Delos

[rreett]

Is it neccessary to take the ship tour to get off at Delos? Our ship (Nautica) will be there for the morning but can we just get off and wander around on our own?

Is it possible to access the ruins from the dock by walking? Also is this a tendered port?

[YOW]

This is a tender port... you do not need to be on the ship's tour to disembark here, and we'd highly recommend just walking around the site on your own. Delos is definitely a worthwhile 2-3 hours.

[mgrayar]

My fiance and I will be on this cruise as our honeymoon, and we plan to not pay for a tour of Delos. A decent guide book, and our imagination is all we will go to port with.

Have you planned any other excursions?

[nparmelee]

We wondered on our own there, loved it, only wish we'd had more time to explore even more! There were enough tours going on that we could over hear what they were saying for extra info.

[roothy123]

From what I understand, they are closed one day a week (perhaps Monday - I forget) and so I'm not sure if you can enter the site on that day. I don't know if they have people there to keep you from walking in, or just that there's nobody there, but I would make sure you won't be there on the day that they're officially closed. We dock there (well, tender) on the day it's closed, but Oceania offers a tour, so I assume that means they've gotten permission to enter the site - I hope, anyway!

[stingraynz]

the following is an excerpt from my review from my sailing back in June....sorry still writing it - but here is what I have for Delos.

TEMP Not sure of the exact temperature so we will go with 100 degrees in the shade & 90% humidity. No breeze or no shade.

Nautica was the only cruise ship but we were joined by a few huge yachts. We joked that perhaps Johnny Depp or some other celebrity we onboard them.

Delos is one of Greece’s most important archeological sites & most importantly, the birthplace of Apollo. The admission to the site is 5 euro.

The only tour available was the one offered by the ship. We did not find it worth it so we used a map from the Fodor’s book “Exploring the Greek Islands”. It would probably be worth your while to find some maps and info before you go to save on the tour fee. If you are really interested in the history go see the museum on site. If you do not get enough information ahead of time you may want to book the ship’s tour to understand everything the site offers. Those who did take the ship’s tour thought they were well done and enjoyed them. Below I will list some of the main features of Delos.

Delos is a small, rectangular, waterless and uninhabited island and one of the most important archaeological sites in Greece where according to the myths the god Apollo was born.

Archaeological sites cover almost the entire island, starting from the harbor at the west side. The most important ruins in this district are:

The temples of Apollo:
The three temples dedicated to Apollo

The Altar of Dionysos:
Remains of a huge phallic monument

The Lion Terrace:
The famous lions of Delos, gift from the Naxian’s.

The sacred lake:
The place where Apollo was born.

Cleopatra’s House:
A building (2nd c BC), which took its name from the two headless statues of Cleopatra that where found in it.

The theatre:
Built in 2nd – 3rd century BC, it could seat 3.000 to 5.000 spectators.
It was very windy and hot on Delos make sure you have sunscreen and preferably something like a hat or long sleeved shirt to shade your skin from the sun.

[roothy123]

Do you remember what day of the week you were there? I'm trying to unravel the mystery of whether I can just walk around on my own on a Monday, when supposedly the site is closed! Thanks.

You should finish up your report - sounds like it would be worth me to read it!

[Margy]

The museum is closed on Monday and the ship's tour does NOT include the musuem (if you are there on a Monday.) I would assume yyou would be able to walk around though or else why stop? It is an uninhabited island.
Margaret

[stingraynz]

this was the only piece of info I deleted - I guess to never know what people are interested in knowing. ;)

SUNDAY, JUNE 25
DELOS (159 nautical miles from Rhodes)
8AM – 12 NOON

The review/diary is almost completed.

we did not even make it to the museum, but it probably had a wealth of info. I would almost think that Oceania would not plan a stop on a Monday if the site was closed and you could not even walk around? Just like the OP margy said above.

What day are you scheduled to go roothy?