Thoughts on Greece itinerary...
Oct 5th, 2018, 02:34 PM
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Thoughts on Greece itinerary...
Hi.
I'm not sure what to do with our itinerary to Greece and any advice would be greatly appreciated. My husband, son (10 years), and I are planning to take a 5 day tour focused on Greek mythology this March. (It's based on the Percy Jackson novels and geared towards kids.)
I wanted to add a few days at the end of the tour to take a trip to one of the islands (Santorini) so we could relax a little, but now I am having second thoughts about visiting an island at the end of our trip. Our international flight leaves at 6:00 am so I was originally planning to fly back from Santorini the night before. I thought I was being prudent, but as I have been reading reviews of the Santorini airport and flight cancellations and delays, I'm starting to think that even flying back to Athens the night before might not be prudent enough!
Now I am considering booking Santorini for the beginning of the trip. My son and I will be coming from Rome, so that would be ok. (We are spending a week there, but that is another post!) My husband would be flying from the West Coast of the US and that would be a very long day (or two!) for him. I also can't coordinate our arrival times in Santorini very well. My son and I would arrive about 5 hours before my husband.
Does anyone have any ideas about what else we could do? Should we stick with Santorini or try to do something else outside of Athens? We thought we'd like to see at least one island, but it seems like a lot of travel for not much time. I've already booked the international flights, so we are stuck with those!
Here is my itinerary with Santorini at the beginning. I put in the sights for the mythology tour too. It is fully customizable, so I think I could add days in between there too. (Basically they do the transfers and day tours and we book our own hotels.)
Thank you!
March 22
Rome to Santorini. 4:45 pm arrival (my son and I); Portland to Santorini. 9:30 pm arrival (my husband)
March 23
Santorini
March 24
Santorini
March 25
Transfer Santorini to Athens. OT Athens.
March 26
Begin mythology tour. Acropolis and Temple of Poseidon. OT Athens.
March 27
Delphi. OT Athens.
March 28
Corinth and Epidaurus. OT Nafplio.
March 29
Mycenae and Nafplio. OT Nafplio.
March 30
Return to Athens in the afternoon. OT Athens.
March 31
Early am flight to US
I'm not sure what to do with our itinerary to Greece and any advice would be greatly appreciated. My husband, son (10 years), and I are planning to take a 5 day tour focused on Greek mythology this March. (It's based on the Percy Jackson novels and geared towards kids.)
I wanted to add a few days at the end of the tour to take a trip to one of the islands (Santorini) so we could relax a little, but now I am having second thoughts about visiting an island at the end of our trip. Our international flight leaves at 6:00 am so I was originally planning to fly back from Santorini the night before. I thought I was being prudent, but as I have been reading reviews of the Santorini airport and flight cancellations and delays, I'm starting to think that even flying back to Athens the night before might not be prudent enough!
Now I am considering booking Santorini for the beginning of the trip. My son and I will be coming from Rome, so that would be ok. (We are spending a week there, but that is another post!) My husband would be flying from the West Coast of the US and that would be a very long day (or two!) for him. I also can't coordinate our arrival times in Santorini very well. My son and I would arrive about 5 hours before my husband.
Does anyone have any ideas about what else we could do? Should we stick with Santorini or try to do something else outside of Athens? We thought we'd like to see at least one island, but it seems like a lot of travel for not much time. I've already booked the international flights, so we are stuck with those!
Here is my itinerary with Santorini at the beginning. I put in the sights for the mythology tour too. It is fully customizable, so I think I could add days in between there too. (Basically they do the transfers and day tours and we book our own hotels.)
Thank you!
March 22
Rome to Santorini. 4:45 pm arrival (my son and I); Portland to Santorini. 9:30 pm arrival (my husband)
March 23
Santorini
March 24
Santorini
March 25
Transfer Santorini to Athens. OT Athens.
March 26
Begin mythology tour. Acropolis and Temple of Poseidon. OT Athens.
March 27
Delphi. OT Athens.
March 28
Corinth and Epidaurus. OT Nafplio.
March 29
Mycenae and Nafplio. OT Nafplio.
March 30
Return to Athens in the afternoon. OT Athens.
March 31
Early am flight to US
Last edited by khor; Oct 5th, 2018 at 03:13 PM.
Oct 5th, 2018, 04:10 PM
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i must admit that Santorini was my least favorite of the places I visited in a month in Greece, but obviously, many people love it.
I far preferred Naxos, if an island is of interest. Or you could add some time to Athens at the start of your trip and time in Nafplio at the end. Or any number of other options. And yes, making sure you are in Athens in plenty of time for your flight home is very wise.
If you haven't seen it, you might find some useful information in my trip report:
With Gratitude for a Glorious Solo Month in Greece
I far preferred Naxos, if an island is of interest. Or you could add some time to Athens at the start of your trip and time in Nafplio at the end. Or any number of other options. And yes, making sure you are in Athens in plenty of time for your flight home is very wise.
If you haven't seen it, you might find some useful information in my trip report:
With Gratitude for a Glorious Solo Month in Greece
Oct 5th, 2018, 10:50 PM
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It would be more prudent to do an island at the beginning of the trip, but with a flight back to Athens the day before you should be okay. March is still winter and the islands are very quiet. The Santorini airport won't be busy in March, because there are no international charter flights that time of year. Santorini isn't my favourite island either, but I think March without any crowds or cruise ships would be a good time to go. Weather won't be brilliant, but the island will still have the views, and has two major archaeological sites with Akrotiri and Ancient Thera.
Oct 6th, 2018, 08:36 AM
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" I also can't coordinate our arrival times in Santorini very well. My son and I would arrive about 5 hours before my husband"
Why?
If you leave Rome Fiumicino at 15.30 with Alitalia or Rome Ciampino at 14.00 with Ryanair you can meet your husband at Athens and go on all together with the same flight (Olympic air 360).
Why?
If you leave Rome Fiumicino at 15.30 with Alitalia or Rome Ciampino at 14.00 with Ryanair you can meet your husband at Athens and go on all together with the same flight (Olympic air 360).
Oct 6th, 2018, 01:47 PM
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Thanks, all, for the advice. I chose Santorini because many posters and reviewers claimed it was "the most beautiful island in the world." Aside from Naxos (which I will research, thanks, kja), are there others you would suggest visiting at that time of year? I'm not married to Santorini, although, I have always wanted to wander amongst those beautiful white houses on the cliffs.
Thanks neckervd, for pointing out that our flights can meet up. There were more options available when I broke up the flights from Rome-Santorini to Rome-Athens-Santorini. I think I had blinders on from all of the research I've been doing!
Thanks neckervd, for pointing out that our flights can meet up. There were more options available when I broke up the flights from Rome-Santorini to Rome-Athens-Santorini. I think I had blinders on from all of the research I've been doing!
Oct 6th, 2018, 07:48 PM
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I understand the appeal of all that advertising, and because of all the praise, I had also wanted to visit Santorini. Given that desire, I can't say that I regret having gone -- if I had skipped it, I would always wonder what I had missed. And there were things that I am very glad I experienced there, most notably, Akrotiri, the Museum of Prehistoric Thira, and yes, roaming those white cliff-side houses and watching the sun set into the caldera. I strongly suspect that the entire experience would be better in late March than in May (when I went), so maybe my reactions would be nothing like yours.
Good luck with your decisions!
Good luck with your decisions!
Oct 6th, 2018, 08:02 PM
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Khor, the calendars always feature Santorini & Mykonos, so many people think these are the ONLY islands with white-cube houses and blue shutters... in fact, there are more than TWENTY such Cycladic islands! Not with Cliffs, but with houses on Mountainsides, just as Lovely... Posters and brochures and cruise lines promote Santorini SO heavily that it's become endangered; the island last month passed a ruling limiting daily cruise ships visitors on shore to 8,000. That's a LIMIT?!?! Of course, in March it won't be that bad. I recommend you stay ONE day there, just for the Famous Caldera View. I say, stay in Fira Town or its northern edge, Firostephani, just for convenience/walkability, and take a BUS up to OIA to wander around and take a lot of pictures. There won't be much for a 10-year-old, unless you want to go down the cable car & back up.
Then SCRAM quickly to Naxos -- take the 3 pm BLUE STAR Ferry, which is huge (llike a small ocen liner, 1500 passengers, 250 vehicles including 18 wheelers)... it has open decks to see Santorini on departure, fun for all, a 2 hr "mini cruise." NAXOS has a ton of things to do... A GIANT Arch out on a causeway ... a winding maze of lanes up to a tippy-top Medieval Kastelli, An archeology museum with those mysterious pre-minoan marble statuettes (nobody knows what they signify!!!). Plus a nice beach right by the port town to run around on (or play in the sand) and if you rent a car, lots of ruins to explore (including a Gigantic statue 50 feet long, lying down) etc etc. Here's a photo-album sample --
Then SCRAM quickly to Naxos -- take the 3 pm BLUE STAR Ferry, which is huge (llike a small ocen liner, 1500 passengers, 250 vehicles including 18 wheelers)... it has open decks to see Santorini on departure, fun for all, a 2 hr "mini cruise." NAXOS has a ton of things to do... A GIANT Arch out on a causeway ... a winding maze of lanes up to a tippy-top Medieval Kastelli, An archeology museum with those mysterious pre-minoan marble statuettes (nobody knows what they signify!!!). Plus a nice beach right by the port town to run around on (or play in the sand) and if you rent a car, lots of ruins to explore (including a Gigantic statue 50 feet long, lying down) etc etc. Here's a photo-album sample --
)
Oct 7th, 2018, 02:51 AM
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Naxos indeed is a beautiful island, but there won't be much to do there for a 10 y.o. in March, which after all is pre-season, and about the only children there will be locals who will all be in school. It will be too cold for the beaches except for walks dressed in warm clothing. There are a few small archaeological sites, but not in the same league as those you will see on the mythology tour.
Santorini will have things to do for a 10 y.o. interested in mythology, including the Minoan village at Akrotiri (Greece's Pompeii). Santorini, as far as I know, is the only place apart from Crete that has Minoan ruins (you can see some Akrotiri frescoes in the Museum of Prehistoric Thera in Fira, and at the National Archeological Museum in Athens).
Another place of interest for mythology buffs is Ancient Thera, the ruins on top of a hill overlooking the black beaches of Perissa and Kamari. Your 10 y.o. son may be excited to see airplanes passing BELOW him as they land at Santorini Airport.
I don't know what caldera cruise availability will be in March, but you may be able to take a cruise to the Santorini volcano. Small by volcano standards, but it's interesting to see what buried the village at Akrotiri and destroyed the Minoan civilisation on Crete with a tsunami.
Santorini will have things to do for a 10 y.o. interested in mythology, including the Minoan village at Akrotiri (Greece's Pompeii). Santorini, as far as I know, is the only place apart from Crete that has Minoan ruins (you can see some Akrotiri frescoes in the Museum of Prehistoric Thera in Fira, and at the National Archeological Museum in Athens).
Another place of interest for mythology buffs is Ancient Thera, the ruins on top of a hill overlooking the black beaches of Perissa and Kamari. Your 10 y.o. son may be excited to see airplanes passing BELOW him as they land at Santorini Airport.
I don't know what caldera cruise availability will be in March, but you may be able to take a cruise to the Santorini volcano. Small by volcano standards, but it's interesting to see what buried the village at Akrotiri and destroyed the Minoan civilisation on Crete with a tsunami.
Last edited by Heimdall; Oct 7th, 2018 at 03:17 AM. Reason: Addition
Oct 7th, 2018, 03:23 AM
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Jan, I'm having the same trouble on Fodor's with links to my Flickr albums. For everyone, if you click on the image, then go to the top left-hand corner and click next to the arrow where it says "Back to album" it will bring you to the album header.
Oct 7th, 2018, 04:24 AM
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I love Santorini. Along with Venice it's among the most unique/beautiful places I've seen. Also one of the most "touristed"crowded (but there's a reason for that). But in March that shouldn't be a problem. I might be concerned about the weather as the Greek islands are all about sunshine and blue skies, but that would be the case with Naxos or any other island too. At least on Santorini you have the archaeological sites.
You and your husband arriving at different times should not be any problem. Most hotels will send a car/driver to pick you up at the airport for €20 and it's only a 20 minute ride. You and your son can have a few hours to explore Fira (main town, which is where I would suggest you stay, especially in March) and have dinner and then your husband meets you at the hotel. I had also read the scary reviews of Santorini airport but they were overblown. Yeah it's small, and in July very crowded, but not a reason to not use it.
I would definitely put Santorini at the beginning, flying back the night before a 6:00 am flight to the US would be cutting it way too close.
Is the 'mythology tour' an actual tour or are you planning to rent a car and drive yourself? If the latter I would switch it around and put Athens at the end. Fly back from Santorini and pick up a car at the airport and drive to Delphi, Napflion, etc. and return car upon arrival in Athens. Cuts down on checking in/out of hotels and you are in Athens when you need to depart.
What does "OT" mean? Overnight? If so, why are you coming back to Athens after Delphi? Spend the night in Delphi and go straight to Napflion. You really only have one full day in Athens. I would consider maybe doing only two nights Santorini and adding the night to Athens. With one full day in Santorini you have time to do the archaeological sites in the morning, then the village of Oia in the afternoon. You can explore Fira on your arrival day, and the morning on the day you depart, assuming flight times allow. On the other hand, if you choose to keep it at 3 nights Santorini there is plenty you can do with an extra day. A couple of the inland villages are very interesting, especially Emporio.
Here's my galleries of photos of Greece which include Santorini (and Naxos and 5 other islands) as well as Athens, Delphi and Napflion.
https://andiamo.zenfolio.com/f320347206
You and your husband arriving at different times should not be any problem. Most hotels will send a car/driver to pick you up at the airport for €20 and it's only a 20 minute ride. You and your son can have a few hours to explore Fira (main town, which is where I would suggest you stay, especially in March) and have dinner and then your husband meets you at the hotel. I had also read the scary reviews of Santorini airport but they were overblown. Yeah it's small, and in July very crowded, but not a reason to not use it.
I would definitely put Santorini at the beginning, flying back the night before a 6:00 am flight to the US would be cutting it way too close.
Is the 'mythology tour' an actual tour or are you planning to rent a car and drive yourself? If the latter I would switch it around and put Athens at the end. Fly back from Santorini and pick up a car at the airport and drive to Delphi, Napflion, etc. and return car upon arrival in Athens. Cuts down on checking in/out of hotels and you are in Athens when you need to depart.
What does "OT" mean? Overnight? If so, why are you coming back to Athens after Delphi? Spend the night in Delphi and go straight to Napflion. You really only have one full day in Athens. I would consider maybe doing only two nights Santorini and adding the night to Athens. With one full day in Santorini you have time to do the archaeological sites in the morning, then the village of Oia in the afternoon. You can explore Fira on your arrival day, and the morning on the day you depart, assuming flight times allow. On the other hand, if you choose to keep it at 3 nights Santorini there is plenty you can do with an extra day. A couple of the inland villages are very interesting, especially Emporio.
Here's my galleries of photos of Greece which include Santorini (and Naxos and 5 other islands) as well as Athens, Delphi and Napflion.
https://andiamo.zenfolio.com/f320347206
Last edited by isabel; Oct 7th, 2018 at 04:28 AM.
Oct 7th, 2018, 09:40 AM
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ABOUT the Naxos photo album, I just supplied the link!! It was Fodor's that apparently decided to start with the "Arch" photo,which i think is the final one in that album. Someone tell me why. Or not.
Oct 7th, 2018, 10:45 AM
#14
We stayed 5 nights at Santorini, in early October a couple of years ago. We absolutely LOVED it.
You can walk the caldera path and see plenty of gorgeous white buildings poised above the sea, and watch the sun set. It's mesmerizing.
I suggest you consider staying at Imerovigli. We liked the Gold Suites there.
When we were there in October, tourist crowds had died down significantly.
What is going on in late March-- are things opened up for the season?
You can walk the caldera path and see plenty of gorgeous white buildings poised above the sea, and watch the sun set. It's mesmerizing.
I suggest you consider staying at Imerovigli. We liked the Gold Suites there.
When we were there in October, tourist crowds had died down significantly.
What is going on in late March-- are things opened up for the season?
Oct 7th, 2018, 12:35 PM
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Ah yes, Heimdall .... I visited them on Vancouver Island a few years back, ferried up from Seattle, no whales but lots of small islands to see. For a "host gift" I knew Stanbr & bride had been trying in vain to find Manouri cheese in Canada....so I brought along a huge Manouri wedge from Philly... it was a bigger hit than the Scotch I brought! Festive Greek meal ensued.
Oct 9th, 2018, 11:04 AM
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Thank you, all, for the thoughtful replies and beautiful photos. I have done much reading, further research and probably too much Googling of reviews!
You had me sold on Naxos, but I checked the flight schedule and it looks like we arrive too late on Friday afternoon to catch a flight to Naxos and then it seems as if there are no flights on Saturdays? I like the idea of flying to Santorini and then taking a ferry to Naxos (for the view of Santorini as you depart) as travelerjan suggested. I know myself and I know I would still stress about fight cancellations and delays and getting back to Athens in time for our mythology tour. I think I will file all of these wonderful ideas away for a separate trip to the Greek islands.
I realized we aren't really spending much time in Athens at all. How would it be to spend more time in Athens at the beginning of our trip with a possible day trip to Hydra if the weather and seas cooperate? Again, I worry about booking a couple of days in Hydra and getting back to Athens in time to start our tour. I read horror stories about ferries cancelled in March to/from Hydra. (Travelers also lost out on hotel rooms when they didn't arrive at their destination.)
I do like spending time to get to know a city, taking day trips when I need a break. This is how I usually arrange our family trips. I had heard that Athens can be chaotic and loud so I was looking for ways to minimize our time there, but perhaps I was wrong. Surely it deserves more time than a tour of the Acropolis and a place to rest our heads. If you have any ideas about quiet, calm places we could visit, I would appreciate the advice.
Also, the tour company just informed me that March 25 is a national holiday and all museums and sites are closed. Does anyone know how this will affect our time in Athens?
Here is the latest, and I hope near final itinerary. (OT is my shorthand for overnight and the mythology tour is a set thing. They arrange the transfers and local guides for us. I imagine they are based out of Athens and that is why they are bringing us back to Athens after Delphi.) The tour could be fully customizable, and then we could probably figure out a way to stay in Delphi and go on to Nafplio from there, but we have said that we would be willing to share the trip with a couple of other families and this is the 5 day advertised itinerary. We could go on the tour alone, but it is already quite pricey and we thought our son might enjoy having other children around for part of his vacation.
March 22
Arrive in the pm
March 23
On our own in Athens
March 24
Day trip to Hydra if good weather
March 25
On our own in Athens / holiday
March 26
Begin mythology tour. Acropolis and Temple of Poseidon. OT Athens.
March 27
Delphi. OT Athens.
March 28
Corinth and Epidaurus. OT Nafplio.
March 29
Mycenae and Nafplio. OT Nafplio.
March 30
Return to Athens in the afternoon. OT Athens.
March 31
Early am flight home
You had me sold on Naxos, but I checked the flight schedule and it looks like we arrive too late on Friday afternoon to catch a flight to Naxos and then it seems as if there are no flights on Saturdays? I like the idea of flying to Santorini and then taking a ferry to Naxos (for the view of Santorini as you depart) as travelerjan suggested. I know myself and I know I would still stress about fight cancellations and delays and getting back to Athens in time for our mythology tour. I think I will file all of these wonderful ideas away for a separate trip to the Greek islands.
I realized we aren't really spending much time in Athens at all. How would it be to spend more time in Athens at the beginning of our trip with a possible day trip to Hydra if the weather and seas cooperate? Again, I worry about booking a couple of days in Hydra and getting back to Athens in time to start our tour. I read horror stories about ferries cancelled in March to/from Hydra. (Travelers also lost out on hotel rooms when they didn't arrive at their destination.)
I do like spending time to get to know a city, taking day trips when I need a break. This is how I usually arrange our family trips. I had heard that Athens can be chaotic and loud so I was looking for ways to minimize our time there, but perhaps I was wrong. Surely it deserves more time than a tour of the Acropolis and a place to rest our heads. If you have any ideas about quiet, calm places we could visit, I would appreciate the advice.
Also, the tour company just informed me that March 25 is a national holiday and all museums and sites are closed. Does anyone know how this will affect our time in Athens?
Here is the latest, and I hope near final itinerary. (OT is my shorthand for overnight and the mythology tour is a set thing. They arrange the transfers and local guides for us. I imagine they are based out of Athens and that is why they are bringing us back to Athens after Delphi.) The tour could be fully customizable, and then we could probably figure out a way to stay in Delphi and go on to Nafplio from there, but we have said that we would be willing to share the trip with a couple of other families and this is the 5 day advertised itinerary. We could go on the tour alone, but it is already quite pricey and we thought our son might enjoy having other children around for part of his vacation.
March 22
Arrive in the pm
March 23
On our own in Athens
March 24
Day trip to Hydra if good weather
March 25
On our own in Athens / holiday
March 26
Begin mythology tour. Acropolis and Temple of Poseidon. OT Athens.
March 27
Delphi. OT Athens.
March 28
Corinth and Epidaurus. OT Nafplio.
March 29
Mycenae and Nafplio. OT Nafplio.
March 30
Return to Athens in the afternoon. OT Athens.
March 31
Early am flight home
Last edited by khor; Oct 9th, 2018 at 11:10 AM.
Oct 9th, 2018, 02:01 PM
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For something different on March 25th you could take the Gourmet Food Tour operated by Athens Walks. It's a highly rated company, and the food tour is very popular. Fill out the form on the food tour page to get a quote and see if it is available on that day.
Frankly in winter I would rather stay on the mainland, but there are islands in the Saronic Gulf a lot closer to Athens than Hydra. Aegina might be a good choice for a day trip.
Frankly in winter I would rather stay on the mainland, but there are islands in the Saronic Gulf a lot closer to Athens than Hydra. Aegina might be a good choice for a day trip.
Last edited by Heimdall; Oct 9th, 2018 at 02:03 PM.
Oct 9th, 2018, 04:23 PM
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Knor, I don't understand why y ou're resigning yourself to being in Athens when everything is CLOSED on Mar 25 ... why not just switch the days around??? Spend Sunday March 24 in Athens, and do your ferry day trip Monday March 25. Aegina is indeed closer than Hydra, and much more sheltered that's why ferries virtually never are cancelled (people live there & commute to work in Athens). here's a photo album of a day trip to Aegina , it's from June, but it shows the highlights, and also gives a wonderful view of the "seascape" --- so many vessels!! giant cruise ships, freighters, liners, ferries, and small speedboats or sloops.
The trick here is, you need to get a "conventional" ferry ... large boat, open decks, you can sit out and enjoy the view. They take about 1+ hour, and don't go as frequently as the hydrofoils (which take about 50 minutes) -- but the latter have NO open decks, u sit in enclosed cabin and salt-frosted windows give NO view. The normal sked for the big ferries is 8:30 and about noon. You could take a hydrofoil on return trip. From a hotel in central athens, it's easy to take the "green line" metro to Piraeus in 35-40 minutes, €2 or so. You buy your ferry ticket at any ticket shop on the seafront. NOTE: on the Metro, there's some danger of pickpockets, but prudent people have no problem. Do NOT bring along passports, or carry wallets in pockets -- use a moneybelt or have wife carry €€ for the day in her ZIPPED daybag with hand on zipper, watch out for phones in pockets too. If your hotel is not near a green line station like Monastiraki, u can taxi for €15-20; ask your hotelier to get you a taxi & determine the fare.
Last edited by travelerjan; Oct 9th, 2018 at 04:25 PM. Reason: correction
