Is Greece by Taxi (Paul) just drivers or are they also "guides" when touring Athens?

[Travelalot2]

We're trying to decide if we need to schedule a guide to show us the sights around the Acropolis. We have Greece by Taxi reserved (our driver will be either Paul or Nick his son) but I am not clear if they are just drivers that take you from sight to sight and drop you off ,or, if they also give you information about the sight, walk around with you, etc. Thanks.

[cdncruiser]

Neither Paul nor Nick is a licensed guide. We toured with Nick on June 12-05 and it was a wonderful day. He has alot of knowledge and tells you so much about his city and area from the downtown core, the Acropolis, the Olympic Stadium, the Temple of Zeus and more (we went out to the Temple of Poseidon) but he cannot accompany you into the sites. You will have to hire a guide at the Acropolis for sure if you want to be given all the info while at the site. He is a fantastic driver and a great person. Hope that helps. Laurey

[bigmjh]

Most of our drivers in Europe (including Paul) weren't licensed guides. However they provide a HUGE amount of information while driving to the various sites. They can stand outside and talk about and answer any questions, etc. ... but, if they go inside, they cannot act as guides inside these museums, monuments, etc. In a couple ports (Pompeii, the Vatican and Ephesus) our driver pre-arranged for a licensed guide to meet us at the entrance to the site. They were invaluable in getting us into and through these places within the small, limited time-frame that we had.

[Travelalot2]

Paul offered 2 different itinerarys to spend the day with one going to the Temple of Posiden and the other spending more time at the Plaka. We were debating on if it was worth it to spend 2 hours in the car (1 hr each way) driving to the Temple or using those 2 hours to walk around and see things. I'm sure it's beautiful, but, with having limited time in port is it worth it?

[whyme]

Did they quote you prices for those tours??? When are you going, We will be there Sept 12-14th and then cruising on the Nautica

 

whyme71842@aol.com

[bigmjh]

We had the option of going out to the Temple of Posiden also ... on the recommendation of our driver, we chose not to "waste" our time on this long drive. There is simply too much to see in and around Athens. One really nice, not too much of a tourist spot, was a quiet little monastery that was set back in the hillside just outside of Athens. A very peaceful, serene spot ... green, cool and quiet ... a beautiful place for pictures.

[cdncruiser]

Another point of view - the time we spent driving out was well spent picking Nick's brain about everything from their medical - school - housing - systems. He was a wealth of information and that is what we love to learn about. The Temple of Posieden was one of the highlights (after the Acropolis that is) of the day. It was so peaceful and serene, it was a beautiful day and so few people there. We had lunch on the way back at a lovely place that was right on the water. We still had time before we left for a stop at the Plaka but we decided at the end that we could have missed that stop. Have a wondrful time in Athens, it was one of our favorite ports. Laurey

[TheMiz]

Did they quote you prices for those tours??? When are you going, We will be there Sept 12-14th and then cruising on the Nautica

 

whyme71842@aol.com

 

Yes they did quote a price/