Tour overview

• Duration: 4 hours
• Tour Type: Shared (max 12 people) and Private
• Ages: All Ages
• Activity Type: Culture, Iconic sites
• Language: English
• Time: 9:30 AM

Highlights:

• Get lost inside the numerous markets and learn about their legendary traditions while exploring them.
• Admire some of the city’s famous landmarks without entering the sites and get insider knowledge about them.
• Stroll around the picture-perfect neighbourhood of Plaka and enjoy a coffee and a sweet at a local favorite coffee shop.
• Discover Athens’ modern architecture and its recent history.

Meeting point:

In Kotzia Square, the Square is opposite the City Hall of the Municipality of Athens on Athinas Street.

We will be standing next to the the fountain in the middle of Kotzia Square holding an Athens Local Adventures sign

Kotzia Square, Athens 105 51

Guests’ pickup is offered for the private group option. Pick up time adjustable upon your request. We will meet you at your Athens hotel lobby or Piraeus Port. Our guide will be holding a sign with your name. Call us to arrange.

Tour snapshot

On this Old Districts of Athens tour, discover the treasures of Athens with a local by your side, exploring the streets filled with cultural, historic, and culinary icons. Follow the footsteps of the locals with us and experience the heart of Athens with its ruins, temples, markets, mosques, retail hot spots, and fresh produce. These are the same places and roads where the ancient Greeks walked more than 2000 years ago!

Local impact — How you help the local community by joining this tour

• By visiting 100% locally owned stores, you support small-scale, locally-run businesses and help preserve the traditional character of old Athens.
• You support a street vendor who sells traditional Koulouri sesame rings to increase his income.
• At least one store on your itinerary is dedicated to the preservation of locally-produced crafts.

Full Itinerary

You begin your Athens walking tour by meeting us in Kotzia Square, one of Athens’ most beautiful squares surrounded by gorgeous neoclassical buildings of the early 19th century and ancient ruins.

Passing by the Mayor of Athens’ building, you head to Athina Street, one of the busiest in Athens. Feel the morning vibes when the shop owners get ready for a day of business and Athenians flock to the city’s shops and markets, as they have done for the past 2,000 years. We explains the practices of food commerce, the soul of Greek life, which have existed for thousands of years.

While exploring Athenian markets, you experience local produce and, with our help, you will learn how to pick out all the local favourites, such as Mediterranean fruits, vegetables, meat and cheese.

After awakening your senses with all these warm colours, tastes, and smells, you head to Monastiraki Square. Located in the center of the square, the Pantanassa Monastery is the square’s symbol, and the reason why the square is called Monastiraki as its name derives from the Greek word for monastery.

Here, you also admire other Athens landmarks such as the Hadrian Library, an archaic temple constructed in the Corinthian-style, and the 18th-century Tzistarakis Mosque, which nowadays houses the ceramics museum.

Next, you venture through the Square’s flea market, where you chat with merchants and discover ancient monuments as you uncover even more Athens history.

Moving on, you explore the bazaar streets of Ifaistou and Pandrossos, discovering handicrafts and other specialties such as leather sandals, handmade icons, Greek musical instruments, and antiques. Here is the perfect place to feel the authentic vibes of the bustling Athens market culture.

Afterwards, walking by the ancient Agora, where merchants traded during Greek and Roman times, you head to the vibrant neighbourhood of Thission, passing 17th and 18th-century houses along the way. Next up, you explore Plaka neighborhood, Athens’ continuously inhabited area since ancient times, where you enjoy a freshly brewed coffee and a mouthwatering local sweet in a cozy coffee shop.

Your tour comes to an end at the entrance of the Acropolis. From here, you can continue your personal exploration of the Acropolis Archaeological Site or Athens’ downtown, or follow our advice on the best way to get back to your hotel.

Before we part ways, we will share with you more hints and tips on how to get the best of your trip in amazing Athens.

Please note that this tour doesn’t include a visit inside the Acropolis site!

Itinerary

Routes