We are thinking of taking our first cruise and going to Greece. For anyone that has done a cruise to Greece, I would love to pick your brain and hear any suggestions you might have. There are two main cruises to choose from - the one that goes to Athens, Ephesus, etc or there's the Greek Isles option - Split, Corfu, Santorini, Mykonos, etc. Can you do Greece and not be sorry that you didn't do Athens?
Also, are the shore excursions worth it? Are you better off just doing your own exploring? How does that work at the ports in Greece - do you just walk around and get taxi's?
Any other advice? Thank you for your time!
Posted by
Palm Beach, Florida, United States
536 posts
Leslie - I live on Santorini several months a year and have been cruising the Greek Isles for over 30 years - It doesn't get any better and you will love it!!! Do you need onshore tours - ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!
Any of the Islands you mentioned can easily be done by you. An occasional three wheeler is fun BUT Santorin, Mykonos, Corfu, Rhodes, Katakolon, etc. are Islands you can explore on your own and save a ton of cash. Athens - It is nice to see The Acropolis But - again - The Islands are far better!!
Greg
Posted by
Tampa, FL, USA
417 posts
I like Athens, but if I had to choose, I would go the island route. You can do them on your own too, no ship tours needed. Typically, yes, you just walk off and are in port. Sometimes a tender (small ferry boat) takes you from the ship to the shore, but this is free provided by the boat.
Taxis are plentiful, but really, you will probably find yourself exploring on foot. You could even rent a car on them, maybe Corfu would be a good place, to explore more of the island. Corfu is a little easier to drive in, I think, than some of the other islands, though others may disagree.
PM me for more info if you want!
Posted by
Tulsa, Oklahoma, US
290 posts
Hi, Leslie. There are a couple of cruise lines that offer 4 day or longer cruises out of Athens (Pireaus) that include Kusadasi (Ephesus), but you spend too much time on the ship and not enough seeing the islands. As other posters have indicated, you can see the Greek Islands better on your own by ferry. To me, any trip to Greece that doesn't include at least a couple of days in Athens would be a travesty. And don't skip Delphi and the Peloponnese if you can possibly work it in to your schedule. Ash
Posted by
Morrison, CO, USA
893 posts
3 years ago we were on a cruise that stopped at Santorini. My hubby & I rented an ATV. I sat behind him so that we could talk while riding. We rode up and down the island and took some great pictures. Also, stopped at two different wineries. It felt great to get away from the crowds and be on our own. Whatever you do, Have a great trip. Mimi
Posted by
Kingwood, TX, USA
1 posts
Leslie, we took a family cruise this past summer. We took a Royal Caribbean cruise out of the port of Venice. We cruised to Split, Corfu, Athens, Mykonos and Katakolon. I waited 50 years to climb the Acropolis and it was over in a flash. I didn't get a chance to "drink in" the experience. What a bummer, but we got great photos! I absolutely loved Corfu -- some of the most gorgeous water I've ever seen. We rode the little boats to the water caves -- something I'll never forget! We enjoyed Mykonos -- did a side trip to Delos which was amazing but soooo windy! Ate at Kardena's in Mykonos for a fabulous Greek lunch and had the best customer service I can remember in years!!! We did Ancient Olympia and I enjoyed the ahopping at Katakolon. The cruise was a good experience and a great way to see several sights in a short time period, but I would like to spend more time at each port. BTW, in Mykonos, some of our party, rented a moped and toured the island on their own -- saw lovely beaches, etc. If you end up doing this type of cruise, make sure and spend time in Venice if you haven't been there before. It was absolutely lovely and so romantic! I wish I had 2-3 weeks to really take time and enjoy Greece. I'd definitely go again, but would not do a cruise, since I now know how rushed I felt the entire trip. Hope this helps. If you have any other questions, feel free to email me.
Posted by
Centennial, CO, US
2191 posts
I agree with Ash; instead of a cruise, I'd recommend seeing Greece on your own via ferries.
There are travel agencies (i.e. Aegean Thesaurus Travel in Sifnos) that will arrange the entire trip ... ferry tickets, hotels, transfers. We used them for our first trip to the Greek islands and it couldn't have been easier. They picked us up at the Athens airport and took us to our hotel; the next day they picked us up and took us to Pireaus, handing us our ferry tickets. When we arrived at our first island, someone was waiting with a sign with our name and took us to our hotel; on departure day, someone came to the hotel to pick us up and take us to the ferry, handing us the next ferry tickets. We spent about 3 weeks, on 5 islands, for much less than the price of a cruise. Yet it was every bit as easy as a cruise. And we got to spend days (not hours) on each island.
We've been back 3 times since (making our own arrangements) and love Greece more with each visit.