Port Profiles | Portipedia

Transferring From Shore To Ship In Athens, originally uploaded by Ralph Grizzle.

Want a cheap way to transfer from Athens International Airport to your hotel in the city center or your ship in Piraeus? Stop by the Athens Public Transportation kiosk in the baggage claim area in the arrivals terminal. The metro to the city center or Pireaus: only 6 euros per person. If going to your ship, better to take the direct bus X96 to Piraeus, however. That way you don’t have to change metro lines and the cost for the up to 90-minute transfer: only 3.20 euros. 

From Athens’ city center to Piraeus by Metro is only 80 euro cents. Make sure you know where to locate your ship, likely in either Terminal A or Terminal B, a healthy walk from the Metro station in Piraeus. Better to transfer from the Metro station by bus or taxi to your ship. I walked all the way to Terminal B, 30 minutes, but pleasant. Thank god for rolling luggage.

Athens Airport To City Center, originally uploaded by Ralph Grizzle.

From Athens International Airport arrivals hall, follow the signs for trains to reach the Metro station.

Purchase a ticket at the Metro counter. Cost per person: 6 euros.

Don’t forget to stamp your ticket before boarding. Stamping validates the ticket. Without validating, you risk being fined more than 100 euros..

Grab a seat for the 45-minute journey. The Metro gets crowded after the first few stops.

Travel 12 stops after boarding the metro to reach Syntagma, the city center.

The Metro is clean, efficient and cheap.

Finding Bliss in the Baltic

SOMEWHERE IN THE BALTIC SEA, July 1 — It is near midnight, or at least that it is what my watch tells me. The sun and sky suggest otherwise. The bright orange orb hovers over the watery horizon, casting a reddish-yellow glow on a cloudless sky.

My (then) wife and I stand on our stateroom balcony waiting for the sun to dip below the horizon. Our body clocks are out of sync, six times zones east of our home (we’ll lose two more hours as the clock moves forward one hour on each of the first two nights of our cruise from Copenhagen).

The sun seems that it will never set, even as the clock ticks — and ticks.

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CHANCES ARE YOU MAY NEVER HAVE HEARD OF KLAIPEDA. That’s because Lithuania’s oldest city was closed to tourists until Soviet occupation ended in 1990. Since then, Klaipeda has been quickly modernizing — all while keeping its heritage and beauty intact.

Klaipeda is an up-and-coming, quaint and charming seaside city that presents opportunities to explore cultural, historical and natural attractions. The region bills itself as “One port, three destinations,” and cruise ship visitors who have time will want to explore Klaipeda itself as well as nearby Nida and Palanga. Combined, the three destinations are “the jewels of Lithuania,” and all are worth a visit.

Klaipeda. From the new cruise ship terminal, the historical city center is only a few steps away. Visit the Old Town for glimpses of Germanic architecture (Klaipeda was part of Germany until 1923) and half-timbered, lattice-work buildings that reflect the city’s Prussian past. Stroll through Drama Theater Square, where Hitler incited fear into Lithuanians in 1939, or visit some of the city’s many museums.

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September 2003 - Michael, the bartender at the trendy Copenhagen cafe Dan Turrell’s, had no qualms about telling me where to go. See, I had explained to Michael how as editor of a cruise magazine, I had come to Copenhagen to explore the shoreside attractions and activities that cruise passengers must see and do. Wanting help, he leaned across the bar with a “let’s see” look on his face.

“You’re going to see the Glibte,” he said, in the lazy manner that Danes drop letters and occasionally whole syllables, making the language incomprehensible to foreigners.

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Copenhagen’s hub of activity and the main shopping area is situated at and around Europe’s longest pedestrian street, called Strøget.

The entrance to Strøget is approximately 30 minutes walk from the Langelinie Pier and one hour walk from the Freeport. Strøget runs from Kongens Nytorv square to Radhuspladsen (Town Hall Square), about one mile.

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If you are staying in Copenhagen before or after your cruise, your hotel will likely include breakfast, so you will be off to a good start. For lunch or dinner, you can hardly go wrong. Here are my favorites.

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Copenhagen is on the island of Sealand. The attractions below are also on Sealand and easily reached from Copenhagen. None, in fact, are more than an hour away by train. Your Copenhagen Card will give you free train or bus transportation and free or discounted admission to most of these attractions.

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Copenhagen is ideally suited for getting around on foot or by bicycle. Cruise passengers arrive at one of three places in Copenhagen: the airport; or for those arriving by sea, Langelinie Pier or Freeport Terminal.

No matter where you arrive, you will soon see at least some of Copenhagen’s 2,500 free “City Bikes.” Anyone can pedal away on a city bike simply by inserting a Danish 20-kroner coin into the bike’s locking mechanism. Lock the bike upon return at any of 110 bike-parking stations to retrieve the coin. Or just lean the bike against a wall for someone else to use.

City bikes are hard to miss. Painted bright blue or rousing red, they carry “billboard” advertisements on their frames, Coca Cola, for example. Cruise passengers will find city bikes parked near the Langelinie Pier, in the direction of the Little Mermaid. To locate the bikes, ask at the pierside Cruise Copenhagen Information Center.

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A few key points that you should keep in mind if you are cruising to or from Copenhagen:

• Most cruise passengers arrive in Copenhagen at one of three places: Copenhagen Airport (Copenhagen serves as the initial port of departure for many cruises); or for those arriving by sea, Langelinie Pier or Freeport Terminal.
• If your cruise is departing from Copenhagen, we suggest you arrive at least a day before your cruise so that you can take in the sights before setting sail. Ideally, arrive two days early to see more of what Copenhagen has to offer.
• If you spend an extra day or two in Copenhagen, make sure you see our section on the Copenhagen Card, a money-saving program that provides free or discounted admission to attractions and transportation within greater Copenhagen.
• PLEASE NOTE: Prices and exchange rates mentioned here are approximate. Rates may vary.
• Be sure to visit Ralph Grizzle’s Coming To Copenhagen

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