rahrah50 Posted April 21, 2010 #1 Share Posted April 21, 2010 Does anyone have a recommendation for a private transfer from the airport to hotel in Athens??? We will arrive several days early for our October 24th cruise. Thanks!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amer_can Posted April 21, 2010 #2 Share Posted April 21, 2010 I used "George the famous taxi driver in greece". www.taxigreece.com:). It was so nice to have someone standing waiting for me with my name on a card. Not cheap but nothing is anymore and the security factor for a senior, jet lagged, non greek speaking granny was just great. You might want to check Matt Barrett's Greek Travel Guide also. Pretty good stuff.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanandJim Posted April 21, 2010 #3 Share Posted April 21, 2010 Does anyone have a recommendation for a private transfer from the airport to hotel in Athens??? We will arrive several days early for our October 24th cruise. Thanks!!!!!!! If you're staying at a Hotel like the Grand Bretagne, the concierge will send a car out to the airport to pick you up. The cost is similar to getting a taxi, but those drivers will meet you at the luggage carousel in the airport and take care of everything. :D Sometimes it is nice to be coddled. :rolleyes: This is one of the reasons we'd rather use the GB than the Athens Gate or the King George Palace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comcox Posted April 22, 2010 #4 Share Posted April 22, 2010 We booked our private transfer through www.grayline.com with 10% discount as AAA members. It was cheaper two years ago when we used them but it was well worth the cost to have someone waiting for just us as the line for taxis at the airport was huge. We also booked our hotel to pier transfer with them as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian_uk Posted April 22, 2010 #5 Share Posted April 22, 2010 In my opinion the one thing you should NOT do, is take a local taxi atthe Airport. I have heard many horror stories of rip offs............... Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoHoHo Posted April 22, 2010 #6 Share Posted April 22, 2010 In my opinion the one thing you should NOT do, is take a local taxi atthe Airport. I have heard many horror stories of rip offs............... Brian Nov 2009 we took a taxi from the port to central Athens. The driver spoke a little English and I speak no Greek. He was courteous and attempted conversation, the taxi was clean. The traffic was fairly thick in spots and he handled it all very well. He stuck to the agreed upon price which was between E20 & 30. I do not recall. He accepted a small tip (he handled our bags) graciously. One very important bit of advice I got from many posts on several sites is to agree on a price before getting in the cab, which we had done. As for the rate I asked the Concierge and different staff on the Destinations Desk (I will not go into how they badly misled me re: disembarking for this taxi ride in this thread) and various posts. All the prices suggested were different. The price I paid was within the range and I was very satisfied with the price and service. That said I am still smarting from the taxi ride from my hotel to the airport. It was in the wee hours of the morning with virtually zero traffic. We passed one or two cars at perhaps 30% over the speed limit at those points. At one time we hit 180 kph (> 110 mph)! I thought about my will. No street car can handle that speed never mind the tires and certainly not this big, surly driver. When we arrived he then wanted E44 - the meter was E31. If time was included on the meter it would have reduced the charge as I am sure we drove so fast we went back in time. His 'extra' charge was the night charge and the toll charge and the waiting time (he arrived early) and the baggage charge and ... I do know that there are extra service fees and have no problem with that - if they are on the meter. (I *may* have seen the toll added to the meter automatically as we passed a toll point) I was a little 'upset'. I decided to just pay (got a useless receipt in case I wanted to complain - but to whom? as I said we sped past police - twice) and not add to DW or my stress at this end to a great trip. And still facing 21+ hour trip home. I am still a little miffed. This won’t be the last time I will over pay a taxi and I would not have minded so much except for the insane driving and the feeling I was being intimated into paying. Would I take a taxi in Athens again? Yes, but I'd get the price in advance and get some feedback from the driver before hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rahrah50 Posted April 22, 2010 Author #7 Share Posted April 22, 2010 Thanks everyone!!! We are staying at the Grand Bretagne and I think I will arrange for pickup with the hotel. I am a bit of a chicken and do not want to just get in a taxi at the airport and after a long flight it would be great to have someone meet us at the baggage area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy The Wanderer Posted April 23, 2010 #8 Share Posted April 23, 2010 Paul the taxi driver is also very reliable. http://www.*****/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rprout Posted September 15, 2010 #9 Share Posted September 15, 2010 taxigreece@yahoo.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billie5 Posted September 16, 2010 #10 Share Posted September 16, 2010 We generally had good and honest dealings with taxis in Athens. Of course, we are very experienced travelers and always knew what the going fare was supposed to be. We turned down taxis which were offering to gouge us as obvious tourists (which happens all over the world), but plenty gave us correct fare estimates. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orchestrapal Posted September 17, 2010 #11 Share Posted September 17, 2010 If you're staying at a Hotel like the Grand Bretagne, the concierge will send a car out to the airport to pick you up. The cost is similar to getting a taxi, but those drivers will meet you at the luggage carousel in the airport and take care of everything. :D This was a great experience and we agree...:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aohkay Posted September 17, 2010 #12 Share Posted September 17, 2010 On Sept. 5/10, we used George from www.taxigreece.com. The driver was waiting for us just inside of the terminal, holding a sign with my name on it. We took the taxi to the bus station (Bus Station - Kifisos KTEL. 100, Kifisou street) and the cost was 55 Euros for 2 pax + 4 pieces of luggage. Pick up was seamless and our driver spoke perfect English. We needed to get to the bus station as quickly as possible and the driver complied:) He sped us to the station and assisted us with the purchase of our bus/ ferry tickets. Had we been left to do this on our own, we would have definitely missed our ferry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyArf3 Posted September 19, 2010 #13 Share Posted September 19, 2010 HI - email me direct- I have info on my computer about airport pickup- it depends on where ur hotel is located.... Do u have any private excursions booked as we need some people to share ours... Andy andyarf3 at aol dot com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CintiPam Posted September 25, 2010 #14 Share Posted September 25, 2010 That said I am still smarting from the taxi ride from my hotel to the airport. It was in the wee hours of the morning with virtually zero traffic. We passed one or two cars at perhaps 30% over the speed limit at those points. At one time we hit 180 kph (> 110 mph)! I thought about my will. No street car can handle that speed never mind the tires and certainly not this big, surly driver. When we arrived he then wanted E44 - the meter was E31. If time was included on the meter it would have reduced the charge as I am sure we drove so fast we went back in time. His 'extra' charge was the night charge and the toll charge and the waiting time (he arrived early) and the baggage charge and ... I do know that there are extra service fees and have no problem with that - if they are on the meter. (I *may* have seen the toll added to the meter automatically as we passed a toll point) I was a little 'upset'. I decided to just pay (got a useless receipt in case I wanted to complain - but to whom? as I said we sped past police - twice) and not add to DW or my stress at this end to a great trip. And still facing 21+ hour trip home. I am still a little miffed. This won’t be the last time I will over pay a taxi and I would not have minded so much except for the insane driving and the feeling I was being intimated into paying. Would I take a taxi in Athens again? Yes, but I'd get the price in advance and get some feedback from the driver before hand. If it is of any consolation almost a year later, 44 Euros is not at all an inappropriate fare from central Athens to the airport in the "wee hours of the morning" for all the reasons the driver told you, which indeed are legitimate. You did not overpay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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