Overview
Athens City Tour With Greek Cooking Lesson and Tasting 8-H; In this tour, you will have the chance to explore the best of Athens and discover the secrets of Greek cuisine with the help of a professional chef!
This private tour in Athens is specially designed for those who want to explore the historical capital of Greece and be initiated into the amazingly delicious world of Greek (Mediterranean) gastronomy. So join us today to explore the past and cook with us to taste the miracle that occurs below your palate!
Highlights of the Athens City Tour With Greek Cooking Lesson and Tasting 8-H
- 8-hour, morning sightseeing private tour of Athens
- Cooking lesson and food tasting
- Visit Athens’ modern and classical sites with expert drivers/guide
- Explore the Acropolis, the cornerstone of the Athenian culture
- Prepare your own lunch with the help of our chef having a cooking lesson
- English-speaking driver/guide
- Pickup and drop off from your Athens hotels, cruise terminal, or cruise ship
Athens private tour itinerary
Our private tour in Athens will take you to:
the Acropolis, the Parthenon, Erechtheum, Temple of Athens Nike, Plaka, Ancient Agora, Roman Agora, Hadrian’s library, Monastiraki, Temple of Hephaestus, Temple of Zeus, Hadrian’s Arch, the Parliament, The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Panathenian Stadium, the Ex-Royal House, Kolonaki, Lycabettus Hill
During the sightseeing tour in Athens, you will visit:
the Acropolis, the Parthenon, Erechtheum, Temple of Athens Nike, Plaka, Temple of Zeus, Hadrian’s Arch, the Parliament, tom of the Unknown Soldier, Panathenian Stadium, Lycabettus Hill
* View the route of our private sightseeing tour in Athens in a larger Google map
Description
Description of the Athens City Tour With Greek Cooking Lesson and Tasting
Our private tour in Athens combines an overview of the ancient and modern city of Athens for approx 4,5 hour, that have made Athens known all over the world and the amazingly delicious world of the Greek gastronomy, that has not only in-influenced the Mediterranean but the wolds cuisine.
“If you are a first-time visitor of Athens, this tour will help you in orientation and a possible plan you want to make for the remaining days. Athens is a balanced mixture of ancient and modern characteristics, reflected in each and every corner of the city
This private tour in Athens stretches from the Acropolis to the Lycabettus Hill and Kolonaki, connecting that way the most ancient symbol of the city with the commercial area of modern Athens.
The highlight of this sightseeing tour in Athens is of course the Acropolis, the trademark of the city. The Sacred Rock, the symbol of the Greek culture, features the highest point in town that used to serve as a fortress. The word Acropolis with a capital “A” indicates in all world languages the Acropolis of Athens, the most famous Acropolis, the cradle of Western civilization.
Acropolis
Visiting the Acropolis you will have the chance to pass through the Propylaea, admire the Erechtheum, and the Caryatids, while watching the city spreading in front of your feet, allowing your eyes to wander from the distant mountains to the blue waters of Piraeus harbor. The most important monument of Athens dominates the Acropolis: The Parthenon of Athens, the most perfect example of classical architecture in the world, was designed as a shrine to Goddess Athena, the patron God of the city, and used to house a massive gold and ivory statue of the Goddess of Wisdom.
At the feet of the Acropolis lies one of the most wonderful and picturesque quarters of Athens, Plaka, known also as the neighborhood of Gods. You will have the chance to see its lovely paved streets with colorful art and tourist shops.
After the visit to the Acropolis, the sightseeing tour in Athens continues with a drive to the most important parts of the city. You will pass by the Tomb of Unknown Soldier and the Parliament on Syntagma (Constitution) Square, and you will see Hadrian’s Arch.
Our tour continues…
Soon afterward, the tour will bring you to the Panathenaic Stadium where the first modern Olympic Games took place, in 1896. And then you will see many government buildings, the Presidential Palace ( ex-Royal Palace) and elegant houses built on streets half-covered by sour orange trees.
Close by you will also drive down the Panepistimiou Avenue where you can see the Catholic Church of Athens, and pass by the Academy, the University of Athens, and the National Library. And you will see one of the busiest parts of Athens getting to Omonoia Square.
After that, the half-day tour in Athens will bring you to the more buzzing part of the city, Kolonaki, and will lead you to the Lycabettus Hill where you can see the Orthodox church of St. George, allowing your eyes and senses to rest on the city that will remain to your heart for your entire life.”
It’s time now to explore Greek cuisine!
We’ll visit an innovative gastronomy multiplex in down-town Athens for your lunch!
Be your own Greek chef! Want to take back home your favorite Greek recipes and surprise your guests? Our skillful chef will share his secrets for a tasty meal!
Highlights of the Greek Cooking Lesson and Tasting
- Have you tasted a traditional cheese pie? That’s the way we do it!
- Learn the basics of the healthy Greek salad!
- Homemade bread: kneading to the baking the Best part of the day?
- You get to taste the authentic local flavors that you have prepared!
Discover the local cuisine
Our skillful cook will show you the way to be your own Greek chef! A 3h program of amazing flavors and recipes, just a few minutes’ walk from the Acropolis.
Say… cheese pie
- The traditional “Roumeli” cheese pie / tiropita is a staple of the local diet for centuries; Learn how to prepare phyllo dough & bake a pie
- Tasty potato salad; An ideal dish for any time of the day
- Gemista or Mousaka or Papoutakia a local favorite; That’s the way our moms do it
- Walnut pie; Traditional sweet “finale”
- The best part of the day? Time to taste the authentic local recipes that you have cooked!
We have more gifts for you
A present to remember: a custom-made bottle. Cheers!
Specification
Duration: 3 – 3,5 hours Program:
- Knead traditional phyllo dough – 20 minutes
- Preparing the cheese pie – 10 minutes
- Potato salad – 30 minutes
- The Gemista basics or Mousaka or Papoutakia – 30 minutes
- The recipe of sweet walnut pie – 30 minutes
- Bake everything – 20 minutes
- Enjoy a glass of ouzo or a Greek beer – 15 minutes
Watch a video from our cooking lessons:
Notes:
- price includes all food consumed, restaurant taxes, and our souvenir custom-made bottle!
- food lesson, tasting, and lunch is shared
“This private tour in Athens is highly recommended as a cruise excursion for tourists visiting Athens for a day during their cruise in Greece.”
Details
Important notes
Tour Type
- Shore Excursion - Private tour
- Activity level: Moderate
Included in the tour
- Car and Driver
- A professional English-speaking driver or escort with good knowledge of the history and culture of Greece, to guide you till you enter archaeological sites and museums. Tour drivers are not licensed to companion you inside the archaeological sites and museums. If you'd like to have a licensed state tour guide to escort you inside the sites and museums, we can arrange it for you at an additional cost. Licensed by the state tour guides are freelance and it is subject to availability on bookings day!
- Transport by air-conditioned Mercedes-Benz vehicle or similar appropriate for the size of your group
- Accommodation is based according to availability (for multiple-day tours only)
- Pick-up from and return to your hotel
- Pick-up from the Port of Piraeus
- Private tour, Road tolls and local taxes
- Our terminal: Leof. Andrea Siggrou 37, 117 43 Athina, Greece.
Excluded from the tour
- Entrance fees to the archaeological sites and museum
- Wine tasting fee (wine tours)
- Olive oil tasting fee (olive oil tasting tours)
- Gratuities (optional)
- Food and beverage
- Your private chauffeur/guide will discuss a program best suited to your interest and mobile abilities. Option for a professional tour guide with a state license at an extra cost. Read more for the difference between a STATE LICENSED TOUR GUIDE and a TOUR DRIVER GUIDE in Greece!
Additional info
- Dress: religious and marmoreal sites: shoulders and knee must be covered
- Terms & Conditions and Frequent Questions
- Confirmation will be received at the time of booking
- A voucher will be emailed to you with our contact numbers and all necessary information for your tour.
- This is your ticket and proof of purchase. On the day of the tour please present a paper voucher in order to redeem your tour/activity.
Persons with Disabilities
- Due to uneven surfaces, certain sites are not recommended for persons with walking disabilities or using a wheelchair. Such sites are the Acropolis, the Temple of Poseidon at Sounion, Mycenae, Delphi and Meteora
- In all cases, we recommend comfortable flat-solid walking shoes, sunglasses, and sunscreen.
Restrictions:
- Please note that on this tour, your tour driver is not licensed to accompany you on your climb. If you want this service you may book a licensed by-state tour guide for an extra cost.
- In case a group is followed by a licensed tour guide or an English speaking tour-escort the professional driver is not obliged to speak English!
Opening hours & Admission fees
- Opening Hours:Summer April 1st to October 31st from 08:00 AM to 07:30 PM
- Winter: November 1st to March 31st from 08:30 AM to 03:00 PM
- Free admission fees: Children under 18 & Students from E.U.
- Reduced admission fees: Citizens of the E.U. aged over 65 & Students from countries outside the E.U.
Free admission days
- March 6: In memory of deceased Minister of Tourism & visionary Melina Mercouri
- June 5: Environment international day
- April 18 : International monuments day
- May 18: International museums day
- September 27: International tourism day
- The last weekend of September annually (European Heritage Days)
- National Holidays
- Sundays in the period between 1 November and 31 March
- The first Sunday of every month, except for July, August, and September
- NOTE: If the first Sunday is a holiday then the second is the free admission day
Holidays in Greece
- January 1: closed
- January 6: 08:30 AM - 03:00 PM
- Shrove Monday: 08:30AM - 03:00 PM
- March 25: closed
- Good Friday: 12:00 PM - 03:00 PM
- Holy Saturday: 08:30 AM - 03:00 PM
- Easter Sunday: closed
- Easter Monday: 08:30 AM - 03:00 PM
- May 1: closed
- Holy Spirit Day: 08:30 AM - 03:00 PM
- 15 August 15: 08:30 AM - 03:00 PM
- October 28: 08:30 AM- 03:00 PM
- December 25 & 26: closed