Bus to Acropolis from Port

[Oldies123]

Hi all, I have read that Bus X80 express bus goes to the Acropolis from Piraeus Port.  Has anyone used this and is it worth considering ?  We will be in port for a full day and this seems a much cheaper option to get to the Acropolis than a ship excursion. If any one has any info... how long it takes, which stop to get off at (how far from the Acropolis ?) is it best to do early morning (which I imagine it would be) etc etc, any info would be great please.   Or should we consider a taxi,  we thought about this but don't know the cost or whether we would be able to get a taxi back down if the driver would not hang around.  Again many thanks if anyone has any info.

[bobpatj]

We've gone there on the Hop 0n Hop off bus that picks up right at the port.

Edited October 17, 2019 by bobpatj
spelling

[SFO Peter]

We have taken the Metro.   Do you have Google Maps in U.K.?   just kidding.   Bit of a walk from the Port to the Metro but was kinda interesting walk and taking the Metro.

 

Peter

 

 

Edited October 17, 2019 by SFO PETER
added

[VMax1700]

We used the X80 bus to Acropolis (bus stop is quite close), then walked into central Athens.  We had a dinner in town and then took X80 from outside McDonalds in  back to Piraeus.  In Piraeus the bus stop is close to the dock.  Well worth the money.

[cowmilker]

As someone else mentioned, we used the HOHO bus for Athens. It was super.  It came with a free walking tour and that was also superb.  I booked the tickets online before our departure and got the details for the walking tour so we could make sure we were at the correct stop/time.

[jeda4137]

About 3/4 years ago while getting off ship met another couple from New Zealand who had the same questions as we did.  How to get there using the Metro. We spotted a whole line of taxis just waiting for trips. We decided to share a taxi and it was $20.00 U.S. for one way and the same on the way back. Splitting the fare made for a very reasonable trip and met some very nice people. Great day. !  First Taxi tried to convince us to keep him for the whole day and do more touring.  As we and the other couple had been to this port before and only was now interested in the Acropolis we declined.  It would have been $100.00 US for each couple, still not outrageous but  had  already seen the attractions he wanted to take us to on previous trip.

[catl331]

To beat the crowds we took a taxi in from the ship to Acropolis and took the cheaper way back via Metro and bus. IIRC the taxi was about 20 Euro 9 years ago, and we had 4 people in our group. If you take the Metro back you can get a transfer for a bus to the pier, or you can walk about a mile if you have the time and energy left.

[Storylady]

6 hours ago, Oldies123 said:

Hi all, I have read that Bus X80 express bus goes to the Acropolis from Piraeus Port.  Has anyone used this and is it worth considering ?  We will be in port for a full day and this seems a much cheaper option to get to the Acropolis than a ship excursion. If any one has any info... how long it takes, which stop to get off at (how far from the Acropolis ?) is it best to do early morning (which I imagine it would be) etc etc, any info would be great please.   Or should we consider a taxi,  we thought about this but don't know the cost or whether we would be able to get a taxi back down if the driver would not hang around.  Again many thanks if anyone has any info.

We have taken Bus X80. It is a good deal and quick. First time we took a taxi and were charged too much. After that experience, I didn’t want anything to do with taxis in Athens. There is a news stand on the port side where you can buy tickets for the bus. We didn’t know that, but we’re able to buy them onboard. For us the greatest difficultly was crossing the huge street in front of the port as the bus was on the other side. I recommend going down to the light. Certainly, much safer. 
 

It takes 30 minutes to get into Athens. The first stop is in front of Hadrians Arch. You must cross the street to go to the Acropolis. Second stop is Syntagma Square. We bought a daily ticket which we used on the metro system. Once we reached the port, a kind Greek told us that our ticket was also good for the bus back to our gate. So we saved a fifteen minute walk. The total price of the ticket was 4 euros for bus ride into Athens, metro back to the port and bus back to the cruise gate. Certainly better than our $30 taxi ride. I believe the price might now be 4.5 euros.

 

If you are going to the Acropolis, keep in mind, it is a 12 minute walk to the Acropolis slightly uphill. The New Acropolis Museum is on the route. That is a 4 minute walk.

Edited October 17, 2019 by Storylady

[Oldies123]

16 hours ago, Storylady said:

We have taken Bus X80. It is a good deal and quick. First time we took a taxi and were charged too much. After that experience, I didn’t want anything to do with taxis in Athens. There is a news stand on the port side where you can buy tickets for the bus. We didn’t know that, but we’re able to buy them onboard. For us the greatest difficultly was crossing the huge street in front of the port as the bus was on the other side. I recommend going down to the light. Certainly, much safer. 
 

It takes 30 minutes to get into Athens. The first stop is in front of Hadrians Arch. You must cross the street to go to the Acropolis. Second stop is Syntagma Square. We bought a daily ticket which we used on the metro system. Once we reached the port, a kind Greek told us that our ticket was also good for the bus back to our gate. So we saved a fifteen minute walk. The total price of the ticket was 4 euros for bus ride into Athens, metro back to the port and bus back to the cruise gate. Certainly better than our $30 taxi ride. I believe the price might now be 4.5 euros.

 

If you are going to the Acropolis, keep in mind, it is a 12 minute walk to the Acropolis slightly uphill. The New Acropolis Museum is on the route. That is a 4 minute walk.

Thank you very much, the info is well worth knowing, definitely will give it a go !

[Oldies123]

22 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

We used the X80 bus to Acropolis (bus stop is quite close), then walked into central Athens.  We had a dinner in town and then took X80 from outside McDonalds in  back to Piraeus.  In Piraeus the bus stop is close to the dock.  Well worth the money.

Great, thank you

[Oldies123]

Thanks for all the info, going to give the bus a go as it seems relatively easy, again many thanks

[Homosassa]

18 hours ago, Storylady said:

 

If you are going to the Acropolis, keep in mind, it is a 12 minute walk to the Acropolis slightly uphill. The New Acropolis Museum is on the route. That is a 4 minute walk.

LOL - the Acropolis area is slightly uphill. However, if you are planning to go to the Parthenon, that is a climb (ramps and stairs) to reach the top.

[Nang]

Taxi rates out of the port are outrageous. In Sept last year it was a set rate 35euro one way or 50euro for a round trip to the Plaka (they would return at a set time). Walk out of the port and catch a taxi on the road and the metered fared fare was less than 12euro (same on return).

[Oldies123]

That point is definitely worth noting, many thanks !

[ontheweb]

We unfortunately missed the Acropolis Museum since we were in Athens on a Monday, the day of the week it is closed.

 

And we too got ripped off by a taxi driver.

[cruisemom42]

17 hours ago, Nang said:

Taxi rates out of the port are outrageous. In Sept last year it was a set rate 35euro one way or 50euro for a round trip to the Plaka (they would return at a set time). Walk out of the port and catch a taxi on the road and the metered fared fare was less than 12euro (same on return).

 

Yikes, used to be you could get them to agree to something in the 20-25 euro range!

[sevenseasnomad]

18 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Yikes, used to be you could get them to agree to something in the 20-25 euro range!

Look online for private tour guides.  We hired one who got us to the Acropolis well before the tour buses arrived.  If you're doing this port during high season, getting to the Acropolis early should be your main goal.  If you wait, you'll be standing in a l-o-n-g line to buy tickets, which, at the time we went, could NOT be purchased online prior to leaving home.  Almost everywhere else we toured, we could buy the tickets online, saving us a lot of time because we never stood in a line.  

 

Also, as the day progresses, the heat builds, and it can be very uncomfortable.  Take water.

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, sevenseasnomad said:

Look online for private tour guides.  We hired one who got us to the Acropolis well before the tour buses arrived.  If you're doing this port during high season, getting to the Acropolis early should be your main goal. 

 

I absolutely agree that it is worthwhile to get to the Acropolis as early as possible. Once I arrived there a few minute prior to opening and had the pleasure of watching a group of soldiers enter and raise the (huge) Greek flag that flies at the rear of the site. It is so much more pleasant there for the first hour or so until all the rest of the tourists arrive.

 

There are many ways to do this, with or without a private tour. Especially since most of the historic center of Athens is pedestrianized and there is little need of a driver once one "arrives" there.

 

[Friend100]

We took the X80 bus for us family of 4 and it was easy.

[Oldies123]

That's brilliant, many thanks fr that, very helpful !

[Oldies123]

5 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

I absolutely agree that it is worthwhile to get to the Acropolis as early as possible. Once I arrived there a few minute prior to opening and had the pleasure of watching a group of soldiers enter and raise the (huge) Greek flag that flies at the rear of the site. It is so much more pleasant there for the first hour or so until all the rest of the tourists arrive.

 

There are many ways to do this, with or without a private tour. Especially since most of the historic center of Athens is pedestrianized and there is little need of a driver once one "arrives" there.

 

Great, thank you

[Oldies123]

7 hours ago, sevenseasnomad said:

Look online for private tour guides.  We hired one who got us to the Acropolis well before the tour buses arrived.  If you're doing this port during high season, getting to the Acropolis early should be your main goal.  If you wait, you'll be standing in a l-o-n-g line to buy tickets, which, at the time we went, could NOT be purchased online prior to leaving home.  Almost everywhere else we toured, we could buy the tickets online, saving us a lot of time because we never stood in a line.  

 

Also, as the day progresses, the heat builds, and it can be very uncomfortable.  Take water.

Thank you

[Oldies123]

5 hours ago, Friend100 said:

We took the X80 bus for us family of 4 and it was easy.

That's most helpful, great pics, thank you

[tjcox9]

Just this morning had a note from a friend who is on the Rotterdam which was in Athens yesterday. It seems the X80 bus stopped running on October 14 and won't resume again until May! 

[Oldies123]

2 hours ago, tjcox9 said:

Just this morning had a note from a friend who is on the Rotterdam which was in Athens yesterday. It seems the X80 bus stopped running on October 14 and won't resume again until May! 

Must be a seasonal thing maybe ?  We go late June so hopefully it will be up and running, will make a note to check before we go, thanks for that.