Recommendations for Athens, Mykonos, Santorini, & Rhodes

[shainky84]

My fiance and I are sailing on an Italy and Greek Isles cruise next summer for our honeymoon. The ship departs from Rome, and we will spend one day in each of the ports above.

 

Neither of us has ever been to Greece, so we only have the recommendations of others to go on. What are things we should know about each port? Where should we take formal excursions and where should we opt to do our own thing? What are the sites we MUST see in each place. Since Santorini and Mykonos are tender ports, should we do ship excursions here to get off the boat faster?

 

Any advice to guide our research is appreciated.

 

Thanks.

[Got2Cruise]

You MUST go to Oia on Santorini. Usually a ship's tour is best if you want to go to Oia. Then you don't have to deal with the cable car/ mule drama going up to Fira. When you get to Fira you then need to hire a taxi or take the bus up to Oia. Just take the tour. Lol

 

Mykonos you don't need a tour. There are plenty of gorgeous beaches you can just catch a taxi.

[shainky84]

Thanks Got2Cruise. Sounds like Santorini and would be a hassle on your own. I'll add that to our notes.

 

Has anyone done the ruins at Akrotiri? I'm a big history person, so it's in my short list. But is it worth it? We are also considering one of the wine tours.

[Got2Cruise]

Thanks Got2Cruise. Sounds like Santorini and would be a hassle on your own. I'll add that to our notes.

 

Has anyone done the ruins at Akrotiri? I'm a big history person, so it's in my short list. But is it worth it? We are also considering one of the wine tours.

 

 

Yes. Our tour was Akrotiri and Oia. Akrotiri is fascinating. The civilization is intact, it was left abandoned before the volcano. The best part of visiting is that the Greeks built an air conditioned building around the entire site, so when you visit you are comfortable. If you are a history buff you certainly will enjoy.

[shainky84]

Great! Thanks. Happy to hear you can do both!

[PumpkinPatches]

Congratulations!!!

 

My DH and I will be celebrating our 2nd wedding anniversary on our Med cruise next year.

 

Does anyone have any recommendations for Athens? I want to go to Acropolis.. is this something easily done on your own, or is it best to have it booked through the ship's shorex dept?

 

I've read that Santorini is a place you don't need to book shorex for... is this true? From what I've found out, there will only be 2 ships in port that day so I'm hoping this will alleviate the major crowd problem with the donkeys and cable cars.

Edited July 29, 2015 by PumpkinPatches

[suekay]

There are tours sold quayside which take you to the base of Oia by boat, private bus up to Oia village then private bus back to Fira when you are ready as they provide a number of bus return times. Costs about €12 pp. After wandering Fira at your leisure, you can catch funicular, donkey or walk back down to the quayside

[shainky84]

Congrats to both of you as well. Thanks for raising this question.

[shainky84]

Thanks. This is a very useful tip!

[Got2Cruise]

The day we were there, there were "only" two large ships. We were on a small 150 pax ship. The problem was the two large ships departed 30 minutes apart, so the wait for the cable car going down was an hour when it came close to the departure time. If there is a large gap between departures there shouldn't be an issue If you are ok with walking down the path if necessary, I wouldn't worry.

[texancruzer]

Having been to the first three numerous times I will tell you what we have done and how…… as for Rhodes - only been once but will also give you our experience.

 

Athens- we have done the metro in, have done a ship tour "on your own" and have done 2 private tours. The metro was our first visit. It was further than we thought to walk but fairly easy. It did NOT get us to the Acropolis early. We then walked around and took a taxi back (I had a terrible head cold that day) Our second visit was right after the demonstrations in Syntagma square so we took a ship bus into town, worried that the metro and other public transportation would go on strike and we would be stranded…… did NOT get us to the Acropolis early. Our last two visits to Athens we used PK Travel for a private tour. We were the first ones on top of the Acropolis and all our pictures are very different from the first 2 visits !!!! No one in them except us :D Also was nice to have an A/C car to take us from A to B to C……. and our last guide took us to an amazing place for lunch (not a tourist place) and we really enjoyed our day(s) for the convenience and his expertise.

Mykonos - been 4 times. Don't count on tendering. All 4 visits have been on Celebrity ships and we havent tendered yet (altho our itinerary said we would) First 3 visits we just took the free shuttle into town (yes the provided one) as the dock is a ways from the main area of town. We went to the windmills, and walked around, had lunch and shopped. Our last visit we did the ship tour (we don't usually do ships tours) to Delos. It was so nice to walk off the ship, walk a short distance and board the ferry. 30 minute ride and then about half the time was a guided tour then free time on the island. The ferry took us back to the main dock in town. We then walked around, had a nice lunch ! and shopped before taking the shuttle bus back to the ship. Anyway just remember you probably WONT tender :rolleyes:

Santorini - also been 4 times. First time we took the donkeys up as I wasnt too sure about the cable cars …… was fun but dh won't do it again ;) The other times we took the cable car up. Pretty easy and depending on how many ships and when they arrive there could be a line or perhaps not. 3 times we have just walked out to the main road and hired a taxi to take us to Oia. One visit we went to Akritiri as dh is also "into" ruins (I am too but not as much) We also walked to the road and hailed a taxi to take us there. We ALWAYS negotiate with the driver to either stay with us and wait (Akritiri) or come back and pick us up at a designated time (Oia). We never pay until we get back to Fira so no worries about them not coming back…… we also visited the Archeological Museum in Fira as Akritiri since many of the items they found are there….. small museum but lots of nice and interesting things !

Rhodes - have only been once. We docked right in town so just walked across the street and went into the old town thru one of the gates. We walked around, shopped, ate and then returned to the ship. We kind of used this day as an "off" day or an easy day. You can burn yourself out if you go go go too much !

 

Hope this info helps - if you have more questions let me know :)

[shainky84]

Got,

 

If the information I found is accurate, there are four other ships at Santorini they day we are there. We arrive at 7am, and the good news is that one of them (1500-pass) doesn't arrive until mid-afternoon. A 450-pass vessel arrives at 7:30 so that shouldn't be a major issue, but a 2800-pass ship arrives at at 8am. They depart an hour after we do in the evening, so hopefully the trip back to the tender boats will be staggered enough. After a long day of sightseeing and touring, I'm not sure about a lot of walking....We'll plan ahead, and maybe try to schedule excursions to end a little early.

 

Thanks.

[shainky84]

texan,

 

Thanks for such useful tips, these are very helpful. We know there is too much in each port to do everything in one day, so feedback like yours really helps prioritize and figure out what is logistically feasible. We really want to avoid the burnout that comes from "go, go, go," so trying to figure out what ports we can plan lighter days is critical.

 

Thanks again. If I have any more questions I will be in touch.

[scapel]

Barry, Here is a great link for ports that come up in .pdf

 

http://www.tomsportguides.com/plan.html

 

Click on ports and scroll down and find Santorini and Mykonos also.

http://www.tomsportguides.com/Santorini-07-22-2013.pdf

That link should bring up Santorini.

We will be doing Istanbul to Athens in October and plan to go back to Santorini, but this time we will rent a car. Hope we can find our way as you will see in the link that the writer recommends GPS to find your way. We will try the map.

In Athens you have to go to the Acropolis and the Plaka and maybe Mount Lycabettas if time permits.

Is time permits just book a day tour to Corinth. Now I know what they have been talking about all this time about St. Paul preaching to the Corinthians. The Corinth Canal is something to see.

Let me know if these things work.

Dr.Joe

[suekay]

There are tours sold quayside which take you to the base of Oia by boat, private bus up to Oia village then private bus back to Fira when you are ready as they provide a number of bus return times. Costs about €12 pp. After wandering Fira at your leisure, you can catch funicular, donkey or walk back down to the quayside

 

My mistake......according to Tomsportguides the cost is €20

[scapel]

My mistake......according to Tomsportguides the cost is €20

 

Thanks for the info.

Do you know how reliable the boat schedule is? I heard that they vary a lot. I guess it would depend on how many people. Do you know how many people the boat holds?

[suekay]

We were going for one I'd seen advertised on the internet ("something"brothers) and I knew the departure time was on the hour. But before I saw their boat, we were persuaded to take the the same trip on another speedboat which would be leaving "soon" We actually sat on that boat for 45 minutes and saw the "brother's" boat leave before us😠 It seems they were waiting for the boat to fill before leaving, but kept fobbing us off saying we would soon be going. I was NOT happy, and next time will opt for a boat with a fixed sailing time. I seem to remember there were about ?30 people on the boat

Edited August 1, 2015 by suekay

[roblc1]

We were in Santorini on July 12th. They had the boat ride running, which we actually didn't see as we were focused on taking the tram and getting to the bus station ASAP. We did that, walked to the bus station, waited 20 minutes as we had just missed a bus. The bus was easy, cost 1-60 euro each and took about 20-30 minutes to get to Oia. We beat many of the crowds to Oia, had a wonderful time taking pictures, having lunch, shopping and then caught the bus back to Fira about 3ish. Walked around there for a little while and then walked down the donkey path to the ship. In my mind, there would be no reason to take a ship excursion if you wanted to go to Oia.

[Got2Cruise]

We were in Santorini on July 12th. They had the boat ride running, which we actually didn't see as we were focused on taking the tram and getting to the bus station ASAP. We did that, walked to the bus station, waited 20 minutes as we had just missed a bus. The bus was easy, cost 1-60 euro each and took about 20-30 minutes to get to Oia. We beat many of the crowds to Oia, had a wonderful time taking pictures, having lunch, shopping and then caught the bus back to Fira about 3ish. Walked around there for a little while and then walked down the donkey path to the ship. In my mind, there would be no reason to take a ship excursion if you wanted to go to Oia.

 

 

Can you mention which ship you were on, what time you arrived and departed Santorini and how many other ships were in port that day? It is important information to help folks evaluate what plans they should make.

[zoncom]

"The Greek Islands", an Eyewitness Guide. Good info plus photos and maps.

[shainky84]

Thanks

[shainky84]

Great feedback. Thanks!

[shainky84]

Dr. Joe,

 

Thanks so much. Great tips and suggestions. The links work great. I will download the files to our devices so we can have them on hand. They will help us for plan!

 

Thanks for emailing me directly. I'll respond in greater detail there tomorrow...

 

Barry

[Clay Clayton]

Just posted on your Italian ports thread…here is what we did in the Greek ports:

 

Santourni - took the cable car, picked up our pre-rented rental car, drove to the lighthouse stopping along the way at scenic vistas including the red beach, swam at the black beach. On the way back towards Fira, we stopped at the wine co-op, arrived there just after a ships tours and "accidentally" were presumed to be with them so got free tasting and snacks:D:roll eyes:, then drove back through Fira to Oia, lovely late lunch then back to return the car, 30 min wait for the cable car - we traded off standing in line while the other bought postcards, etc. Wonderful Wonderful day.

 

Mykonos - taxi to the gay-ish beach….we were took early both in season and time of day for it to be tons of fun, but had a nice morning, then taxi back to town, wander, my birthday lunch at a great place overlooking the water - be sure to have grilled octopus…OMG, it was incredible…as was the fresh fish, though we didn't realize the menu charge was per kilo not per person, so our lunch ended up being pretty expensive.:eek:

 

Katakolon - we rented a car and beat the buses to Olympus…after a long morning there, we wanted through the nearby town for a bit before heading back to the port.

 

Corfu - we just wandered town…if I went back I would try to either rent a boat or hire one to take me around the island. Friends were there recently and rented a car and had a great day, including a beach swim.

 

Crete - we rented a car here too (four of us were traveling together so it was convenient and cheaper than a taxi) and went to Knossos (again beating the ship's buses.) When it got to hot, we drove up in the hills to a little town and found a great place to have lunch…throughout greece, we typically just ordered appetizers and a greek salad…..and a carafe of wine!

 

Athens - our cruise began here and had a friend who lived there, so we did most of our getting around by tram/subway. Don't miss acropolis…try to go when there aren't ships in town and go early so it will be less crowded. Do not miss gyros …..so different that what passes for them here.

 

Be sure to have Raki rather than orzo after your meal- unlike orzo, it doesn't taste like licorice and is typically made by each restaurant so each one is different. The best was at a place in Athens which was served warm with cinnamon…yummy.

 

Have a great time!

[shainky84]

Just posted on your Italian ports thread…here is what we did in the Greek ports:

 

Santourni - took the cable car, picked up our pre-rented rental car, drove to the lighthouse stopping along the way at scenic vistas including the red beach, swam at the black beach. On the way back towards Fira, we stopped at the wine co-op, arrived there just after a ships tours and "accidentally" were presumed to be with them so got free tasting and snacks:D:roll eyes:, then drove back through Fira to Oia, lovely late lunch then back to return the car, 30 min wait for the cable car - we traded off standing in line while the other bought postcards, etc. Wonderful Wonderful day.

 

Mykonos - taxi to the gay-ish beach….we were took early both in season and time of day for it to be tons of fun, but had a nice morning, then taxi back to town, wander, my birthday lunch at a great place overlooking the water - be sure to have grilled octopus…OMG, it was incredible…as was the fresh fish, though we didn't realize the menu charge was per kilo not per person, so our lunch ended up being pretty expensive.:eek:

 

Katakolon - we rented a car and beat the buses to Olympus…after a long morning there, we wanted through the nearby town for a bit before heading back to the port.

 

Corfu - we just wandered town…if I went back I would try to either rent a boat or hire one to take me around the island. Friends were there recently and rented a car and had a great day, including a beach swim.

 

Crete - we rented a car here too (four of us were traveling together so it was convenient and cheaper than a taxi) and went to Knossos (again beating the ship's buses.) When it got to hot, we drove up in the hills to a little town and found a great place to have lunch…throughout greece, we typically just ordered appetizers and a greek salad…..and a carafe of wine!

 

Athens - our cruise began here and had a friend who lived there, so we did most of our getting around by tram/subway. Don't miss acropolis…try to go when there aren't ships in town and go early so it will be less crowded. Do not miss gyros …..so different that what passes for them here.

 

Be sure to have Raki rather than orzo after your meal- unlike orzo, it doesn't taste like licorice and is typically made by each restaurant so each one is different. The best was at a place in Athens which was served warm with cinnamon…yummy.

 

Have a great time!

Clay,

 

Thanks so much. These are truly amazing suggestions. Of these, we will only visit Santorini, Mykonos, and Athens. But your experiences certainly give us a great reference point as we plan what we want to do...

 

Thanks!