GREECE - Athens Private Walking Tour

21:45 Travel Bunny 2 Comments

DSC04789
Athens, the capital and largest city of Greece is known to the world as the cradle of western civilization and the birthplace of democracy.


DSC04577
From Santorini, I flew to Athens. Not wanting to miss some of the smaller attractions that I might miss while in Athens, I engaged a tour guide. The theme of the tour is “Athens Hills-Hidden Athens Walk.


DSC04575
Met the guide at the hotel and from there we walked to the Old Royal Palace situated at the heart of Athens, facing Syntagma Square. Completed in 1843, it was a palace for the Greek monarch. Well, eventually Greece abolished the monarchy in 1924 and now this building houses the Parliament.

 DSC04583
Just in time for the Changing of the Guards which is held every hour.


DSCF9405
In front of the Old Royal Palace, or should I say Parliament House, is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.


DSCF9406
The tomb is guarded 24 hours a day by the Presidential Guard called the Evzones. 


DSC04594
Their traditional uniform features a skirt, stockings and pom-poms on their shoes.


DSC04603

DSC04609

DSC04613

DSC04619
The new Guards at their respective post.


DSC04620
Next stop, the National Gardens.


DSCF9411
Formerly known as the Royal Garden, this garden is located behind the Parliament building.


DSCF9412

DSCF9413
Commissioned by Queen Amalia in 1838, the garden was completed in 1840. 


DSCF9414
Encompassing an area of 154,000m², the garden brought me much relief from the summer heat.


DSC04626

DSC04636
Some ancient ruins in the garden.


DSCF9415
The map of the National Garden.


DSCF9431
From the garden I exited to Herodou Attikou Street. The property along the street is by far the most expensive piece of real estate in Greece. Other than luxurious apartments and mansions, the residence of the President and Prime Minister is located along this street.


DSCF9424
This building is named Maximos Mansion. The Maximus Megaron houses the offices of the Head of Greek Government and is the official residence of the Prime Minister.


DSC04642
The Presidential Mansion is the official residence of the President of Greece. Previously, this building is known as the New Royal Palace.


DSCF9426
A family photo with one of the Presidential Guard.


DSC04645
Up, close and personal. Haha!


DSC04651

DSC04653

DSC04665
Passed by a Cinema.


DSC04667
An open air cinema to be exact, where you can enjoy a movie under the stars.


DSC04668
Stopped here at a restaurant for some drinks before continuing our tour.


DSC04671

DSC04675
The Zappeion.


DSC04677
A couple having their wedding pictures taken here.


DSC04682
Opened since 1888, the Zappeion was the first building to be erected specifically for the revival of the modern world Olympic Games.


DSC04683
A glimpse into the interior of Zappeion which was closed when I visited.


DSC04684

DSC04685

DSC04687

DSCF9438

DSCF9440
Athens Tram.


DSC04689
Statue of Lord Byron.


DSC04697
I have reached the Arch of Hadrian or known as Hadrian’s Gate, a monumental gateway resembling a Roman triumph arch.


DSC04696
It was built to celebrate the arrival of Roman Emperor Hadrian and to honor him.


DSCF9441

DSC04701
The Pathenon at the Acropolis can be seen here.


DSC04704

DSC04693
Nearby the Hadrian’s Gates is the Temple of Olympian Zeus. It was once the largest temple in Greece during the Roman period.


DSC04694
Now, it is reduced to ruins.


DSC04691

DSC04705
From the Hadrian’s Gate, I walked towards Plaka.


DSC04708

DSC04710

DSCF9446
The Plaka is the oldest section of Athens.


DSC04712
It is now an area of restaurants, jewelry stores, tourist shops and cafes.


DSC04713

DSC04715
Knock, knock. The door knob actually resembles a small hand.


DSC04717
Plaka was night club district at one time, but the government outlawed amplified music in the old neighbourhood.


DSC04720
Beautiful street arts.


DSC04721




DSC04723

DSC04724
A beautiful Byzantine church nearby the neighbourhood.


DSC04729

DSC04731

DSC04738

DSC04739
Church of Agii Anargyri Kolokynthi is located on the hill of Acropolis. It was built in the 17th century and operated as a Catholic nunnery.


DSC04740
Next, our tour guide led us into a very interesting alley with walls painted in grafitti art.


DSC04743

DSC04744

DSC04745

DSCF9447

DSC04747

DSCF9449

DSC04751
Anafiotika is the island village in Plaka. This is because the original inhabitants were stone masons who came from the island of Anafi to build Athens in the mid 19th century.


DSCF9452
It’s like wandering about on a Greek island in the neighborhood of Anafiotika.


DSC04752

DSC04753

DSCF9455
The narrow path of Anafiotika,


DSCF9456
When we kept walking to the eastern edge and this is the view of Athens city that greets us.


DSC04761
Lycabettus Hill is a limestone hill in Athens. It is a tourist attraction and can be reached by a funicular railway.


DSCF9457

DSCF9459
Up and up we go.


DSC04764

DSCF9461

DSCF9462
Passed by the Old University of Athens.


DSCF9465

DSC04770
Church of Metamorphosis.


DSCF9466

DSC04771
Ruins of the ancient city was discovered at the residential area and the resident must display it under glass deck.


DSC04773

DSCF9468

DSC04776
Passed by the Ancient Agora too but it was closed. I planned to visit it on another day.


DSC04778
Areopagus or Mars Hill is a popular spot to view the Athens city and Acropolis. It is a bare marble hill across the entrance to Acropolis.

 
DSC04779

DSC04781
Ancient Agora is just beneath the hill.


DSC04785

DSC04786
It’s really nice to sit and enjoy panoramic view of Athens and Acropolis just beside the hill.


image1

DSC04795
The marble can be quite slippery, especially in rain. Fortunately, the weather was good that day.


DSC04796

DSCF9474
Next, we headed to the Philopappos Hill.


DSCF9476
The Socrates Prison. This is where the great Greek philosopher was kept while waiting for his execution. His old friend, Crito visited him before dawn to arrange his escape from the prison. But Socrates refused and he was executed by drinking hemlock.


DSC04807

DSC04808
The empty shells left behind by the crickets.


DSCF9486
This is another good place to view the Pathenon.


DSCF9487
Here, the tour guide offered us some Greek pastry and wine.


DSC04817
Taking a photo with our tour guide, Kostas at the Philopappos Hill.


DSC04821
Really had a good view of Acropolis from Philopappos Hill.


DSC04814

DSC04827
Light began to light up the Pathenon in the evening.


DSCF9490

DSC04838

DSCF9500

DSCF9503
Acropolis Museum at night. Tour ends here. The tour costs EUR 100 for 2 persons and it took around 4 hours. Kostas is a friendly and knowledgeable guide and I truly enjoyed the walking tour.


DSCF9504
You can visit the website to book a tour: www.athens-walks.com


DSC04861
From here, we walked back to our hotel.


DSC04865
The night view of the Parliament building.


DSC04869
A delicious dinner at a restaurant nearby our hotel, Hotel Arethusa, marked a perfect ending to that day.

You Might Also Like

2 comments:

  1. Nice photos! Greece is such a beautiful country! I love Athens so much! I will be there in a few days and I would like to visit the Acropolis again, but this time I have booked an Acropolis tour to learn much more about this impressive monument https://www.discovergreekculture.com/tours/the-acropolis-a-walk-through-history/

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is a fantastic post. I've been looking everywhere for this! Thank goodness I came across it on this blog. You've brightened my day! This is interesting and eye-opening content, in my opinion. Thank you so much for taking an interest in your material and your readers. Firstly you must visit American airlines cancellation policy.

    ReplyDelete