Athens & Acropolis Highlights: a Mythological Tour

A Mythological Tour of Ancient Sites

This was an excellent tour. Our guide had many myths to share. You really shouldn't to to these sites without someone who is knowledgeable and entertaining. The time flew by. Luckily, we started the tour early enough so that we did not pass out from the hot afternoon sun. We wore shorts, good light hiking shoes and carried our walking sticks, which helped us navigate the rocky, uneven paths. The bulk of the tour was Acropolis/Parthenon. Things started to unravel a bit in the Ancient Angora, but if you wanted to, you could do additional touring of the site once the tour was completed. We chose to go directly to our afternoon food tour in Monastiraki about ten minutes away. Overall, this was a nice tour, and was well worth spending 4 hours with a group of nice people and an excellent guide.

Horrible process

We had booked our tour months ago and paid in full what we were invoiced. We arrived on time, but were then informed that we could not join the tour because we hadn’t purchased separate tickets to the Acropolis. The tour guide said they had contacted us about them - but they had never done so. We had no recourse and had to just miss the tour. Luckily I finally connected with a live person and raised hell and they refunded us our money. Since we had another day in Athens we could reschedule. The second day when we showed up, the exact same thing was happening to at least 3 other groups. They had no options because there was their only day in Athens. The tour guides were saying the same thing to them - “We emailed you” etc - but no one had received anything. It seems stupid that these separate required tickets aren’t just included in the tour. The tour itself was great - but the experience as a whole was horrible for dozens of people who were left stranded. AWFUL.

Acropolis tour

If you’re in Athens for the first time, I definitely think the Acropolis is a must see. Our guide Zofia was very knowledgeable about Greek mythological history. However, we booked an early morning tour to try to beat the heat and the crowds, but our group spent about an hour and a half outside of the Acropolis site discussing Greek history, so by the time we got to the Acropolis it was so hot and so crowded, which I believe hindered our experience. I also didn’t feel that there was much to see at the Agora and would have been fine skipping that, especially in the heat.

Book it

Alex was amazing. He navigated us from shady spot to shady spot to share history and mythology and connecting it to the larger world and how Athenian influence is still felt on the other side of the world in government and religion and language and medicine and art. Worth. Every. Euro.

Informative and good pace.

Very good. Very detailed and informative. The guide kept a good pace and managed us all well in the heatwave.

So much history and beautiful views!

Our guide Alex was so incredibly knowledgeable about the history of the areas and made connections throughout the tour making it very relatable to everyone. He made sure to be watchful of everyone’s condition as the weather was very warm and shade was sparse.

"A" is for Acropolis/Angora - Excellent Tour

We were lucky to complete the tour before it got hot, hot, hot in Athens. Our guide provided a good deal of mythological information about many Greek Gods, and the Acropolis and Angora were the perfect settings for such myths. It was reasonably paced, though there was some climbing on rocky pavement involved. Don't forget to bring water. I had my trusty walking stick as well. Even though I'm somewhat fit, I utilized the walking stick to make the climbing easier.

Headsets/earphones needed to hear everything that the guide was saying.

We couldn’t hear everything that the guide was saying. Headsets/earphones would have been very useful .

Tour review

The tour guide Elena was super nice, but I found it a lot less interesting than other tours we’ve been on. But the largest issue was that she was a pretty soft spoken woman with a medium thick accent and the didn’t provide the typical tour guide receiver with headphones so it was a real challenge hearing her, most of the group commented on that. Not a bad tour at all but probably one I’d only do if I was not looking for much Greek mythology and more historical/archeological information.

I really wanted to live this tour.

Over the years I have booked many tours with Viator all around the world and we have had great experiences. This was the worst. The guide was terrible. She has a very soft voice and we could not hear her. She didn’t even try to speak up and was annoyed when we asked questions. We saw many guides with microphones. That would have been helpful except for the fact that when was able to be close enough to hear her she was not engaging or interesting at all. She just spoke in a monotone never ending sentence. Many of us walked away and listened in to other guides tours. There were 13 total on this tour, none of us were happy with the guide. Very disappointing.

Nice walking tour and mythology of Ancient Greece

Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and tried to keep the whole group engaged. Due to extreme heat, she made sure to give the group plenty of opportunities to sit and rest in the shade along with get water when possible.

Loved it!!

Excellent tour!! We loved it! Fully detailed tour of the Acropolis and the Agora! Michael was a fantastic guide!

TEN STARS!!

Alex was an excellent guide! He has a passion for history and mythology and this is exactly what we were looking for. I want to go back on his tour again and again! He made everything come alive and was very knowledgeable. There are a lot of rocky steps to climb, so be aware.

The Past Brought to Life

Marguerite, our guide, really brought our tour to life. She was knowledgeable, engaging, and animated. Even though it was sweltering, her lively personality and story telling skills kept us focused. I strongly recommend this unique way of learning about the Greek ruins. Just remember that it is a four hours with a lot of walking.

Must see

Margarita was amazing , super knowledgeable and great at answering questions. Definitely recommend, goes through major ancient archaeological sights

Enjoyed the Mystical stories but the organisation could be better.

The tour itself was average. I think the tickets should have been included in the price so it was hassle free. It was difficult communicating through the Viator app. We enjoyed the Mythical stories and the guide was very knowledgeable.

Athens and Acropolis Highlight Tour

Maria the guide was very knowledgeable about the sites and areas within the tour and friendly. All the staff involved with the tour were very very helpful, especially when there was an issue with my ticket to the Acropolis.

Informative and engaging

A lot of fun and our guide (Michael) provided a lot of information in a fun and engaging way. A good mix of mythological and historical information while always bringing us to great spots with a good view and/or well shaded.

Our guide Maria was a...

Our guide Maria was a wealth of information . It was amazing to hear how myth, history and politics have been woven together in a literal and symbolic narrative that informs our life today across cultures. Thank you Maria!

A must-do tour!

Georgina was a wonderful tour guide. She made sure we were all well hydrated and in the shade as much as possible. She told very detailed stories/history of all the gods and goddesses. It was truly fascinating and we all enjoyed it!

Nice way to see the major sites of Athens

Nice way to see the major sites with a small group, a guide, and a cultural spin. The guides were knowledgeable and helpful at navigating the crowds.

History visited

This was the highlight of a 10-day Viking vacation. We had a great time in many places, but Athens is certainly a premiere stop for any history buff. Almost all of our tour guides had a degree in Archaeology.

Acropolis and Agora mythological tour (early June 2024)

Vicki was very nice. She told logs of great stories of historical reference that were interesting. If you aren't a super avid archaeological structures person, all the old stone structures begin to look similar after awhile. The stories make them interesting, and the person telling the stories is critical to them having the best impact. Great overview of the Acropolis and Agora. After the tour I spent a couple of hours walking around and looking at things without a time table, and visited the Agora Museum on the grounds. 93-95 F all day, but there was enough shade and water sources to keep the heat pushed back a bit. But I heard that the day before our tour, 5 people of the 10 in the one tour group gave up and quit halfway due to heat exhaustion. So if you are sensitive to the heat, you should go very early in the morning.

Interesting, long

The tour was great, the guide was very nice and very enthusiastic, but she was mostly focused on a little kid. Also it was a bit long

Awesome tour! Very insightful!

What a great tour of the various mythological mysteries and back stories of the ancient world. The day was well laid out and our guide set expectations along the way! Highly recommend the tour!

A Fantastic Tour with a Wonderful Guide

I booked the Athens Mythological Tour with Alternative Athens. It is a great way to see the sites and learn so much about Athens history. Our guide Kristina was amazing! She had so much knowledge about the city and the mythological origins. We loved it! The tour company had great communication and responded quickly to a question I had. I would def. use this tour company again.

Wonderful tour!

This tour was super interesting! Our tour guide was excellent and incredibly knowledgeable. My only wish is that it was structured a little differently, starting from the top of the acropolis and working down from there instead of working up. By the time we got up there it was extremely hot

Tour Guide Sophia Supurb

Our tour guide Sophia was incredibly knowledgable of Greek history, archaeology, culture and the stories of Greek Mythology! She made the experience perfect! This tour was the highlight of our time in Athens and far exceeded our expectations.

Not to be missed!

Alex was our guide. He was very knowledgeable and kept us enthralled for the 4 hours with the stories.

Highly recommend!

We had a fantastic time on this tour! Our guide, Athina, was very knowledgable and entertaining and we loved hearing all the Greek mythology stories. It was a hot day, so we appreciated the frequent stops in the shade on the way up. We would highly recommend this tour!

Enjoyable and informative tour!

Alternative Athens was well organized and got us connected with our guide easily and promptly at the meeting point. Our guide, Elena, did a great job telling us about the ancient stories and myths and connecting them to real life, both past and current. She also made sure to keep our whole group together - quite a feat to keep track of us all in the huge crowds on the Acropolis! We felt like we had plenty of time there to see everything. We were also glad the tour ended at the Ancient Agora, leaving us time to finish exploring it and the museum on our own. Overall, a great way to see some of the most important places in Athens and we really enjoyed our time with Elena!

Not happy!

If I could give this a zero I would. I booked and I cancelled within one hour. Normally that would be enough for most organisations. I think this is grossly unfair and I have been taken advantage of… I would expect that this operator would be fair and reasonable and at least refund a reasonable portion of my total payment of $200. It is criminal that this operator has earned $200 for zero work. I will never ever utilise this service again, and I will make sure that everyone I know is aware of the manner in which this operator runs their business. Not even a 1 percent refund! This is extremely poor customer service.

Fantastic tour! 10/10

Fantastic tour! Dani was amazing! Fun and informative tour that really got to the heart of the anchient Greek culture, the mythology! It was great to learn about how the mythology impacted daily life and influenced this amazing civilization. 10/10 would highly recommend this tour!

A Great Way to Get Your Daily Steps In

We had an amazing time. Our guide, Michael was a perfect combination of knowledgeable, informative, funny, and accommodating. We had a couple of elderly people with us and he took us up gradually, making sure to check in with them to see what they felt comfortable to do. We learned a lot and enjoyed ourselves.

Wonderful

Loved everything about this tour! Helena was wonderful at mixing mythology and historical facts ! The walk was pleasant as she was always finding a shady spot for us ! My only suggestion would be headphones as there are so many groups it's sometimes. Hard to hear your guide over the other guides !

Experience never had

That we weren’t able to attend the tour because my group of 3 wasn’t notified that we had to buy tickets less than 24 hours but when we purchased the tour tickets we have been trying to get in contact (2 weeks in advance) with someone and no contact has been made. It wasn’t stated that we could or couldn’t get a refund without the tickets. For reference we were early to the tour in order to get things situated hoping the tour guides would know some information. When we arrived the tour guides (2 different women) explained to us that we had to go to the office and buy tickets. We kept trying to explain the situation and ask even if we purchased tickets for a later time would we still be able to go on the tour. They both still told us go to the office (8am). We arrived at the office and no one was there to answer our question. The number one of the tour guide gave us was a wrong number that wasn’t working. She said we can also send an email and we yet still have yet heard a response. I wish more communication had been available. For the question below who was with you it also doesn’t give the option of family (adults)

Too long

It was ok. The guide was very knowledgeable but the information was too much. Got confusing. I probably would have done a different tour

Great tour!

Such an excellent tour! Our guide was Michael and he was an amazing guide! The tour was fun and informative. We learned a lot, so much better than going on our own. Amazing!

Trust me…DO IT!

Charoula was the tour guide for my group, she was FANTASTIC! She was knowledgeable, comical and super attentive to my group. This tour is worth way more than the price I paid! One word of advice, bring a water bottle as you will need it! There is a place to refill your bottles right beside the Parathion.

Do it! You won’t regret it!

Charoula was the best tour guide I’ve had by far in my European Tour! She was super knowledgeable, friendly, and patient. I would highly recommend doing this tour. It is most definitely worth way more than the price!

Mix of history and mythology

Nice mix of mythology and history. Our guide was knowledgeable and funny. I recommend this tour to others.

Awesome tour! Even more awesome tour guide!

Our tour was wonderful! Our tour guide was extremely friendly and she was knowledgeable on both mythological and historical aspects of our tour. All the stops we made were very beautiful and it was an amazing experience overall.

Rip off - Avoid - Con Artists

A tour of the Acropolis that does not include a timed ticket for the Acropolis. As a result expect your tour to end at the gates of the Acropolis. Not a surprise to the tour guide or the staff on the ground. This happened to other couples not just us. See photo of ticket we bought on another day, it only costs €20

Amazing. We love Georgina!!!!!!

I booked this tour for 14 people for students attending a retreat and the company was so accommodating! Georgina our guide was the absolute best. Her knowledge and humor really enhanced our experience. Everyone loved it. I would highly recommend booking this mythological tour of the acropolis and angora. You see everything and learn a great deal about Greek mythology, culture and the architecture!!! 5 stars!!!!!

Amazing!

Absolutely amazing! Loved hearing all the mythological stories! Our tour guide was very knowledgeable!

Bringing the Acropolis to life

Great combo of myths, history, and making these iconic sites come to life. Amaryllis was an excellent guide, and connected all the dots over an extensive multi-stop walking tour.

Great tour!

Very informative guide (Apollo) took us through major sites. Knowledgeable, funny, expert at knowing how to find shade on a hot day! Mythology references super interesting. Highly recommend!

Excellent historical and mythological tour!

Excellent tour! Our guide was lovely and incredibly informative. We found this tour really fun and learnt a lot. Also felt like we saw a good amount of historical Athens in the one go which was great!

A must do wbile in Athens.

Visiting the Acropolis was a bucket list item and did not disappoint. Having a knowledgable and pleasant guide like Penelope was a bonus. The age importance and history is palpable. I was nervous about the amount of walking and the climbing but there were enough stops on the way to make it an interesting walk rather than an energy sapping slog Lots of people doing the same thing. I just regarded myself as part of a throng of commoners going to attend a public event at the temple. Once on to the hill itself there was a lot of room for all the people and plenty of photo opportunities.

Fascinating and Inspiring Tour With An Amazing Guide!!

Our Guide, Alex (Aslanidid) was OUTSTANDING and a wonderful person!!! He is extremely knowledgeable about Greek history, phylosophy and culture. He demonstrates great passion for his job and made our Tour come alive with his fascinating lecture and visual enhancements through his Ipad. Alex captivated our attention and enriched our Tour by also demonstrating the impact Greece had on the world in terms of establishing a foundation for Democracy, Theature, Science, Phylosophy, Sports and Classical Arts. He inspired me and others to want to learn more about Greek history and phylosophy.