Athens Tour: Explore Ancient Ruins & Culture

Embark on a full-day private tour of Athens and discover its iconic landmarks with an expert driver. Explore the Acropolis, Temple of Zeus, and more, taste traditional Greek cuisine, and immerse yourself in the vibrant Plaka district.

Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Acropolis - The Acropolis, which towers over the heart of modern Athens, was the ancient city’s most significant and grand sanctuary, primarily dedicated to its patron goddess, Athena.
  • Theater of Dionysus - The Theater of Dionysus Elefthereos is the most renowned open-air theater in ancient Athens and is considered the world’s first theater….
What's Included
  • Pick up-Drop off service from hotel, port, Airbnb, and apartments
  • Skip the line to buy site tickets
  • Transport by luxury air-conditioned vehicle
  • WiFi, bottled water, USB charger
  • English-speaking drivers with historical knowledge (not certified guides)
What's Not Included
  • Entrance fees (organized by us, simply pay on the spot, no pre-purchase required)
  • Lunch
  • Licensed Tour guide upon request and depending on availability
Additional Information

Discover Athens on a private, full-day adventure that combines history, comfort, and local expertise. Explore the Acropolis, Panathenaic Stadium, and other notable sites with a professional driver who provides insightful commentary.
Experience a leisurely pace, a customized route, and the liberty to explore the city without the restrictions of set…

Location
Acropolis
Via Dionysiou Areopagitou Str.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
5.0
(529 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Bocacliff
Jul 12, 2025
Best tour guide ever!!! thank you Elias! - we spent eight hours on this tour and I could list every important site that we visited in Athens. But that is not what this review is about. The review is about the tour guide/Driver that we had. Elias Gatos was simply fantastic! Best tour guide I’ve ever had in many many years of traveling. It took him no time to figure out what our group was about and how do make the best of our time together. Too many highlights to list, bud he overheard us talking about gelato and he decided to include a stop at the best gelato shop in Athens. his knowledge of historical Greece was great, and since he spent many some years studying abroad, his English language was also great. Thank you for a truly amazing day.!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Culture45330300125
Jul 10, 2025
Great Full Day Athens Tour - This was a great tour of Athens. Aristotle was extremely knowledgeable about all the sights and any other questions we threw at him. He made the day very relaxing and didn't stress us with time limits. I highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Paul_w
Jul 10, 2025
Well managed, well-paced tour of much of the city in a day - We chose this tour because my sons were enthusiastic to visit the ancient Athenian historical sites of the city and because this tour manages to let you have time to experience so many of them. Our driver and informal guide, George, was attentive and flexible. We were able to decide when we wanted to stop for coffee, have lunch, etc, all within the schedule of many stops along the way as part of the tour. There’s a fair bit of walking and climbing steps outdoors, so we were glad we wore comfortable shoes. We really appreciated the historical knowledge George was able to share about some of the sites around the city as we drove and stopped. He also suggested a great restaurant for lunch that was both relatively affordable and delicious. He suggested several dishes that were not on the menu but which were available and which we really enjoyed. The day started with George picking us up at our hotel promptly on time. The tour includes a timed entry to the Acropolis first-thing in the morning. It was great that the tour company arranged for these timed-entry tickets on our behalf before our tour started. It gets crowded quickly at the Acropolis, and during summer, it quickly gets very, very hot. (There is very little shade at the site). The organization of the tour to do this first-thing is the only smart way to do this, but it is great that the tour company takes care of it entirely for you. The visit of the Acropolis is self-guided; there’s no personalized guide included, though the site itself offers sufficient explanation of the different areas within the site on multi-language placards. Prior to entering, George also gave us a brief overview of the site, including a description of the significance of different components of the site & where they were. On some tours, I feel like I really need the extra depth of having a guide with me through the experience. We possibly could have gone quicker through the different sites we visited if we had a personalized guide (rather than reading) and probably gotten some more depth, but on the whole, I don’t think we missed out much on that. Regarding tickets for the Acropolis and the ancient Agora, these are not included with the tour (which is noted with the description of the tour). The Acropolis tickets are arranged for by the tour company, but you still must pay your driver for them. Additionally, you must pay for your tickets for the Agora on-site, but we did not experience any kind of line or crowding there. It took us only a couple of minutes to pay for tickets before entering. Notably, if you have young people in your party under 18 (non-EU, at least), you should bring copies of their passports or ID on your mobile phone so that you can produce this at the various sites (Acropolis, Agora) that require admission. Under-18 is free at these sites, but you must provide proof of age in order to qualify. A picture of our kids’ passports was sufficient, but it saves you 20 euros per person that is under 18. We really enjoyed the Agora and Temple of Hephaestus - the statues in the adjacent museum courtyard were really spectacular. It’s a beautiful area, though we probably would have enjoyed it if we were not visiting in the middle of a heatwave in July. That comes with the territory, so being prepared with plenty of water and making use of shade was an effective strategy for us. We stopped at a flea market, which was cool to walk through, and we enjoyed stopping to see some of the beautiful architecture of the city (which George helpfully gave history about) and stopping to see the Olympic stadium. We were not able to go up Mount Lycabettus due to fire hazards on our day, but we finished up seeing the changing of the President’s guards at the Presidential Mansion, which was informative (thanks to George) and interesting. Learning more about Greece’s more recent history (within the last 200 years or so) was a nice benefit of this tour. Our tour finished up a little after 4pm at our hotel in the city center. Overall, it’s a pretty active tour, so I wouldn’t recommend it if you had small children or had anyone with mobility issues in your party, but we really enjoyed it. You get to see and experience a lot, but it never felt rushed. It was a great day in Athens.
Review provided by Viator
Eleanor_r
Jul 9, 2025
Fantastic day in Athens - Nassos picked us up in front of our VRBO right on time! From the start, he was very personable and professional. You can tell he is passionate about his home country of Greece and loves its history, which was awesome. He made our day very special and memorable. We only really had one day to see Athens and he did a fantastic job of showing us the highlights. We all learned a little about each other as well as learning about the city. He provided us with water and an umbrella for our very hot trek up to the Parthenon. It came in handy! The day was well spent. Nassos is a fantastic guide. If you are going to take a tour, please request him. We will cherish the memories we made! Tom, Eleanor and Lauren ❤️
Review provided by Viator
Evan_p
Jul 8, 2025
Panos was an excellent... - Panos was an excellent chaffeur during our full day tour of Athens. He had the timing down to a science as he guided us around the city in the optimal path to limit crowds and traffic. He's not a licensed tour guide so he wasn't able to join us in the sites so it was up to us to figure out what we were looking at for the various sites but that wasn't an issue for us, but it's something to be aware of.
Review provided by Viator
Robin_h
Jul 7, 2025
Amazing Athens!!! - If you have one day to spend in Athens, this is the way to do it. Elias was amazing, knowledgeable, fun, and funny. Our kids thought he was the best part of the tour. He took us to all the Big sites gave us background information and knowledge about how to get through quickly. he had our tickets ready and suggestions for food that made the day the best it could’ve been thank you so much Elias
Review provided by Viator
Shameze
Jul 4, 2025
Athens Full Day Private Tour - Great Experience! - Our Athens Full Day Private Tour with Xenon was one of the highlights of our trip to Greece! Everything was perfectly arranged, and our guide, Elias, was absolutely fantastic. He was incredibly knowledgeable, friendly, and had a true gift for storytelling that brought Athens’ rich history to life. We visited all the must-see sights like the Acropolis and the Parthenon, as well as some lesser-known historical gems that Elias introduced us to. His passion for Greek culture made the entire experience deeply meaningful and engaging. One of the best parts of the day was our lunch stop at a charming local taverna, where we enjoyed delicious traditional Greek dishes — vine leaves, fava beans, pastitsio, malagouzia wine, Sparta beer, and of course a fresh Greek salad, we had on our trip. It was a perfect taste of authentic Athenian cuisine and a great way to relax and finish off the tour. Xenon was responsive and personal from start to finish. If you’re planning to visit Athens, I can’t recommend Xenon highly enough — and be sure to ask for Elias if you can. He made history come alive and left us with memories we’ll never forget!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Aventurasdealaniz
Jul 3, 2025
Private Athens full Day Tour with Nasos! - This day trip was more than we expected. We visited the ancient sites before the crowds. Nasos, was one step ahead of everyone else. Knowledgeable, funny and entertaining to say the least. Provided plenty of water and the best food recommendations. Private driver all around the city narrating Greece’s history was the perfect day trip to make us feel submerged in the culture and history of Greece.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tonia_a
Jul 3, 2025
Private Athens full Day Tour with Nasos! - This day trip was more than we expected. We visited the ancient sites before the crowds. Nasos, was one step ahead of everyone else. Knowledgeable, funny and entertaining to say the least. Provided plenty of water and the best food recommendations. Private driver all around the city narrating Greece’s history was the perfect day trip to make us feel submerged in the culture and history of Greece.
Review provided by Viator
Riverroc
Jul 2, 2025
Worth it! - The private tour is definitely worth the money if you are interested in the historical sites. I would recommend wearing tennis shoes and active wear as you will be walking quite a bit. Elias was an amazing tour guide, wish we could take him to the other islands with us! For the Acropolis, go as early as possible. Make sure you get your tickets (which are separate) ahead of time or see if your tour guide can get them for you. The tickets were $30 each for Acropolis and $20 each for the Ancient Agora and museum. Worth it!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $140
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).