- Most Popular!
- 3 hours Duration 3 hours
- Iconic sites, Activity Type Iconic sites Walking Activity Type Walking
Immerse yourself in the city’s ancient history while also learning about Athens as it is today on this jam-packed Athens tour.
Tour Highlights
- Experience Athens like a local as you visit alternative neighbourhoods where tourists rarely go.
- Learn all about Athens’ culinary culture and chat with local shop owners about their specialties and products.
- Discover the city’s bohemian side, from funky workshops to cool cafés.
- Explore one of the biggest street art scenes in the world.
- Venture into alleyways and back lanes to discover vibrant cultural spaces and hear the myths and tales behind city sites.
- Experience two of our top Athens tours in one great combo.
Experience Athens Like a Local
Once you’ve ticked the Acropolis off your list, it’s time to discover the real Athens!
Come experience the city like a local on this tour that isn’t afraid to skip the tourist traps and dig deep into the city’s cool culture and beloved traditions.
This experience combines two of our favourite Athens tours, making for a great day out in the city.
Local Impact: How you will help the local community by joining this tour:
- Your tour supports the new generation of Athenians, such as young artists, by promoting their work and their enterprises to help them thrive through financial crisis.
- This tour also offers you the opportunity to see street art and visit alternative neighbourhoods that don’t generally benefit from tourism.
- All of the stores you visit on your tour are 100% locally owned and run. Supporting small-scale, locally-run businesses helps to preserve the traditional character of old Athens.
- By joining this tour you are supporting a street vendor who sells traditional koulouri sesame rings, which helps increase his income.
- At least one store on your itinerary is dedicated to the preservation of locally-produced crafts.
Language: English
Inclusions: Local English-speaking guide, food samples (Greek sweets, bread, olive oil, olives, cheeses, rusks, wine, ouzo, traditional meze, herbs/spices, and a Greek coffee), train tickets
Exclusions: Additional food and drink (during the mid-tour break), souvenirs and items of a personal nature, tips/gratuities for your guide.
Schedule details
- Duration: 8 hours
- Meeting point: In Kotzia Square, next to the fountain and in front of City Hall. Your tour guide will be holding an Urban Adventures sign.
- Find the exact meeting point with what3words: ///scramble.lipstick.campers
- Starting time: 11.00 AM
- Ending point: Monastiraki Metro Station
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Get to see the real Athens on this full-day walking tour that shows off all the things Greece is famous for: from history to mythology, architecture to food!
This tour is a combo of our top-selling Athens tours (Taste of Athens and Bohemian Tales of the City), sending you on one epic adventure!
You’ll meet your local guide at Kotzia Square, located in the heart of Athens. The square is surrounded by gorgeous neoclassical buildings built in the early 18th century, as well as some ancient ruins.
From there, we’ll lead you to the Central Market, where your guide will show you the places few tourists visit, and where you’ll discover a variety of delicious Greek specialties.
From the simple koulouri (round bread with sesame seeds) and delicate local pastries to the Greek staples of feta and olives, the Central Market is a feast for the senses.
Listen to the vendors calling out the deals of the day and prep your cameras because you’ll want to snap a few shots of the colourful scenes.
Next up on this total tour of Athens, we’ll drop by a Greek deli that sells traditional produce and is a popular shopping spot for locals.
You’ll get to sip some Tsipouro (a local alcoholic drink) and taste some unique delights from every corner of Greece, learning all about our culinary traditions and the Mediterranean diet.
We’ll then walk to Monastiraki Square, the heart of the city from ancient times and still a gathering place today. We’ll venture through the vintage and secondhand shops at the flea market and you’ll learn how to bargain like a Greek!
Here you’ll have a bit of free time to wander and explore on your own. You may want to shop for souvenirs or grab something to eat (although we doubt you’ll be hungry after all that food!).
Our recommendation is to do as the Greeks do and order a coffee at one of the many cafés around the square and just sip as you watch the people passing by.
Or, take the metro from Monastiraki station to Panepistimio, where we’ll meet for the second half of our tour — did you know the metro in Athens is like a museum itself, with numerous archaeological artefacts on display that were found while it was being constructed?
Once at Panepistimio, we’ll gather together and take off on a detour down Athens’ back alleys and into the neighbourhoods you won’t find in guidebook pages!
Our next stop will be a secret garden in the centre of the city, a place only known to locals. You’ll stand with awe in front of unique monuments and hear the myths and tales that surround these legendary buildings. Learn about kings and queens, heroes and outlaws, as well as about the hidden Athens beneath your feet.
We’ll venture through small alleys and admire the city’s unique street art, which is considered some of the best in Europe, then watch local craftsmen and artists at work, and discover ancient treasures in a basement.
If you have a sweet tooth, then our next stop will be your favourite, a quirky little sweet shop that’s perfect for picking up a tasty souvenir to take home with you!
Finally, no bohemian tour of Athens would be complete without a stroll through the once-industrial neighbourhood of Gazi, a must-see for any visitor, known for its graffiti decorated alleys, hipster taverns and fashionable boutiques owned by emerging designers.
Here, you will see the old mingling with the new, along streets that connect (or divide) the past and the present. Think ancient tombs alongside factory chimneys, art centres, and hidden courtyards. As we walk we’ll get a literal taste for Athenian life with a surprise stop for a tasty meze dish and a local tipple.
Additional information
Dress standard: Please wear comfortable walking shoes. In summer months, bring a hat and sunscreen. This tour departs rain or shine, so you may want to bring an umbrella, depending on the weather.
Your Trip: For your Urban Adventure you will be in a small group of a maximum of 12 people.
Confirmation of booking: If you have your voucher, your booking is confirmed. We’ll see you at the start point. Get in touch if you have any concerns or require more information via the email address or phone number (business hours only) on your voucher.
Child Policy: This is a child-friendly tour. Children between the ages of 6 and 11 inclusively are permitted on this tour at the rate listed above. Please select ‘child’ above when booking. Children under the age of 6 are permitted to join this tour free of charge. Please inform us at the time of booking if you’ll be bringing a child under the age of 6. You can do so in the special request box on the checkout page.
Dietary Notes
This tour can be customised to cater for dietary needs at your request. Please notify us if you have any allergies or other dietary requests when you book. You can do this in the “Additional information” box at checkout.
Local contact
Office phone number: +30 698 067 9166
Email address: [email protected] -
Ms. Victoria R. from Australia travelled on 29 Aug 2018:
Nikoleta was a great guide, she was flexible and as I love to take photos she took me around to the best photo spots. As it was just me, we were able to have some really good chats during the day and I certainly ate well! I thoroughly enjoyed the tour.