Random questions &concerns re my itinerary Athens-Hydra-Nafplio-Athens in May'25

We happily have visited Greece twice and have never taken a food tour. Go out to eat. Visit markets. You will have a great time.

There was a ferry strike when we were in Greece the first time. I learned about it from this board. I also learned about one ferry (local) that wasn’t affected by it. We took it from Santorini to Naxos.

The thing is if there is a ferry strike you can’t leave but others can’t come. Our air Bnb owner said we could stay another night if necessary. We told the hotel in Naxos what was going on. No one seemed too concerned quite honestly. My impression was that their attitude was these things work out. We decided to adopt that attitude as well.

You have to visit the Acropolis all in one day unless you buy another ticket.

We bought our ferry tickets after we arrived in Greece. I don’t think they were refundable but never asked.

For a trip from the airport to downtown Athens, the €55 taxi fare seems a bit expensive compared to other taxi pre-booking services. €40 is the official flat rate from 5 a.m. to midnight. Just in case, this other taxi service (cheaper / less than €45) allows you to pre-book a taxi without paying in advance:

https://traveltransfer.gr/

Tipping in restaurants, as with taxis, is optional. Whether you want to tip €3, €5, or €10, that's your decision.
In restaurants, service is always included. For example, for a meal costing €27 or €28, you can pay €30. If you pay by card, pay the exact amount charged by credit card, and if you leave a tip, tip in cash.

Some "smart" restaurants have realized that Americans feel obligated to tip like in the US, these restaurants have payment terminals with tipping options. A few months ago, I even saw this in a small street food joint. I said to the waiter: "Do you think I'm American?", He laughed. :))

How many days in advance should I purchase tickets to the Acropolis?

There's no specific answer. I'd say far enough in advance to ensure you have the available time slot that suits you.

For example, right now, all the time slots for the next two mornings (Saturday and Sunday) are already sold out. Next Monday, only the 10 a.m. time slot is sold out.

After purchasing tickets, can I take their screenshots and be accepted
at the entrance gate?

Tickets are sent by email in a file with a QR code that will be scanned at the entrance. You just have to show this QR code.

Am I supposed to visit the theaters on the slope that are covered
under the Acropolis on the same day, or will the ticket be valid and
accepted on a different day?

No, the Acropolis & Slopes ticket allows only 1 entry. You can't return without purchasing a new ticket.

Would you say that it's imperative to buy tickets to all sites?

Regarding the Ancient Agora, yes, you really have to buy a ticket to enjoy it.

You can easily see the Roman Agora from all the surrounding streets without entering it. The same goes for Hadrian's Library.

Do you think it's a mistake not to go on a food tour?

In my opinion, a food tour can be a nice way to save you time if you don't know where to go. But you could go on your own without assistance to all the places a food tour will takes you to.

Is it safe for women to walk in the dark in Athens?

With the exception of a few very localized places where you won't go anyway, Athens is very safe, even at night, even for a solo woman.

The Street Food Festival isn't what I would call a tourist attraction, but it can be fun to experience a more Athenian vibe. However, the festival isn't just about Greek food. Also note that the festival is only held on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays in May.

I post this link to make it clear:

https://youtu.be/O9_uyBUrNpE

That being said, I can understand that it is not the first place that would come to mind for a first visit to Athens; a dinner or an evening in a rooftop restaurant/bar with a view of the Acropolis is more common.

How do I find out about strikes in Greece in advance?

https://www.apergia.gr/#/

"What do travelers do then?"

Adaptation! I read Socrates' quotes, and I wait for the next day.

https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/275648.Socrates

How do I find out about the weather conditions?

Hydra:

https://meteo.gr/cf-en.cfm?city_id=133

Any wind speed forecast of 7Bf or higher can mean a ferry cancellation.

What to do then?

1/ Have a plan B

2/ See my answer about strikes :))

I don't have much to add beyond what has been said, but I will note that we always book ferries as soon as we've confirmed our trip as they can book up. I use this ferry aggregator website to see what my options are: https://www.directferries.co.uk/

It is extremely rare for ferries to be booked up, especially in May. By mid-May, there are up to 8 ferries per day to Hydra.

There's no need to book with a third-party service, if you book, do so with the ferry company. You can even buy your tickets at the port just before boarding the ferry.

The ferry companies serving Hydra are:

https://magicseaferries.gr/en/

https://alphalines.gr/en/

https://www.hellenicseaways.gr/en-gb

All ferries to Hydra depart from Gate E8 in the port of Piraeus

Thanks so much for the detailed information. That's so helpful!

What's making me nervous about the strikes and weather disruptions for taking a ferry is that the hotels we are staying at are fully booked, so not a choice of extending our stay hence my question how foreigners tackle such a situation on the fly. I guess it's a matter of getting on a GoogleHotels and locating an available (fairly affordable) nearby place to sleep in at the last minute. OTOH, like BethFL said, it's better not to plan for such events and adapt at that moment. So fingers crossed it, it will be OK.

@JoLui, I checked the taxi link you gave and it comes to 43 euros to our hotel. So I figure tip 4-5e this driver and Michael's price must include the tip already like your mentioned "smart" restaurants :-). Michael also contacted his friend taxi driver in Galatas and gave me his info for our transfer to Nafplio so I have a back up there. I kind of thought he was a very customer oriented person and his English is probably better than mine :-) and that's why I would like to use his service.

Re Athens Street Food festival, I already read about it before and yes, we wish to get a feel of the local vibe. Since we will be in Athens for 6 full days overall, I'm sure we'll have enough opportunities to go to restaurants and cafes. I've made a list of options after reading tons of reviews and included a few different cuisines just in case. I'm definitely going to test Freddo Cappuccino there even though I'm not a coffee drinker. Actually, a correction: I like Cappuccino occasionally but it must be decaf or I cannot sleep.

OK, so I must visit Theatre of Dionysus Eleuthereus and Odeon of Herodes Atticus on the same day we go to Acropolis. Did I undersand you correctly? I'll need to revise my itinerary in this case.
I forgot to ask yesterdy about Panathenaic Stadium. Buy a ticket or not?

Regarding Pireaus, GoogleMaps and Greeka.com make it seem so simple whereas some bloggers say you must get to the port way in advance to deal with complexities there, so I want to run by you here so I get a more realistic picture. This is the info I found:

• Ferries to Hydra leave from Gate E8 (or E9). It’s 300 meters from Piraeus metro station to Gate E8.
• The metro stations of the Green and Blue Lines lie right in front of the harbor (Gate E5). (Let's say 15 min walk to Gate E8?)
• A typical metro route starting from Syntagma lasts approx. 25 min. This is the metro station we'll be departing from.

So, as long as we successfully figure out which entrance from the street level to take into Syntagma Metro station, the commute to Gate E8 should be around 1 hour. So give maybe another hour as a buffer and spend time in a cafe in Pirenaus as Cat advised me in the private message. Does it sound about right?

Also, per JoLui's advice last month, I contacted Tommyk5 this week about taking a bus from Nafplio to Athens. He was super helpful and in addition to the bus info he gave me this link today about taking a metro in Athens. I will study it because my research says that taking a metro from Syntagma can be stressful for a rookie. This is for other people reading this thread https://realgreekexperiences.com/locals-guide-to-taking-the-athens-metro

OK, I think I've asked more than enough questions today!! Ah, one last question. What kind of ferry tickets will we get when we by on our phone: An e-ticket, a PDF file to Email, or a QR code?

Don't worry. Strikes and sailing bans due to bad weather do occur, but they are rare.

If the ferries can't leave an island, remember that they can't reach it either. Guests who have booked a room won't be able to come either; the owner of the accommodation will be happy to keep you for an extra night.

I love the Freddo Capuccino. I've never asked for a decaffeinated version, but I think it should be possible to get one.
You can also try the Café Frappé, which is the old version before the Freddo Cappuccino became fashionable, with instant Nescafé coffee. And above all, try the real Greek coffee.

Just like the Parthenon, the Theatre of Dionysus Eleuthereus and Odeon of Herodes Atticus are part of the "Slopes" in the "Acropolis & Slopes" ticket. The Acropolis is just the hill on which all these monuments are located.

The Panathenaic Stadium is worth a visit, you can even run a 100-meter dash there for fun, just like the athletes of antiquity. There's a free, well-made audio guide that you can request when purchasing your ticket. From Syntagma square you basically just have to cross the National Garden to get there.

Regarding the port of Piraeus, you'll see that it's very It's easy to get to your ferry boarding point from the metro station. Don't worry about that either. All the times you've seen are correct.

Check out this video:

https://youtu.be/T_5e91YKM_0?t=538

The bustling atmosphere of the port is interesting. You can arrive an hour earlier than the ferry departure and have a drink while watching all the hustle and bustle.

Regarding the ticket, the QR code is just a (coded) drawing that can be on a PDF or any other document; you can even get it tattooed on your skin. The medium doesn't matter.