• Duration: 4 hours
• Tour Type: Shared (max 12 people) and Private
• Ages: All Ages
• Activity Type: Culture, Neighbourhood
• Language: English
• Time: 4.00 PM

Highlights:

• Discover Athens beyond the mainstream attractions by exploring its bohemian side, from funky workshops to cool cafés.
• Visit Athenians’ favourite alternative districts with a local by your side.
• Find amazing graffiti and learn about one of the biggest street art scenes in the world.
• Wander around back streets and discover cultural spaces and art studios.
• Eat and sip your way through the city with a Greek coffee, spirits, sweets, and a meze as you hear stories and tales behind city sites.

Meeting point:

At the exit of Panepistimio metro station (in front of the old building of the University of Athens, on Panepistimiou Street).

We will be standing between the metro station and the university building, holding an Athens Local Adventures sign

Panepistimio, Athens 106 79.

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.

Discover Athens beyond the mainstream attractions

Tour snapshot

This walking tour of Athens introduces you to the alternative and artsy sights of Athens, the kind of places that travelers often miss because they don’t know about them. Walk with us and see why it’s called the new Berlin. Let us show you a different side of Europe’s oldest city, a side that locals-only know.

Experience alternative Athens by walking downtown through back alleys and into neighborhoods where bohemian shops, amazing street art, hidden courtyards, and indie cafés are located, attracting locals and travellers who like escaping the tourist traps.

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

• This tour supports the new generation of Athenians, such as young artists, by promoting their work and their enterprises to help them thrive through the financial crisis.
• By joining this tour, we support businesses in neighborhoods that aren’t generally impacted by tourism.

Full Itinerary

Athens may be famous for its ancient glory like the Parthenon, the Caryatids, and all the other wonders of Greece’s mythical times, but Athens is not only about the past! It is a modern city with creative locals and cool vibes, a city with modern-day stories and secrets as exciting as the Greek myths!

On this Athens city tour, you wander around lesser-known neighbourhoods where locals love to hang out and discover secret corners that are beyond areas traditionally found in guidebooks.

Start your tour by sipping a traditional Greek coffee in a central-but-totally-hidden garden known by locals. Enjoy your coffee while sitting among some awesome monuments and hear stories about the buildings that surround the garden.

Continuing your walk, you learn about heroes and outlaws, queens and kings, as well as the centuries-old Athens that is hidden beneath your feet. Strolling through hidden alleys while hearing stories about locals’ traditions and superstitions, you pass by bohemian workshops and cultural spaces where new artists have set up their galleries and see how life is for middle-class Athenians.

Then, discover one of the biggest street art scenes in the world. Check out the amazing murals hidden among the bustling streets of the city and learn about the art of graffiti and its importance as a way of expression for the new generation of Athenians. Keep in mind that even the word ‘graffiti’ comes from the Greek word grafi, which means ‘written.’

During this Athens tour, you see the mesmerizing blend of the old with the new around the city. You get a better understanding of this ancient city and how it has evolved. While walking around with us, you have the opportunity to taste flavors and aromas of the city, such as sweets, local tapas, and of course, spirits.

By the end of this tour, you will have experienced the authentic side of Europe’s oldest city, Athens!

With so many suggestions and tips from us, you’ll likely have a myriad of things you’ll want to do next!