Costa Concordia - Nov 30th

[1stimecruiser]

We will be visiting Savona Italy, Athen, Olympia & Rhodes Greece, Izmir Turkey and Limassol Cyprus wanting to do these ports on our own. We read great details on Athens on these boards. We are considering hiring a taxi for a tour to Olympia. Any sites not to be missed? Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

 

We are planning to take a ship tour to Cairo.

[sea-explorer]

I hope to go on this cruise next Easter with the same itinerary.

 

I was in Katakolon last month. Here, for Olympia, I would suggest one of two things, depending on your preference.

 

Either hire a car from near the port area and drive yourself, or consider hiring George.

 

http://www.taxikatakolon.gr/content/view/1/2/lang,en/

 

You can hire a taxi just for Olympia, which will take you there & bring you back, but for a little more, George will wait for you right by the port gates. We went to Olympia (the museum was closed), onto the village for a drink & my son did a little souvenir shopping. We then had a tour showing us the new ampitheatre and then some of the fire and earhquake damage, onto George's village and house where we stopped to pick fresh oranges and figs. We also squeezed in a short trip to the winery where my husband enjoyed a little wine tasting before we drove back to the port along the beach which my son loved. We had an excellent morning. :)

 

 

You will also find a wealth of useful information here: (I hope you don't mind Mountainmare.)

 

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=735508

 

Also, look at the old roll call threads on the Costa board for this itinerary where some discussion of the ports has taken place.

 

Edit: I've just remembered, you might find this site helpful..you can print off the information & take it with you on your visit.

 

http://www.calvin.edu/academic/clas/pathways/olympia/

[mountainmare]

sparky--I was going to give the link anyway, you beat me to it!!!!

 

1sttime cruiser---if you are tired from traveling, Savona is a really nice little city, google savona and see what it has to offer--we easily could have poked around there for an easy day.

The only thing I wish we had done was get a private tour (read the rollcall reports) in Cyprus. Our friends did pick up a driver at the port for a nice tour too. Remember--there will be stands set up when you return to the ship in Egypt for last minute buying stuff.

[1stimecruiser]

Thanks for the information!

[T-2]

we were on the Concordia with Mountainmere- her tips are awesome, and we posted quite a bit of feedback on our Jan 13th roll call thread after we returned.... had a wonderful time- you'll love the ship and the ports :D

[jg2256]

I just came off an Agean Adventure cruise on Oceania and went to several of the same ports. Although we stopped in Kusadassi to see Ephesus it is my understanding you can also visit from Izmir. THIS IS A MUST. I have seen a lot of ancient ruins in my life but none as spectacular as those at Ephesus and you must go inside the Terrace houses (extra cost). This was the only place we used a tour guide and found it well worth the money (we used Ekol but there are a number of others recommened on this board).

 

I rented a car at Katakolon and drove to Olympia (45e plus 10e for gas). The rental car place is just outside the port and the roads were easier to drive on than in most US cities and there was plenty of parking. A number of folks we met took the train and loved it and it was very inexpensive. The Olympia grounds and musuem were actually nice than I was led to believe from others on Cruise Critic.

 

In Rhodes, the acropolis at Lindos is a "must" and the views were spectacular. We also rented a car there and found it pretty easy to get around. Parking in Lindos was available at the top of the hill from the town. We stopped at one of the many beaches along the road between Rhodes town and Lindos and really enjoyed the sun and surf. You could also easily spend the entire day in Rhodes town. There is a lot to see and it is very a very easy walk to/from the port.

 

In Athens of course the Acropolis/Parthenon is a must but be sure to buy the combined entry ticket to all the sites for 12e. I think it allows you admission to up to 6-7 differnt venues around that area. All of which are unique in their own way. I highly recommend that you do this on your own rather than chasing a tour group all day. Athens is easily reached by bus or walking to the metro (25 minutes) from the port. We really enjoyed the Archeological musuesm which was easily reachable by metro (one of the newest and cleanest (not counting the line from Pireaus) you will ever find. Far for each trip is .80e (acutally works up to 2 hours from the time you purchase for multiple trips) or can buy and all day pass for 3e.

 

Have fun.

 

JG

[sea-explorer]

jg2256

 

Just found this post whilst trawling through a search. :)

 

If you're still about, can I ask if you booked the car in advance in Rhodes or was there a car rental place near the port?

 

Thanks.