Private Car Tours in Athens and Rome

[Elizaveta]

Greetings, I am a new member of this forum. We are a group of 5 cruising the Mediterraean for the first time. We would prefer to use a private driver at the stops in Athens, Rome and Izmir Turkey, instead of the tours that are organized by the cruise line as that gives us more freedom to see the sights and we can travel in comfort instead of a crowded bus. Has anyone used private services in Greece, Italy and Turkey and could offer some recommendations?

We would also like to try out some local restaurants and not just the ones where the tourists go. Seeing we are limited for time what sites would anyone recommend at these ports of call.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Regards, Elizaveta

[chipmaster]

Greetings, I am a new member of this forum. We are a group of 5 cruising the Mediterraean for the first time. We would prefer to use a private driver at the stops in Athens, Rome and Izmir Turkey, instead of the tours that are organized by the cruise line as that gives us more freedom to see the sights and we can travel in comfort instead of a crowded bus. Has anyone used private services in Greece, Italy and Turkey and could offer some recommendations?

 

We would also like to try out some local restaurants and not just the ones where the tourists go. Seeing we are limited for time what sites would anyone recommend at these ports of call.

 

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

Regards, Elizaveta

 

Welcome!

 

Athens: We used Paul at GreekTaxi, highly recommended

 

Rome: We used the very popular and often recommended RomeinLimo. We had great experience with them.

 

Turkey: We used EKOL, some love them, some less so. We had a great guide/tour in Kusadasi, less so in Istanbul but still good.

 

I would say go private if or DIY, avoid the cruise ship if you can. Go to rollcalls if your party isn't big enough to fill a vehicle.

 

Good luck

[MercedMike]

We loved Greek Taxi in Athens. Nick, Paul's son was our guide and found delightful local places for us to eat. Check out our trip report and pictures at http://www.bully4.us/blacksea3.html

 

We also used EKOL in Turkey and were very happy with them too. Check out our trip report and pictures at http://www.bully4.us/blacksea2.html

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[ruthnlarry]

We also used Paul of Athens Taxi for our tour of Corinth this past November. His tour was great, and we highly recommend him.

 

For Turkey, we used Ekol. We could not have been happier with this choice. Our guide in Ephesus was Yelda who we loved, and our guide in Istanbul was Omar who also did a very good job.

[travelgran]

....we were a group of ladies....we used Dennis at dennisprivatetours@yahoo.com. He was very professional and courteous. He was very knowledgeable about the city....we had a wonderful time....also, he was born in New York, which was a big plus...his English was great and we felt very secure, which was also very important. I hope to go back on another cruise next year. I have recommended him to two of my friends who will be using his service within the next couple of months.

 

Most of all...enjoy...it is a glorious place.

[Elizaveta]

Thanks for all your suggestions, I will check out their websites for prices and tours. Really excited it will be a spectacular cruise.

 

thanks everyone, Elizaveta

[Elizaveta]

Thank-you for all the suggestions. We got back a couple of weeks ago and had an awesome time. We hired private drivers in Athens and Rome and although it cost us a little more money it was definately worth it to get the personal touch. I would highly recommend it. I checked out prices between the different drivers and they were all pretty comparable.

 

In Athens we went with Dionisis or Dennis at dennisprivatetours@yahoo.com. He is part of a family business and can accomodate large or small groups as they have different non-smoking vehicles. Although he is not a tour guide, which he explains up front (he can't go into the sites with you) he is very knowledgable and passionate about his country. His English is impeccable with a Greek accent (he tells us he was born in New York) and he was very polite with a good sense of humour. He made our day. He took us to the Acropolis before all the tour buses arrived and we ate at a restaurant that all the locals including himself go to. The food was awesome.

 

In Rome we hired Daniel (driverinrome.com) and the experience was just as excellent as our time in Athens. Again Daniel took us to places that he would go and steered us away from the tourist traps and vendors that would overcharge the tourists.

 

I would not recommend renting a car and trying to drive around yourself as both Rome and Athens are congested and have crazy drivers.

 

If anyone needs any more information on either driver let me know, I would be happy to share.

 

Elizaveta