Itinerary

You will meet your tour guide at the Acropolis metro station. You will start your tour by walking the Dionysiou Areopagitou Street, the pedestrian walkway outside the Acropolis museum. Near the end of it you will see the entrance to the Odeion of Herodes Attikos/Herodeion.

Opposite and west of the Acropolis there is a north – south hill range with 3 peeks, the Philopappos Hill (southern end), the Hill of the Nymphs (northern end) and the Pnyx (Pnyka) Hill in the middle. At the Philopappos Hill you will have the chance to admire monuments from 3 different historical periods, The Prison of Socrates, the Philopappos Monument and The Orthodox Church of St Demetrios Loumbardiaris. From the top of Pnyx (Pnyka) Hill you will enjoy an amazing panoramic view of the Acropolis Rock and the rest of the city of Athens. On the third hill, the Hill of the Nymphs, you will see the building of the National Observatory of Athens.

Then you will make your way to the picturesque Plaka. You will admire the Tower of the Winds, an octagonal Pentelic marble clocktower in the Roman Agora that is also called Aerides, which means Winds. It is considered to be the world’s first meteorological station. You will reach the Paul & Alexandra Canellopoulos Museum with the couple’s hitherto private collection of some 7,000 priceless objects and works of art that spanned the time from prehistory to the recent past. You will also see the Athens University History Museum that is located in one of the oldest residential buildings still standing in Athens today. Walking in the streets of Anafiotika, a scenic tiny neighborhood of Athens, part of the old historical neighborhood of Plaka, you will feel that you have escaped from the city and you will find yourself for a while in a landscape with Cycladic air and beauty.

You will feel overwhelmed in the temple of Agioi Anargyroi, which is mostly known as Metohi of Panagiou Tafou and was built on an Aphrodite’s temple, that hosts the Holy Light from Jerusalem, at our Easter celebratrions. Reaching the completion of a full circle of the Acropolis Rock you will find the Hadrian’s Library and the Roman Forum and after that you’ll be left to continue on your own to the Monastiraki Square and the flea market. There you will also see an Ottoman mosque, built in 1759, named Tzistarakis Mosque that is now functioning as an annex of the Museum of Greek Folk Art.

Highlights

• Walk the Dionysiou Areopagitou Street that passes by the Odeion of Herodes Attikos/Herodeion.
• Reach Philopappos Hill with the prison of Socrates and the church of Loumbardiaris.
• Enjoy the view of Acropolis and the city of Athens from the Pnyx Hill.
• Find the National Observatory of Athens on the Hill of the Nymphs.
• Enter the picturesque neighbourhood of Plaka and wander around its flagstone pathways.
• Escape in Anafiotika, a hidden island on the slopes of Acropolis.
• Meet the holy temple of Agioi Anargyroi
• Complete the circular tour at the Hadrian’s Library and the Roman Forum and continue on your own to the Monastiraki Square and the flea market.

Meeting Point

Outside the Acropolis metro station opposite the Crescendo Cafe (coming by metro you will leave from the exit Makriyianni / Dionysiou Areopaghitou). Your guide will be standing next to the Metro sign, on Makrigianni pedestrian walkway, holding a white and light blue “Athenian Tours” sign. You can also consult the following link with the coordinates for the exact meeting point (https://goo.gl/maps/663sG4BALxhhREaa6).

Good to know

• Family friendly
• Not suitable for children under 6 years old
• The tour lasts approximately 3 hours, depending on group’s pace and weather conditions.
• In an effort to ensure that you will avoid any kind of discomfort and most importantly that you will feel comfortable, our guides may change order of the sites you may visit.
• Wear comfortable shoes and hold a bottle of water
• We advise you to bring an umbrella on rainy days and wear a hat during summer
• Tour is offered by Licensed Tourist Guides
• The tours are conducted in English
• Private tours are also conducted in Spanish and French.

Entrance fees and tickets

Entrance tickets and fees are not included
We are not entering any of the archeological sites, although we will give you all the interesting information and will have a great look of them from the outside.