Ancient Delos Tour

Delos and lunch experience

Our guide was very knowledgeable and gave us lots of details. We also had plenty of time to see the ruins without feeling rushed. It was an incredible experience. Our tour ended with lunch at a nearby farm. The traditional Greek meal was delicious.

Delos Tour for History & Culture Lovers

The tour started out bumpy as there was a disconnect in communication between the tour organizer and the escort who picked us up. The pickup times were incorrect & this caused some tension between the escort & several customers. Overall, the tour organizer was very easy to communicate with & responded quickly. Carefully read what is included in the price beforehand as the cost for the ferry & whispers must be paid in cash only on the day of the tour. Our guide Kleopatra was wonderful- she gave great insights & history, was witty & entertaining. She was a highlight of our entire trip! The tour is really for those interested in the historical aspects of Delos, we found some of the younger children on the tour were not engaged or interested & this was quite distracting.

Amazing site but terrible guide

Delos itself is an incredible archaeological site, a phenomenal experience if you appreciate history. The guide felt pointless, as she was difficult to understand while projecting her voice for everyone to hear her over the wind, as she kept using the same upward inflection which made it very grating to listen to. She also did not include a lot of detail about the mythology, telling us it was the birthplace of Apollo, but ignoring his sister Artemis completely. She also repeated the same annoying phrases like “hello, hello, hello, are we all here? Are we all here? Hello, hello.” To the point that many in the group would laugh when this happened. She also left us half-way through the tour, so we were left the explore the rest of the site on our own, although it came as a relief since the guide was so disappointing. The boat was also over crowded with not enough seating for everyone.

Worth the time!!

What an interesting place to visit and so beautiful!! Worth a morning over there if not for the visit but the time on the water. We had a great guide that walked us around and helped us understand the layout and the culture that lived here.

One guide for 47 people

A guide for 47 people. Bluetooth connection was often lost due to large distance from the guide. Delos tour should take care of a maximum number of people in a group. Paying 30 euro per person, we would have been better with a private guide. Delos maximised its profit with our tour= 47 people*30 Euro per 1.5 hour. Guide was strict with her time, though we started late due to large group and accommodating of bluetooth connection for everyone. Not worth it.

Average at best

Extremely disorganized. We walked 15 to meet at the "designated stop" to turn around and walk back where we came from. It was a beautiful walk and at this time in the morning not busy. Our guide Maria was herding our group like a border collie instead of being a guide. The ferry was delightful and I'm glad I went, but I could have gotten off the ship and got a ticket for the ferry myself for half the price.

Impressive

The glide was professional and it was clear that she was very knowledgeable about the history and details of what we were viewing. Thank you

Tour group size matters.

Archeological site was magnificent! Tour guide very knowledgeable and skilled at wrangling 41 tourists. Average rating is because we selected the option with a group size max of 25. 40+ is just too big!! Was expecting (and paid for) a more intimate experience and did not receive that. Thank you

Delos and walking tour

The tours were overall very good. The Delos tour was great! There was good education regarding the island provided by the tour guide. The con was that the group was so large. It took a long time for everyone to gather in the desired area which in turn limited the time and information we received. The port tour was also wonderfully. Luckily, I was the only person on that tour. So, I got a personal tour of the port. For anyone wanting to book these tours my only suggestion would be to book the small tour group.

Poor shore excursion in Mykonos

Communication with provider was great. It was easy to find the operator, who took us to the bus. We had to pick up some other people, which was fine. Our guide took us to the ferry that would take us to Delos. The amount we paid ($50 per person) did not include the entrance fee to Delos and we found out credit cards were not taken. She took us to a cash exchange (we did have some dollars) and we got 80 euros for $100. Ouch! She put us on the ferry and that was it for her part. So we paid this company $50 to take us from the new port to the old port (which was two kilometers) and buy our tickets for the ferry and entry fee to Delos. The Norwegian Gem offered a free shuttle to the old port. In hind sight, we should have taken the free shuttle, bought a ferry ticket and bought our tickets for Delos online before the trip. We did take the free shuttle back to the boat as she said it was not provided. It said on the information, "Hotel or port pick and drop-off" is included. We did not feel we received value for our money.

Awesome (should read)

We did the Delos tour and Mykonos tour. Delos was beautiful and as a massive Greek mythology buff was great the Delos tour guide took a second to get rolling but once she found her rhythm was great. The highlight of the trip was the Mykonos tour specifically the guide wish I’d grabbed her name but she was a delight and completely made the trip. Highly recommend the Raki kinda waved rn.

Nice Morning Excursion with Helpful Guide

Great day trip out of Mykonos. Lots of history on Delos and our guide did a nice job telling stories and helping us avoid the extreme crowding. Would recommend.

Recommend the tour - learned a lot.

Transfers were easy, guide was knowledgeable. Enjoyed the tour and learned a great deal. Make sure to sunscreen up.

extra charges for imaginary services

The boat trip and guide were included in the original fare. They then charged everyone before we got on the boat for extras. They presented this as necessary and not a choice. 5 more Euros per person for the "Whisper" ear piece and 8 more Euros for the museum entry. So for my daughter and me, I paid a total of 26 additional euros. I never used the "Whisper". I could easily hear the guide speak without assistance. This should have been a choice. And worse, THE MUSEUM WAS CLOSED!! It is under renovation. It is a small island with few buildings. The tour company had to know this! They did not offer anyone their money back. Really, such a rip off.

Disorganized

I’m giving two stars because of all the confusion. I received at least 12 emails in two days about time changes due to overbooking etc. The tour company wanted us to reschedule till the afternoon but we were on a cruise ship and had limited time. The tour was delayed due to all the chaos. It was supposed to start at 9:40 but was delayed till after 11. That’s not acceptable when you have a limited stop from a cruise ship.

Tour operator needs to be better prepared!

The tour guide on Delos was excellent however I had a bad experience on dock with the tour company representative. He said I needed to pay for ferry to Delos to and from Mykonos and also for the headset. He said 25 euros, I gave him 50 euros and he said he had only 10 euros change to give me. I was ripped off for 15 euros. I hope Viator can get me the money that is due me.

Very good information

Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and made the tour memorable. Being an archaeologist, she was able to answer all our questions! A bit of confusion in our booking time, but so happy with the late afternoon tour!

Bad tour

The sites and boat ride to and from Delos were spectacular. Our meeting guide showed up later then announced and then stood about 50 meters from where the church meeting place was. By chance one of the group members was scouting around and saw a guy with a clipboard and asked him about the tour. He then said he was the person Once on Delis, we waited another 20-30 minutes for a different tour guide. When she showed up, she was not dressed as a guide (professionally) and her English skills were not good enough to qualify for a guide. Her information and delivery were boring as she read from the scenic view displays. There was an insufficient amount of whispers, so a few people had none. My friend and I and another family turned in our whispers to her and went solo on our own excursion. We did better , saw more, and read on our own more interesting things.

Not good!

Worst tour I was ever on, disorganize, hours late which resulted in a shortened tour, not enough ear phones for the group, guide was tired and uninspiring.

Incredible island but you will pay more than expected

You need to know that: - you will pay 8€/pers to enter in the island - you will pay 5€/pers to have an audio system - you have around 2h30 to visit the island (the rest of time is spent waiting all people boarding the boat and the travelling to the island) They give you an audio system to listen the guide speaking (because we are a lot per group). I think you can negociate to not get it and stay close to the guide so you hear him :) It is not mandatory to stay with the guide. After 5 minutes, half of the group left him to make their own tour of the island because there are a lot of things to see and the speed of the guide will not let you see everything. It is up to you :) The island is incredible. Do it. Maybe not via this company.

Nice historic trip with a few kinks

Our guide, Cleopatra was the highlight of the tour. She was knowledgeable, friendly and was a great storyteller.

Very disappointing

This trip was cancelled due to high winds. I have emailed, requesting a refund. I would expect TripAdvisor to have the courtesy of replying and sending a refund, instead of ignoring my request. I appreciate TripAdvisor cannot control the weather, but a response would be appreciated. We will not be using TripAdvisor again.

An excursion from Hell

First off my partner is handicapped and can’t walk fast. Driver drove us to one spot just to meet a lady who walked us a long way to meet our boat to Delos. Once there the group we were to be with #5 was walking away before we even joined the group. Once I caught up to her she told us to stand over there. So we did. And she and the group left. Leaving several of us behind. Bear in mind we had purchased the headsets to use. Another guide Natalie heard our frustration and offered for us to join her group. However she did not have headsets. So we paid for a headset that we were unable to use. Getting off the boat is already mass chaos but you would think the guides would have all their group before leaving. Well at the end of tour, we took boat back to Mykonos and there was no one there to take us back to our hotel. We had to hire a taxi after walking a bit to find one.

Beautiful sight and good tour

Really enjoyed the tour guide! Also, helpful that I was guided from transfer to port. It’s a bit hectic with all of the people, so I appreciated that. Only thought is that there be extra time offered if you want to stay and your on your own. I ended up asking and getting that option, but I feel people would opt for that if it was in the description.

Beautiful and vast

Very well organised and informative. This tour took us all over the site and left time for some solo exploration aswell. Take some closed in shoes for rough terrain.

Island was fascinating; working with the tour company was not!

I really wanted to love this tour but honestly, it was a bit chaotic. We were initially not given instructions on where to go once we arrived to the island so there was a lot of confusion for quite a few of us. We also did not have instructions on transportation back so I had up scramble and call to figure out where to go. Then I received a callback a few minutes later telling me that the driver is leaving in 10 minutes. Now we are running towards the direction of where we were dropped off and still were not clear on exactly where to go. We get there within 10 minutes only for the driver to be instructed by her boss to wait another over 30 minutes for another couple! We were LIVID! It is not fair to make your other customers whom actually follow instructions, to be punished for others who don't! We were late for our reservations and almost lost them because of this. I strongly dislike when companies do this. This tour requires a lot more organization and coordination.

True history revealed

The tour itself and tour guide were wonderful, very informative and created a great experience. To start the experience, however, the women that greeted us at the St. Nicholas church was very unprofessional. She did not introduce herself, immediately asked for money, and poorly answered questions. That was the only blemish on an otherwise memorable experience.

Do Not Book with Mykonos Excursions

We booked a private tour of Delos for our family and even paid Mykonos Excursions hundreds of Euros extra for a private boat to arrive in Delos before the large crowds arrived on ferries. Our private boat was delayed but at least we arrived at Delos way before our private guide (who was arriving on one of the packed ferries), so we paid a lot extra for nothing. Then our private guide (again, we paid a premium for this for 7 of us) was a nice lady but provided no context for what we were seeing, was not strong in communicating in English, reviewed her notes several times during our tour, and left without saying goodbye. She literally walked past my kids (we were walking 1-2 minute behind with my slower senior citizen father) and said "bye," bought a ferry ticket and left. She did not stay to wrap up the tour, to say thank you, to accept a gratuity, etc. We were in disbelief. I let the company know about these concerns and asked them to resolve the situation, and they have had a completely insufficient response. We did not get what we paid for, and they did not stand behind their services. I have never written a negative review after traveling to over 30 countries (with private tours in all of them), but since most of us will only ever have 1 time in our lives to visit someplace as special as Delos, you owe it to yourselves to find a company who will ensure you have an expert guide who can share the details in an engaging way. Do not book with this company.

Not Worth The Price

This tour was not worth the cost. I appreciated the knowledge of the Delos guide but went a bit too fast. All of my Viator experiences have been terrific, so I was surprised that this one did not deliver.

Good tour but could have been better

The visit was good but the audio didn’t work. The guide spoke as loudly as she could but the audio didn’t work so you had to be right near her.

Something different

Nice to visit tobkill time. Our tour guide wasa turn off. Literally every was walking away from her. Knowledgeable but delivery lacked.

Pissed in Greece

We never got picked up for this tour. The international phone number did not work Viator was of no help. I am expecting a 100% refund!

Would opt for a combination tour!

I thought the tour delivered exactly what it promised - a lengthy tour of the Delos island ruins. The tour guide was knowledgeable, which was very helpful. There are some parts that were really interesting, but most of the ruins were rocks on the ground. For that reason, I would not recommend the tour unless you are an avid lover of history like myself. But even with that, there is no need for the amount of time given for this tour. It should be combined with another attraction like a city tour of Mykonos. Note also, the tour guide should be instructed to hold a sign with the purchasers’ names. We stood within feet of one another for at least 20 min (prompting a call to Viator) and I never realized she was a tour guide. Also note, that better instructions should be provided if a patron is arriving my cruise ship. There is a 2€ (each way) charge for a water taxi to get to the meeting place.

Disappointing

The ruins at Delos were interesting, but most of the persons who were on our particular tour were disappointed (June 1, 2022, 10 AM Departure from Old Port, Group 3). The group that was put together for our guide was at least 40 persons (about 2x the size it should have been) and the "whisperers" did not work properly. As a result, it was nearly impossible to hear the guide and her comments and information. Because people kept advising her that she could not be heard, the guide appeared to become discouraged, and her performance became perfunctory. A size limit on groups is important. We had read about Delos before our tour, and learned very little on our tour.

DO NOT TAKE THIS TOUR

Do not take this tour!! Operator failed to pick us up at designated stop at designated time and refused refund. Impossible to work with and totally unreasonable.

Delos is a must see

Walking through ancient history with narration was exciting and informative. The lion statues and well preserved mosaics were my favorites. Beautiful hillsides of spring flowers in bloom. Saw a seagull with chicks and a crested lark thanks to a birder. A couple of negatives- we often strained to understand the guide and that became distracting during longer narratives. Wish we had more time to hike to temple of Isis with nearby mosaics and the theater so we didn't have to rush back to the ferry. The museum on the island was still closed so they reduced the ticket price. It is hot with no shade so bring water,sunglasses and use sunscreen. A parasol, fan and scarf to wet and put on your neck increase comfort. Due to miscommunication, we did not connect with the driver to take us on the farm tour after Delos. I understand a fee for missing our connection but hope to get partial refund and recommend an improved way to communicate/confirm transfer info specially if out of wifi range.

Don’t Lie.

Paying extra for whisper guides? Fine, as advertised. Paying extra for whisper guides that don’t work, when the guide already knows that they rarely do and asks us to cross ourselves and “pray” that they will? Neither appropriate nor fine, especially when the group contains 42 people instead of the promised maximum of 25. Barely had any free time in the island at the end as we were constantly stopping and waiting for people straggling taking photos to get into earshot. Guide projected as best she could, and was engaging, but the site is not designed to accommodate 43 people in one place at a time, so we ended up spread out of her range, which made her difficult to hear. When you pay extra for whisper guides, no one is supposed to be straining. If whisper guides are mandatory because of covid (and I doubt it considering the fact that group sizes clearly aren’t observed), TEST them before you waste people’s time and money. This listing only covers someone buying your tickets for a guiding service instead of providing a guide, so clearly they don’t actually have control over the group sizes and have no right to be advertising a maximum number of travelers.

Delos Tour

Very good tour. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and was great for keeping the group on schedule

Must See Delos!

Loved this tour. A great opportunity to see history and the way people lived years and years ago. The ruins are well preserved and yet offered some things to the imagination. In early Spring the pretty little flowers are in bloom. Don’t miss this tour if you are in Mykonos for a few days. It’s a short Ferry ride away.

Amazing historical experience

Amazing time! My only constructive critique would be if the tour groups were half the size. The whispers don’t have the best range so if you were in the back you missed quite a bit of dialogue. Overall very knowledgeable guide and amazing historical experience.

Highlight of Mykonos trip

A highlight of trip to Greece . The guide was able to fill in all of the history and one could close your eyes and picture this amazing crossroads in history. The museum was closed indoors due to covid and renovation but the outdoor tour of the area was incredible Nice boat ride out as well leaving and returning to busy restaurant and shopping area

Amazing Delos shame about the organisation and hidden add on charges

We paid £86.92 for this trip for 2 people, we understood from the booking that we’d have to pay 12euro each for enterance to the museum. We had an email to say that someone would meet us at 9.30 by the st nikolas chapel in the old port. We got to the port at 9.15, there were lots of different groups around doing other organised tours to Delos, there was no one waiting there at that earlier time so I asked one of the many tour guides around and they said I need to go to the Delos tours counter to redeem my tickets. We queued and were sent back to the church where there was a lady with a card with my name on it. She gave us our tickets and said we needed to pay 12euro each for the museum and another 5euro for the rental of whisper ear pieces to listen to the guide. We paid this in cash although I was a little perturbed re the earpiece cost as this wasn’t on the list of extras to pay for in the Viator detail. We got to the boat, the transfer to Delos was easy and comfortable on a decent sized boat. When getting off at Delos we were told to be back for the boat to depart by 1.30pm. Getting off the boat was chaos with so many different tour groups, tour guides were like herding cats to get their different speaking groups together. We got through the entrance, we were herded off to the first place of interest, which other groups headed towards too, this made tour difficult as there was clearly overlap it needed a bit more organisation to make sure the guides weren’t overlapping as they had huge groups and made for cramped areas. We never used the ear pieces we paid for as the guide said don’t use them, when I switched mine on could hear someone talking in Italian so they were programmed to a Italian guide. This was clearly an annoyance for everyone else in the group! The guide was chasing earpieces at the end of the tour I suspect some kept them out of protest for the charge, she didn’t seem to have the right amount of them to take back. The guide was informative but the group was so big and some points I couldn’t hear or she started before we all caught up. The other huge annoyance was that we paid the museum fee as we weren’t given a choice as were others in the group, only to be told the museum is closed it’s undergoing works and isn’t going to be open for another year until it’s finished so that was another 12 euros each wasted. I will be requesting a refund for these as I’m sure others will too. We were given free time about an hour and twenty mins to explore the site at leisure, this was good got to experience the parts we wanted to see and take pictures that were less crowded by the huge groups. Delos is an amazing place to visit and I highly recommend doing so, but would say book a small tour or do it on you’re own doing the research on the history yourself. This particular tour needs some reorganisation to improve how it’s done before I could recommend it.

Sweat equity worth it

To come to Mykonos and skip Delos would be a shame. Our guide brought the ancient site to life with her knowledge (and candor). The day was hot but I’ll put in this sweat equity for a great experience any time.

Great tour down the history lane!

This was a very good tour, though it didn't start well for us. We had actually booked last minute after speaking a Viator agent who contacted the tour operator on the ground and confirmed the tour with a hotel pick-up/drop. We got picked-up on time and our guide Alexandra, a bubbly person with full of information gave us a briefing en route to the port, however upon arrival we learnt to our disappointment that there was some issue with the agency that booked our tickets and their communication to the company that operated the ferry, consequently we couldn't be on the boat as they were sold out and could operate only on limited capacity due to COVID! However, this we later learnt wasn't the issue as the ferry company has a monopoly on that route and there was some issue with that tour company thru which we had booked out tickets and hence we couldn't be on board, because our tickets were transferred to the next day and they took us on board even though I am not sure that the problem they had cited was resolved. Nevertheless, we were able to get to Delos. It was extremely windy on that day resulting in a choppy sea and high waves. Even though it was less than an hour's travel to the Delos island, this didn't go down well for those with sea-sickness (something to be considered). However, the tour on the island made up for it and there is something about that island, the feelings you get and the vibes it generates, it's very special. And all that history dating to thousands of years and to think that a flourishing civilization existed on that island which was a major religious centre and a port (more than Mykonos). Our guide Athina, a very knowledgeable person, guided us through the island and it's history in great patience and we were longing for more. Time was short as we only had few hours (morning tour) and there was only ferry per day and covid complicatons, so we couldn't do full justice in visiting the whole island and had to be contented with part of it. However, we do hope to return sometime in the future and do the full island tour exploring every nook and corner. Highly recommended tour. Just be warned of the sea moods....as Mykonos is one of the windiest of all islands, it has a bearing on the sea (choppy) and high waves, which was the case on that day of our cruise, even though the cruise lasted less than a hour, it was hard to take for some experiencing sea-sickness.

Easy Day Trip

We enjoyed the pace of this tour. We were picked up from our air bnb (15 mins late) and were taken to the pier. From there we joined the rest of our tour group and met our guide. We paid her the entry fee in cash to get into the Archaelogical site (which we new ahead of time). The drivers were friendly. The tour guide was friendly and paced the tour well. Her English was considerably good. She spoke slowly, and was very informative. We had time for photos and solo time at the end for the museum. The museum offered free bottle water upon entry. There are TONS of cats everywhere on the island. You're allowed to bring cat treats for the cats!!! Wish we did!! There were different departure times for the island. We felt like we explored the whole island and museum in 2.5 hours and left on the first sailing out back to Mykonos at noon. There are little areas on the island with shade so be sure to bring hat protection. The boat ride was smooth there and back.

Delos the delightful

This was fascinating. To be in a place with so much history was almost magical. This is a tour to do on a day when the temperature is not high as there is no shade and when we went no shop available. So take a hat, plenty of water and sunscreen. Good for people who don't like boats because the ferry ride is only 30 minutes.

Great tour of old ruins

There's a lot of history here, and the tour guide explained what we were looking at in great detail. This was an ancient city, complete with small houses and small businesses. A lot of marble was evident. At the end of the tour around the small island, we were able to poke around the museum which was also really neat. I highly recommend bringing some bottled water with you, and make sure you use the bathroom before walking around, since there is only a bathroom in the museum. The ruins are spread out a lot, so there's a lot of walking. We had plenty of time for walking around, and we never felt rushed. I highly recommend visiting Delos during your Greece vacation.

A highlight of our time in Mykonos

This was one of the highlights of our time in Mykonos and is not to be missed. Our tour guide was excellent, an archeologist, and the group small unlike some of the other tour groups - made for better viewing and hearing. We left with a vivid view of what ancient life was like on Delos. There is a half-hour ferry ride to get to Delos.

A nust-see if you are in Mykonos

It was a fantastic tour with our very knowledgeable tour guide. Group was small so no trouble seeing or hearing unlike some of the larger groups. Ferry ride was about 30 minutes. Tour guide purchased our tickets after we gave her the money so we did not have to wait long in line.

Would book again

This was a great smaller tour. The guide was very informative and patient considering we had a three year old in tow. This was one of my favorite stops on my vacation.