap.

 

Cynthia