Transfer from Athens to Piraeus

My family and I are planning a Windstar cruise this summer that will
depart from Piraeus, the port that services Athens. We plan to arrive
in Athens a day or two prior to departure and would appreciate any
suggestions abut good hotels in Athens. Also, how far is Piraeus from
Athens and what do taxis/vans cost to make the trip. Since there will
be six people with luggage, we are looking for alternatives to using the
cruise line transfers if it makes economic sense to do so.

Many thanks for any assistance you can offer.

Donald M Levy <don_levy@pacbell.net> wrote in message news:<don_levy-37E76C.22255221012004@news.sf.>...
> My family and I are planning a Windstar cruise this summer that will
> depart from Piraeus, the port that services Athens. We plan to arrive
> in Athens a day or two prior to departure and would appreciate any
> suggestions abut good hotels in Athens. Also, how far is Piraeus from
> Athens and what do taxis/vans cost to make the trip. Since there will
> be six people with luggage, we are looking for alternatives to using the
> cruise line transfers if it makes economic sense to do so.
>
> Many thanks for any assistance you can offer.

When you fly in, there are all kinds of large Mercedes taxis/small
limos waiting. You'll probably need to use 2 of these (I think $60
each, but it's been awhile...) & then arrange for them to pick you up
upon departure for transfer to Piraeus. We stayed at the Grand
Bretagne & were not impressed, but I've heard they've done a lot of
upgrades recently. The Intercontinental & Hilton get good reviews -
check TripAdvisor.com for advice. We stayed at the Ledra Marriott
once & really liked it, but it is midway between the airport & town,
so not in a great location for sightseeing.

I don't know if they still do it, but a few years ago, we booked a 3-day
Delta (airlines) Vacation prior to a Windstar cruise out of Nice.

It included air, some transfers and hotel and was much less expensive than
if we did it on our own.

I would check with Delta, or alternatively, any other Airline that flies to
Athens to see if you can combine the package with your cruise.

Peter


"Donald M Levy" <don_levy@pacbell.net> wrote in message
news:don_levy-37E76C.22255221012004@news.sf....
> My family and I are planning a Windstar cruise this summer that will
> depart from Piraeus, the port that services Athens. We plan to arrive
> in Athens a day or two prior to departure and would appreciate any
> suggestions abut good hotels in Athens. Also, how far is Piraeus from
> Athens and what do taxis/vans cost to make the trip. Since there will
> be six people with luggage, we are looking for alternatives to using the
> cruise line transfers if it makes economic sense to do so.
>
> Many thanks for any assistance you can offer.

Donald M Levy <don_levy@pacbell.net> wrote in message news:<don_levy-37E76C.22255221012004@news.sf.>...
> My family and I are planning a Windstar cruise this summer that will
> depart from Piraeus, the port that services Athens. We plan to arrive
> in Athens a day or two prior to departure and would appreciate any
> suggestions abut good hotels in Athens. Also, how far is Piraeus from
> Athens and what do taxis/vans cost to make the trip. Since there will
> be six people with luggage, we are looking for alternatives to using the
> cruise line transfers if it makes economic sense to do so.
>
> Many thanks for any assistance you can offer.

Well, I'll take back what I previously said about the Grande Bretagne
- evidentally the renovations have been huge & it is much nicer - took
my advice & read TripAdvisor.com & it is getting wonderful reviews
since it re-opened. If you stay here, pop for an Acropolis view room
with terrace - spectacular (that was the only good part of our
previous stay!)