Athens on your own ?

[Bruin Steve]

Ava...

Try going through Spiros at

BY PHONE (FROM U.S.A)

011 30 6944 285 686 (Mobile)

011 30 210 99 44 771 (Home)

BY PHONE (FROM EUROPE)

00 30 6944 285 686 (Mobile)

00 30 210 99 44 771 (Home)

BY EMAIL

***

 

But you may want to see if you can get Spiros himself first...

 

Cathy,

 

It was your standard Mercedes sedan...Check the photo on Spiros' website--one like that--really suited for a tour for 2-3...I guess you could fit four if someone was willing to sit in the middle and three-across...

 

But, you could always ask if they could arrange something bigger...some guides in other ports have access to vans...but I do know these guys in Athens really pride themselves in going in luxury in a Mercedes sedan...

Edited April 22, 2009 by Host Karen
removed banned e-mail address

[wandy2]

Will be leaving fom Athens pier after cruise- Need to get to Airport

Does anybody know cost of Taxi and how long it takes- would an eleven am flight be doable???

thank you

[mari10]

I am going to differ with the previous posters on this thread.

 

We have visited Athens three times now...and toured three different ways.

 

Our third visit, we hired a private guide...Having seen the Acropolis twice already, we were ready for much more...We took a route OUT of the city and into the Pelopennese...Visited Mycenae, Corinth, Nafplion, Epidaurus and more...we fit so much into the day that it was incredible...the sites OUTSIDE of Athens actually blow away anything IN Athens save, MAYBE, the Parthenon...It cost us a mere 250 euros for the full day tour for two...We didn't have to deal with any logistics, directions, bus or metro systems...nothing...We controlled our itinerary...if we were "done" with a site, we told our driver/guide that we'd seen enough and it was back in the car to another site....

 

Hi Steve,

We are planning to do a similar excursion in September.

How long were you in port?

Do you have a "must see" from that trip?

Thanks for any input.

Mari

[ontheweb]

We will be on the Noordam this summer, and our Athens (Piraeus) stop will be on a Monday. I had previously realized that there would be some museums closed on Mondays. There were enough attractions that we felt we would still have plenty to do.

 

Now I discovered today that the Acropolis and and surrounding sites do not open on Mondays until 11. Our port time is 8-6. Our plan had been to take the metro to the Acrpolis as soon as we were able to disembark.

 

I would appreciate any ideas as to what we should do early before the opening. We' like to be in that general area so as to not get lost.

 

The times of operation for museums can be found here;

 

http://www.athensinfoguide.com/open.htm

[CintiPam]

Now I discovered today that the Acropolis and and surrounding sites do not open on Mondays until 11. Our port time is 8-6. Our plan had been to take the metro to the Acrpolis as soon as we were able to disembark.

 

I would appreciate any ideas as to what we should do early before the opening. We' like to be in that general area so as to not get lost.

 

The times of operation for museums can be found here;

 

http://www.athensinfoguide.com/open.htm

 

Best advice: use the official tourism site of the Greek government.

 

The Acropolis is open daily from 8:30 AM until 8:00 PM from April 10 to October 31.

[tp1rrj]

My mom and I spent three days last year in Athens, one morning we went on a Walking Tour and thought it was a nice way to get a feel of the city and have someone tell you about the history and culture. We used http://www.athenswalkingtours.gr/. We will be in Athens again in about a month on the Ruby Princess and will be doing another one of their walking tours. We are taking the train to the meeting point and it is easy to get from the ship to the Plaka area and it cost only 1 Euro. Enjoy!!

[Tipsy252]

We are only in Piraeus Port from 08:00 til 14:00. We prefer doing our own thing and were looking at using Greek Taxi to tour Athens. Because we are here only a short time, would we be better taking a ships tour?

Can any one adise please?

[sea-explorer]

Tipsy

 

If it's any help, we used Jordan when in Athens a couple of weeks ago.

 

Website & contact details here.

 

http://www.athens-tours.gr/city_tour.html

 

He will be able to advise you of what you will be able to fit in with the time you have available & of course save you time getting from site to site. He was very personable and informative.

[CathyCruises]

Can any one adise please?

 

I ALWAYS advise against ship's tours since they tend to be extra expensive and you can almost always do better on your own and have a more personal experience. If you let your tour guide know exactly when you need to be back to the ship, I am sure they will get you there right on time.

 

Cathy

[MegWis]

Don't waste your money taking a tour here. Get a good book, see what interest you and chances are you can get there quickly and easily on the Metro.

I will be in Athens for one day, June 25, with 3 teens and my sister-in-law. Can anyone recommend a good guide book to plan a day of touring on our own?

[CintiPam]

I will be in Athens for one day, June 25, with 3 teens and my sister-in-law. Can anyone recommend a good guide book to plan a day of touring on our own?

 

Just download the Rick Steves' tour materials from his website, ricksteves.com. We used those materials exclusively for our visit last September, and thought it was just right.

[CoralReef]

I will be in Athens for one day, June 25, with 3 teens and my sister-in-law. Can anyone recommend a good guide book to plan a day of touring on our own?

 

I'll save you $15. For one day, all you need is this:

http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/greece/athens.htm

[CintiPam]

Hi, Susan, how funny that we posted the same advice at almost the same time!

Edited April 24, 2009 by CintiPam

[CoralReef]

Great minds think alike! :p

[MercedMike]

I ALWAYS advise against ship's tours since they tend to be extra expensive and you can almost always do better on your own and have a more personal experience. If you let your tour guide know exactly when you need to be back to the ship, I am sure they will get you there right on time....

 

Well, after over 30 cruises and over 3000 posts on this board, I never ALWAYS advise anything regarding shore excursions.

 

Ship's excursions have many advantages. Safety and convenience are very important, of course, but there are other reasons to take ship's tours. We do that in many ports when they do what we want to do. They are always well organized, efficient, and frequently cover the main attractions very well. The price is usually comparable with what we would do with an independent tour.

 

Independent guides and drivers also have many advantages, and we use them in many ports, especially when there are attractions we want to see that are not on the "regular" tours, or when we need a little special attention (I have a few mobility issues.) It takes a lot more research to find a reliable independent guide and payment issues may need to be considered, so it is usually a lot less convenient. We have almost always had excellent service from independent guides and normally return to the ship right on time. I do have to say a couple of times it got a little chancy, though!

 

Doing it yourself also works fairly well if you plan carefully and know there is a good infrastructure to back you up. We have rented cars ourselves in such diverse places as Skagway, Bras D'Or and Santorini and not had any trouble, although once we were about the last pax up the gangplank! We have toured independently by local transport in a few ports, and that is certainly the most adventuresome way to do it but again can work well if you research and plan carefully.

 

So the only ALWAYS I would throw in is to ALWAYS consider all the available options and never reject any possibility out of hand. Different methods of touring work better in different ports, and also offer different economic situations in different places. So, do it the easy way and just opt for the ship's excellent tours, or be ready to do your research and assume the responsibility of going other ways. Both work well.

[trackies]

Hello everyone,

 

I very much appreciate the range of opinions and experiences on this thread. Thanks very much for taking the time to share your thoughts and suggestions. We've booked back to back Mediterranean cruises this summer and I have to pick my port expenditures wisely and decide where to spend the money on a private, when to DIY and which ship's excursions work. I feel much better informed about the Athens options now! Thanks. Liz

[cruisemom42]

Hello everyone,

 

I very much appreciate the range of opinions and experiences on this thread. Thanks very much for taking the time to share your thoughts and suggestions. We've booked back to back Mediterranean cruises this summer and I have to pick my port expenditures wisely and decide where to spend the money on a private, when to DIY and which ship's excursions work. I feel much better informed about the Athens options now! Thanks. Liz

 

Liz, keep in mind that while a lot of the general info in this thread probably still holds true, it is quite an old thread and some of the particulars may have changed slightly.

 

For more current info on touring Athens, I suggest going to the Greece board and doing some reading there.