Top Athens Tours: Explore Greece’s Historic Capital

Morning Tour of Athens, Greece

Taking a tour at the beginning of your stay in Athens helps orient you to the capital city of Greece. This type of tour gets you to and from many of the major sights easily in a short amount of time; some you may want to revisit on your own later in your stay.

Half Day Tour to Cape Sounion

Cape Sounion is a dramatic location at any time of day, but most of the afternoon tours schedule it so you’ll be there for the stunning sunset. Beneath you, the Aegean Sea stretches out, glimmering in the sun, and beside you stand the stately ruins of the Temple of Poseidon. Consequently, it’s easy to understand why the ancient Greeks built a temple to the god of the sea here.

Athens Sightseeing by Night and Dinner Show

Are you a cliché phobic, or an independent traveler rather than a tourist? If so, this experience might not be for you. However, it allows you to see the lights of Athens, look at picturesque harbors, and then enjoy a dinner show in the Plaka area of Athens. Moreover, it’s mindless fun, less trouble for a tired tourist than seeking a unique place independently, and nearly an essential experience for a first-time visitor to Greece.

Three-Day Tour to Meteora and Delphi

Organized trips to Meteora make great sense — it’s a long drive into the mountains that most casual travelers won’t undertake independently. Even better, seek one that includes a stop at Delphi as well; this site is a historical must-see place.

Full Day Tour to Delphi

To many Greece travel experts, a visit to Delphi is as essential as experiencing Athens. This beautiful, historic, and inspiring town on the slopes of Mount Parnassus offers a unique experience. If you have extra time, you can turn it into an overnight trip; with an early call, you can explore the site without the crowds early the next morning.

Overnight Tour to Delphi

If you have the time, this is the most recommended way to experience Delphi — it’s absolutely lovely, and you won’t regret spending a night there. Delphi is high on the list for a return visit by repeat travelers to Greece, and it is beautiful in almost any season of the year.

Half-Day Tour to Ancient Corinth

The actual Corinth Canal isn’t even the most impressive portion of this tour. The ruins of ancient Corinth are very evocative, both as an ancient Greek site and also as a site important to early Christianity; the “Bema” or meeting area where Paul preached can still be visited.

Walking Photographic Tour of Athens: Hills and Demes of Athens

This is a fun way to experience Athens while enjoying some instruction in photography and capturing some memorable images. Participants should be able to comfortably walk while carrying their camera equipment uphill and through the narrow, sometimes steep lanes of Athens. However, if you’re looking for a standard walking tour, this is a pricey way to do it and best for more serious photographers.

Wine Tasting and Tour of Ancient Corinth

Combining Greek wine tasting with a visit to ancient ruins is highly appealing — while opportunities for this type of tour are limited, you can enjoy a wine tasting not at Corinth itself, but nearby at a lovely winery.

Four-Day Trip to the Greek Island of Rhodes

Explore the sun-soaked island, sacred to Helios, the Greek God of the Sun, since ancient times. This four-day trip typically includes your flight from Athens and a half-day escorted tour, but much of the time is yours to explore as you wish.

Day Cruise from Athens to Hydra, Poros, and Aegina

Want to escape Athens, but short on time? An 11-hour day cruise allows you to visit three splendid Greek islands in a single day. Yes, it’s just a flavorful sample, but if all you have time for is appetizers, you’ll still appreciate — and remember — your quick bites of these Greek isles, each a gem. Although it’s a busy day, the boat ride between the islands lets you recover from your previous sightseeing, preparing you to enjoy each stop.

Two-Day Trip from Athens to Santorini

If you love Athens but want to experience a Greek island during your stay, a quick trip to and from Santorini might be just what you need. It can easily fit into your Athens itinerary. Moreover, most Athens hotels will happily keep your larger luggage for you while you explore the islands.

Four-Day Tour of Greece – Meteora, Olympia, Delphi, Epidaurus, Corinth Canal

If you want to break out of Athens in a big way, consider a four-day/three-night tour of classical Greece that includes the Byzantine monasteries of Meteora, as well as Mycenae, Epidaurus, Olympia, Corinth, and Delphi.

Five-Day Trip to Northern Greece, with Delphi

This is an easy way to discover the often-neglected area of Northern Greece, making a round trip from Athens. While Delphi is not exactly “northern,” it’s a nice addition to this tour.

Private Walking Tour with National Archaeological Museum

The National Archaeological Museum is truly a must-see in Athens; it has seemed to drop off organized tour offerings in recent years, leaving travelers to scramble to add it to their own free days. An ideal tour would combine access to the Museum with a personally guided tour on foot through Athens.

Open-Top Bus Tour of Athens

A bus tour is a simple, effective way to learn the basics of Athens while capturing stunning photographs from a unique perspective.

Welcome Tours

Athens, Greece is a marvelous city, a global capital, and can be quite confusing for the uninitiated. If you choose a safe hop-on, hop-off bus tour or another guided coach option, it’s still possible to explore Athens without truly connecting with any Greek locals or exchanging more than a few words with someone over a shop counter or hotel reception desk.

A service called Welcome has bridged that gap by creating a directory of vetted local Athenians and others who reside in Greece, willing to guide tourists to their personal favorites in Athens and beyond. They charge a fee for the excursions, usually exceeding 100 Euros for several hours of transportation and guidance. Some will even cook you dinner at their home, introduce you to their circle of friends, and show you around the neighborhoods of Athens.