DIY or ship excursion under the circumstances??

[ingy79]

We are a family of five travelling with Holland America in June and will stop in Athens. I had intended taking the metro into the Acropolis and doing the tour ourselves, however, all the reviews that I have read have all stressed the importance of getting there early to miss the hordes of people. Unfortunately, our ship doesn't even dock until 10am and given that it is in mid June and we depart from Piraeus again at 6pm, I am now wondering if it might make more sense to take the financial hit and book the ship's four hour excursion instead??

Any advice very gratefully received.:)

[Trevor Fountain]

It is less than 10 miles from Piraeus to Athens. One advantage of arriving late in Port is, if there are other ships before you, you should have missed those passengers. If I were you I would hop on the x80 bus outside the port gate, which I think takes about 20/30 mins to the foot of the Acropolis.

[chipmaster]

We are a family of five travelling with Holland America in June and will stop in Athens. I had intended taking the metro into the Acropolis and doing the tour ourselves, however, all the reviews that I have read have all stressed the importance of getting there early to miss the hordes of people. Unfortunately, our ship doesn't even dock until 10am and given that it is in mid June and we depart from Piraeus again at 6pm, I am now wondering if it might make more sense to take the financial hit and book the ship's four hour excursion instead??

Any advice very gratefully received.:)

 

IMHO DIY or private is the best value and time efficient way. The cruise line are the worse for value but offer something for those that need to comfort of crowds and don't like to do a little of their own research.

[John Bull]

A ship's tour won't get you there as quickly as a taxi or much quicker than the express bus, it won't reduce the crowds - in fact, quite the reverse, and it won't change the weather.

Some times there advantages in taking ship's tour, but IMHO this isn't one of them.

 

JB :)

[ingy79]

Thanks everyone. I'll stick with the original plan so :)

[Hlitner]

I am having trouble dealing with the "hordes of people." DW and I have been to Athens many times and climbed up to the Acropolis twice (on our own). We have never experienced "hordes" although if you are on a cruise line excursion with 50+ folks we might call that a hordes :). But the Acropolis is actually a pretty expansive place, You enter at the bottom of the hill where you buy your ticket. At that point you have a pretty long hike (all uphill) to get up to the top where you can see the Parthenon and some other important structures (and hopefully not a lot of scaffolds). The size of the area works to minimize the impact of large crowds...although the area does attract large numbers. Among the many reasons why DW and I travel the world on our own is that we prefer to avoid large crowds. When you are part of a large tour group you are automatically in a crowd (your own tour). But when you are on your own you can move around and often avoid much of the crowds. When we see a large tour group (or multiple groups) gathered around something we go somewhere else and return when those groups are gone.

 

As to seeing Athens with a family of 5 you have all the usual choices which include cruise line excursions, private tours (best arranged online), HoHo buses, or you could simply go to Athens by grabbing your own taxi or using public transit (Green Line).

 

Hank

Edited April 30, 2015 by Hlitner

[JaniceW]

A taxi is about 20 euros and that is probably the best way for you to get to the Acropolis. Please come prepared. Athens can be brutally hot and walking up the Acropolis can be taxing in the heat. Bring suntan lotion, hats and at least a bottle or two of water for each person in your party. If you go on your own, you won't have the benefit of a guide so you can download Rick Steves audio tour or buy a guide so you can understand the historical significance of what you will be seeing.

[texancruzer]

Been 4 times …… the last time was just a week and a half ago…….

 

Done the metro, used a ship tour "on your own" bus and have done 2 private tours.

 

The 2 first times using the metro and a ship tour (right after the bad riots a few years ago) we did in fact experience HORDES of people at the Acropolis. Going up the steps it was like a sardine can….. we were packed together ! :(

 

The last 2 times using a private driver/tour we were on top before anyone else. I mean ANYONE else…… and I have pictures to prove it - no one else in them :)

 

As we were coming down the masses of bodies were arriving.

 

Now since you are not arriving until 10 this really won't help you much. There will be ALOT of people there. Period. And it will be hot hot hot !!!!

 

But a taxi will save you time over the metro or a ship tour….. a necessity with your port time frame in my opinion.

[ingy79]

Thanks Texan Cruzer. That's really useful information!!

[lalawgirl]

I would book a private taxi minivan. Do a search on the board for names. We did the private taxi route a few years ago and it was perfect. We were into Athens in no time (20 -25 min) and were dropped off at the acropolis. We had a meeting place in the plaka for pick up ... we left ourselves 1 hour from "all aboard" and were fine on timing.

 

Have fun!