Four of us will be on a cruise in mid to late October. We have a questions about the following ports of call in Greece: Piraeus (for Athens), Katakolon, & Corfu. We will have a day in each of these ports. What do you recommend with regard to guided tours v. seeing the sights on our own? If we decide to tour on our own, what is the best means of transportation from the ship to the sights (Athens, Olympia, etc.)? Any other recommendations about how to spend the day in these spots will be greatly appreciated.
Posted by
Brighton, UK
1421 posts
Philip
I don't think you really need a tour for Athens, unless you want a lot of detail on the sites. All of the major sites are now covered by a pedestrian area, and you can happily stroll through them all, and have a decent lunch, in a day.
This map might help get an idea
http://www.acropolis-greek-parthenon.com/acropolis-map/
I would get a metro from Piraeus to Thisseon (on the middle left of this map.) Metro ride takes about 20 minutes and metro runs every 10. Coming out of Thisseon turn left and immediately left again to follow a pedestrian road down to the Keramicos. Having looked at the funeral statues, and checked out the museum there which is small but interesting, retrace your steps and walk past the metro station.
You're now on Apostolos Pavlou (Apostle Paul) and can walk round the Acropolis. Reaching the Herodion (2 on the map)you can turn up to the Acropolis and then come down through the Dionysus theatre. If you have time, before going up to the Acropolis, go up Pillopapou, which is opposite, first. One of the best views of the Acropolis is from here.
After the Dionysus theatre you can turn into Plaka for lunch. I recommend the Byzantino (31 on the map). If you still have time and energy you can then push on for Hadrian's Arch, the Temple of Olympic Zeus, and the Olympic Stadium.
You can do all of this fairly easily in a day, as long as you don't have any mobility problems.
Cheers
Alan
Posted by
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
8293 posts
Philip:
For lots of information on ports of call, go to cruisecritic.com and click on "ports". You can plan your own excursions easily from the info at that site.