Best of Athens Full Day Private Tour

Meeting point

Departure

08:00, 08:30, 09:00, 09:30, 10:00 daily; scheduled year-round (operator schedule, seats confirmed at checkout)

Pickup

Hotel pickup included

Operator

My Athens Transfers; booking and payment are completed on Viator

1. 1
   Athens

   Pick up from your hotel, apartment, Airbnb, Athens airport, or Piraeus port.

   10 min
2. 2
   Acropolis

   Walk on the land in which thousands of years ago some of the largest and most important parts of the global philosophy, politics, and science were born and flourished. Navigate ancient monuments of priceless cultural and historical value and experience in person the greatness and glamour of Greek ancient times. Starting off with the Acropolis, which in Greek translates to the edge of the city, the geographically and spiritually highest point according to ancient Greeks.

   30 min · Admission not included
3. 3
   Propylaea

   The Propylaea was the monumental gateway to the Acropolis of Athens and was one of several public works commissioned by the Athenian leader Pericles in order to rebuild the Acropolis a generation after the conclusion of the Persian Wars.

   15 min
4. 4
   Parthenon

   On the top of this sacred hill, proudly stands the Parthenon, which is the epitome of ancient Greek architecture, where you will experience the greatness of ancient Greece captured on every piece of marble. An architectural jewel that hosts the best of what the human spirit and genius has ever conceived, an open embrace that awaits its famed sister marbles to welcome them home again.

   30 min
5. 5
   Erectheion

   The Erechtheion is an ancient Greek temple on the north side of the Acropolis of Athens in Greece which was dedicated to both Athena and Poseidon.

   15 min
6. 6
   Temple of Athena Nike

   The Temple of Athena Nike is a temple on the Acropolis of Athens, dedicated to the goddesses Athena and Nike. Built around 420 BC, the temple is the earliest fully Ionic temple on the Acropolis. It has a prominent position on a steep bastion at the southwest corner of the Acropolis to the right of the entrance, the Propylaea. In contrast to the Acropolis proper, a walled sanctuary entered through the Propylaea, the Victory Sanctuary was open, entered from the Propylaea's southwest wing and from a narrow stair on the north. The sheer walls of its bastion were protected on the north, west, and south by the Nike Parapet, named for its frieze of Nikai celebrating victory and sacrificing to their patroness, Athena and Nike.

   15 min
7. 7
   Theatre of Dionysus

   The Theatre of Dionysus is an ancient Greek theatre in Athens. It is built on the south slope of the Acropolis hill, originally part of the sanctuary of Dionysus Eleuthereus. The first orchestra terrace was constructed on the site around the mid- to late-sixth century BC, where it hosted the City Dionysia. The theatre reached its fullest extent in the fourth century BC under the epistates of Lycurgus when it would have had a capacity of up to 17,000, and was in continuous use down to the Roman period. The theatre then fell into decay in the Byzantine era and was not identified, excavated, and restored to its current condition until the nineteenth century.

   15 min
8. 8
   Herod Atticus Odeon

   The Odeon of Herodes Atticus is a stone Roman theater structure located on the southwest slope of the Acropolis of Athens. The building was completed in 161 AD and then renovated in 1950.

   15 min
9. 9
   Acropolis Museum

   At the foot of the Acropolis Hill in the shadow of the imposing Parthenon lays a modern jewel that houses some of the most important ancient Greek statues and works of art, the Acropolis Museum.

   1h 30m · Admission not included
10. 10
    Arch of Hadrian

    The Arch of Hadrian, most commonly known in Greek as Hadrian's Gate, is a monumental gateway resembling a Roman triumphal arch. It spanned an ancient road from the center of Athens, Greece, to the complex of structures on the eastern side of the city that included the Temple of Olympian Zeus.

    10 min
11. Temple of Olympian Zeus

    Between the Acropolis and the Ilisos River are the remains of the Olympian Zeus Temple (now known as the Pillars of Olympian Zeus), one of Athens’ most important and oldest shrines. The space even today gives the visitor a sense of grandeur.

    Pass by, no stop
12. 12
    Panathenaic Stadium

    Continuing with the stunning Calimarmaro or as it is called today, the Panathenaic Stadium, the house of the first modern Olympic games, made of Pentelic marble in which the Olympic ideals are still reflected today.

    15 min
13. 13
    Mount Lycabettus

    After leaving the beautiful Calimarmaro behind us, we will drive up to Lycabettus hill where you will enjoy the beautiful panoramic view of the city and admire the combination of ancient and modern Athens from above.

    20 min
14. 14
    Syntagma

    Syntagma Square (Constitution Square) is the central square of Athens. The square is named after the Constitution that Otto, the first King of Greece, was obliged to grant after a popular and military uprising on 3 September 1843.[2] It is located in front of the 19th century Old Royal Palace, housing the Greek Parliament since 1934. Syntagma Square is the most important square of modern Athens from both a historical and social point of view, at the heart of commercial activity and Greek politics. The name Syntagma alone also refers to the neighbourhood surrounding the square.

    5 min
15. 15
    Hellenic Parliament

    Traveling thousands of years ahead, to the Hellenic Parliament building that houses the Greek Parliament in an impressive building in downtown Athens overseeing Syntagma Square, protected by the presidential guard that consists of two soldiers dressed in the traditional Greek combat uniform, standing stationary and guarding beside the tomb of the unknown soldier. The two guards perform the guard change ceremony every hour with impressive accuracy and agility.

    5 min
16. 16
    Monument to the Unknown Soldier

    The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a war memorial located in Syntagma Square in Athens, in front of the Old Royal Palace. It is a cenotaph dedicated to the Greek soldiers killed during war. It was sculpted between 1930 and 1932 by sculptor Fokion Rok. The tomb is guarded by the Evzones of the Presidential Guard.

    15 min
17. Academy of Athens

    The Academy of Athens is Greece's national academy and the highest research establishment in the country. It was established in 1926 and operates under the supervision of the Ministry of Education. The Academy's main building is one of the major landmarks of Athens.

    Pass by, no stop
18. National Library of Greece

    The National Library of Greece is situated near the center of the city of Athens. It was designed by the Danish architect Theophil Freiherr von Hansen, as part of his famous Trilogy of neo-classical buildings including the Academy of Athens and the original building of the Athens University. It was founded by Ioannis Kapodistrias.

    Pass by, no stop
19. National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

    The University of Athens has been in continuous operation since its establishment in 1837 and is the oldest higher education institution of the modern Greek state and the first contemporary university in both the Balkan Peninsula and the Eastern Mediterranean. Today it is one of the largest universities by enrollment in Europe, with over 69,000 registered students. The University of Athens was founded on 3 May 1837 by King Otto of Greece and was named in his honour Othonian University. It was the first university in the liberated Greek state and in the surrounding area of Southeast Europe as well. It was also the second academic institution after the Ionian Academy. This fledgling university consisted of four faculties; Theology, Law, Medicine and Arts (which included applied sciences and mathematics). During its first year of operation, the institution was staffed by 33 professors, while courses were attended by 52 students and 75 non-matriculated "auditors".

    Pass by, no stop
20. National History Museum (Old Parliament)

    The Old Parliament House at Stadiou Street in Athens housed the Greek Parliament between 1875 and 1935. It now houses the country's National Historical Museum.

    Pass by, no stop
21. 21
    National Archaeological Museum

    The National Archaeological Museum in Athens houses some of the most important artifacts from a variety of archaeological locations around Greece from prehistory to late antiquity. It is considered one of the greatest museums in the world and contains the richest collection of artifacts from Greek antiquity worldwide.

    1h · Admission not included
22. 22
    Monastiraki

    Free time for lunch at a traditional Greek tavern with your friends and family or shopping.

    1h · Admission not included
23. 23
    Ancient Agora of Athens

    The ancient Agora of Athens is the best-known example of an ancient Greek agora, located to the northwest of the Acropolis and bounded on the south by the hill of the Areopagus and on the west by the hill known as the Agoraios Kolonos, also called Market Hill. The Agora's initial use was for a commercial, assembly, or residential gathering place and is considered the birthplace of democracy, philosophy and free speech.

    40 min · Admission not included
24. 24
    Museum of the Ancient Agora

    A small museum where you can see findings from Ancient Athenians' daily life.

    20 min · Admission not included
25. 25
    Temple of Hephaestus

    The Temple of Hephaestus or Hephaisteion is a well-preserved Greek temple as it remains standing largely intact. It is a Doric peripteral temple and is located at the northwest side of the Agora of Athens, on top of the Agoraios Kolonos hill. From the 7th century until 1834, it served as the Greek Orthodox church of Saint George Akamates.

    30 min
26. Plaka

    The old historical neighborhood of Athens, clustered around the northern and eastern slopes of the Acropolis, and incorporating labyrinthine streets and neoclassical architecture. Plaka is built on top of the residential areas of the ancient town of Athens. It is known as the "Neighborhood of the Gods" due to its proximity to the Acropolis and its many archaeological sites.

    Pass by, no stop

About this tour, from the operator