Athens City Tour by Private Car with Driver

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Athens City Tour by Private Car with Driver

This is a private car with an English-speaking driver, not a guided tour. One fixed price per car, not per person, for the whole tour: hotel – Acropolis – city centre – Lycabettus Hill – hotel

Škoda Octavia with English-speaking driver for an Athens city tour

Škoda Octavia

Sedan · up to 4 passengers

€200/ whole trip

Price per car, not per person

Mercedes E-Class with English-speaking driver for an Athens city tour

Mercedes E-Class

Business sedan · up to 3 passengers

€250/ whole trip

Price per car, not per person

Mercedes Vito with English-speaking driver for an Athens city tour

Mercedes Vito

Minibus · up to 8 passengers

€300/ whole trip

Price per car, not per person

Mercedes V-Class with English-speaking driver for an Athens city tour

Mercedes V-Class

Luxury minibus · up to 7 passengers

€350/ whole trip

Price per car, not per person

Mercedes Sprinter with English-speaking driver

Mercedes Sprinter

VIP bus · up to 19 passengers

€400/ whole trip

Price per car, not per person

Included

✓ Private car with an English-speaking driver for up to 4 hours

✓ Pick-up and drop-off at your hotel or the port of Piraeus

✓ Fuel and parking — all transport costs

✓ Waiting time included: about 1.5 hours at the Acropolis and all photo stops

✓ Fully licensed vehicles for passenger transport

✓ Professional drivers, licensed by the Ministry of Transport to drive and serve tourists

Not included

• Professional guide for the Acropolis — at extra cost, on request

• Admission to the Acropolis — €30 per person, free under 18

• Lunch and personal expenses

Questions about car availability or payment?

Message me on WhatsApp with your travel date and group size. I’ll confirm availability and answer your questions.

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↓ Below — every stop of the tour, with videos and practical notes

Private car · English-speaking driver · about 4 hours

How the Tour Works

How it works: the driver picks you up at your hotel, takes you to the entrance of the Acropolis and waits while you visit it on your own. Then he drives you around the centre with photo stops — the Changing of the Guard, the Panathenaic Stadium, the Temple of Zeus and Hadrian's Arch, the Athenian Trilogy — and up Lycabettus Hill for the view.

The whole programme takes about 4 hours: around an hour and a half on the Acropolis and two to two and a half hours by car with stops.

If you would like a licensed guide, I can give you the tour myself. If I am busy that day, I will find you a good colleague. Write to me in advance and we will arrange it.

Start and end — at your hotel or at the port of Piraeus.

↓ Below — every stop of the tour with practical notes.

What You See on the Way

Below — each monument of the Acropolis and each stop of the drive, with practical notes for visiting on your own.

The Acropolis on Your Own

The Areopagus Rock — Before You Go Up

Areopagus

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Apostle Paul preaching at the Areopagus - Raphael's painting

The Areopagus is the bare rock just below the entrance to the Acropolis, and it is free to visit. The driver drops you at the foot of the hill; go up by the modern metal staircase, not the worn ancient steps, which are slippery.

Memorial plaque with Apostle Paul's speech at the Areopagus

From the top you get the classic view of the Acropolis gateway above you and of the Ancient Agora below. This is where the Apostle Paul spoke to the Athenians; his speech is on the bronze plaque at the foot of the rock. Ten minutes is enough.

The Odeon of Herodes Atticus

Acropolis, walking part
Odeon of Herodes Atticus

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Stage and rows of the Odeon

On the path up from the south side you look down into the Odeon, a Roman theatre of the 2nd century AD. You do not go inside during the visit — it is seen from above, from the terrace beside the path.

Concert at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus

It is a real concert hall as well as a monument: in summer it traditionally hosts the performances of the Athens Festival. The best photograph is from the terrace, with the city behind the stage wall.

The Propylaea — the Way In

Acropolis, walking part
Propylaea

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Propylaea columns - Doric order

The Propylaea is the monumental gateway, and everyone enters the Acropolis through it, so it is the most crowded point. Tickets are sold for a fixed time slot — book online in advance and arrive on time; the driver plans the morning around your slot.

Pinacotheca - northern wing of the Propylaea

The marble steps and floor are polished by millions of feet and are slippery even when dry. Wear shoes with a good grip and take your time on the way up.

The Temple of Athena Nike

Acropolis, walking part
Temple of Nike

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Temple of Nike columns

As you climb through the gateway, look up to your right: the small Ionic temple on the bastion belongs to Athena Nike, goddess of victory. You cannot go up to it; the best view is from the steps of the Propylaea.

Relief of Nike adjusting her sandal

It is the smallest temple on the rock and takes a minute — but it is the first one you see, and the photograph from below, with the sky behind it, is worth the stop.

The Parthenon

Acropolis, walking part
Parthenon

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Parthenon columns with entasis

Once you are through the gate the Parthenon stands in front of you. It was built in 447–438 BC as the temple of Athena. Walk the whole way around it: the east side, away from the entrance, is quieter and better for photographs.

Parthenon frieze - Elgin Marbles

You cannot go inside, and there is scaffolding somewhere on it almost every year — the restoration has been going on for decades. There is no shade on the rock: in summer bring water and a hat, and go as early as your ticket allows.

The Erechtheion and the Caryatids

Acropolis, walking part
Erechtheion

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The Porch of the Caryatids

On the north side stands the Erechtheion, with the porch held up by six statues of women, the Caryatids. The ones on the building are copies; five of the originals are in the Acropolis Museum at the foot of the hill.

Northern portico of the Erechtheion

Beside the temple grows an olive tree, planted in memory of the one that, in the myth, Athena gave to the city. From the wall behind it you look straight down on the old town of Plaka. Allow about an hour and a half for the whole Acropolis.

The Panoramic Drive, Stop by Stop

Lycabettus Hill

Lycabettus

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Church of St. George on Lycabettus

Lycabettus is the highest point in the centre of Athens. The driver takes you up the road to the car park near the top; from there it is a short climb on foot to the viewing terrace by the little white chapel of St George.

Lycabettus funicular

The view takes in the whole city, the Acropolis and the sea as far as the islands. There is a café at the top. Twenty to thirty minutes is the usual stop.

The Evzones and the Changing of the Guard

City tour
Evzones

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Evzone uniform - fustanella

In front of the Parliament on Syntagma Square two Evzones, the presidential guards, stand at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The guard changes every hour on the hour, and the driver times the stop for it.

Evzone changing of the guard

The ceremony lasts about ten minutes. You can photograph the guards and stand beside them afterwards, but do not touch them or step past the line the soldier on duty shows you.

The Panathenaic Stadium

City tour
Panathenaic Stadium

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Finish line at the stadium

The white marble stadium is where the first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896. The driver stops in front of it; the whole stadium is visible from the entrance, so a photo stop of five minutes is enough.

Opening of the 1896 Olympics

If you would like to walk on the track and climb the stands, there is a separate ticket at the gate and it takes about half an hour — tell the driver, and he will wait.

The Temple of Olympian Zeus

City tour
Temple of Zeus

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Temple of Zeus columns

Fifteen huge Corinthian columns are what remains of the largest temple of ancient Athens, begun in the 6th century BC and finished under the Roman emperor Hadrian some six and a half centuries later.

Temple of Zeus panorama

You see the columns well from the street and from Hadrian's Arch next to them. Going inside the fence needs a separate ticket and adds twenty minutes; most guests are happy with the view from outside.

The Athenian Trilogy

City tour
The Athenian Trilogy

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University of Athens

On Panepistimiou Street three neoclassical buildings of the 19th century stand side by side: the Academy, the University and the National Library.

Statues of Plato and Athena at the Academy

This is a drive-past with a short photo stop in front of the Academy, the most ornate of the three, with statues of Athena and Apollo on tall columns.

The National Garden

City tour
National Garden

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Pond in the National Garden

Behind the Parliament lies the National Garden, the former royal garden — a shady park with ponds and palm avenues in the middle of the city. The drive passes along its edge.

Ancient ruins in the National Garden

If you would like a break from the car, ask the driver to drop you at one gate and pick you up at another: a walk through takes fifteen to twenty minutes and it is free.

Hadrian's Arch

City tour
Hadrian's Arch

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Inscription on Hadrian's Arch

The marble arch beside the Temple of Zeus was built in AD 131 in honour of the emperor Hadrian. It stands right by the road and is free to see.

Hadrian's Arch with Acropolis backdrop

Look through the arch towards the Acropolis: it frames one of the easiest good photographs in Athens. The stop is combined with the Temple of Zeus.

Athens City Tour by Private Car — Frequently Asked Questions

Practical answers about the tour by private car with a driver.

Price Duration Tickets Fitness Weather Children Driver or guide?

From €200 per car for the whole tour in a Škoda Octavia (up to 4 passengers); a Mercedes Vito minibus for up to 8 passengers is €300. The price is per car, not per person, and includes the English-speaking driver, fuel and parking.

About 4 hours: around an hour and a half on the Acropolis, which you visit on your own, and two to two and a half hours by car through the centre with photo stops and the drive up Lycabettus Hill.

No. The Acropolis ticket is €30 per person; under 18 free. Tickets are sold for a fixed time slot, so book them online in advance and tell me the time — the driver plans the tour around it.

The walk up takes 15–20 minutes at an easy pace on a paved path and marble steps, which are slippery — wear shoes with a good grip. Everything else on the tour is by car with short stops.

The tour runs in any weather. In rain bring an umbrella and proper shoes for the Acropolis; the rest is from the car. In summer go as early as your ticket allows — there is no shade on the rock.

Yes. Child seats are available on request — tell me the ages when you book. Under-18s enter the Acropolis free of charge, and the stops by car are short.

No. The driver speaks English, looks after the route and the timing and can tell you about the places you pass, but he is not a professional guide and does not go up to the Acropolis with you. A professional guide is provided at extra cost: I am a licensed guide and can give you the tour myself, and if I am busy that day I will find you a good colleague.

Book Your Car

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