Any Tips about Athens or Olympia -Going Clueless

[Cancunyogi]

Does anyone have any tips about Greece? Athens, Olympia and Mykinos are our ports - next week - The offered excursions bt RCCL seemed a little boring so we're going on our own. Mistake? Any and all advice would be appreciated very much. Thanks - Last Minute Cancun Yogi!;)

[fmax]

I've been doing research for these ports for next year and here's some of the info. You can do a search on the boards for any of the names that come up.

 

Mykonos

 

The island is doable on your own using public transportation. Some have rented vehicles. there are some threads on mykonos in links below

 

Things to do

• Check out the Pelicans & Windmills

• Take bus to local beaches (Paradise, Platis Gialos, etc)

• Delos: boats to delos leave every half hour approx 9am till about 3pm.

• Little Venice

 

Useful message threads

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=279181

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=117807&highlight=info

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=206306

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=117807

 

Useful websites

http://www.mykonos-web.com/index.htm

http://www.greeka.com/cyclades/mykonos

http://www.*****.com/mykonos.htm

 

 

Athens

• Acropolis
  
• museum near the Parthenon that is included in your ticket price
  
• Greek and Roman Agoras included in your Acropolis ticket price
  
• Panathenean Stadium, where the opening of the Olympics
  
• changing of the guards at the President’s residence.
  
• Cape Sounion, where the Temple of Poseidon is located.
  
• National Archeological museum.
  
• Plaka area
  
• Syntagma square - change of guards in front of the Parliament building hourly
  
• original 1899 Olympic stadium
  
• Ancient Corinth and see the Corinth Canal

Drivers/Tours/Getting Around

 

Spiros at http://www.athenstaxi

 

Paul uses three different web sites:

http://www.*****

http://www.greecebytaxi.com with the secure form

http://www.athenstaxi.org

 

Antonis Protogeros <aprotogeros@DestinationGreece.com>

http://www.athenswalkingtours.gr/

http://www.oasa.gr/greek/transport/P...AIAS1e2005.PDF

 

Rania Vassiliadou (licensed guide).

http://raniavassiliadou.virtualave.net/index.html

 

 

Useful Websites

http://www.ametro.gr/akropoli2/start.htm

http://www.athensguide.com

http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/desti...ens.htm#glance

http://www.chem.uoa.gr/Location/AthensMap/Athensmap.htm

http://www.greece-athens.com/

http://www.oasa.gr/greek/transport/Pdf_enothta_xartes/PEIRAIAS1e2005.PDF

 

Useful Message threads

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=127570

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=314173

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=309659

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=328663

 

 

Katakolon (Olympia)

 

Not a lot of info on this port. Seems to be a very small village.

 

Things to do

60 & 80 Euros for a taxi from Katakolon to Olympia and back.

need to hire the cab to take you and wait there for your return.

Very few taxis were found at Olympia that were not already

They also stated that Olympia has no guides for hire at the site.

Katakolon has one street of shops to offer and a quaint harbor.

Winery tour

 

Private Drivers /Companies

Gemma Economopoulou - geconom@otenet.gr

http://www.travelswithfriends.com/Private_Guide_Athens_Gemma.htm,

Katakolo Rent-a-Car 26210.41727

 

Useful Websites / message threads

(http://www.calvin.edu/academic/clas/pathways/olympia/).

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=194740

 

 

Frances

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I've read elsewhere (can't remember if it was this board or not), that Katakalon is quite a pleasant Greek village, if you care to stay and just wander. I've also read that getting a cab driver to take you privately to Olympia is not too difficult.

[cberge]

Re your cruise that you leave on this Friday...I totally suggest you do some research on this board for your port stops as there is a wealth of information here that will be of help to you or get a good guide book and read it on the plane so you will have some idea of what you want to see and things to do.

[Queenk2]

Since Katakalon was added as a last minute substitiution for Ephesus last year on our med cruise in place of Ephesus, we opted for a ship toour of Olympia. We has a wonderful morning at the Olympic site and there wonderful museum. When we returned, we ate luch at a seaside cafe...very good...and wandered around the town. There isn't much to see, and I found the shops way more expensive than other places in Greece, but it was a very enjoyable day.

Karen

[MercedMike]

There are some places in this world where one feels the presence of something beyond our earth. St. Peter's is one of them. The Valley of the Kings is one. The Ring of Brogar is one of them. (Stonehenge, at least for me, was not.)

 

Delos, the birthplace of Apollo according to the ancient Greeks, and a major religious site of classical Greek times, is another such place. I would strongly recommend it to you if places like that are of interest to you.

 

And in Athens -- how can you miss the Acropolis? While not a place where I felt the power, it is so intimately intertwined with the history of Western thought that every American should visit.

 

Since DW and I are not good walkers if the pace is fast, we elected a private guide in Athens. But if you do not have that problem, most likely the ship's excursions in both places will do perfectly well.

 

To see our pics and read our review go to

Grand Mediterranean Cruise.

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[Hlitner]

Mykonos Town has some very nice shops (especially for good jewelry) and there are some well-located cafes along the waterfront. The island also has many excellent beaches, the most popular of which can easily be reached by a cheap local bus you get near the windmills. Katokolon is a sleepy fishing village located in a very remote part of the the Peloponnese. My advice is to simply take the cruise line tour to Olympia because its very difficult to do this on your own. There are only a few taxis in this town, car rentals are almost impossible, and the village is very small. As to Athens,,,well its a wonderul place with many things to see and do...and you can get to Athens from Pireaus on your own via the train/subway. The main sites would of course be the Acropolis, walking through the Plaka, perhaps watching the changing of the guard at Syntagma Square, and of course shopping and eating. There is also an excellent archaeological museum. If you get lucky and get a clear day (its normally hazy) you can take the funicular to the top of Lykavitos Hill where you will get a great view. And, if you would happen to be in Athens overnight, you could go to Daphnes...which is our favorite Athens restaurant.

 

Hank

[maximos01]

Kastro Kyllinis village is located 25min from Olympia.

 

Castro Chlemoutsi (Clermont, Castle Tornese) is a Frankish fort built in 1220. It was once the strongest fort in the region. The inner enclosure contained the residence of the Prince, a chapel, and other residences.

Konstantinos Palaiologos, the last Byzantine Emperor, lived here from 1428-1432. The outer enclosure contains ruins of other buildings, cisterns, and a Turkish mosque.

You can walk up to the top to get an amazing view of Kyllini, the Ionian Sea and the surrounding areas. The castle was being restored last time I visited, and there were plans to put a Byzantine museum on the site.

I do not know if this was completed.

Summer hours (April 1 - October 31) are 12 PM - 7 PM Mondays, and 8 AM - 7 PM the rest of the week. Winter hours (November 1 - March 31) are 8:30 AM - 3 PM Tuesday - Sunday. It is closed on religious and national holidays.

General admission is 3 euros for anyone over 18. Everyone else is free. There are lower rates for certain groups of people, and certain days throughout the year that admission is free for everyone.

 

Useful Website: http://www.kastrokyllinis.com (kastro kyllini guide)

 

 

 

[Hlitner]

I find myself smiling at the comments on Katokolon and the Olympia area. As one who hates tours and goes almost everywhere independently, I shudder when thinking of Katokolon. This is one of the worst independent ports in Europe because of its very small size (I believe the population is under 3000) and isolated location on the Peloponnese. Personally we would love to rent a car in this port (we happen to really like driving in Greece) but its virtually impossible to find a rental. As to taxis, there are a very limited number so you run a big risk of not even finding a taxi. For those who like to hire private guides/drivers, one option is to book a tour guide from Athens who will than drive to the ship (several hour drive) and pick you up for your tour. Because of the long drive to and from Athens you will pay a high price for these guides. The bottom line is that I recommend you book the cruise line tour to Olympia.

 

Hank

[maximos01]