Athens Walking Tours With A Local – A Real Greek Experience!

My Athens walking tours aim to introduce you to modern Athens. We will focus on neighborhood exploration, everyday life in Greece, and Greek food. Get ready for a Real Greek Experience!

Tours in Athens Greece

So, it’s your first time in Athens and you’re planning to see the Acropolis and other ancient sites. This is a very important part of your trip, and you will learn a lot about the ancient Greek civilization and mythology.

At the same time, wouldn’t it be great to dive deeper into the modern Greek culture and everyday life? This is where the “Real Greek Experiences” walking tours come in 🙂

A walk around the ancient sites of Athens with a local

During these tours, you will spend a few hours with a local – myself! My name is Vanessa, I’m an Athenian and I’ve loved travelling and meeting people from all over the world since I was very young.

We will explore the streets of the Greek capital together, and we’ll have a chat about life in Greece – and beyond!

I am happy to accommodate small groups of up to 6 people. Please get in touch with me through my FB page and we’ll take it from there!

Private Walking Tours of Athens

These walking tours of Athens focus on culture, lifestyle and neighborhood exploration. You will get to see different parts of the city, taste different foods, and spend a day watching the locals go about their daily routines.

Discover cool street art on a walking tour of Athens

At the end of the tour, you will have gained a better understanding of life in Athens throughout the centuries, and also of what it means to live in Greece these days.

Tailor-Made Tours of Athens

These Athens walking tours are fully customizable. They can include anything from the highlights of Athens, the less known neighborhoods, or places where visitors will most likely not venture on their own.

You will get a chance to ask any questions you wanted about Greece, and also find out more about the cuisine, customs, religion, art, music and anything else you might be interested in.

Learn the best places to buy souvenirs in Athens

Below are two different walking tours of Athens. They both aim to help you discover the Real Athens and Greece. We will design a tailor-made day in Athens for you, the way you always imagined it!

1. Athens Highlights Tour

If this is your first time in Athens, or if you want to see central Athens through the eyes of a local, you will love the “Athens highlights” tour. It will give you an idea of the most central areas of our vibrant city.

Passing by old and new on an Athens highlights private walking tour

Areas we will visit typically include

  • Syntagma Square and the Parliament
  • Monastiraki, with the flea market
  • The central food market, where Athenians buy their vegetables, meat, fish, spices, cheese, bakery goods etc. (closed on Sundays)
  • Psiri area, with lots of street art
  • Thisseio and Acropolis, areas full of archaeological ruins
  • Plaka, with neoclassical buildings, small churches and souvenir shops

This tour is roughly a 5-6 km walk. Please bring comfortable shoes, an umbrella / a hat, a camera and anything else you may need, depending on season and weather.

Please note that this tour does not include time to visit the archaeological sites, which you can see in your own time. But I can help you with shopping in Athens, if  you are after something specific.

If you have small children you might prefer a shorter walk, or we can even take the metro.

2. Alternative Athens Tour

If you have already visited the most important places in Athens, such as the historical sites and the popular neighborhoods, you can try the “Alternative Athens” tour.

Take an alternative athens tour and discover different neighborhoods in the city

Areas we will visit typically include

  • Exarchia, one of the most controversial areas of central Athens, with lots of street art and the Polytechnic University
  • Omonia square, once among the most sought after areas of Athens
  • Metaxourgio, where one of the biggest factories in Greece was once built
  • Kerameikos / Gazi, with the vibrant nightlife
  • Psiri area, with lots of street art
  • The central food market on Athinas street, where you can buy good quality, local-priced goodies to take back home!

This tour is usually over 5-6 km, so please make sure you are wearing comfortable shoes. Please bring a hat / an umbrella, a camera and anything else you may need, depending on season and weather.

More activity ideas!

Here are some more activities we can include!

A Meal with a Greek

It’s your third day in Athens, and all you have eaten so far is Greek salad, souvlaki, gyros and moussaka? Perhaps it’s time that you tried something new!

I invite you to have a meal together! I can explain all you ever wanted to know about Greek cuisine, and suggest dishes that you’ve never heard of.

Enjoy dinner with a Greek, and learn more about life in contemporary Athens

We will go to a local restaurant with great food and drink, and experience the Greek way of eating, where all dishes are shared with everyone.

Here’s your chance to ask whatever you always wanted to know about Athens, Greece and Greek food – and I will also e-mail you a few easy recipes that you can try at home!

Rebetiko – Underworld Greek Folk Music Experience

In this tour, I will introduce you to Athens of the early 1900s, when “rebetes“, the underworld musicians of the times, were ruling the city.

We will walk around the areas where they used to live and hang out, and find out more about the connection between Greek and Anatolian music.

Rebetiko musicians playing traditional music during a private tour in Athens

The music they played is called Rebetiko. It’s often been described as the Greek Blues due to its dark lyrics, although the music itself is very different. In 2017, this musical style was added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

We will also enjoy an authentic Greek meal and experience a genre of music that, after having been censored for years, is becoming popular once again.

You will get the chance to meet people who play rebetiko music – and you can try to sing along with us!

Learn How To Play Tavli (Backgammon)

If you are interested in learning a game that is very typical of Greece (and not only), join me for a game (or five) of tavli!

Playing tavli with a local in Athens on a private tour of the city

This is a cultural experience that you are likely to remember for a while, as it will be accompanied by a Greek coffee / frappe, and a conversation about what it means to be Greek today. It is also ideal for children!

For a few more ideas, have a look at this article on the best reasons to visit Athens.

Would you like to find out more about these tours? Get in touch on my FB page

Athens Walking Tours With A Local

14 thoughts on “Athens Walking Tours With A Local – A Real Greek Experience!”

  1. Hello,
    We are family of 6 adults and we will be visiting the city of Athens for 3 days from May 10th. We would love to have a local guide like you to show us the city. Please let me know if you will be available those dates and what is the cost. Thank you so much.

    Regards

    Reply
  2. It’s the celebrate my life tour. Vaccinated and coming to Greece, 4 months after 8 hours of open heart surgery. In Athens Sept 8-11, 21 and Oct 10-13, 21. Please email me for walking tour reservations.

    Reply
  3. Hello, I’m flying into Athens on May 9th 2022. I’m traveling solo and would love an Athens Highlight tour. I would love to join in with another party traveling if you have multiple bookings that day. Thanks!

    Reply
  4. I arrive in Athens on Thursday evening 5th May for 4 days. I am staying near Dafni metro station
    I would like to join an Athens Walking tour on either the 6th or 7th May

    Can you let me have details

    Reply
  5. Hello
    I’m coming to greece in 7 july.
    I would like to have 2 days tailor made tours for me and my husband.
    Thank you

    Reply
  6. Hi there, my friend and I are coming on 11/14 and staying a week I would love to know if you’re available any of those days for a tour.

    Reply

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