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Athens: 7.000 years of history

Time travel

Time travel

A journey through history and mythology. Relive the golden age of Greece. The city that became the cornerstone of western civilization. Stroll through the picturesque old town of Plaka, past the Acropolis and ancient theaters and stadiums. This is were the modern world began.

2.5+ hours

2.5+ hours

Meet us daily at the Monastiraki Square at 10:20 sharp. The tour around the historical center of Athens can last anywhere between 2.5 and 3 hours, depending on the number of stops and questions asked.

Pay what it's worth

Pay what it's worth

Strange as it may sound, our tours are 100% free to join. All our tours operate on a “pay-what-it’s-worth”- basis to suit everyone’s budget.

Although you could just show up and join the tour, it is highly recommended to book in advance as free places are often quite limited.

The tour at a glance

  1. Monastiraki square, the heart of Athens

    Meeting point

    Every day we meet at 10:20 sharp at the Monastiraki Square, right in front of the small chapel outside the Athens Metro station and our tour starts 10 minutes later. Although you can just show up, it’s highly recommended to reserve your place in advance because it often gets really busy. Just hop on the Athens Metro and get off at Monastiraki.

  2. Hadrian's Library built in 132 a.d

    Hadrian’s Library

    Created by Roman Emperor Hadrian in 132 AD, it is said to be the largest structure built standing in Athens. On the east side of the library is where the books were kept in the form of scrolls. Emperor Hadrian was an admirer of Greece and wanted to make Athens the cultural capital of the Roman Empire.

  3. Pantheon, a sanctuary for the gods

    Pantheon

    In 1968 they discovered that other than the known Pantheon in Rome there is also a Pantheon in Athens. Again built by Emperor Hadrian, it was built to hold the conference of the Panhellenics, meaning all-Greek. They would gather to discuss different political matters. Later it was used as a sanctuary for the gods explaining the name Pantheon.

  4. Tower of the winds, early water clock

    Roman Agora & Tower of Winds

    The Roman Agora is said to be the center of Roman Athens. Inside the marketplace is a remarkable tower that is about 8 meters high. It is called the tower of the winds. Used as a clock you can see the sundials placed under the engravings. The engravings are called Aerides and they are the gods of the winds. Depending on the characteristics of the wind are the characteristics engraved of the gods. On the very top there was also a wind vain, used as an early meteorological station.

  5. Ancient agora the center of the ancient city

    Ancient Agora & Temple of Hephaestus

    Located at the ancient center of Athens, the Ancient Agora dates back to the 6th century B.C. Inside the agora you will find the Panathenaic way, a road that leads all the way up to the Acropolis, the first Christian Church called the church of the Apostles, and the Temple of god Hephaestus. When walking through the agora, you are walking in the very steps of ancient philosophers such as Plato and Socrates.

  6. Areios Pagos the supreme court of ancient times

    Areos Pagos

    Also known as Mars Rock was said to be the Supreme Court of Ancient times. It is named after god Ares the god of war. From there you have a beautiful view of Athens and of course the Acropolis. It is also considered a spiritual rock as the apostle St. Paul first preached to the Athenians about Christianity on that very rock.

  7. Acropolis, host of the Great Temple of Parthenon

    Acropolis

    Host of the great Temple of the Parthenon. Built in the 5 century B.C during the golden age of Pericles, the temple is a worship place for the goddess and protector of the city Athena. The Parthenon was built over other temples destroyed by the Persian war and only took less than 8 years to built.

    On the Acropolis you will also find the temple of Erechtheion dedicated both to goddess Athena and god Poseidon. On the porch you can see the Caryatids, 6 huge maidens which is the most interesting part of the temple. You will also see the temple of the Wingless Nike which was the goddess of Victory.

  8. Odeon Of Herodes Atticus. A theater used to this day

    Odeon of Herodes Atticus

    An ancient theater located on the southern slopes of the Acropolis. It is a working theater to this day hosting many different types of events during the summer months. Built between 160 – 170AD as a gift to his late wife Rigilla, the Odeon seats 5,000 people in a breath taking open theater environment.

  9. Acropolis Museum, a breathtaking modern museum

    Acropolis Museum

    The museum is located across from the south entrance to the Acropolis. It holds many artifacts from the Acropolis and the Roman era. The museum focuses on findings from the Acropolis area. A very easy to go through museum, it is a must see when visiting Athens. Inside are the original 5 of the maiden statues Caryatids which are stunning.

  10. Theater of Dionysus, birth place of tragedy and comedy

    Dionysus Theater

    The birth place of tragedy and drama. The very first drama took place in that very theater in the 6th century B.C by Thespis. A place built to worship the god of wine Dionysos it is considered to be the world’s first theater. The original amphitheater seated approximately 17,000 people. The biggest theatrical celebrations called Dionysia took place in this very theater. Later marbles where brought by the Romans to make the modern theater you can see today.

  11. Plaka and Anafiotika, the old historical center of Athens

    Plaka / Anafiotika

    Plaka is the old historical center of Athens and home to many souvenir shops, restaurants and local coffee shops. It looks like a little small village in the center of the very busy city of Athens.

    Anafiotika is a tiny neighborhood part of the Plaka area. It is an area where you feel like you are on an island right in the center of the historical city. It is known for its Cycladic style houses, where workers from the Anafi island would come to Athens as carpenters or stone and marble workers.

  12. Lysicrates ancient trophy

    Lysicrates Monument

    Built by a wealthy patron of art over 3000 years ago. It was an award trophy given as a first prize in the theatre of Dionysus to the participants.

  13. Hadrian's Arch, the entrance to the city

    Hadrian’s Arch

    It is said to be the entrance to the city, this is why when you look through the gate the first thing you see is the Acropolis. The gate resembles a Roman triumphal arch.

  14. The Temple of the Olympian Zeus

    Temple of the Olympian Zeus

    Located across from Hadrian’s arch, the temple was a worship ground dedicated to the Olympian Zeus. There were original 104 columns that made the temple but unfortunately there are only 15 left standing today. It is said that you would worship your god first and then pass the gate to enter the city.

  15. Panathenaic stadium, first modern olympic games

    Panathenaic Stadium

    Also known as Kallimarmaro, was originally made out of wood to host the Panthenic games. In 1896 the stadium was rebuilt to host the first modern Olympic games, making it the only stadium in the entire world built entirely from marble.

  16. National Gardens

    National Gardens

    The gardens were built by King Otto as a gift to his wife Queen Amalia in 1838. There where of 500 types of plants and a variety of animals imported to create the beautiful park. The garden is located behind the old palace now known as the Parliament building.

  17. Presidential Palace

    Presidential Palace

    It is now the official residence of the current president of Greece. In the past it was the royal palace. Also known as the presidential mansion.

  18. Syntagma Square, changing of the Guard

    Hellenic Parliament / Changing of Guard

    Located in Syntagma square at the parliament building is the tomb of the unknown soldier. There you can see the changing of the guards that protect the monument every hour, 24 hours a day. A monument dedicated in memory of soldiers lost in any war.

Questions, answered

How are the tours free?

Our Athens free walking tour have no fixed price. They are based on name-your-price system. The choice to remunerate the guide/local expert is a 100% voluntary. We are confident in the quality of our walking tours and you will be satisfied and will want to compensate your guide.

Shall we go into the Acropolis during the tour?

No, we will explain it and other sites of interest, from various nearby viewing points. So be sure to allow some extra time in your schedule to visit the Acropolis if you are in Athens for a short time.

Do I need to book?

Although we do hold a number of just-turn-up places, these can be filled quickly so to guarantee your place we strongly recommend you book in advance. It’s easy!

How can I join the tour?

Easy! We run tours almost daily, just fill-in the booking form and show up at the meeting point. You could just turn up, but remember that places are limited.

What language are the tours in?

All tours are in English language. Spanish coming soon.

What is the itinerary of the tour? What shall we see?

There is over 7000 years of history in Athens; you can not possibly see it all in one day. We focus around the historical center of Athens around the Acropolis, as in our opinion, this is the best of Athens.

We end close to an entrance of the Acropolis and close to other major tourist attractions. Please see the itinerary for more details.

More questions?

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    982talias Avatar
    982talias
    5 star rating
    10/10 would recommend! Stavros was an amazing tour guide — very knowledgeable and funny. Would definitely recommend to anyone interested in Athens history and culture.
    1 day ago
    628aubreyk Avatar
    628aubreyk
    5 star rating
    Wonderful tour! Walter was fantastic and extremely knowledgeable this was one of the best tours I’ve been on. Do yourself a favor and take this tour.
    5 days ago
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    richard g Avatar
    richard g
    5 star rating
    Delivering Clarity on how to Best Experience Athens I always suggest that people take a free walking tour in a new city, as soon as possible, if one is available. That is certainly the case here, as the New Athens Free Tour provided invaluable insight on how to best experience Athens.

    There is so much to see here and so many choices that could be made that it can be overwhelming, at first. Our tour guide, Walter, showed us some key sights and added information about each. He also had answers to every question that was asked.

    Maybe the most important component was that Walter suggested which sights were worth the time and money to visit and maybe more importantly, which ones we could skip.

    It was a fantastic tour and my time in Athens will be better for having spent two and a half hours with the New Athens Free Tour!
    5 days ago
    Amund02 Avatar
    Amund02
    5 star rating
    Enthustiatic guide with lots of interesting fun facts Enthustiatic and very nice guide with lots of great information. Focused on interesting information you wouldn’t know before, not the more standard stuff. Good sites as well.
    6 days ago
    Kodachrome_Mike Avatar
    Kodachrome_Mike
    5 star rating
    Great informative tour We had Walter as our guide. He’s filled with great info. You could spend hours talking with him about the history here. This is a great intro to Athens
    1 week ago
    micaelashihthomas Avatar
    micaelashihthomas
    5 star rating
    Perfect free experience Walter was an amazing guide, so informative, laid back, with great historical insights. Probably the best walking tour I've done in all of Europe. Highly recommend!
    1 week ago
    Gabi F Avatar
    Gabi F
    5 star rating
    Great way to get into Athens and Greek history! Stavros was our guide, he explained everything very cleared and fun. He was absolutely great. Totally recommended!!!
    2 weeks ago
    RLS68 Avatar
    RLS68
    5 star rating
    Best ever walking tour Excellent tour. The guide Stavros was exceptional. Extremely knowledgeable and highly entertaining, with some really interesting alternative facts. He was brilliant at bringing the group together. Thougrouly enjoyable. Can't recommend him highly enough. Will be doing it again just for his entertainment!
    2 weeks ago
    Go07676884498 Avatar
    Go07676884498
    5 star rating
    History tour of Athens We enjoyed our history tour of Athens at 10am on November 7th. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and kept everyone engaged and entertained.
    I can’t remember our guide’s name but I remember him saying his last name means tripod.
    He also gave us recommendations at the end of the tour, which was helpful.
    3 weeks ago
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    Laura G Avatar
    Laura G
    5 star rating
    Great! Walter was great, very knowledgeable and friendly. It's clear he has a lot of passion for the subject and is happy to answer any questions.

    Nice to see a tour guide who doesn't just go through a script and takes visible joy in showing tourists around.

    Taking the tour provides a great overview of the city, helps you get your bearings, learn some very interesting stuff and have a whistle stop tour of the most important parts of Athens.
    3 weeks ago
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    Heather62186 Avatar
    Heather62186
    5 star rating
    A great introduction to Athens! A great introduction to Athens, archaeologically, historically and culturally. Plus you get the best views of the Acropolis!
    3 weeks ago
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    mark_1550 Avatar
    mark_1550
    5 star rating
    Fun walking tour of Athens Tour with Stavros was excellent, lots of fun facts that made the trip to Athens all that more fun and interesting. Highly recommend!
    4 weeks ago

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