Acropolis Mythology & Food Tour
Description
Explore mythological Athens with a visit to the Acropolis, the Temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheion, and the Parthenon. Dive into ancient tales before wandering through lesser-known culinary hubs, savoring Greek tapas, sweets, cheeses, and more. Experience the city's rich history and vibrant flavors firsthand!
Tour Options
Itinerary
Located between the Acropolis and the Ilissos river, the colossal Olympeion was one of the greatest ancient temples of Zeus and one of the most famous marble buildings in the ancient World. We will talk about the Temple and its stories from the outside.
The greatest and finest sanctuary of ancient Athens, dedicated primarily to its patron, the goddess Athena, has been dominating the centre of the city for millenia. The monuments of the Acropolis (the Parthenon, the Temple of Athena Nike, the Erechteion, the Propylae, the Theater of Dionysus,...), all unique masterpieces of ancient architecture, have influenced art and culture for many centuries and stand in harmony with their natural setting.
The central square of Athens is dominated by the Greek Parliament (formerly the Royal Palace) and characterized by the high energy level created by the constant movement of people through the city’s busiest crossroads.
Souvenir shops, ancient monuments and the oldest area of the city attract the greatest concentration of tourists in Athens to this picturesque cluster of narrow alleys just below the towering stone sides of the Acropolis...
Hadrian’s library, great street food and an underground river hidden in a metro station await those who come to this antique and flea market area in search of a bargain or a look of one the city’s few surviving Ottoman mosques.
Long a neighbourhood where local craftsmen worked out of small shops, Psirri is now one of the city’s hottest new spots for evening food and drink. It’s also one of the best places to check out the city’s latest street art.
Athens' food market, bustling with locals seeking fresh produce, meats, and fish. Despite its lively atmosphere, it remains a true reflection of daily life, offering a genuine experience of the city's culinary culture.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- We can pre-purchase entry tickets for you, just let us know!
- ID card or passport are required for people under the age of 25 for possible discounts
- Strollers, backpacks and big bags are not allowed at the Acropolis and should not be taken on the tour
- Tickets for all tours are refundable up to 30 days prior to the tour's starting time and regardless of the cancellation policy of the tour itself. After that tickets are non-refundable, non-exchangeable.
- If a client misses their time slot for any reason (client delay, missed flight, delay of flight or cruise ship etc.), new tickets need to be purchased on the spot by the client. If there is no availability for the required time slot, then the tour may not take place and is non-refundable.
- If a client misses their time slot for reasons outside our control (strikes, unforeseen closure of the Acropolis, rain, heatwaves etc.), tickets can't be refunded and new tickets may need to be re-purchased for a new tour by the client.
- If a client decides to purchase their own tickets without consulting with us first and/or purchases tickets for the wrong time slot, they may not be able to do their tour, in which case the tour will not be refundable.
Reviews(29)
We took two excursions: "Culinary stroll" and "Mythological Athens." A big thank you to our two guides, Nikos and Emilia, who passionately and enthusiastically introduced us to Athens, its history, mythology, and contemporary culture. The culinary stroll was our favorite in Athens: a blend of history and culinary art, another way to discover Greek culture. Thank you also for all the visiting tips and recommendations for Greek restaurants. The visit to the Acropolis is no exception: it is simply fantastic and allows for a better understanding of the richness of Greek heritage. We recommend these excursions without any hesitation. Thanks again for these wonderful moments of discovery and sharing.
Maria and Andreas were excellent tour guides. They were both very engaging and knowledgeable. We learned a lot about Greek history and enjoyed wonderful food.
This food tour was such a precious experience. I was introduced to several hidden local spots with long traditions that I would never have discovered on my own. The food and desserts were wonderful, but what made the experience truly special was learning the stories and history behind each place. It made everything taste even more meaningful and memorable. This tour really showed me the true value of what a food tour can be.
This is a fun and delicious tour. We got to see many interesting and historic sights while also leaning about the origins of the food we ate. Andreas was a knowledgeable and entertaining guide. Highly recommend.
We had 2 extraordinary times, both because of the magic of the place and because of our two guides. Both Catherina on the food tour (who gave us a perfect explanation of some of the pillars of Greek gastronomy, with a very personal and fascinating vision) and Anastasia (sorry for any possible spelling mistakes) on the mythology tour, who brought our vision of the Acropolis to life in a very lively and fascinating way. I absolutely recommend it!
Absolutely amazing! Athena was an entertaining and enthusiastic guide around the acropolis. Joseph did a great job remembering all our names and showed us a delightful time on the food tour. I cannot say enough wonderful things about this tour. We recommend this particular tour with these guides! Thank you so much for adding to our Greece experience ❤️
We did the Acropolis Mythology & Food Tour which was essentially a combo pack of the Beat the Heat Acropolis tour and the Food tour. The Beat the Heat tour is definitely the best way to go since the top of the Acropolis can get HOT and crowded! Our guide Michael was wonderful and a great story teller! He was very knowledgeable about the myths and fielded our group’s questions easily. The Acropolis itself was breathtaking and despite me and my partner knowing quite a bit of Greek mythology already, we still learned quite a bit! Michael also included some facts about the architecture and facts about some of the minor gods. The climb up to the Acropolis is a bit steep, but it’s not too long and Michael went at a nice, slow pace to accommodate for all fitness levels. Since we got the package, Alternative Athens had another guide escort us to the Food tour meeting spot and ensured we were on time, which was very helpful as the two spots were about a 20 minute walk away. Now for the Food tour: DO NOT EAT BEFOREHAND! You will want to try everything and there is so much food, that you don’t want to be hindered by stomach space! We had Mary Kate as our guide and we could not have asked for a better person to spend our time with. I was expecting just walking place to place with the historical context only at the food stops, but Mary Kate also gave us the history of the neighborhoods we passed through and showed us some historical spots. We also appreciated her candid takes on Athens and how personable she was with us (my partner thought she was so cool that she wanted to be friends with her 😆). The food was phenomenal at each spot, with both sweet and savory bites. We also did an olive oil tasting hosted by a wonderful lady (her name is slipping my mind) who even let us try a Kalamata olive oil that has a nice kick and wasn’t a part of the regular tasting. My favorite bite was the saganaki (fried cheese) at the taverna and my partner’s favorite was the pork gyro at Thannasis. But don’t sleep on any of the dishes because the marinated anchovies were a surprise hit! (I personally have only had anchovies in cesar salad and these were so fresh and light!)This tour was definitely so worth it and truly made our time here at Athens. Plus afterwards, Mary Kate sent us her personal food recommendations as well as some Greek recipes so that we could make some of the foods we tried at home! Both tour guides were phenomenal and exemplified the hospitality of the Greeks! We definitely recommend booking your tours with Alternative Athens!!
We had 3 guides, Theo for the Acropolis, a transfer guide, and Andreas for the food tour). Theo did well keeping us out of the crowds and presenting interesting, we'll selected information about the site. But the number of human beings on the site made it very unpleasant. The food tour was amazing! Andreas has cultivated an excellent collection of restaurants and local businesses to present the history and cultural of Greek food. The food we sampled was some of the best I have had (souvlaki, olive oil tasting, and the taverns really stood out.) I was very comfortable and we were well treated by the servers. I plan to return to some of those later in our trip. Both Theo and Andreas made sure we met and visited with the others in our group.
Really great experience! Both of my guides (my tour was split in 2) were excellent with interesting stories, backgrounds, etc about the food, history and culture. Would highly recommend to anyone looking to take an in depth tour of Athens' history and food.
We had an amazing time on our tour of the acropolis and city with Nefeli. She was super friendly and knowledgeable. Our family of 11 ages 10-70 all enjoyed ourselves. The kids especially loved the food part! The tour and guide come with our highest recommendation.
