How long to stay in Athens?

[perlgirlnj]

Our cruise terminates in Athens and we'd like to see the sites there. We will have already been away for 10 or 11 days and can't take that much more time off.

 

We arrive in port at 5 AM so I imagine we'll be off the ship by mid-morning. My question is: is one night extra enough or should we stay two nights?

[cruisemom42]

It depends how ambitious you are and how much you want to see. If you get off the ship early (walk off disembarkation) and drop off your bags at your hotel and get going, you can see a lot of Athens in a day -- probably the Acropolis, Agora, Acropolis Museum, Theatre of Dionysus, Plaka at a minimum.

 

If you want to do the larger National Archaeological Museum, the area around Syntagma Square, the Roman Forum/Tower of the Winds, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, Olympic Stadium, etc -- that's probably going to need another day.

 

And something else to consider. If you stay a second or third day, you could do a full-day tour outside Athens to visit Corinth and Mycenae, or go to Delphi (a full day, but very, very worth it).

 

I know you say that you can't take a lot of time off, but consider when you might be able to get back again, and how much the airfare is. Might as well stay as long as you can and maximize the trip.

[cberge]

2 nights at least.So much to see and enjoy.

[chipmaster]

IMHO the question of how long is so personal.

 

I could argue that every port wasn't done justice in the Med. Athens we "just" saw everything I had on my must to do iconic list with my kids in a full day. I'd say you'd really want a full day and half at a minimum. An 11 day plus 2 than with travels works out to that magical 14 days/two weeks.

 

On our trip we did 1 day at the beginning and end of our tour...

Our cruise terminates in Athens and we'd like to see the sites there. We will have already been away for 10 or 11 days and can't take that much more time off.

 

We arrive in port at 5 AM so I imagine we'll be off the ship by mid-morning. My question is: is one night extra enough or should we stay two nights?