Athens Shore Excursion

[Snowbird]

Can anyone advise me as to what the protocol is in connection with where the tour bus drops off, and then picks up, cruise passengers in the vicinity of the Acropolis and the Plaka shopping district?

The reason why I am asking is because we are trying to organise a place to meet with an old friend (and local resident) in the Plaka for lunch. Unfortunately, I cannot find any precise information in answer to this question on the web. All I can discover is that the driver drops you off somewhere at the base of the Acropolis and then meets us somewhere afterwards. Are the drop off and pick-up points one in the same or different? Any advice on where they are actually, or most often, located in relation to (say) a major building or landmark? In our case, our tour features a 4 hour window of opportunity to play tourist at the Acropolis, and then shop/eat in the Plaka district. Any advice is most welcomed. Thanks.

[Luvinretirement]

We had 2 stops in Athens last October (B2B cruises) -- we didn't take a tour either day but decided to catch the bus just outside the cruise terminal to the train station and took the train into Athens -- its very easy and then you have the whole day to do what you want -- the Acropolis area is huge and we spent the better part of the day just wandering around up top and around the base. If you only have 4 hours at the Acropolis it might be pushing it to have lunch too? The bus/train is cheap - we paid 3 Euro each for a full day pass - buy them at the bus wicket outside the cruise terminal -- once they are stamped on the first bus they are good the whole day.

[green_rd]

We did an excursion in Athens that did exactly that - drop off at Acropolis - pick up near the Plaka. My guess is the locations vary based on parking availability. Your friend may be able to give you a good meeting place. There is a church at one end of the Plaka with a nice public square and a lot of outdoor seating.

[Snowbird]

Good advice, I too was also thinking of using that same church as our meeting place. While I would like to be daring and venture out on our own without a shore excursion, I also do not want to risk "missing the boat" should the traffic become a problem. Thanks