Athens and Santorini -- DIY plans

[ckdsweet]

My boyfriend, his family and I will be going on the Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Seas cruise on August 9th -- my first cruise. I'm trying to DIY in as many ports as possible, because I much prefer to explore a place on my own, bot on the other hand, I don't want to miss out on important sites. I was hoping to get more experienced DIYers opinions on these plans for Athens and Santorini.

 

Athens ( 6:00 am - 6:00 pm)-- Get the HOHO bus at the port and use that to explore the city and important sites like the Acropolis, the Agora, Temple of Zeus, Hadrian's Arch, etc. It leaves the port at 8:20 am so I'd like us to be on that first bus. Is it possible / should we buy Acropolis tickets in advance?

 

Santorini (7:00 am - 6:00 pm) -- Boyfriend and his brother will be taking the "Volcano Hiking and Hot Springs Tour" from 8:30 - 11:30. I can't swim, so that one is not for me haha. My plan was to go into Fira, arrange for a scooter rental and look around there for a while before meeting bf at 11:30. Then, we were going to rent a scooter and explore the island, going to Oia, Santo Wine, and Perissa Beach.

 

Any thoughts / recommendations are extremely appreciated!

[Travelcat2]

Love what you will be doing in Santorini. Oia has some of the most spectacular views in the world. My only concern is that it could be quite crowded in Santorini. If that is the case, you may want to take a local bus to Oia (and onward).

[tartanexile81]

Athens - Not sure if you'll get to the hoho pick-up point by 8:20. Will depend on what time you dock, if they let those on tours go first etc, but otherwise should be fine. We didn't book tickets for Acropolis last year and queue was really shortso we pretty much walked in although it was very busy.

 

Santorini - You're tendered off the ship then once you dock, you'll probably find yourself in a very long queue for the cable car. If not, you can walk up a long path and you have to avoid the donkeys. Don't agree with the other post that bus would be better as the bus gets very busy and so crowded especially on the way back from Oia. Roads didn't seem too busy but best check your insurance will cover you for driving a scooter. Friends had bad scratches etc from falls, especially on arms and legs, as the roads are rough and gravelly.

[paddingtonbear]

I'd rent a car on santorini. They have open mini mokes if you want to be exposed to the elements but safe.

 

In Athens a day pass on the train (4 euro) is another possibility it is more economical than the hoho bus. Most attractions are walk able in Athens. Also there are preorganised taxi guides who are economical for a group your size.

[Chloe1500]

Re: Athens. Here's another suggestion:

You really just need transportation to get to the main sights. If the mother does not want to take the Metro, you can also see if the ship has an excursion, "Athens on your own." We did that last year, and it involved a bus ride to the Plaka, a map, and a guide on the bus who got us oriented to the major sights. It was very easy to walk to the Acropolis, the Acropolis Museum (which is a great place for lunch on the roof with a terrific view), Agora, Temple of Zeus, and then, to end up at the Plaka for shopping and to catch the bus back.

[24butterfly]

Athens - Not sure if you'll get to the hoho pick-up point by 8:20. Will depend on what time you dock, if they let those on tours go first etc, but otherwise should be fine. We didn't book tickets for Acropolis last year and queue was really shortso we pretty much walked in although it was very busy.

 

Santorini - You're tendered off the ship then once you dock, you'll probably find yourself in a very long queue for the cable car. If not, you can walk up a long path and you have to avoid the donkeys. Don't agree with the other post that bus would be better as the bus gets very busy and so crowded especially on the way back from Oia. Roads didn't seem too busy but best check your insurance will cover you for driving a scooter. Friends had bad scratches etc from falls, especially on arms and legs, as the roads are rough and gravelly.

 

To the 1st part: when we got off the ship, and after walking about 5 or so minutes from the ship terminal, there was a HOHO bus right there waiting to depart....

 

Santorini--Take the donkey up, and DOWN....I did, and let me tell you, it's something you will never forget.

[ekgoodman]

Athens - we walked to train station in Piraeus, then took the train to Athens. It takes you to Monatrakeki then we changed trains to go straight to the Acropolis. We were one of the first ones off the cruise ship. There was no line to buy tickets to the Acropolis. We got there before it was really busy. We then walked over to the Temple of Zeus (didn't get tickets --not much to see), walked around the Plaka district, ate a gyro, shopped around, saw the Roman Forum and the Ancient Agora but didn't pay to go in. We were back at the ship at 2 pm. (We left the ship at 8 and go to Acropolis at 9). It did take a while (20-30 min walk to train station, 30 min trip to Athens) but we saved money! :)

 

Santorini - you can only rent a moped if you have your motorbike license. We tried but had to rent an atv. It was fine. We rode to Oia (have to go there), then to Kamaria beach and swam, then rode the atv all around the island before returning to Fira. Great day!

[Adventures ahead]

Can you use a credit card, or do you need to pay in cash?

[ckdsweet]

Thanks everybody, for all the suggestions!

 

The plan for Santorini is still on track. Boyfriend has motorcycle license so that shouldn't be a problem. What order would you reccommend seeing Oia, Perissa Beach and Santo wine in? Obviously, I would want to spend more time in Oia, and see Ammoudi as well... Need to be back to the ship by 5:30 at the latest, so we'll have five hours max.

 

Athens, we're undecided about now. Thinking of doing the four hour ship tour of the Acropolis and then probably just exploring on foot after that. Mainly, to have a guide to tell us what we're seeing.

[newcruiser1573]

Thanks everybody, for all the suggestions!

 

The plan for Santorini is still on track. Boyfriend has motorcycle license so that shouldn't be a problem. What order would you reccommend seeing Oia, Perissa Beach and Santo wine in? Obviously, I would want to spend more time in Oia, and see Ammoudi as well... Need to be back to the ship by 5:30 at the latest, so we'll have five hours max.

 

Athens, we're undecided about now. Thinking of doing the four hour ship tour of the Acropolis and then probably just exploring on foot after that. Mainly, to have a guide to tell us what we're seeing.

 

Hi, I too will be on this cruise. I just wanted to invite you to participate in our roll call. There may be some other DIY with suggestions or ideas.

 

Kim