How Much of Athens Can You See on a Cruise Stop? Plans for 6 and 9 Hours

Most cruise ships stay in Piraeus for 8 to 10 hours. Take away the time to get off the ship and back on, and you have about 5 to 7 hours in Athens. Here is what fits, without rushing back to the gangway.

With about 6 hours ashore

• The Acropolis: allow about 1.5 hours on the hill.
• The Acropolis Museum at the foot of the hill: about 75 minutes.
• Lunch and a walk in Plaka or the little lanes of Anafiotika.
• A drive past the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Panathenaic Stadium and Syntagma Square, if you are travelling by car.

Our Athens Half Day tour covers the main sights in about 5 hours, door to door from your ship.

With about 9 hours ashore

Add more of the city, or head out of it:

• The changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Lycabettus Hill for the view, and the National Archaeological Museum or the Ancient Agora.
• Or the coast road to Cape Sounion and the Temple of Poseidon, with the Acropolis in the morning: our Athens and Cape Sounion tour lasts about 8 to 9 hours.
• Or the Corinth Canal and Ancient Corinth after Athens: the Athens and Corinth Tour, also about 8 to 9 hours.

Leave a safety margin

Whatever you choose, plan to be back at the port well before the all-aboard time. Traffic around Piraeus can be slow, and the walk to the outer terminals is long. With a private driver, the timing is planned around your ship and you are driven straight to your terminal.

See all our private Athens shore excursions from Piraeus.