Help with ideas on Eastern Med Ports :-)

Hey all,

We are going on our first cruise around the eastern med and are after any ideas on what to do, how to get around etc at each port. We are hoping to do most things on our own, so we are hoping there are some seasoned cruisers out there that could help us! :)

Heres a list of ports and how long we are there for:

Katakolon/Olympia 1pm - 6pm

Piraeus/Athens 9am - 5pm

Rhodes 8am - 6pm

Limassol 12pm - 6pm

I have got a few ideas on things I would like to see in each country and have looked up public transport from each port, just wondering if its do-able with public transport given the time we have in each port.

Any ideas or suggestions would be muchly appreciated!

Thanks :D

Hey all,

We are going on our first cruise around the eastern med and are after any ideas on what to do, how to get around etc at each port. We are hoping to do most things on our own, so we are hoping there are some seasoned cruisers out there that could help us! :)

Heres a list of ports and how long we are there for: Katakolon/Olympia 1pm - 6pm, Piraeus/Athens 9am - 5pm, Rhodes 8am - 6pm, Limassol 12pm - 6pm

I have got a few ideas on things I would like to see in each country and have looked up public transport from each port, just wondering if its do-able with public transport given the time we have in each port.

Any ideas or suggestions would be muchly appreciated!

Thanks :D

Of your four stops, my main experience has been in Athens. I would suggest checking this post:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1101008

that has a number of Athens tips, suggestions and photos.

Then for Athens and these other port stops, do a "SEARCH" on the Cruise Critic category/thread for that port/region. That will yield many more past posts that will be very helpful in your planning. Read what others have said and then don't be shy in asking follow-up questions. As you post, tell folks a little about your past travel experiences and what you specifically enjoy and seek in this cruise stop! In some ports, you can do it on your own. Others, such as Olympia, might need some logistical help to make it happen in a time-efficient manner.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

At Katakalon the prime objective is Olympia. You can do it by train or by renting a car, but we chose the ship's "Olympia and Zorba" tour and it was a lot of fun. Check out our trip report and pictures at http://www.bully4.us/blacksea.html

Athens is a wonderful city and you will find much information on this board about the various possibilities. For us the Antiquities Promenade was the must see. Here is a page on it:

http://www.elite.net/~thehalls/athens.html

Have a GREAT cruise!

Hey all,

 

We are going on our first cruise around the eastern med and are after any ideas on what to do, how to get around etc at each port. We are hoping to do most things on our own, so we are hoping there are some seasoned cruisers out there that could help us! :)

 

Heres a list of ports and how long we are there for:

 

Katakolon/Olympia 1pm - 6pm

Piraeus/Athens 9am - 5pm

Rhodes 8am - 6pm

Limassol 12pm - 6pm

 

I have got a few ideas on things I would like to see in each country and have looked up public transport from each port, just wondering if its do-able with public transport given the time we have in each port.

 

Any ideas or suggestions would be muchly appreciated!

 

Thanks :D

While the train makes it easy to do Olympia on your own from Katakolon, the hours of your port stop would give me pause as to whether it would work for you. Five hours does not give a lot of room for error in planning -- have you looked up the train schedule?

Athens is easy to do on your own using public transportation, there are many threads on this board giving step-by-step directions on getting to the Acropolis/Plaka area on your own.

Rhodes -- the old town is easy to see on your own. If you want to get to Lindos, there is a bus, but from what I am reading, it's not a quick trip. Unless you have a burning desire to see the Lindos acropolis, I'd suggest just thoroughly enjoying Rhodes' old town and its sights.

Can't help with Limassol!

We have decided to rent a car in Olympia, we can both drive stick so they shouldn't sell out in a hurry. Catching the train into Athens-1 post was great on how to get there etc!! Limassol, maybe a taxi service or something? and Rhodes-I assume the old town is close to the port??

Thanks for all the advice though :)

Rhodes - I assume the old town is close to the port??

You dock right next to the main gate to the Old City. The picture was taken from the deck of Equinox; the gate is where the wall curves, to the right of the picture.

Other than the old town in Rhodes, are there any nice beaches nearby?

What is there to do in Cyprus? We have looked into the Troodo Mountains or Paphos, any suggestions on either of those?

We had a half day in Cyprus in November. We hired Christours to pick us up (two groups of 14). We went to Paphos which has amazing mosaics, better than Herculaneum and the Terrace Houses in Ephesus in my opinion. We had a short stop on the way to see Aphrodite's Rock. We had a few minutes to shop for souvenirs in Phaphos. On the way back we went to Kourion to see the ampitheatre and more amazing mosaics. We were back to the ship in plenty of time.

What is there to do in Cyprus?

• Troodos for the mountains, the scenery, and the wineries
   
  
• Paphos, Kurion, Kolossi for the history, the mosaics, the archaeology.
   
  
• Limassol, the promenade and the old City for a gentle day's wandering.
   
  
• Nicosia (Lefkosia) for the last divided capital city in the world.
   
  
• St Hilarion or Salamis, both in the north, for those with an exceptionally long port time.
   
  
• Lefkara and surrounding villages for traditional Cyprus life, fantastic views and wandering among old buildings.
  

For a first-time visitor to the island, who has a limited amount of time, I'd say that Kurion or Troodos or the villages were the best bets depending on the individuals interests.

If any of those sound appealing let me know and I'll try and find some appropriate links for further information.

I live here so I've never used local tour or cab companies. As such I can't make any recommendations on who is good or reasonably priced. But, you may be able to get a good enough idea of what you fancy seeing that you can tailor a request to a guide/cab to ensure you get to as much as possible.

Mands

Thanks Mands for all that!

If you have any links for kurion and troodos that would be great!

Which one do you think is best? We are still trying to decide where to go!

We only had 5 hours in Limassol and had booked with Christours, and confirmed it, but he wasn't there and sounded like he was still asleep when I called. He was getting ready to send someone when we found Nicholas with his 6 seater taxi who took us for the 5 hours, covering Kourion (just see the mosaics and ampitheatre- about 20 minutes, Apollo sanctuary (lovely, about 30 minutes) Aphrodite's birth place and Paphos where we had lunch on the lovely boardwalk by the port. By then it was time to get back to Limassol and for e150 our family of 5 saw quite a bit of Cyprus.

There are plenty of taxis outside the port.

We have decided to rent a car in Olympia, we can both drive stick so they shouldn't sell out in a hurry. Catching the train into Athens-1 post was great on how to get there etc!! Limassol, maybe a taxi service or something? and Rhodes-I assume the old town is close to the port??

Thanks for all the advice though :)

We booked a car in advance in Katakolon and the drive to Olympia was very easy. Hint, if you dock at 1pm like we did, go straight to the museum because it shuts at 3 in winter and you'll miss out.

Athens was much easier by cab. About 15-20 euros to the Acropolis and saves all the walking needed to catch the bus and train. Also you'll get there early, before the thousands of hordes climb the acropolis and ruin the photos.

Rhodes- lovely town just walk around. If you go on Monday the Palace of the Grand Masters is closed, but there is plenty to just see and enjoy. Ship is docked opposite old town.

Costa Pacifica Dec 2009.

How did you get the cab for Athens? Did you book one ahead of time? Or find one after you got off the ship? Where? Thanks.

How did you get the cab for Athens? Did you book one ahead of time? Or find one after you got off the ship? Where? Thanks.

There are dozens of cabs as you exit the terminal. Most will negotiate and 20 euro is OK although it can be cheaper if the meter is used. But be careful because there are day and night meters, so I'd suggest you negotiate before you get in.

One driver quoted us 140 euro for the trip, so be careful as they'll rip you off if you don't know what to expect.

I had planned to catch the bus and train but am glad we didn't bother because after a day climbing the acropolis, visiting the Acropolis museum and walking around I was totally exhausted. And as a bonus, we arrived on a Sunday and it was free to get into the acropolis which saved a bundle.

Thanks Mands for all that!

If you have any links for kurion and troodos that would be great!

Which one do you think is best? We are still trying to decide where to go!

Ramizraja, I'm sorry, I lost track of this thread!

If you have any interest in history then Kourion I think.

Come back, in case you run out of time, via Kolossi castle. It dates back to 1200 and was built by/for the Knights of St John. There is usually a little stand nearby the entrance that sells Commandaria, the oldest named wine in the world.

Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kourion

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolossi_Castle

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commandaria

Images

http://images.google.com/images?client=safari&rls=en&q=kolossi+castle&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=x2JPS7D7LsbRjAe3lZWlCg&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4&ved=0CCMQsAQwAw

http://www.ntimages.net/Kurion-tns.htm

Panos

http://cyprus.arounder.com/en/city-tour/kolossi-castle.html

http://cyprus.arounder.com/en/city-tour/kolossi-castle-interior.html

If you do decide on Kourion then take 15 minutes to walk to the far end of the site, away from the exit. You should have the sea on your left. There is a wooden built building with an open front looking down the cliff towards Kourion beach and the sea. If the weather conditions are good you may see paragliders in action. They launch from just beyond the end of the site and finish up just short of the beach. It is impressive to watch!

There's a video on YouTube if you want a sneak preview;

Apologies again for the delayed response,

Mands

We've done Athens twice on cruises. First time was with taxis both ways, last time was with the train/subway. Train was 1E each, taxi 18E (with tip for three of us) - each way.

The train is very do-able, but taxis are easier. But do negotiate taxi prices with the driver BEFORE stepping into the taxi. If you take the train, read the threads here that discuss pickpockets in Athens carefully, since the train/subway are among the pickpockets favorite places. (they did get one of our traveling companions "play" wallets that had a wad of play money and a promotional blockbuster video "card" -- the guy has a wierd sense of humor :D)

It is nice to be at the Acopolis when the hoards of tour buses are not there. It is a easy walk to the National Gardens and Parliment area (changing of the guards on the hour). Platka shopping area is also very close. Very walkable.

It appears you have Kotakolan covered. There again, do whatever you can to avoid the hoards!

In Rhodes, we downloaded a walking tour for our MP3 player (15E for the download, they were ok with me putting it on all three of our players). It was a great tour and I really got a lot more out of the experience than just wandering around myself with a tour book. That took us about 2+ hours. We are not beach people but found enough spots to people watch and enough street vendors to keep us happily occupied. Since it is within easy walking distance of the ships, we ate onboard and then went back for more happy wandering. As expected, the vendors "outside" the walls are cheaper than those inside the walls.

Hi,

I read all the advise you are giving to others. We are stopping at Paphos on an Azamara cruise in May, 2014. We are tendering so our day in Paphos is probably about 6 hours. I have seen accolades for Kato Paphos Archaeological Park, Tomb of the Kings and Steni Museum. Can we walk to any of these? If not, are there vans at the port to take 6 -8 passengers. If we need transportation should we be booking a van for the day? Many thanks for your advise. It is greatly appreciated.

Fern

Hi,

I read all the advise you are giving to others. We are stopping at Paphos on an Azamara cruise in May, 2014. We are tendering so our day in Paphos is probably about 6 hours. I have seen accolades for Kato Paphos Archaeological Park, Tomb of the Kings and Steni Museum. Can we walk to any of these? If not, are there vans at the port to take 6 -8 passengers. If we need transportation should we be booking a van for the day? Many thanks for your advise. It is greatly appreciated.

Fern

Hi Fern,

Happy to help if I'm able :)

I don't know where Azamara tenders in to; the comments below are based on that being near to the Castle/Fort so it'd be worth checking with previous passengers to be sure.

If it is by the port then the Archaeological Park and the Tomb of the Kings are both nearby. The Park is directly north and adjacent to the Castle area; Tomb of the Kings is around a kilometre (0.6 miles) further north. There is precious little shade at either location or on the walk between the two so if it is a warm day you may want to be prepared. There are kiosks selling water outside, but not inside, as I once found to my cost.

Here's a map, showing the Castle, the Park and then the Tomb area. Each is marked with a star:

I hope that helps some,

Mands

We will be in Cyprus at the end of October..generally is the weather still good for a beach visit..with a swim??

We plan on hiring a car at the pier for a short tour then the beach..we have a list of sites but wonder what the top two or three you would suggest?? We are in port from 10-6 ...

We will be in Cyprus at the end of October..generally is the weather still good for a beach visit..with a swim??

 

 

 

We plan on hiring a car at the pier for a short tour then the beach..we have a list of sites but wonder what the top two or three you would suggest?? We are in port from 10-6 ...

Do you know which car hire co. you will use? We have been looking at this option as well but online it seems very expensive

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