Best of Athens in one day private tour & Acropolis skip the line

5.0 (70 reviews) 8 hours Free cancellation Private tour

out of 5

70 reviews

5.0

Parthenon — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

Changing of the president's guards — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

About this activity

Dear travellers welcome to Athens!

This is the best selling option so you can get a full taste of the city of Athens, guided by an expert, fluent in English Athenian driver. He CANNOT enter the sites with you. You will be provided with insightful commentary along the way. Learn the history of ancient and modern Athens and the fascinating mythology behind it. Start with going 2500 years back in history by visiting the Acropolis and the Ancient Agora. Explore the different neighborhoods of Athens and all the points of interest. Your driver can give you many useful tips. Visit one of the best museums in the world, the Acropolis museum or the Archeological museum. Explore Plaka, the neighborhood of the Gods. Eat the best fresh local Greek food after discussing your choices with your driver. This tour is PRIVATE so there is flexibility if you desire to remove or add something as long as it doesn't exceed the duration of the tour. We will make sure you will have the most amazing day!

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At a glance

Duration: 8 hours
Confirmation: Instant confirmation
Ticket: Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Group: Your group only
People per booking: 1–14
Guide: English
Operated by: Bucket List Tours

Ages: Adults (0–99 years)

What is included

Included

Included: Acropolis skip the ticket line service—tickets pre-bought, reimbursed to the driver on the tour day.
Included: Pick up from your Athens Hotel, Airbnb or Cruise ship.
Included: Expert Athenian driver fluent in English, insightful commentary. CANNOT enter the sites with you.
Included: Comfortable transportation. A/C, Bottled Water

Not included

Not included: Licensed Tour guide upon request, depending on availability. Extra cost ~300 euros paid to the guide
Not included: Gratuities (At your discretion)
Not included: Lunch
Not included: Tickets to the sites

Itinerary

Acropolis

1 h 30 min Admission not included

First stop the Acropolis hill. A bucket list visit for milions around the globe. Witness from up and close the most perfectly designed building in history and the most copied one. The Parthenon, or in Greek Parthenonas meaning the temple of the virgin goddess Athena, the daughter of Zeus the god of the Gods. This is the cradle of the Western civilization, where the foundation were put and where democracy was born. Learn the fascinating history behind the Acropolis and the ancient myths related to it. Admire also the temple of Athena Nike, the Propylea, and last but not least the Erechtheon with its beatiful 6 maidens statues. On the slopes of the Acropolis there is probably the oldest theater in the world from 600 BCE and also a Roman odeon used to this day.
Ancient Agora of Athens

one hour Admission not included

Next stop the ancient Agora of Athens. The center of political, financial and social life. A site brought to light by the American school of classical studies. A beatiful site where you can admire probably the most well preserved ancient Greek temple dedicated to Efestos, the blacksmith god that makes all the weapons of the gods, the son of Zeus and Hera. On site there is also a beautiful reconstruction of an ancient 2 storey shopping mall. Today the ground floor houses the museum with the findings of the agora excavation which is still going on. Beautiful pottery, ancient coins, ballots, water clocks and a lot more. Yes, there was a shopping mall with 42 shops 2500 years ago. Apart from that the site has many ruins of goverment buildings, temples, court houses, parliament, theater, statues. Socrates the famous philosopher stepped on this ground. Mostly flat and covered in trees. A must visit site after the Acropolis.
Monastiraki

Passing by

Pass by the very busy square of Monastiraki with the flea market, the antique market, shops, restaurants and also some archaeological sites. Your driver will help you navigate and provide tips for each area.
Central Market

Passing by

Pass by the central meat and fish market of Athens. Smell all the herbs and spices sold in the cute small shops in the front of the market. If you desire and it's possible for the driver to safely park the car so you can hop off and get a look inside this loud and busy market. Get the feeling of every day Athenian life.
Academy of Athens

Passing by

Pass by the most beautiful neoclassical building in the world. Amazing design reminding ancient temples. Beautiful statues of Greek gods and philosophers. Next the first univercity of Greece and the old national library. This is called the trilogy and all where built around late 19th century.
Plateia Syntagmatos

20 min

Witness the changing of the president's guards. A ceremony taking place every hour on the hour in front of the tomb of the unknown soldier where we pay respect to all the Greek soldiers lost in battle and their bodies never returned home. Their traditional uniform is full of symbolisms behind them, related to our recent history. A very important thing to see to understand the pride and discipline of the young Greek soldiers doing their duty for 1 year like every other Greek male over 18 years old.
Stop 7

Passing by

The temple of the Olympian Zeus. The largest temple in antiquity completed finally by the Roman emperor Hadrian in the second century AD. Look at the size of these enormous columns and the famous Hadrian's arch at the far end of the site.
Kallimarmaro

10 min

The olympic stadium, built for the 1896 first modern Olympic games. Unique because it is all built by beautiful pure white marble from Pendeli mountain as the Acropolis, 10 miles from the city. Every year this is the finishing line of the authentic Marathon run where it was born.
Mount Lycabettus

15 min

Now the million dollar view. Admire the city from the best view point up in Lycabetus hill. Get a real sence of the size of this big city.
Acropolis Museum

1 h 30 min Admission not included

Built in 2009 and voted among the best museums in the world several times. On the foundation of the building a real excavation of an ancient Athenian neighborhood found during the construction, incorporated with the building. Amazing collection of findings from the Acropolis. Many replicas of artifacts stolen by Europeans few centuries back. Not to be missed while in Athens to have a complete experience of the Acropolis. Full of glass that illuminates the sculptures and also you are able to see the Acropolis high up.
Plaka

one hour

An alternative for the Acropolis museum. The old part of the city on the foothill of the Acropolis. Beatiful historical neighborhood of Athens. Picturesque alleys, nice shops, cafes, restaurants. Good option for lunch also. Always very vibrant day and night.
National Archaeological Museum

one hour Admission not included

The most incredible museum that covers 8 milleniums of history. Golden treasures, statues, murals, pottery and many more. A trip back in time. This can be an option instead of the Acropolis museum or Plaka.
Microlimano

Passing by

If you feel you saw enough and don't want the museum choice or Plaka and want a break from the busy city you can spend some time in this beautiful small port and have a nice ice cream by the blue water. All your available choices will be discussed with your driver. This is a private tour and there is flexibility but within the tour duration.

Meeting point and pickup

The operator picks every participant up from their accommodation or the points below.

Pickup points

Foivos Hotel Athens
Alter Athens Hotel
Aether Athens Urban Hotel
The Square Hotel by X&N
Zenith Hotel
Athens City Plaza
ZEUS Essence Wyndham Athens Residence
Apollo Hotel
Titania Hotel
Athens Zafolia Hotel
Athens Ivy Suites
Philippos Hotel

and 500 more pickup points

Pick up and drop off included from your accomodation. However please note that pick up and drop off from and to the Airport and areas far away from Athens will have an additional cost.

Cancellation

Free cancellation

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

If you cancel	You get back
At least one day before	100%
Less than a day before	0%

Good to know

Wheelchair accessible
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Specialized infant seats are available
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Travel time is already included to the total duration.
Tour start time can be customized to suit your schedule – contact us after booking.
Skip-the-Line Service for the Acropolis: We pre-purchase the Acropolis and ancient agora tickets on your behalf so you don’t wait at the ticket office, and you simply reimburse the ticket cost to the driver in euros cash on the day of the tour.
FREE admission for EU citizens up to 25 years old and FREE admission for non-EU visitors up to 18 years old
Please confirm if you would like us to proceed with purchasing the tickets for you, and let us know the ages and nationalities of the participants if applicable, so we apply any free admissions correctly.
Acropolis 30€ pp Ancient Agora 20€ pp Acropolis museum 20€ National archaeological museum 20€ pp