Distance to transportation in port

[Reco&Rarely]

I will be traveling on the Grand Princess in September with my grandmother doing the Greek Isle/Mediterranean itinerary and she would like some honestinformation on the ports of call. She is limited in how far she can walk at a time, along a smooth flat route. The big question is, how far of a walk is it to transportation in Florence, Naples, Santorini, Mykonos, Athens, Corfu and Olympia:confused:

[Atomica]

You're probably best off either Googling the ports for more information, or checking out the Ports section of this board for some good advice.

 

Just a general comment - you mention your grandmother can walk a limited distance over a smooth, flat route. You are very unlikely in many European cities to find a flat route. Many cities have cobblestone streets.

 

I can help with a few ports:

 

Florence - you won't dock in Florence (obviously - it's land-locked), so you'll have to take a cruise excursion into the city itself. Florence is beautiful, and very walkable. Cobblestone streets in the old section of Florence.

 

Santorini - you'll have to take a tram up to the main part of the island itself. Santorini is amazing - but again, some uneven, winding streets.

 

Mykonos - my most favorite little island. The ship docks/tenders slightly away from town, but if you take the shuttle service into town, most of it is very walkable. The streets are a type of cobblestone that varies, and some streets can be a little hilly.

 

Athens - you'll dock outside Athens in a little city called Piraeus, so an excursion to Athens will be necessary. I wouldn't pick one that goes to the Acropolis, sadly, as that requires a lot of walking up steep, cobblestone pathways and might be too much for your grandmother - unless wheelchairs are available, which I strongly doubt. There are, however, lots of other great things to see and do in Athens.

[caribill]

You may just need to purchase Princess "easy" excursions which are basically tour bus rides with very little walking involved.

 

Obviously some great sights will be missed this way, but with walking restrictions, it may be the only realistic option in some ports.

 

For touring Florence, you may want to rent a wheelchair for the trip which would allow you to help her get around as there is a large amount of walking required in that city.