Temple of Olympian Zeus, Athens: Tours & Tickets

We had fun, but we’re a little underwhelmed for the high cost. Our guide was lovely, and a lot is out of their control - the Acropolis is so busy and tour members can be tardy, which probably impacted how much time they had to speak. We enjoyed the Mythology, and it sets the tour apart from all the historical information you can get at the Acropolis museum. However, we really would have liked the myths to be supplemented with a bit more history (ie: the temple/sanctuary was built this date following this event, by this ruler, before or after this other monument. The reason it was put here: here’s the myth). We wouldn’t be as fussy and would have given 5 stars if it wasn’t so pricey. But still very enjoyable and a great supplement to the pure historical/archeological information at the Museum.

We first asked the live tour guides outside Acropolis. They were absurdly expensive (60 euros per person). Then I checked this app. We bought the tickets with audio guide. A local representative rang immediately. He explained what to do. He was very polite. We used our e-tickets for 5 different sites with no problem. The audio guide was useful but not very comprehensive. Still, considering you only remember a few points from each tour, I would definetely buy audio guides from this app/website for other cities and attractions.

Our guide led us through paths which were not too difficult for those who do not cycle routinely. His commentary was informative, interesting and contained surprises: he got us to a certain corner to see the parade of the changing of the guard without the crowds. I just loved his offer to photograph tour members at iconic sites such as with the Acropolis in background. At the end of our tour, he capped it off with several small but traditional Greek gifts, as it was my birthday...he helped make it memorable!

We did this tour sept 7th 2019. Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable (Fotini) and professional. It’s organized in a way to optimize your time to see the key highlights of the acropolis and surrounding without waisting lineups and avoiding crowds. Transportation extremely comfortable. We were a group of 4 (two adults and two children), perfect for family. Highly recommend it.

We learned a lot and enjoyed our guide’s descriptions of what the sites looked like when they were in use. She had a lot of good suggestions about other sites in Athens also. I just wish that we had known in advance what sites we would visit. We bought the combo tickets the previous day and visited two of the sites already, so had to buy another entrance ticket for those.