Need advice on Athens excursion for elderly mother

[mochi]

Hi, my sister, brother-in-law, mom, and I will be sailing aboard Splendour of the Seas this November. We are trying to figure out the best excursion to take while in Athens. My mother can walk, but tires easily, and may have some difficulty going up steep steps. Can anyone recommend a RCCL excursion in Athens? We want to visit the Acropolis, but according to the description, this involves 150 steps leading to the top of the hill. Does anyone know if they would allow you to just go part way up the hill (in case my mom can't make it all the way up)? Or does the tour require going up the hill and down a different route to get back to the bus? Thanks!

[eh2zed]

The Acropolis by its nature is located on a hill. The bus will go mup a good part of the way but you will need to walk uphill some distance and there are many steps to climb until you reach the ruins. Once you are there the area inside the Acropolis is relatively flat. Unfortunately until you get inside the ruins there isn't much to see. Therefore going up part way is really redundant. It really is the main tourist site in Athens and certainly worthwhile. You can take a taxi there and ascend from the drop off point at your own pace as opposed to trying to keep up with a ship tour group.

[mochi]

Thanks, eh2zed. Sounds like the taxi ride may be the best way to go. I definitely don't want my mom to feel pressured to keep up with a group.

[Wirral]

Son and I did this trip last year at the end of October. I have problems with legs and so can not do the same as he can. We opt to do different trips so we get the best for both of us. He went on the tour that went up and I did a tour which dropped you at the bottom but I could still see it quite clearly. It also took you to a few other sights such as the 2 olympic stadiums.

 

We then meet up and can talk about our different experiences. It works for us. I don't feel guilty about spoiling things for him and he doesn't feel that he has missed out.

[carlmm]

I do not know about RCCL but on my upcoming cruise with Cunard an excursion is offered called "Panoramic Athens" for "guests who wish to experience Athens with little or no walking".

Besides other sights it includes "Acropolis Overlook" instead an actually climb up and visit there. "Photograph the Acropolis from a nearby viewpoint. Your guides describes the principal monuments and their history ...."

If RCCL does not offer a similiar excursion you might consider a private tour.

[cruisemom42]

I went with my mom last November. She has some knee issues and also gets tired. She had been to the Acropolis before but really wanted to see it with me. We walked slowly together and there is a place where you can sit for a while and rest about 2/3 of the way. After resting, she was able to make it the rest of the way up. Also, you can go back down the same way you came up.

 

The steps are not the easiest -- they are uneven heights and can be slippery even under dry conditions. Be sure to wear shoes with very grippy soles.

[agabbymama]

Someone else has posted on this board, sometime in the past, there is an elevator to the side, that lessens the walking required. I'm not sure where it is located, but I'm sure if you ask the guide or at the ticket booth, they could direct you to it. I believe it's for wheelchairs, but I'm sure they would not stop an elderly lady from using it also.

[RetiredFL]

We saw an elevator on the south side but it is quite a walk from the entrance, level ground but a walk. It is also more of a construction elevator, open mesh, etc. Perhaps there is another elsewhere as we heard they had to make it handicaped accessable for the olympics.

We bought folding canes (Fold to 12" in a pouch) and even though we do not normally need them (We are 64 and in good health) they were very handy when climbing a lot of steps and also for the fact that much of places like the acropolis are paved with marble which even dry can be slippery. We saw several people slip and fall on the top (I wont even comment on some who wore high heeled slip-ons to walk up!)

We did take it easy going up and there are a couple of places to sit.

Good luck.

[mochi]

Thanks everyone for your helpful advice! The elevator sounds a bit scary. My mom doesn't like heights, and riding in an open mesh elevator may be a bit much for her. I think we will look into taking a private taxi which can drop us off at the entrance, saving us much of the climbing. If that doesn't work out, we may have to split up, and have my mom take the panoramic tour, while the rest of us do the climb.

[trf1960]

Hi, I asked similar questions about excursions as we are sailing on the Splendour of the Seas next week (6 Oct) with my 88 year old Dad. We decided on the Panoramic Athens tour in the end but if its any help to you, ring RCCL's customer 'excursion' advice line. The woman I spoke to was so helpful - she broke down the tours and explained where and how many steps there were for every part of the trip (ie. ten steps to a museum, 30 steps to a church, 50 'uneven' steps to ... etc). She also said that whatever tour you were booked on, if someone became too tired to go on, they could always stay on the coach or just sit somewhere nearby and wait for everyone to come back (not ideal but better than nothing).

[mountainmare]

I would strongly suggest that you look into the elevator. When we were there last October I think it had a HC lable on it and we did see a person with a cane use it. The elevator is over by the Erectheon ( neat temple with the maidens) and it is a bit of a walk over uneven ground to the Partheon itself. It would be a shame for your mother to be so tired after the steps that she couldn't enjoy the Acropolis once she got up there. Whether you decide on the ship tour or a private tour make your concerns known and specifically ask about using the elevator.

I traveled as much as possible with my aging mother, there were times that she would be nervious about something we were going to do --like a cable car, narrow high road, boat trip etc. After she would get home she would proudly tell everyone that yep--it was a little scarely, but she was so glad she tried it, it was a true sense of pride for her. Don't make a big deal out of whether the elevator is open etc, you yourself don't know what it is like until you see it in person. I saw the elevator and my thought was --how wonderful, otherwise there are people who would never get to stand here, the birthplace of our civilization.

I understood that the elevator was put on place for the great number of visitors for the Olympics, not as a construction elevator.

[RHefley228]

I do not know about RCCL but on my upcoming cruise with Cunard an excursion is offered called "Panoramic Athens" for "guests who wish to experience Athens with little or no walking".

 

They're probably talking about taking you to the top of Mount Lycabettus, which is in the middle of Athens. If it's a clear day, it's a pretty spectacular view, and there's a cafe and a small church. You can easily get there on your own by taking the funicular railway which leaves at the top of Ploutarchou street in the Kolonaki area.