Athens Food and Modern Culture Private Walking Tour in the Old Town

Athens, Greece

In the shadow of the Acropolis, past classic temples, Roman monuments, Byzantine churches & through the small streets of the Plaka this tour combines a wonderful walk through the vibrant heart of the old city with regular stops to sample, experience & learn about the many local tastes, traditions & crafts which form both a link to the past & at the same time comprise many of the current pleasures, habits and influences of modern daily life in Greece.

Exclusive to your group alone, a fun, insightful and unique tour which will greatly enrich your experience and discovery of Greece bringing to life its living history & many of its inhabitants along the way. Also suitable for families & all ages with the flexibility to go at your own pace.

From pick up at your hotel and brief overview of the day & assessment of any needs & preferences you may have, we continue towards Monisteraki square with its bustling & colourful neoclassic streets to meet George, patron of one of the best cafe's in Athens which opened its doors in 1840 and which doubles as a cultural center. Amidst the amazing collections of authentic posters, paraphernalia & other artifacts providing wonderful insight into modern Greece, we learn about the ritual of Greek Coffee & 'Glikou tou Koutoulu' or 'sweet of the spoon' which has a special place in the daily cycle of Greek life & a fascinating history which will be shared in this beautiful setting.

Cultivated in Greece for over 5000 years the olive has a central place in the Greek kitchen.  Greek olive oil is widely recognized as the highest quality oil in the world & rightly forms a key part of the famous Greek diet. We next come to meet Afroditi to sample & taste a selection of oils from various regions & islands of Greece, learning on the way about its production, the characteristic olive varieties, and the local & regional geographical variations which influence quality. You can also see many of the other products derived from it, from skilled traditional woodcraft to the variety of natural elements used for health & beauty, and sample also very distinctive regional varieties of honey.

Continuing in this way visiting specialist boutique shops, our tour samples the amazing but little known varieties of gourmet cheese; the rich pastry & sweet culture having Ottoman roots; Production of over 100 types of local spirit from 'Raki' to 'Tsipourou' to the famous Ouzo; to traditional crafts including glass & ceramics, Jewellery; native traditional Herbs, spices and Tea's, to the many other local traditions, superstitions & stories such as the 'evil eye' jewelry used to fend off evil spirits or the 'Korboloy' or Greek 'worry beeds' you will see many old & young men playing with their characteristic click clack noise.

Finally, we come to the Ancient Agora & central cafe & restaurant area, the very place the ancient Greeks stopped to trade, teach, went to market & carried out the street politics of the day 2000 years before. In she shadow of the temple of Hephestus we find Anna & our last stop at her pretty taverna for a lunch sampling 'Mezethes' or 'many small dishes'. Another of the small pleasures of Greek life, we savor these & learn about both their development as a lunchtime food for agricultural or other early workers, the regional influences on this cuisine & its many varieties. Here we wish you a last goodbye to people watch, pass the time with friends or return you your hotel, but for those wanting to continue with something special in the afternoon, the tour can be nicely followed with a relaxing coastal road trip to Cape Sounio on request