Hop On Bus In Athenes , did you try?

[inaina]

I will be in Piraeus port with Celebrity Equinox Sep10 from 7am to 6pm. I'm thinking in DUY sight seen and have a felling of Athenes. Did you try it? it's ease to board the hop bus near the port? how far to walk? please any suggestions or in input welcome thank you all;)

[sentosa25]

Hi Inaina,

 

 

We used the Hop On Hop Off Bus in Athens in may this year and found it a great way to see round Athens, especially the Acropolis and other must sees.

If you do not want a private tour or a ships tour, this is probably the easiest way(and cheapest!) to see Athens.

I think the buses start at 9 am.

 

Both red and yellow ho ho buses were there waiting when we arrived at the bus stop,which is a short walk from the ship, but the red bus was leaving in 10 minutes, the yellow in 20 minutes, so we took the red. The fare was 22 Euros, although if you have a ticket from a previous hoho red bus tour, they will give you 2 Euros discount. As far as I could tell, both buses use the same route but are run by different companies. Spoke to others afterwards who had used the yellow bus with no complaints.

With our tickets, we got a timetable, so we always knew what time the next bus was, most we waited was 10 minutes and that is only because I like to be early.

We did not book tickets beforehand, as the buses run frequently.

 

It takes about 30 minutes to get from Piraeus, where we dock, to Athens depending on the traffic.

 

The bus goes up to The Acropolis via Syntagma Square and there is an interchange there for the rest of Athens including Temple of Zeus, National Gardens, museum, Greek Parliament, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier , City Hall and a few other stops before coming back to The Acropolis where you change for the bus back to the pier. The famous changing of the Evzone guard takes place at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at 5 minutes to the hour (eg 10 55am) and they cross over at 30 minutes past the hour.

Some people just changed buses and went straight back to the ship as it was a little windy that day.

 

The whole tour , if you do not get off, except to change and take the next back to the ship takes about two hours. The headphone commentary is good and included some nice Greek Music.

 

We had seats upstairs and the views were wonderful, but, remember, it can get hot, so don't forget sunscreen, water and a hat, preferably one that ties on . On the drive from Piraeus, the driver went quickly on a stretch of road and it was so windy I nearly lost my hat!!!! :) :D

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[John Bull]

Very similar experience to Sentosa, but we took the yellow bus, same money.

Both leave from mebbe 100 yards to the left as you leave the cruise terminal, beyond the taxis.

Both operate a route from Piraeus to Athens, and another route round the sights. The Piraeus route is effectively a ship-to-city transfer, there's no sights of note but they operate different routes out & back, which makes it a circular trip rather than a boring out-and-back.

Traffic around the Acropolis was log-jammed, but ok elsewhere.

 

Best make the Acropolis first, ahead of the heat/crowds, & to orientate the city from the vantage point. You should also have time to check out on foot Plaka, and/or Hadrians Arch/Temple of Zeus/Panethenaic stadium

 

JB :)

[VirtualRain]

We used the Hop On Hop Off Bus in Athens in may this year and found it a great way to see round Athens, especially the Acropolis and other must sees.

If you do not want a private tour or a ships tour, this is probably the easiest way(and cheapest!) to see Athens.

I think the buses start at 9 am.

 

I've been doing a bunch of research on Athens lately and unless I'm missing something, the HOHO bus doesn't seem to offer much value since all the attractions in Athens are within a fairly compact area around the Acropolis/Plaka. And the Bus can't take you up to the Acropolis or through Plaka anyway... you have to do those on foot. So it would seem to me, you're really paying for the trip to/from the port which can be done via the Metro for a lot less. It's 4-Euro for a day pass on the Metro and there are stops very close to all the major attractions so even if you don't want to walk much within central Athens you can get around on the Metro and literally pop out right at the next sight on your itinerary.

 

I can see the value of a HOHO bus in a place like Manhatten where there are a lot of different sights spread across a huge area, but this is not that kind of situation IMHO.

[John Bull]

I've been doing a bunch of research on Athens lately and unless I'm missing something, the HOHO bus doesn't seem to offer much value since all the attractions in Athens are within a fairly compact area around the Acropolis/Plaka. And the Bus can't take you up to the Acropolis or through Plaka anyway... you have to do those on foot. So it would seem to me, you're really paying for the trip to/from the port which can be done via the Metro for a lot less. It's 4-Euro for a day pass on the Metro and there are stops very close to all the major attractions so even if you don't want to walk much within central Athens you can get around on the Metro and literally pop out right at the next sight on your itinerary.

 

I can see the value of a HOHO bus in a place like Manhatten where there are a lot of different sights spread across a huge area, but this is not that kind of situation IMHO.

 

Pros & cons, VR.

 

Its a 15-20 min walk to the metro & I've known exhausted trippers to take a taxi from the metro back to the ship, thereby blowing a big chunk of their savings.

 

Without that "transfer" route, I'd be inclined to agree with you - we've walked the sights & used the ho-ho on different visits.

For getting between Acropolis & Plaka (jump off the bus at the flea-market by Monastiraki metro, not an official stop but they'll oblige) & the area around the Temple of Olympian Zeus, walking is about as quick as the ho-ho & mebbe more interesting, but of course more tiring.

But a ho-ho ticket in your pocket, which some folk rate worthwhile for the transfer alone (certainly compared to ship's transfers), gives you the choice - and that may depend on you & the clock & the weather at the time.

BTW, no need to go back to the Acropolis to switch to the Piraeus route, there are other interchanges (certainly on the yellow buses) in the city centre, such as by Parliament.

 

Yep, in some places a ho-ho is ideal, and in other places a waste of time & money. In Athens it's very much a matter of personal opinion & preferences.

 

JB :)

[sentosa25]

"In Athens it's very much a matter of personal opinion & preferences. "

 

Totally agree with JB,

 

We enjoyed it, didnt have to think about Metro routes, it worked for us, and as the old saying goes:

 

" Ya pays your money and ya takes yer choice" :D

[inaina]

Thank you all for the valuable suggestions! yes, we go HOHO Bus!

[Mexfolkart]

We stayed right IN the Plaka and still took the HoHo bus (the red one) around to the Acropolis, New Acropolis Museum, Syntagma square, etc etc and felt it was very worthwhile. It is easier to walk DOWN from the acropolis than UP to it!

Sherry