Tours in Athens & Istanbul

[bcoker]

Can anybody advise me of the best places to see/go to in Athens & Istanbul ?

[caribill]

Go to the ports of call section on Cruise critic to find the answers.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=5

[CTLeeA]

Can anybody advise me of the best places to see/go to in Athens & Istanbul ?

 

Take an all day city tour...there is so much to see, especially in Istanbul, don't even think of trying to do it on your own.

[caber]

We did Istanbul on our own. Most of the sights are clustered together in a small area.

 

The must sees are the Topkapi Palace and the Blue Mosque. Wander round the Grand Bazar. It is an experience. If you are really hot and want to cool down go into the Cisterns. They are underground, very cool and inexpensive to look round. I think it was about $1 but that was several years ago.

 

The only downside are the carpet salesmen. If you stop to look at your map they are around you, wanting to take you to their brother`s carpet shop etc. You have to be firm to make them go away.

 

Depending on which berth the ship docks at, it can be a long walk, over the bridge, to the centre. A taxi is a better idea.

 

Of course, as in many cities, you have to be on your guard from pickpockets.

 

We took the train from Piraeus to Athens and only a few euros. It is only about 15-20 mins. There is a 20 minute walk to the train station from the port. Their are taxis available too but make sure you agree the price before you get in.

The one thing you must do in Athens is climb the hill to the Parthenon.

 

Happy cruising.

[Roses2]

The absolutely best way to see Isanbul is on a private tour so you hit the high spots with someone who really knows the city and you avoid the large numbers of a bus tour.

 

A couple of years ago on a cruise, we toured with Umit Ozipek (mysticturkey@lycos.com

in his airconditioned car and spent time at Hippodrome, Serpentine Column, Blue Mosque, St. Sophie's Cathedral, Topkapi Palace, and the Grand Bazzar.

 

All this was accomapnied by Umit with his personal explanations of each site. The entire cost for the private tour was under $100 per person for the two of us.

 

Re: Athens -- You dock about 1/2 hour away from Athens so what ever you plan, you have to get to the city first.

 

Peggy and Jerry

[1sailorgal]

We did both cities on our own with no problem. We took a taxi to Istanbul which was cheap. Everything was in one area. Don't miss the underground cisterns. When going to Takapi Palace, go to the harem first as they only sell so many tickets. Athnes was easy. Took the train in and then walked to the Parthenon. There was plenty to see in that area. Rusty was the port lecturer on the Grand and actually had slides of what to look for after getting off of the train so you don't get lost.

[chipmaster]

You might want to see this web site for overall info ( http://www.cruisereviews.com/port/145/Eastern-Mediterranean/ )

 

If you don't mind walking and taking public transportation I think both of these cities are reasnoble to DIY, if mobility is an issue of course private is easiest but costs more.

 

 

 

Can anybody advise me of the best places to see/go to in Athens & Istanbul ?

[SingerEsq]

I'd consider a private guide / taxi for Istanbul.

 

Athen is simple. Take a cab (probably 5-7 minutes) or walk (20-30 minutes) to the train station near the port and go the Parthenon and surrounding area (Plaka). Very easy to do. $1EU each way. DO NOT MISS THE NEW ACROPLOIS MUSEUM at the base of the Parthenon.

 

See attached review for instructions:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=58214

[Sominex]

Can anybody advise me of the best places to see/go to in Athens & Istanbul ?

We toured Istanbul in Oct. 08 on foot but do take a taxi from the ship it'll save time; If you're there for two days, take the local ferry up to the Black Sea; amazing and on $10 return.

In Athens I contracted a taxi to meet us at the ship at 7:30a.m. to take us to the Parthenon when it opened at 8:00a.m. had it to ourselves for a short time before the crowds appeared, then had him take us on a city tour and walked around the Historic Plaka area.

Som

[mytime53]

Istanbul is a place I would really recommend having a guide...whether you take a tour, hire a guide to take you around, or use a guide at each individual stop would be up to you...but there is so much amazing history that you will miss otherwise (unless you're the kind to read extensively about the specific locations you will visit). We're not big on group tours, but we thoroughly enjoyed our Istanbul tours. I don't know if any of the prime locations have the recorded things that let you do a self-guided tour...that would work, too. I'm sure someone else on these boards could answer that.

[jagsfan]

In Istanbul, Hagia Sophia and the Suleyman Mosque are don't misses. Topkapi and the

Blue Mosque and the Grand Bazaar round out the best sights. The underground cisterns

are unique and damp. You stay dry, though. Nice soft music to listen to as you

wander.

The Spice Bazaar is interesting, too.

We ate at Topkapi Palace and also at The Pudding Shop, where I had the best rice in

the world. I think the Pudding Shop was a place for college students who walked and

hitched all over that part of the world. Good food.

Athens......climbing the Acropolis and looking down at Athens is wonderful, the

Parthenon is a bonus. There are great tavernas and lots of shopping in Plaka.

[texancruzer]

We did Istanbul on our own..... took the tram from the ship into the historic area. Easy and cheap. Loved this place ! Easy to walk from one sight to the other. Clean and safe. Unless you want to see other places away from the main area OR want alot of dates/names/history - do it yourself. Do not take a taxi ! We took the tram for around a $1.00 and it took 7-8 minutes. We heard horror stories at dinner from those who took a ship tour (big bus) or a taxi and were stuck in traffic for over an hour. The tram runs down the middle of the street and does not get stuck in traffic :D Clean and safe.....just mind your belongings like you would in any big city. Also....we walked all over for 2 days (we overnighted there) and did not have one single carpet salesman approach us. Even the vendors in the Grand Bazaar did not try to hawk us into their shops...... Maybe we looked poor but believe me I was there to shop shop shop :eek:

 

Athens - we also did DIY. Took the shuttle bus to the port exit from the ship (short ride ;)) then walked to the metro. Took the metro in and walked up to the Parthenon. Easy and cheap. However, next visit we will book a private tour here. Only because there are some items I would like to see that would be best done on a private tour. For our first visit DIY was a good choice.

[Sominex]

We did Istanbul on our own..... took the tram from the ship into the historic area. Easy and cheap. Loved this place ! Easy to walk from one sight to the other. Clean and safe. Unless you want to see other places away from the main area OR want alot of dates/names/history - do it yourself. Do not take a taxi ! We took the tram for around a $1.00 and it took 7-8 minutes. We heard horror stories at dinner from those who took a ship tour (big bus) or a taxi and were stuck in traffic for over an hour. The tram runs down the middle of the street and does not get stuck in traffic :D Clean and safe.....just mind your belongings like you would in any big city. Also....we walked all over for 2 days (we overnighted there) and did not have one single carpet salesman approach us. Even the vendors in the Grand Bazaar did not try to hawk us into their shops...... Maybe we looked poor but believe me I was there to shop shop shop :eek:

 

Athens - we also did DIY. Took the shuttle bus to the port exit from the ship (short ride ;)) then walked to the metro. Took the metro in and walked up to the Parthenon. Easy and cheap. However, next visit we will book a private tour here. Only because there are some items I would like to see that would be best done on a private tour. For our first visit DIY was a good choice.

I totally forgot about the tram ... we flew in 5 days prior to our cruise so didn't realize the tram went as far as the cruise port. But yes we used it to across the water then walked back. Also used it to go to the ferry. Great idea. We stayed right in the historic area in the same block as the Blue Mosque etc. so walking to everything was easy. Also loved touring the cistern; amazing feat!

Som

[pennsylvaniamimi]

Don't forget to invest in a good guide book and read up before you go. I have found that the more time you spend before your trip, the better time you have. The people on this board as well as trip advisor offer a wealth of information, so just sit down and do some searches and you will find some remarkable insights form people who have been there. and done that!

[CintiPam]

Purchase copies of Rick Steves' Istanbul and Athens guidebooks, and you will have the all the information you need to visit both places easily DIY. Both have their main sights in a very small central area, and his walking and sight tours are excellent.

[maryann ns]

I will completely agree with CintiPam. Also, the tram is much faster than a taxi as it has it's own tracks and does not get caught up in traffic.