Port Day Perfection - What To Do In Athens and On the Islands
We can hardly believe we have less than 90 days to set sail! We hope everyone is having a great summer, even if it’s flying by. In this update, we will cover ideas and recommendations for things to see and do in Athens and on each of the islands we will be visiting.
Athens - if you have some time in the city before or after the cruise, you can see a lot of the historical sites easily and even walk between most of them.
Parthenon at the Acropolis and the Acropolis Museum
The Acropolis requires tickets with timed entry, so we recommend buying those ahead to guarantee the time you want. Most recommend visiting in the morning before 9am or after 4pm to avoid peak crowds. Tickets to the museum are purchased separately and you can grab those on site when you visit there. When we visited last year, we did not do a guided tour but we have ideas for those too.
Official website for timed acropolis tickets: Hellenic Heritage E-Tickets
Link to guided tour including Acropolis, Museum, Panathenaic Stadium, Temple of Zeus, Hadrian’s Arch, and more: Fantasy Travel Guided Tours
Plaka Neighborhood
This walkable neighborhood in the center of Athens is the oldest part of the city and it’s where we spent most of our time. There are shops, restaurants, and ruins all rolled into a village within the city. Highlights for us in Plaka were Brettos Bar, Byzantino Jewelry Store, Anafiotika Cafe, and Cave of Acropolis Restaurant.
Beyond our must-see stops, there is too much to mention here so take a look at Matt Barrett’s guide for more recommendations: https://www.athensguide.com/top-10/index.htm
On Saturday night before the cruise we plan to have an informal gathering at our hotel in Athens to grab some drinks and food for anyone who is available- more details on that later.
Excursions On The Islands
All of the islands we are visiting can be great places to wander without booking an official excursion. They offer great views, unique architecture, shopping, and amazing food. If you do choose to book an excursion, we recommend booking directly through the cruise line or by using a reputable third party like Viator. The big difference between booking with the cruise line and third party is that if you experience a delay, the ship will not depart without you if you are on an official Virgin Voyages excursion. Excursion bookings are open now on the app and website. If you want to use any onboard credit you have on your account for an excursion, you would need to wait to book that until you are physically on the ship.
Santorini - Monday October 13th
Our first port is Santorini and it will be busy because there are three other cruise ships planned to be there with us. Santorini is a tender port, meaning our ship will not dock, but anchor in the bay and use small boats to shuttle us back and forth to land. Tender times can be reserved in the app the day before if you do not have an excursion booked (those with a booked excursion through Virgin will already have a tender reserved for you). Once you reach land, you are on the side of an old volcano and have to get up to the top to reach the city of Fira. There is a cable car you can take or a winding path you can walk.
Due to the unique logistics of this port, we highly recommend booking an excursion through Virgin to avoid having to wait in long lines.
Booking an excursion allows you to bypass lines for tenders and the cable car, so you can spend the most time possible enjoying the island. If you just want to explore and walk around, there are three excursions that just include transportation to get you back and forth between the ship and the towns:
“Fira Your Way With Athinios Return” - Includes transportation to the capital city and back to the ship with a tour guide to give a quick introduction before you explore on your own
“Scenic Santorini & Oia on Your Own” - Includes transportation to both Oia and Fira (bus to Oia from Athinios port and then bus to Fira). You can stay in Fira as long as you like and you’ll be given tickets to take the cable car back down to board a tender to the ship.
“Scenic Santorini & Oia on Your Own With Athinios Return” - Includes transportation to Oia by bus from the port and back. At the end of the excursion you would board a tender back to the ship.
We added an entry for all this on the FAQ page of the website for easy reference. Whatever you choose to do, make sure to allow plenty of time to make it back to the ship before sail away. Details on timing will be shared in the app and on electronic boards throughout the ship.
Okay, that was a lot. Since there are three more ports, we decided to cover those in our next update. We also have more updates coming soon to focus on the ship, dining reservations, and a high level schedule for the week.
We are having a gathering at our house (2100 W Cortland Dr Appleton, WI 54914) on Sunday August 17th at 12p. This will be a great chance to meet others coming on the trip and get answers to any questions you have.