Help regarding hotel one night in Athens pre-cruise

[azgrandmax3]

We need to book a hotel pre-cruise for March 2024.  Please share your experience, which will help us make a decision as where to stay.

Also if hotel offers a shuttle to pier. Or would we need to book some other type of transportation?

Appreciate any info you can offer.

Thank you,

Ed and Joyce

[pmjnh]

5 hours ago, azgrandmax3 said:

We need to book a hotel pre-cruise for March 2024.  Please share your experience, which will help us make a decision as where to stay.

Also if hotel offers a shuttle to pier. Or would we need to book some other type of transportation?

Appreciate any info you can offer.

Thank you,

Ed and Joyce

Hello Ed and Joyce,

 

We are sailing in October. We have booked the Hera Hotel and they offer the optional private airport/port transportation. They will pick us up at the airport and the next day they will take us to the port. The cost seems in line with the other local transportation costs.

 

Joan

[wyldkitty71]

depending on when you get in, you may want to stay at the Sofitel Airport.  I have never been to Athens but have heard that the drive from the city  center to the port can take an hour each way.  We are going next month and are staying at the airport the first night.  If we feel like going into Athens we will take the metro or something - just not sure we want to do a lot of running around after flying all night and we will be going nonstop for the next 9 days.   On the back end we are spending an extra two days and are staying at Plaka Hotel. It is close to the acropolis.  I hope you enjoy your trip!  We are so excited - 30 days away!

[Fishboy1947]

We stayed at Athens Gate Hotel. Great location near Platka and the Acropolis. Modern, great breakfast, reasonable and has great views, especially of the Acropolis at night from roof restaurant.

arranged for transfer to port but I think cab would have been good, just have set price

[LeesSummitCruiser1]

We will be staying at the Electra Palace 2 nights in May before our cruise on Enchantment of the Seas departs.  We booked it with our flights through AAvacations.

[marazul]

On 3/19/2023 at 9:14 AM, wyldkitty71 said:

depending on when you get in, you may want to stay at the Sofitel Airport.  I have never been to Athens but have heard that the drive from the city  center to the port can take an hour each way.  We are going next month and are staying at the airport the first night.  If we feel like going into Athens we will take the metro or something - just not sure we want to do a lot of running around after flying all night and we will be going nonstop for the next 9 days.   On the back end we are spending an extra two days and are staying at Plaka Hotel. It is close to the acropolis.  I hope you enjoy your trip!  We are so excited - 30 days away!

You haven't been to Athens.  Please, take this advice from someone who has been there many times.

 

It is really impractical to stay at the Sofitel and go into Athens and come back for the night.  Athens is more than half way between the airport and the port.  You would be backtracking (wasting time and money) for no good reason.  There is NOTHING to do at the Sofitel. There is NOTHING around the Sofitel except the airport terminal. It only makes sense to stay there if you are arriving very late at night or if you are leaving very early in the morning.  

 

It seems you are arriving in the daytime (after flying all night) and in all likelihood your boarding time is the following afternoon.  You may not want to do much, but you are much better of staying in Central Athens and enjoying the city, walking around, looking at shops, having lunch and dinner at a taverna, etc.   

 

It would be a huge mistake to stay at the airport for your one full day and morning before your cruise.  Stay at the same hotel you are going to at the end of your trip.  It will be cheaper and more convenient than the Sofitel. They will call you a taxi to the port the next day.

 

The drive from the airport to the port is about one hour.  

The ride from Athens city center to the port is 20-30 minutes.  

Look at this map:

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Athens+International+Airport+(ATH),+Attiki+Odos,+Spata+Artemida+190+04,+Greece/Acropolis+Museum,+Mousio+Akropoleos,+Dionysiou+Areopagitou,+Athens,+Greece/Piraeus+Harbour,+Greece/@37.9553469,23.7850838,12z/data=!4m20!4m19!1m5!1m1!1s0x14a1901ad9e75c61:0x38b215df0aeeb3aa!2m2!1d23.9484156!2d37.9356467!1m5!1m1!1s0x14a1bd173f46e4e1:0xb00fb46a2c010a3c!2m2!1d23.7285227!2d37.9684499!1m5!1m1!1s0x14a1bbda6f0d2661:0x5fb5818ce4535dda!2m2!1d23.6333333!2d37.9405556!3e0?hl=en

 

 

[wyldkitty71]

@marazul thanks for the tips!  I appreciate it!  We did it that way in Barcelona and it worked out great.  I was a little nervous about the travel time and the traffic, but if you say it is doable I trust your experience.  This has been a dream for us to go to Greece and see part of the Holy Land so any tips to make it more memorable is a plus.