Athens in one Day

The metro goes from the port to Athens. It is a bit of a distance from where the ship berths to the station. You can take the Metro in if budget is an issue.

My plan would be to take a taxi from the port to the Acropolis. Go there first and as soon as possible. I would think if you disembark right away, grab a taxi (perhaps share to keep costs down), you could safely prepurchase tickets for a 9 am slot. The crowds become a huge factor as the day goes on. Enjoy the Acropolis and then visit the Acropolis museum which is a short walk away. Explore the museum and then stop at its cafe for a rest break with a great view.

Nearby are pedestrian streets with lots of shopping/restaurant opportunities. The ancient agora sites are also walkable, interesting, and far less crowded.

There is a Metro stop right outside the museum which you can use to move on to other parts of Athens when ready and eventually return to the port.

I would avoid ship excursions which are pretty much guaranteed to get you to key sites at their most crowded moments.

Thank you ..this is great advise. I

I like the idea of the taxi there as recommended by previous comment. I did see there is a hop on hop off bus. has anyone done one of these. Combo (Save 10%): Acropolis & Parthenon Tickets
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tour and tickets to the iconic Acropolis and Parthenon.
Step into a history book, but with scenic views at the citadel of Acropolis, home to the iconic Parthenon, a former temple with your Acropolis tickets.
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For cruise passengers: The HOHO conveniently departs from the Port to all the top attractions in Athens.

We just returned from a day stop cruise to Athens and opted to use the operator Athens Walking Tour. We three were picked up at the port along with ~12-15 other cruise-mates and driven into city center where we had a ~4 hour walking tour of the park, stopped for a restroom break and gelato and then walked our way up to the Acropolis, all the way snapping pics and getting a history lesson. We ended at the top of the Acropolis where we opted to leave the group and walked 10 minutes to the Plaka district where we found a great lunch and souvenirs before we met the group back at the meeting place and bussed back to port. The rest of the group opted for the Acropolis Museum vs. Plaka. Very enjoyable and included skipping the long line getting into the Acropolis site.

Thank you all for the suggestions and feedback. Are there any restrictions of using back packs in Athens (acropolis etc ?

Depending on size, may need to check at Acropolis Museum.