Volos Port

[stephensfamily5]

Can anyone tell me if the port of Volos is a tender port, or if the cruise ship (NCL Spirit) can dock?  We would love to do a tour of Meteora on our own from this port, but we are only in port from 7-4pm, which is cutting it a little close as I understand, timewise.

[cruisemom42]

I seem to recall that we docked (not tendered) in a somewhat industrial area of the port that was a bit away from the town. However, the ship I was on at the time was small (350 passengers), so I'm not sure if that holds true for larger ships.

 

[marazul]

On 1/5/2021 at 3:02 PM, stephensfamily5 said:

Can anyone tell me if the port of Volos is a tender port, or if the cruise ship (NCL Spirit) can dock?  We would love to do a tour of Meteora on our own from this port, but we are only in port from 7-4pm, which is cutting it a little close as I understand, timewise.

It depends on what you mean by "on our own."  Meteora is 2 hours away from Volos. You would get there by 9 or 9:30 at the earliest.  You need to leave Meteora by 1 to get back by 3 (safety time).  In fact, most monasteries close from 1 to 3, so that works out too.  In 3.5 to 4 hours there you will not be able to visit all 6 monasteries, but you can see 2 or 3.  If you plan to hire a car or use public transport, you are not going to make it because you waste a lot of time picking up and returning the car or finding out which bus to take.  If you plan to do a private tour where your driver will be waiting for you when you disembark and who will get you back on time, yes you can do it and you will probably see more than with a ship's tour.  Just make sure you specify that you do not want to have a lunch stop in Kalambaka (the closest town), that you only want to grab a snack on your way back.  

[bennybear]

We visited last year with an over night there from Athens.  Even that felt rushed, as only certain ones are open and there are a lot of steps to climb.  It was amazing and I’m glad we visited but if I were to do it again I would plan a couple of nights there. 

[stephensfamily5]

Thanks for the replies!  Yes, we are considering a private driver. We don’t need to see all 6 monasteries. We will plan on bringing some lunch from the ship or making a quick stop then.