Athens from Piraeus

[2aussieguys]

We are dropping into Piraeus on HAL Noordam in July - and I notice that there is a hop on hop off bus that calls there as part of its city itinerary. Has anyone given this a shot? I am comparing this to catching the metro into town and doing self guided wander (and maybe the same bus for just the shorter loop). Thanks for any advice....

[Mexfolkart]

Just used Andreas Kambas from Piraeus to Athens and return when our HAL Nieuw Amsterdam docked there..there were 4 of us..he dropped them at Acropolis and us at Plaka and all met back at McDonald's at Syntagma Square and he was great..very reliable, nice, funny, knowledgeable and reasonable..very reasonable..we will use him again..also speaks perfect English! Sherry

[cruisemom42]

I can't speak about the HOHO, but the metro is quite easy and fast (the longest part is the walk to it from the dock). I'd think, given the traffic in Athens (and between Athens and Piraeus), that the metro would be a faster way to get around.

[texancruzer]

We took the metro in and a taxi back out........ metro was DEFINATELY alot faster. And easy ...... and cheap.

 

Can't imagine taking a hoho bus into Athens.....must take forever.

[waggie]

We have just had a port visit to Athens, and had planned, with others from CC to take a metro to meet a guide for a walking tour of Athens, then onto Acropolis etc.

Unfortunately, the trains were not running that day (strike) and we were concerned that there would be so much traffic and disruption that the buses and taxis would take forever, so panicked and took a cruise excursion (not my usual practice).

 

We heard from others that taxi drivers were not always easy to deal with, and did not honour the agreed price! The hop-on bus stops close to the port, so would be worth checking out times etc.

If you are planning to visit the Acropolis/Parthenon do so first thing as it gets very crowded by late morning.

[mapleleaves]

We are dropping into Piraeus on HAL Noordam in July - and I notice that there is a hop on hop off bus that calls there as part of its city itinerary. Has anyone given this a shot? I am comparing this to catching the metro into town and doing self guided wander (and maybe the same bus for just the shorter loop). Thanks for any advice....

 

What time does your ship dock?

If we had docked early it would have been worthwhile to take a cab to get a headstart on everyone else going to the Acropolis.

But we docked at noon so there was no way to avoid the crowds. We walked to the Metro, maybe 20-30 minutes. It was a very quick and efficient journey. As someone else mentioned, I'd think the HOHO would take forever.

BTW, we found the cab drivers by the pier EXTREMELY aggressive and rude.

[2aussieguys]

We dock at 0800 and sail at 1800 - which is a decent amount of time - so am thinking maybe the taxi option to get a jump on the crowds is a good idea? Any clues as to approximately how much. HoHo bus I will definitely discount from the port....might look at doing it mid afternoon. Thankyou everyone for the advice - its great!:)

[Loismcm]

where in Texas are you from???

We live in Dallas. Leaving July 4th on Equinox to Med.

Im sooo excited.

 

Lois

[aussie cruzer]

Take the Metro,it's very easy & cheap.Athens taxi drivers can be hard to deal with,one driver wanted $100 for a 15 min trip .

[ell52]

Unless you have mobility problems, walk to Metro and avoid the hassle of taxis.

[texancruzer]

where in Texas are you from???

We live in Dallas. Leaving July 4th on Equinox to Med.

Im sooo excited.

 

Lois

 

I think you mean me ???? since I am the only one on this thread with Texas locale...... we are in Corpus Christi on N. Padre Island.

 

The Equinox itinerary is almost identical to the cruise we took on Solstice.

You will have a WONDERFUL time !!!!! We are actually thinking about doing Equinox on Nov. 7th as many of the ports we would love to go back to.....Istanbul, Athens, Kusadasi and Naples !!! And two new ones for us, Crete and Sicily..... havent booked it yet but thinking real hard about it.

[Bob7]

Unless you have mobility problems, walk to Metro and avoid the hassle of taxis.

You don't have to walk to the Metro. If you dock at Terminal B, take the free shuttle to Terminal A, then walk across the street and take the 843 bus to the Metro station.

[paul929207]

You don't have to walk to the Metro. If you dock at Terminal B, take the free shuttle to Terminal A, then walk across the street and take the 843 bus to the Metro station.

... and one bus/metro ticket will work for both. They are good for 90 minutes.