Distance from Airport to Athens then to port?

[Paisley12]

Oceania - Insignia - May 1, 2006. We are thinking of coming into Athens the day before. My questions are:

 

1) How far (time and distance) from the Airport to nice hotel in Athens? (saw a lot of good suggestions on this board. I assume they are centrally located.)

 

2) How far to the Acropolis from a hotel? (something I REALLY want to see) Are there touring hours?

 

3) How far (time and distance) from hotel to port to catch our cruise?

 

4) Do we arrange transportation ahead of time or are there plenty of good, honest taxi drivers?

 

Just sign me ... "lotsa questions??" :D

[drwong]

Lotsa good answers on the "Europe" board here on Cruise Critic - just do a search for "Athens hotel," "Athens taxi," "Athens airport," and "Acropolis guide," to list a few. The only question I haven't seen answered yet on the Europe board are the opening hours of the Acropolis - in the summer months, they're open from 8 am until 7 pm seven days a week, but closed on holidays as well as holy days.

 

It can get pretty hot in May - I'd suggest queuing up at 7:30 am and grabbing a tour guide before the place opens - they gather at a little stand across from the ticket booth. That way you'll have an escort and beat the heat, taking a breather in the air-conditioned museum at the end of your tour.

[macbest]

1) Time from airport to hotel is about 25 min assuming little traffic. We arrived on a Sunday so there was none. Most of it is freeway. We paid about 40 euors. Most hotels that people likely stay at are fairly close to the Plaka and other attractions.

 

2) They have a great subway system that we used extensively. It is safe and cleaner than Washington D.C.'s metro. It can take you to most anywhere with a little walking. So the exact distance to the Acropolis depends on how far you have to walk to the subway, etc. We stayed at the Athens Hilton, and it took us 5 min to get to the subway, a 5 min subway ride, and about 15 min to get to the Acropolis (but much of it was climbing uphill).

 

3) From the Athens Hilton (which shows up on most maps of the city because of its size) to the port took about 25 min. I think it cost us 17 euors.

 

4) It is not necessary to arrange taxis ahead of time, they seem to be everywhere. But be aware of cost and agree on it before getting in. We agreed on 15 euors hotel to pier, yet the meter said 9. Taxis in general in Athens are very cheap and so you might be better just going by the meter. Make sure you ask about "extras" like bags and see how much they cost beforehand.

[macbest]

1) Time from airport to hotel is about 25 min assuming little traffic. We arrived on a Sunday so there was none. Most of it is freeway. We paid about 40 euors. Most hotels that people likely stay at are fairly close to the Plaka and other attractions.

 

2) They have a great subway system that we used extensively. It is safe and cleaner than Washington D.C.'s metro. It can take you to most anywhere with a little walking. So the exact distance to the Acropolis depends on how far you have to walk to the subway, etc. We stayed at the Athens Hilton, and it took us 5 min to get to the subway, a 5 min subway ride, and about 15 min to get to the Acropolis (but much of it was climbing uphill).

 

3) From the Athens Hilton (which shows up on most maps of the city because of its size) to the port took about 25 min. I think it cost us 17 euors.

 

4) It is not necessary to arrange taxis ahead of time, they seem to be everywhere. But be aware of cost and agree on it before getting in. We agreed on 15 euors hotel to pier, yet the meter said 9. Taxis in general in Athens are very cheap and so you might be better just going by the meter. Make sure you ask about "extras" like bags and see how much they cost beforehand.

[jfb128]

We stayed at the Grand Bretagne across from Parliament Square and the taxi from the airport took about 35 minutes due to some traffic in the city. The cost was 22 Euros plus tip. From the Grand Bretagne to the port of Piraeus where the ship was docked cost another 15 Euros. The time was about 20 minutes.

[Paisley12]

Thank you very much ... this information was exactly what I wanted!!!