Athens is a modern city, filled with energy and dense with monuments from a history that dates back centuries, if not millennia. The ruins that are hidden in corners and alleys are witnesses of the many transformations this city has gone through. From the Paleolithic age to its height of power in the Golden Century of Perikles. From a prosperous Roman province to a Byzantine and later Ottoman completely neglected town. The city rose once more as the capital of the Greek Republic, to become a modern cultural and financial metropolis.
Our Half Day City Tour of Athens – Private Tour is your great opportunity to experience the controversies that are imprinted in the city's landscape. Keep in mind that this is a private tour and is fully customizable. Date, time, place of meeting and order of visits can be tailor made at your preferences.
Your tour starts by meeting our experienced staff. They will greet you and make you feel comfortable in the private car/van. You should feel free to ask your guide any questions you may have.
No matter where you are in Athens, your eyes cannot avoid Athens Acropolis. The citadel was originally built of white Pedelic marble. It is located in the centre of the city, on top of an imposing rocky volume and epitomizes the worldview of our modern western culture. It has been a World Heritage site since 1987 and will be the place where your tour begins. You'll walk up the stairs to the sacred rock of The Athens Acropolis. You'll pass through the ancient gates, the Propylaea in order to enter the citadel. Apart from the magnificent view below the vertical walls, you'll have a great opportunity to meet Caryatides (Maidens) at the Erechtheion, dedicated to two gods, Athena and Poseidon. The Parthenon, although it's lost its original wealthy decorations and colours still stands proudly dominating the scene.
You'll walk downstairs, to the sidewalk around Acropolis, where Dionysus' Theatre (the world's first theatre) and the Odeum of Herodus Atticus are located. Not far from there, at a walks distance, there are Hadrian’s Arch and the Temple of Olympian Zeus.
You will then go to the Panathenaic Stadium for a short visit. This is the place where the first modern Olympic Games were held, in 1896.
The House of Parliament and the memorial of the Unknown Soldier will wait for you next. There you'll see the Evzones (the Presidential Guard) and if you are lucky enough, you might witness them changing shifts. You will pass by the Prime Minister’s residence and then by the former Royal Palace, that now serves as Presidential Palace for a short stop to watch the presidential guards changing shifts once more. The tour will continue to the highest point of Athens, to Lycabettus Hill. From up there you’ll have a panoramic view of the Athenian landscape.
The highlight of your tour should be a visit to the Acropolis Museum or the National Archaeological Museum. They are homes to huge and interesting collections of artefacts that will attract your eyes and curiosity. Observing their exhibitions, you will have a glimpse of how people thought and lived in the region of Athens, centuries before our own.
This would be the end of our tour « Half Day City Tour of Athens – Private Tour », that will surely make you fall in love with our city. Our staff will drive you back to the pre-arranged place.