Cab To Athens from pier?

[bellebride116]

Our ship offers an excursion where it just takes you to Athens for $58 per person... is it cheaper to take a taxi?

[Susan-M]

Yes, it's less expensive to take a taxi ... here's a recent thread that should be of help.

[bellebride116]

Thank you :)

[Goldygolfer]

Right at the port gates you will find many, many taxi drivers touting for business (quite aggressively actually). However, if you walk about 100 - 200 metres towards the train station, you will find that you can negotiate a much cheaper rate.

[X-ring]

if you walk about 100 - 200 metres towards the train station, you will find that you can negotiate a much cheaper rate.

 

That's what we did in Nov 2006 - 12 euros got us a ride directly to the Acropolis. If I recall correctly, we actually agreed on 10 but his enroute commentary (lotsa' Nana Mouskouri) led me to give him an extra 2.

[gemz]

Yes, the taxi drivers right at the pier were downright very aggressive and expensive. If you walk just out to the road, there is the Hop On/Off bus which was convenient to get to the sites. We had originally planned to take a taxi for the 4 of us but boy were they aggressive and would not budge from their price. All they wanted was to give you the full tour and not just a cab right to the Acropolis which was what we wanted but no one would drive us.

[marilynfaye]

gemz: Are you saying there is a bus at the pier or a hop on-hop off bus once you get into Athens?

 

I am hoping there is a circulating bus at the pier that you can take to the Metro. I read once that there was and then I read that there wasn't. I figured I would find out when I got there.

[texancruzer]

Our experience was that the taxi drivers did not want to just take you into town and drop you off. They were adamant about a "tour" which we did not want.

 

We got off the ship and took a shuttle bus (provided by the cruiseline) to the port exit. Not a long ride I might add but saved us a bit of walking. That is where the taxis are ready to pounce. After we detemined that we were not going to get a taxi, we kept walking along the harbor for about 20 minutes and took the metro in. There is a local bus that you can take instead of walking. Details were on another thread a while back. Sounds like more hassle than just walking. The metro was quick and easy. We did take a taxi back tho - took alot longer than the metro due to traffic !

 

Have decided that if we get back to Athens we will book a private tour.

[lanikeekee]

We booked a private tour with Private Greece Tours http://www.privategreecetours.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=42:half-day-athens-sightseeing&catid=15:athens-region&Itemid=99

 

I would recommend them thoroughly and it is an absolute must to get to the Acropolis early...we arrived before all the tour buses and got in no problems at all...other friends we met on our cruise arrived later and were unable to get in due to the 1km long line...I am sure a taxi is cheaper than this tour but it was very informative and we got to see everything we wanted to...we also asked to be dropped at the Plaka in town...so because the tour was supposed to take us back to the port they took us up to the highest peak in Athens to look over the city instead of the extra time it would have taken to get back to the port..then he took us to the plaka...really enjoyable and well worth it:)

[DanaJW]

lanikeekee, How did you get from the Plaka back to the port?

[lanikeekee]

lanikeekee, How did you get from the Plaka back to the port?

 

Dana we caught a cab...our driver from our tour said that it would cost no more than 20 Euros...he was right...he also told us what time to leave the Plaka as it takes about an hour to get back with traffic...it was easy and as there was four of us it was cheap...if there is anything else i can help with let me know:D

[nordski]

Dana we caught a cab...our driver from our tour said that it would cost no more than 20 Euros...he was right...he also told us what time to leave the Plaka as it takes about an hour to get back with traffic...it was easy and as there was four of us it was cheap...if there is anything else i can help with let me know:D

There are some cab drivers, who will meet you at an assigned post for the return trip.

 

We arranged this last April before our cruise.

 

As stated the cost: 20E per trip was well worth the advantage, to us, of arriving at the Acropols pre-horde.

[DanaJW]

Thank you for your replies. I have contacted several tour operators (recommended on this site) and am collecting their responses. One stated that his full day tour includes the Greek Agora and the Roman Agora. From information I have gathered on this site, posters say "The Agora is not to be missed," but which Agora is that? Greek or Roman or both? I am thinking our group would like to take a half day tour of Athens, then get dropped off in the Plaka. It seems that the half day tours do not include the Agora, so I was thinking this is something we could do on our own. Any thoughts would be helpful! Or maybe the tour guide would drop us off at the Agora, then we would make our way to the Plaka, and hopefully find two cabs (there will be 7 of us), to return to the port.

 

Thanks so much!

[cruisemom42]

Thank you for your replies. I have contacted several tour operators (recommended on this site) and am collecting their responses. One stated that his full day tour includes the Greek Agora and the Roman Agora. From information I have gathered on this site, posters say "The Agora is not to be missed," but which Agora is that? Greek or Roman or both? I am thinking our group would like to take a half day tour of Athens, then get dropped off in the Plaka. It seems that the half day tours do not include the Agora, so I was thinking this is something we could do on our own. Any thoughts would be helpful! Or maybe the tour guide would drop us off at the Agora, then we would make our way to the Plaka, and hopefully find two cabs (there will be 7 of us), to return to the port.

 

Thanks so much!

 

The Greek Agora is the more interesting of the two. There is a lot to be seen there, including a nice little museum in a reconstructed stoa, some nice ruins, and a fantasic Doric temple up on a little hill overlooking the Agora that is more complete than the Parthenon. Rick Steves has a walking tour in his Athens book, if you wanted to do it yourself. There is also fairly good signage throughout the agora in English (although of course less complete than a tour). It is basically right next to the Plaka, so your plan of doing it on your own after a half-day tour should work fine.

 

The Roman area is more properly called a Forum than an Agora. I love Roman ruins, but found it less interesting than the Greek Agora with one big exception -- the Tower of the Winds. This fascinating little octagonal tower was actually a sort of combination weather vane, sundial, and water clock. It is in beautiful condition, even though it is older than the rest of the forum area. (It was built by an astronomer in the first century BC.)

 

You can read more about it here:

 

http://www.greece-athens.com/page.php?page_id=273

[DanaJW]

Thank you for the information, Cynthia. I do plan on purchasing Rick Steve's Athens book, so maybe once I read that, I will feel less stressed about planning this portion of our trip! Right now, I'm leaning toward a half day Athens tour, then asking the tour guide to drop us off at the Agora (Greek). I get the feeling we can walk to the Plaka from there. Then the only challenge might be getting two taxis (there are 7 of us) to return to the port. From what I've read, finding taxis should not be a problem, but this is the "unknown" part for me, so I worry! :)

[siouxcitysue]

I second the poster above who indicated getting to the Acropolis before the crowds was worth the cost of the private tour. We used Dennis at http://www.toursofathens.com who was waiting for us on the pier when the ship docked. I could see him from my balcony,though I didn't know it was him at the time. We went directly to the Acropolis and got there way before the crowds and therefore got some great pictures without a lot of other people in them. It was great having a private driver that day! Look into it, definitely.

[cruisemom42]

Thank you for the information, Cynthia. I do plan on purchasing Rick Steve's Athens book, so maybe once I read that, I will feel less stressed about planning this portion of our trip! Right now, I'm leaning toward a half day Athens tour, then asking the tour guide to drop us off at the Agora (Greek). I get the feeling we can walk to the Plaka from there. Then the only challenge might be getting two taxis (there are 7 of us) to return to the port. From what I've read, finding taxis should not be a problem, but this is the "unknown" part for me, so I worry! :)

 

You definitely have a workable plan. As I said, the Agora is right next to the Plaka. I saw some cabs right outside the Agora itself, but there are MANY in the Plaka. If you want to have a Plan B, the Metro is very, very easy to navigate and if you get on at Monastiraki (right there by the Plaka), you can take the Green line all the way to Piraeus. (Fare is 1 euro per person!)

 

It's always a little off-putting when you are planning; the details somehow seem more complicated on paper than they really are. I'm sure it will all work out fine. The more you research ahead of time, the easier it will be when you are actually there.

[MANURULES]

The Greek Agora is the more interesting of the two. There is a lot to be seen there, including a nice little museum in a reconstructed stoa, some nice ruins, and a fantasic Doric temple up on a little hill overlooking the Agora that is more complete than the Parthenon. Rick Steves has a walking tour in his Athens book, if you wanted to do it yourself. There is also fairly good signage throughout the agora in English (although of course less complete than a tour). It is basically right next to the Plaka, so your plan of doing it on your own after a half-day tour should work fine.

 

The Roman area is more properly called a Forum than an Agora. I love Roman ruins, but found it less interesting than the Greek Agora with one big exception -- the Tower of the Winds. This fascinating little octagonal tower was actually a sort of combination weather vane, sundial, and water clock. It is in beautiful condition, even though it is older than the rest of the forum area. (It was built by an astronomer in the first century BC.)

 

You can read more about it here:

 

http://www.greece-athens.com/page.php?page_id=273

 

 

You are absolutely correct as usual,but let me just add a thing or two to this.

First about tours and their descriptions .The best way to describe what the "tour" operators are doing in Athens is the same as saying "We will give you a tour of the theater district in NYC and then we will also visit Times Square".

Its an exaggeration of course to make my point but you get the idea.

As far as the Agora and the tower of winds goes, The Stoa Of Attalos on the Greek Agora is 200 yards from the Tower,maybe closer.

You will practically run on to it if you are heading from The Attalos Stoa to wards Plaka.

In my opinion there is one and only one tour in Athens that provides FACTUAL,in depth,tours with people qualified to give you the whole Athens experience ,as far as history is concerned.Its the Athens walking tours company.

Unfortunately they do not offer transportation as far as I know.

[gemz]

Marilynfaye, the Hop On/Off bus stop was just outside the pier. One route of the Hop On/Off bus goes right to the pier. I believe if you walk a little further, the subway was there.

[Podie]

We pre-reserved a very nice taxi driver named Andreas Kumbas who met us at 7:30 AM and dropped us at the Acropolis at 8 AM, a solid hour before the massive crowds appeared. Then we meandered through the Agora at our leisure, listening to cicadas instead of crowds. The price was 20 euros, and we gave him 25. It was wonderful. We took the Metro back to the pier, although the pier is a pretty long walk from the last stop.

[Mexfolkart]

Podie..how did you contact Andreas Kumbas..sounds just like what we want! Thanks, Sherry S.