Athens on a CRUISE : Full guide

0:00 Hey guys ! Sebastian here ! I'm the host of this YouTube channel. But I'm also a tour guide in Athens. And if you want me to show you around, this is my Instagram page. Alright ! So, in today's video we're going to talk about Athens' Cruise Port ... And how to get from there to the City Center. And then, I'll give you my personal opinion on what you should do in Athens, considering you only have a few hours in town. So, Athens' City Center is here and the Cruise Port is down here, roughly half an hour away. Let's zoom in on the port, now. Here are the three Cruise Terminals, while the rest of the port is strictly for ferries. Here's a drone picture for you to visualize the whole thing a bit better. The three Cruise Terminals are here and, unfortunately for you, ... the Metro station is all the way out there ! 30 minutes on foot from Terminal A and 40 minutes from the two others.

0:48 Because the whole port is so big that it takes 40 minutes to walk from one side to the other. And unfortunately, the Cruise Port is on the exact opposite side of the Metro station. So, public transport isn't really an option. Now, I have read on a few websites that there's supposedly a free shuttle going around the port bringing people from the Cruise Port to the Metro station ... That is NOT true ! There is a free shuttle service, indeed, but for the ferry section of the port, not for cruises. So, your only option is taxi. It's around €30 one way. And it will take anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes, depending on the traffic. Now, be careful ! On days with multiple cruise ships docked, you might have to wait for a while before a taxi actually shows up.

1:38 So, if you want to play it safe, you can book a ride ahead of time. I will leave the link for that down below. It's a few euros more expensive but, at least, you're sure someone is waiting for you outside the terminal and they have your name on a sign. So, they're very easy to find. Alright ! Now, what should you do in Athens ? Well, first, you need to decide whether you want to do everything on your own or if you want to be driven around from landmark to landmark. If you do it on your own, there are four things you should do, in my opinion. The Acropolis, of course, and I'm going to leave the link to book your tickets down below. And the link for a guided tour, if you want a guide. Second thing, you should do is walk around Plaka. And I've made a whole video on that showing exactly where to go.

2:23 Three, walk around the Monastiraki area and go for some souvenir shopping on Ifestou Street. And then, if you still have time, I would visit either the Acropolis Museum or the National Archaeological Museum. Now, if you feel like it's too much hassle to figure out, on your own, where everything is located and walk the whole thing, you can book a full day private tour, where they're going to drive you around the City Center. Of course, it's not purely a car tour since all the archaeological sites and museums are to be visited on foot. But you cut down by half the amount of walking, which, you know, is nice, considering how hot Athens gets in the summer. And it also includes pickup and drop off at the Cruise Port. So, you don't have to worry about that. Now, since it's private, you can change the itinerary as much as you like.

3:09 And, very important, you're not rushed at any point. You're the one who decides on the timing. So, if you want to stay longer somewhere and skip on the next thing, no one's going to rush you. I'm going to leave two links down below in case you want to book such a tour. The first link is a full day tour, so 8 hours. The second one is half a day, so 5 hours. It is worth noting that it does not include the guided tours inside the archaeological sites. Your driver will give you some historical information as he's driving ... But then, he stays in the car while you go and visit on your own. So, if you want a guide, you need to book that separately. Now, one last thing : If you do everything on your own, how are you getting back to the ship once you're done ?

3:55 Well, you can use the FreeNow app, which works like Uber so that a taxi comes to pick you up wherever you are as long as you're on an actual road, of course, where cars are allowed to come. Or if you don't have the app, go either to Monastiraki Square or Syntagma Square, where there are always dozens of taxis waiting. You can, of course, try and flag down a taxi anywhere in town. But no guarantee on when you will actually have one stopping for you. And, as a general rule, always make sure to ask for the price before you jump in. And remember ... The price from downtown Athens to the Cruise Port should be around €30 ... Not €50 ...Not €80 ... €30 Because, even though cab drivers are required, by law, to use their meter,

4:41 some like to be a bit creative with that ... So, be careful ! Alright ! I made two similar videos for Santorini and Mykonos. So if you're going there on a cruise, make sure to check those out as well. And there you go ! That's it for today ! Hope you liked it ! See you in the next one ! Bye !