Tour Guide in Athens?

[brentm77]

We have hired a private excursion car service for port day in Athens in June 2020. They have the option of adding a tour guide for 200 Euros. But they said that they think we really only need it for the Acropolis and not the whole day. For those who have been to Greece, how helpful would a local tour guide be when visiting stops? We have two teenagers, so I am thinking a tour guide might start to bore them if he or she is too heavy on the history after an hour or two.

 

[cedricandsophie]

Once you are finished with the acropolis you can easily find your way around on your own. But it sounds like you are stuck with the car and driver anyway? We took the ship excursion for the city tour and the acropolis and then left the group to walk around on our own, have lunch, watch the changing of the guard at the palace and found the meet up place for the bus that was going back and forth between the ship and Athens.

 

[Dug720]

One tip about the Acropolis...

There will be a line to buy tickets. There will also be guides offering tours for 10 or so euros above the ticket cost - it includes the ticket. Some of them will give you the ticket and have you meet them at a certain place once they have gotten a few more people.

Pro tip: Do it and just go ahead and go through the entrance and do it on your own! A guide is not really needed.

Think of it as MaxPass at DL! My friend and I agreed last year that was the best money we spent the whole trip!

(If you are the last in the group or they don’t give you the ticket until everyone is together, it is easy enough to lose them in the crowds. And the Acropolis is easy enough to navigate on your own. Things are well marked.)

 

[Quellman]

Walking Athens is super easy and can be done in about a day anyway. If you can find a guide who will tailor the tour to your needs it would be best. Someone who can regal stories instead of facts. that might help as well. They also help point out the 'show stoppers' instead of having to see every little thing.

 

[dad of 3 addicted to DCL]

My sister has been to Greece many times and recommended a ship sponsored tour. According to her, Athenian traffic is terrible and we'd be taking our timely return to Pireaus in our own hands with an outside vendor/on our own tour. Thoughts?

 

[FigmentSpark]

My sister has been to Greece many times and recommended a ship sponsored tour. According to her, Athenian traffic is terrible and we'd be taking our timely return to Pireaus in our own hands with an outside vendor/on our own tour. Thoughts?

I'm going to agree. I've been to Athens (okay, in the 80s and 90s). I made it around on the bus just fine, but I had all day to do it and nowhere I had to be. I also know people there, so if I was lost, I had someone to call. Downtown Athens is very busy. It's old and it's streets are not nice and straight like in America. You can get lost. And the port is quite a ways away, like a half hour in reasonable traffic. Just take a look at Google Maps:



Keep in mind the Acropolis is on a hill and there's a lot of walking involved.