Athens, a Neoclassical Capital: A Self-Guided Walking Audio Tour

Duration1h - 2h

Free cancellationFull refund up to 24 hours before

Instant confirmationYour booking is confirmed right away

TicketMobile or paper ticket accepted

LanguagesEnglish

Private tourOnly your group will participate

Overview

In the 1830s, Athens was a dusty town of a few thousand people, and a Bavarian teenager crowned king of Greece set out to rebuild it as a capital worthy of its ancient past.
On this self-guided audio walk, Greek journalist Nikolia Apostolou shows you the city that rose from that dream. Start in Syntagma Square, watch the Evzones guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and pass the hotel that was Nazi headquarters and later hosted Churchill. Then follow Panepistimiou Street past Schliemann’s mansion and Hansen’s marble ‘trilogy’ of Academy, University and Library, before ending at the National Archaeological Museum. Along the way, hear the stories that built modern Greece, from a constitution won in the street to the 1973 student uprising that helped topple a dictatorship.

Highlights:
- Hear modern Athens explained by a local foreign correspondent
- See the Changing of the Guard and Hansen’s neoclassical trilogy
- Walk at your own pace with GPS-triggered audio, no group needed

What's included

VoiceMap app for Andriod and iOS
Lifetime access to this tour in English
Offline access to audio, maps, and geodata

Smartphone and headphones
Transportation
Food and drink
Tickets or entrance fees to any museums or other attractions en route

What to expect

Syntagma Station
Pass by

This is the heart of modern-day Athens. Everything starts from here. The word Syntagma means "constitution" in Greek. The square got its name after a popular military uprising in 1843, when Greeks gathered here demanding that the country's first King, King Otto, follow his promise and introduce the country's first constitution.

Protests are still organised here. You might have seen footage of the thousands of people gathering to protest, sometimes peacefully and sometimes not. You might also have seen the molotov cocktails.
Pass by

Start in Syntagma Square, the political heart of modern Athens. Its name means ‘Constitution’, after the 1843 uprising that forced King Otto to grant one, and it has been the city’s main stage for protests and celebrations ever since. Hear how it shaped the Greek state.
National Garden
Pass by

The Gardens were created in 1839, as the garden of the palace. Thousands of plants were brought from all over Greece, Europe, and Africa to be planted here for the sake of the queen.
Hellenic Parliament
Pass by

This is the Greek Parliament. It was built in 1836 and for the first hundred years this neoclassical building was the king's palace.
Pass by

In front of the Parliament, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier honours Greeks who fell in war. It is guarded day and night by the Evzones in their kilts and pompom shoes. Catch the slow, precise Changing of the Guard and learn the meaning behind the ritual.
Pass by

Overlooking Syntagma Square, the Hotel Grande Bretagne has been Athens’ grandest address since the 1870s. It served as Nazi headquarters during WWII and later hosted Winston Churchill. Discover the dramatic stories behind its elegant facade.
Numismatic Museum
Pass by

This is called Iliou Melathron, which means the Palace of Troy. It belonged to the German archeologist Heinrich Schliemann, who had discovered the ancient city of Troy. The mansion was built in 1879 and designed by German architect Ernst Ziller.

Inside the mansion is the Numismatic Museum, also known as the Coin Museum. It contains 600,000 objects. These include ancient drachmas and coins dating from the 6th century BC until the 5th century CE. There are also coins from the Roman and Byzantium eras.
Academy of Athens
Pass by

This is the Academy of Athens and it's the first of three buildings designed by the Danish architect, Theophil Hansen. It was built in 1859.
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Pass by

The University of Athens is the central building of Hansen’s neoclassical ‘trilogy’. Founded in 1837, it was the first university in the new Greek state. Study the colourful frieze on its portico, which shows King Otto among figures of the arts and sciences.
National Library of Greece
Pass by

This is the National Library of Greece. It's home to one of the greatest collections of Greek scripts dating back to the 9th century.
Athens Polytechnic Student Rebellion
Pass by

The Athens Polytechnic is a landmark of modern Greek history. In November 1973, students occupied the campus in protest against the military junta, and tanks crushed the uprising. Learn how the uprising helped bring down the dictatorship and why Greeks remember it each year.
National Archaeological Museum
Pass by

You can visit the museum at the end of the tour. The collections include works of the great civilizations that developed in the Aegean islands from the sixth millennium BC to 1050 BC. There is also a beautiful sculpture collection which shows the development of ancient Greek sculpture from the seventh to the fifth centuries BC including many unique masterpieces.

Meeting and pickup

Meeting point

Start from the middle of Syntagma Square in front of the fountain. Before arrival, please install the VoiceMap mobile app and use the code provided on your confirmation ticket. This is a self-guided audio tour that you can start, pause, or restart at any time and complete at your own pace.

End point

This is where our tour ends. I'd recommend visiting this museum now.

Additional information

Wheelchair accessible
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Cancellation policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

From

~~$5.50~~ $4.95 per person

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Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts
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