Shore Excursions - Historical Tours | Shore Excursion: Athens City Tour, Acropolis & Acropolis Museum with Transfer (SC4)

This worry-free shore excursion covers the top attractions of Athens, the changing of the guards, the Zeus Temple, the National Gardens, and the Acropolis with all its monuments. 


Duration: approximately 5 hours and 30 minutes (excl. transfer and free time)  


MEETING POINT DETAILS:

From Your Cruise Terminal

An Athens Walking Tour representative will be waiting for you at a designated area outside of the customs building. Look for someone holding the orange-colored Athens Walking Tours sign. Your transfer will depart from the port at 8:45 am.

Drop Off Point in Athens

Your driver will drop you off at the entrance of the Syntagma metro station in front of the Parliament building. Head inside the metro station’s lower level to find your Athens Walking Tours guide who will be holding the orange-colored Athens Walking Tours sign by the ticket validating machines at the big hall of the station underneath the hanging clock.

The tour starts at 9:30 am.

Back to the Port of Piraeus and Your Ship

Your transfer will depart at 15:50 (3:50 pm) from Patseas Jewelry Store, at the beginning of the pedestrian Dionysiou Areopagitou walkway and across Hadrian’s Arch. The guide will point out this meeting place earlier during the tour. The vehicle will have an Athens Walking Tours sign in the window. If for any reason you miss the return transfer, you will have to return to the Port of Piraeus by your own means.

Important Note: You must be at the designated meeting point 10 minutes prior to departure. The departure vehicle stops briefly to pick up passengers and will depart immediately for the Port of Piraeus.

view the departure information


Inclusions:

  • Round trip transfer from the Port of Piraeus and back
  • Acropolis guided tour
  • Museum guided tour
  • Local English-speaking licensed guide
  • Skip-the-ticket line service
  • Athens guide magazine
  • Athens map

Exclusions:

  • Entrance fees
  • Food and drinks
  • Gratuities (gratuity rates in Greece are around 10% of service cost)


A City Tour: Ancient to Modern

Athens is a city of ancient and modern layers, a place of fascinating ancient ruins that stand alongside a bustling metropolis. With your local guides, you’ll explore the key landmarks, historic sights, unique neighborhoods and take in astounding views of the city that sprawls out to the coast.

 

A highlight of the tour is the Acropolis, the eternal landmark of Athens and a destination of incredible architectural, historical and cultural significance. Set on a high rocky outcrop at the core of the Greek capital, monuments such as the Parthenon tell a story of a great era that shaped the Western world as we know it.

 

Modern and Ancient Highlights

Start at the Syntagma metro station for a 10-minute tour inside of the station’s museum. Archaeological artifacts uncovered during the metro’s construction offer insight into daily life here thousands of years ago. The next stop is the Greek Parliament, followed by the Monument to the Unknown Soldier where you will watch the Changing of the Guards.

 

The walk continues to the National Gardens of Athens, Zappeion, Temple of Zeus and Hadrian’s Arch. The route passes through the charming and historic Plaka district to the next stop: the Acropolis.


The Acropolis

Entering on the south slope of the Acropolis, you’ll visit the Dionysus Sanctuary and Dionysus Theater before you walk up the slope leading to the Acropolis monuments. Panoramic views of the city will be perfect for Instagram-ready photos.

During your tour, you’ll gain insight into the significance of the historic monuments of Acropolis including the Parthenon, the Erechtheion, the Propylaia, the Nike Temple as well as other significant sights of Athens including the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, the Ancient Agora, the National Observatory of Athens and the city’s scenic hills: Filoppapos, Mars, and Pnyx. 


Top Museum of the World: Acropolis Museum

Designed by renowned Swiss architect Bernard Tschumi and notable Greek architect Michalis Photiadis, the Acropolis Museum captivates guests on approach. Its seamless modern lines elegantly incorporate artifacts exclusively from the Acropolis, and excavations are also visible under glass floors and walkways. The marbled surviving treasures are impressively displayed with the use of natural light, situated on a modernist open layout. Panoramic views top the experience.


The tour ends at the Acropolis Museum at approximately 3:15 pm



BLACK OUT DATES

  • January 1st - New Year's Day
  • March 25th - National Holiday
  • April 22nd - Greek Orthodox Good Friday
  • April 24th - Greek Orthodox Easter Sunday
  • May 1st - Labor Day
  • December 25th & 26th – Christmas