Amazing experience! - We had an amazing time with Vicki! We started at 8:30 am which avoided the 8am rush. Vicki was a wealth of information, we learned so much! We are parents with 3 sons 21, 18 and 14 who loved learning about Greek history and culture. Vicki also knew the best spots to take pictures and also find shade so she could tell us the history.

Highlights of Athens and guided visit to the Acropolis - This excursion was by far one of the highlights of our trip. It was an insanely hot day in Athens and it was wonderful to have a car with air conditioner and bottles of water. The driver was wonderful and told us a lot of facts about the city on the way to the Acropolis, where we met our very nice guide. The whole experience was great and we learnt a lot, my children enjoyed the stories involving Greek mythology. Highly recommended.

Wonderful private tour of Acropolis and Plaka - My husband and I took a private tour of the Acropolis and Plaka neighborhood with guide Antigoni Patika, who works with Warm Penguin tours. (Private means only my husband and me.) Antigoni was my favorite guide of the three Warm Penguin Athens tours we took. Antigoni told us about the sights on top of the Acropolis: the Parthenon, the Erechtheion with Four Caryatids, the Propylea, the Athena Nike Temple, etc. Antigoni brought along pictures to supplement her talk. I greatly appreciated this! She had a picture of the probable appearance of the huge forty foot statue of Athena that used to stand inside the Parthenon. (Her picture was based on a still-existing Roman copy of the Parthenon’s original Athena statue. The Roman copy is in the National Archaeological Museum). Antigoni did a great job explaining how the ancient Greeks constructed the buildings on the Acropolis. She showed us 3 pictures of how the ancients moved the large marble pieces needed to construct the buildings. Sometimes cylindrical rock sections had small rock stubs like door jambs to wedge the pieces and hold them in place as they were moved. Antigoni said the Athenians were unable to complete the finishing touches on the Porphyry entrance gate because they were busy fighting a war. The walls of the Porphyry have little stone stubs sticking out on which finishing stone slabs would have been hung. It is not easy for a guide to hail around supplemental teaching materials. I appreciate Antigoni’s extra effort. Antigoni told us a story about the mythological gods competing for naming rights to the town of Athens, and about an olive tree planted at the Erechtheion. While we were on the top of Acropolis hill, Antigoni explained the sites below: the Asclepieion, the Theatre of Dionysus, nearby Mars Hill, nearby Pnyx Hill, etc. From the Acropolis we looked down and saw the ruins of the Asclepieion, a healing center dedicated to Asclepius, a god associated with healing and medicinal arts. Antigoni told us that here priests administered medicine and performed operations. They believed in healing both body and mind. Before a patient could receive medical treatment at the Asclepieion, the patient had to go next door to see a religious theatrical performance at the Theatre of Dionysus. It was fun to learn about both of these ancient sites, instead of just seeing their ruins. Antigoni pointed out nearby Mars Hill, (the Hill of Ares, the Greek god of war.) Long ago the Greek Supreme Court sat there, and St. Paul addressed early Christians there. People were walking on Mars Hill. Antigoni pointed out another hill not far from the Acropolis called Pnyx Hill. In ancient times this hill had huge assemblies where democracy was invented and speeches were given. In 1687 the invading Venetians used this hill as a site from which to fire cannonballs at the Turks defending the Acropolis. The Parthenon was severely damaged by the explosion of the Turks’ munitions stockpile. She also pointed out the well preserved Temple of Hephaestus in the Agora (a place we visited on a different Viator tour). After enjoying the views from on top the Acropolis we headed downhill into the Plaka. Although the Plaka is a modern tourist/shopping district, there are many ancient or historic sites in the Plaka worth seeing. Antigoni showed us several of them. We walked past the ruins of the Library of Hadrian, a fine library built in 132 AD by Hadrian, a Roman ruler of Athens. The building was used to store literary works and legal archives as well as a place to hear lectures and host philosophical schools. It had a lecture hall, reading rooms, gardens and a decorative pool. We walked past the Tower of the Winds, an elegant octagonal building built around 60 BC, named after the eight large reliefs of wind gods around its top. It was originally topped by a weather vane, which would have been useful for traders and sailors. It had a clock tower and a sundial. We strolled past shops and restaurants, some old churches, and the Monument of Lysikrates. Once we had descended into the Plaka we got somewhat distant views of the Acropolis and Hadrian’s Arch, surrounded by more modern buildings, putting them in context. At the beginning of our tour before we ascended the Acropolis, Antigoni pointed out the most expensive residential district in Athens. The Spanish embassy is there. We went inside a small church in that neighborhood. At the end of our tour Antigoni led us to a very nice restaurant where my husband and I had a sumptuous delicious lunch. Our Viator tour included the food option, so we did not pay for this lunch. Many locals were dining there. I don’t know the name of the restaurant. Antigoni pointed out a favorite quiet restaurant where she and her family like to dine: Hermion (Epmeion?), established 1981. We hoped to dine there but never did. I recommend taking a Viator private tour of the Acropolis and Plaka. Request Antigoni Patika from Warm Penguin tours as your guide. She speaks Greek, English and German.

Super guide and super visit! - I booked this private tour to be able to enjoy an expert guide who knew how to explain the places and history of the Acropolis and Plaka well and in an engaging way. I was fully satisfied because Marita was very, very good: thorough, patient, nice, full of information and curiosity. The price is absolutely correct for the service offered, i.e. over 3 hours of personalized visit (skip-the-line access tickets to the Acropolis not included). Thanks Maritq!

Wonderful tour - Great tour of the Acropolis and downtown Athens! Having a guide for this site is a must! The tour of Plaka was great also…a lot of history and a knowledgeable guide was a essential

Acropolis and Plaka tour - The views were amazing from the Acropolis! Our guide Vicki was superb and was ver knowledgeable about Greek history. As older couples she was very conscientious about our limits with walking (gave us plenty of time to sit in the shade) and secured an elevator to get to the top of the Acropolis.

Best Way to Experience the Acropolis - Oh, My Goodness! Eva, my tour guide, was beyond amazing! I planned this tour to help my first day in Athens (solo traveler here). I landed a few hours before this tour. The timing was perfection. Eva provided the knowledge that I craved that allowed me to feel immersed in the Acropolis. I was able to ask questions without hesitancy. The bonus was she took pictures of me. This warmed my heart more than I can say. I felt as though I was there with a friend. By the end of the tour, I truly felt as though I made my first Greek friend.

A great and unique experience - We booked a private tour to acropolis & acropolis museum and we had wonderful experience. The communication with the agency were fast and and effective and they provide us with all the information for booking an locations. The guide (Anna) were really prepared, patience and available for any questions. She explained us architecture and history as well as tips and Greek mythology. Very recommended !

Tour of Acropolis and Plaka - Took a morning hike up to the top of the Acropolis and we were rewarded with an amazing view of Athens. The Greek root acro- literally means "high;" thus, an acropolis is basically a "high city". Ancient cities often grew up around a high point, in order that they could easily be defended. Our guide (I think her name was Lisa) was very friendly, knowledgeable and went at a good pace for us. Afterwards we went walking through the neighborhood Anafiotika - an amazing small part of Plaka neighborhood, just beneath the Acropolis. Walking the tiny curved alleys, it’s easy to get lost - both figuratively and literally! We enjoyed lunch at a local restaurant and ordered salad and fresh fish.

Amazing informative and efficient/effective tour of the Acropolis and its museum - Eva was outstanding in her knowledge of the Acropolis both from a historical as well as philosophical perspective which provided us with a holistic view of the Greek culture and people over several years. She was extremely accommodating as my husband does not walk a lot so she made sure we took our time walking and resting in the shade while she shared her knowledge! She knows how to really navigate the Acropolis Museum to make our tour the most informative and efficient time among so many people! Would highly recommend Eva as a tour guide- she is fantastic!