Greek Isles - Excursion or Wander?

[bobsjaye]

On the NCL Jade departing on 10/31 - Mykonos, Patmos, Rhodes, Crete, Olympia, Santorini, and Athens.  Which ports would you recommend "wandering" vs. booked excursion (either independent or through the cruise line)? 

[CptBoatface]

Mykynos and Santorini are largely workable by foot. Unless you really want to hit the beach or go to Oia for the sunset foot travel will probably suffice. Olympia site need 

S travel,  Athens has you docked far from the step as well. Not sure about the other ports. We just got back and had a great time

[LisaLisa87]

We visited Santorini on a cruise a few years ago and debated whether to book a tour or go out on our own. Since we didn't know when (or if) we'd be back, we opted for a private tour so we'd see as much as possible. We were very happy that we did. Our guide took us all over the island and was extremely informative. He took us straight to Oia so we'd beat the crowds. We visited both a red sand and a black sand beach, as well as a vineyard. He also took us to a little restaurant on the water that was off the beaten path, where we invited him to eat lunch with us. We finished off in Fira, where we shopped for a little while before getting in line for the cable car. It was an amazing day and worth every penny for the private tour (which cost 400 Euros + tip for five of us).

Edited October 13, 2021 by LisaLisa87

[PurpleTraveller]

I have only been to Mykonos, Santorini, Rhodes, Crete (Heraklion) and Athens where I DIY'd in all ports. All these ports are easy to DIY. It all depends on your interests and how active you are as to how much you can see and do. If you do DIY it is probably best to do some research before you go to work out what you want to see and how to see them. Public transport is also easy and inexpensive to use. I have used local buses in Santorini (to get to Oia), Crete (to get from Heraklion to Knossos) and Athens (to get from Piraeus to Athens). Mykonos and Rhodes are good to wander.

 

Hope you have a great cruise! 🚢

 

Edited October 15, 2021 by PurpleTraveller

[sleefung]

On 10/13/2021 at 12:05 PM, LisaLisa87 said:

We visited Santorini on a cruise a few years ago and debated whether to book a tour or go out on our own. Since we didn't know when (or if) we'd be back, we opted for a private tour so we'd see as much as possible. We were very happy that we did. Our guide took us all over the island and was extremely informative. He took us straight to Oia so we'd beat the crowds. We visited both a red sand and a black sand beach, as well as a vineyard. He also took us to a little restaurant on the water that was off the beaten path, where we invited him to eat lunch with us. We finished off in Fira, where we shopped for a little while before getting in line for the cable car. It was an amazing day and worth every penny for the private tour (which cost 400 Euros + tip for five of us).

Hi, would you mind sharing which tour company you used?

[LisaLisa87]

6 hours ago, sleefung said:

Hi, would you mind sharing which tour company you used?

Not at all! We used this company. We did the 5-hour tour with winery and George was our guide. 
 

https://www.santorini-privatetour.com/

[kenzie]

On 10/13/2021 at 7:05 PM, LisaLisa87 said:

We visited Santorini on a cruise a few years ago and debated whether to book a tour or go out on our own. Since we didn't know when (or if) we'd be back, we opted for a private tour so we'd see as much as possible. We were very happy that we did. Our guide took us all over the island and was extremely informative. He took us straight to Oia so we'd beat the crowds. We visited both a red sand and a black sand beach, as well as a vineyard. He also took us to a little restaurant on the water that was off the beaten path, where we invited him to eat lunch with us. We finished off in Fira, where we shopped for a little while before getting in line for the cable car. It was an amazing day and worth every penny for the private tour (which cost 400 Euros + tip for five of us).

Could you please share how you booked this please 

 

[LisaLisa87]

16 hours ago, kenzie said:

Could you please share how you booked this please 

 

 

Hi Kenzie. You can book directly through the tour company's website. Here's the link again:

 

https://www.santorini-privatetour.com/

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

My opinion:

 

Mykonos is great (and easy) for wandering, taking pictures, finding a nice place for lunch waterside

 

Rhodes easy to do a lot of stuff independently if you're into that (I am).  If it's your first visit, I'd just wander. Google Tom's Port Guide Rhodes for a good introduction.

 

Crete - haven't been there but hopefully will go in May.  We dock in Souda Bay, near for Chania, and there's a shuttle to Chania.  Ships also go to Heraklion.  I plan to wander the older part of the city, visiting the pretty harbor area with lighthouse, also the market, etc.Heraklion has a pretty harbor area, too, I've read.

 

Santorini is a favorite.  Rented a three wheeler there once and went to places few cruisers go, plus beautiful Oia.  But three wheeling or renting a car is not for everyone.  Don't just take a simple excursion there.  Oia is beautiful, probably best done by an excursion, not a bus.  And Fira, where you'll end up after tendering and taking transportation up the hill/mountain, is nice too.

 

Athens is a ways from the port location.  If you have a full day there (not just arrive back there at end of cruise) you can DIY Athens by taking public transportation, but it's a little difficult for less adventuresome types. An excursion might be best there.  I'd go for an early one, as traffic can be bad in Athens.

 

[roothy123]

https://www.greeka.com/dodecanese/patmos/ is a good starter for researching Patmos.  Before our cruise was cancelled, I was planning to go to the monastery (St. John) and then walk up to and wander the white city up top. 

 

[mskaufman]

Mykonos was a very good wander port

 

Mark and Karen Europe 2013 (shutterfly.com)

 

 

[roothy123]

8 hours ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

My opinion:

 

Mykonos is great (and easy) for wandering, taking pictures, finding a nice place for lunch waterside

 

Rhodes easy to do a lot of stuff independently if you're into that (I am).  If it's your first visit, I'd just wander. Google Tom's Port Guide Rhodes for a good introduction.

 

Crete - haven't been there but hopefully will go in May.  We dock in Souda Bay, near for Chania, and there's a shuttle to Chania.  Ships also go to Heraklion.  I plan to wander the older part of the city, visiting the pretty harbor area with lighthouse, also the market, etc.Heraklion has a pretty harbor area, too, I've read.

 

Santorini is a favorite.  Rented a three wheeler there once and went to places few cruisers go, plus beautiful Oia.  But three wheeling or renting a car is not for everyone.  Don't just take a simple excursion there.  Oia is beautiful, probably best done by an excursion, not a bus.  And Fira, where you'll end up after tendering and taking transportation up the hill/mountain, is nice too.

 

Athens is a ways from the port location.  If you have a full day there (not just arrive back there at end of cruise) you can DIY Athens by taking public transportation, but it's a little difficult for less adventuresome types. An excursion might be best there.  I'd go for an early one, as traffic can be bad in Athens.

 

Please ignore my comments about Chania.  I was thinking you were docking in Reythmnon, which isn't terribly far from Chania.  But your cruise apparently goes to Heraklion, which may be too far for a trip to Chania.

[Hlitner]

Regarding the OP it is really a personal preference issue.  We would (and have done) handle all those ports on our own with walking and some rental cars.  It is because DW and I simply are not big fans of excursions (especially large group excursions).  In August we were on quite a few Greek Islands (over 3 weeks) and rented cars on Santorini and Rhodes (we had a different itinerary then the OPs).  In Athens we use taxis and public transportation.  Crete is a huge island and we have often rented a car and sometimes taken a small group tour.  When on Mykonos we simply walked from the tender pier (our ship tendered into town) to the bus station (near the windmills) and used a local bus to get to one of our favorite beaches (used the same bus line to get back to the city).  As to Olympia, if it is your first visit we do suggest an excursion (or small group tour) to the ruins/museum.  That being said we have also previously rented a car in Katakolon so that we had more flexibility to visit a few places.  There is also a train line that can take you from Katakolon to Olympia but not sure if it is even running these days.   As to Patmos we would do that island on our own although much would depend on where we wanted to go.

 

On the other hand we do understand that some folks just feel more comfortable on large group excursions and that opportunity exists on all cruises.

 

Hank