Visible from all over Athens, the Parthenon sits at the highest point of the Acropolis, lording over the city since ancient times. Exploring the extensive site with a private guide, over half a day, offers a far better understanding of the ruins and their historical significance. Your guide will lead you through 2,500 years of history, as you hear about the function of each building, the construction techniques, the roles of the monuments and the complex’s importance as the hub of classical society.
Your private guide will pick you up at your hotel in Athens at the start of your tour. As you make your way up to the Acropolis, you’ll get an introduction to the origins of this great city of temples and the importance of Pericles, the Greek statesman who masterminded the construction of the Acropolis’s main structures.
The architectural and historic significance of the site has stretched through the millennia since its construction in the 5th-century BC. As your guide leads you around the monuments, you’ll begin to understand the power and influence the Athens Acropolis held. Your guide will offer you a window into the genius of the ancient Greeks and their complex culture as you wander through the storied remains.
The site’s crowning glory, and the symbol of Athens and Greece as a whole, is the Parthenon. Centrally placed on the Acropolis, this temple of Athena is the epitome of the Doric style of temple building.
After visiting the crumbling, yet highly impressive, remains of the Acropolis with your guide, you’ll head down the hill on foot to the sleek contemporary building that houses the Acropolis Museum.
This modern construction opened in 2009 and exhibits many of the original remains of the site in an airy, light-filled setting.
With your guide, you’ll see much of the original sculpture from the Parthenon, as well as archaeological finds from the Acropolis, dating to several different periods.
Once you’ve had some time to examine the displays, your guide will lead you to a historic bakery nearby to enjoy a local pastry before ending the tour.
Start planning your tailor-made trip by contacting one of our Greece specialists
These activities are designed to give you the most authentic experiences around where you're staying. We work with local guides, who use their knowledge and often a resident's eye to show you the main sights and more out-of-the-way attractions. Our specialists can suggest tours and activities that will introduce you to the local ways of life.
Ancient Delphi and Arachova
An expert guide will lead you around the ruins of ancient Delphi on this full-day tour of one of Greece’s most prestigious archaeological sites. The day ends with a trip to Arachova, a mountain town known for its textiles and cheese.
Athens food lover's walking tour
Sample fresh pies, succulent olives, traditional souvlaki and sweet desserts on a guided half-day walking tour of central Athens with a local guide. You’ll get an introduction to Greek cuisine and culinary techniques as you visit the city’s finest markets, delis and bakeries.
Athens street art tour
Discover Athens’ powerful street art on a guided tour that throws light on everything from the Greek economic crisis to the power of art to force social change. This half-day tour takes in Athens’ lesser-known districts and most impressive murals.
Cape Sounion and the Temple of Poseidon
Offering an insight into Greek myths, beliefs and building methods, this privately guided tour of the Temple of Poseidon on Cape Sounion reveals much about ancient society as well as presenting you with panoramic views from its headland setting.
You can enjoy this activity as part of the suggested tours below, or we can weave it into a trip shaped entirely around you.
