Best of Athens and Cape Sounio Full Day Private Tour

9 Hours Pickup service provided in Athens. to Drop-off service provided in Athens. Easy pace

The journey

Trip highlights
  • 01 Explore the Acropolis, including the Parthenon, Propylaea, Erechtheion, and Theater of Dionysus
  • 02 Visit the Acropolis Museum at the foot of the sacred hill
  • 03 See major Athens landmarks such as the Temple of Olympian Zeus, Panathenaic Stadium, and Syntagma Square
  • 04 Watch the city unfold from Mount Lycabettus
  • 05 Drive along the Athenian Riviera through Glyfada, Voula, Vouliagmeni, and Varkiza
  • 06 Visit Cape Sounio and the Temple of Poseidon overlooking the sea
  • 07 Stop at Lake Vouliagmeni on the return to Athens
  • 08 Travel in a private air-conditioned vehicle with pickup and drop-off included

Discover the highlights of Athens and the beauty of Cape Sounio on this full-day private tour that blends ancient history, iconic landmarks, and scenic coastal views. Explore the Acropolis and its celebrated monuments, visit the Acropolis Museum, and take in key sights of the city including the Temple of Olympian Zeus, Panathenaic Stadium, Syntagma Square, and Plaka.

Continue along the Athenian Riviera through seaside suburbs such as Glyfada, Voula, Vouliagmeni, and Varkiza before reaching Cape Sounio and the Temple of Poseidon. With private transportation, hotel, airport, or port pickup and drop-off, and the flexibility of a private experience, this tour is an easy way to see both the historic heart of Athens and one of Attica’s most memorable coastal landmarks in a single day.

At a glance

What this trip includes

Duration 9 Hours
Tour type Private
Activity level Easy
Accommodation Included
Transport Included
Wheelchair access No
Cities Athens, Sounion
Languages English

Day by day

The itinerary

1
Day 01

Athens

Pick up from your hotel, apartment, Airbnb, Athens airport, or Piraeus port

Acropolis

Walk on the land in which thousands of years ago some of the largest and most important parts of the global philosophy, politics, and science were born and flourished. Navigate ancient monuments of priceless cultural and historical value and experience in person the greatness and glamour of Greek ancient times. Starting off with the Acropolis, which in Greek translates to the edge of the city, the geographically and spiritually highest point according to ancient Greeks.

Propylaea

The Propylaea was the monumental gateway to the Acropolis of Athens and was one of several public works commissioned by the Athenian leader Pericles in order to rebuild the Acropolis a generation after the conclusion of the Persian Wars.

Parthenon

On the top of this sacred hill, proudly stands the Parthenon, which is the epitome of ancient Greek architecture, where you will experience the greatness of ancient Greece captured on every piece of marble. An architectural jewel that hosts the best of what the human spirit and genius has ever conceived, an open embrace that awaits its famed sister marbles to welcome them home again.

Erechtheion

The Erechtheion is an ancient Greek temple on the north side of the Acropolis of Athens in Greece which was dedicated to both Athena and Poseidon.

Temple of Athena Nike

The Temple of Athena Nike is a temple on the Acropolis of Athens, dedicated to the goddesses Athena and Nike. Built around 420 BC, the temple is the earliest fully Ionic temple on the Acropolis. It has a prominent position on a steep bastion at the southwest corner of the Acropolis to the right of the entrance, the Propylaea. In contrast to the Acropolis proper, a walled sanctuary entered through the Propylaea, the Victory Sanctuary was open, entered from the Propylaea's southwest wing and from a narrow stair on the north. The sheer walls of its bastion were protected on the north, west, and south by the Nike Parapet, named for its frieze of Nikai celebrating victory and sacrificing to their patroness, Athena and Nike.

Theater of Dionysus

The Theater of Dionysus is an ancient Greek theatre in Athens. It is built on the south slope of the Acropolis hill, originally part of the sanctuary of Dionysus Eleuthereus. The first orchestra terrace was constructed on the site around the mid- to late-sixth century BC, where it hosted the City Dionysia. The theatre reached its fullest extent in the fourth century BC under the epistates of Lycurgus when it would have had a capacity of up to 17,000, and was in continuous use down to the Roman period. The theatre then fell into decay in the Byzantine era and was not identified, excavated, and restored to its current condition until the nineteenth century.

Odeon of Herodes Atticus

The Odeon of Herodes Atticus is a stone Roman theater structure located on the southwest slope of the Acropolis of Athens. The building was completed in 161 AD and then renovated in 1950.

Acropolis Museum

At the foot of the Acropolis Hill in the shadow of the imposing Parthenon lays a modern jewel that houses some of the most important ancient Greek statues and works of art, the Acropolis Museum.

Arch of Hadrian

The Arch of Hadrian, most commonly known in Greek as Hadrian's Gate, is a monumental gateway resembling a Roman triumphal arch. It spanned an ancient road from the center of Athens, Greece, to the complex of structures on the eastern side of the city that included the Temple of Olympian Zeus.

Temple of Olympian Zeus

Between the Acropolis and the Ilisos River are the remains of the Olympian Zeus Temple (now known as the Pillars of Olympian Zeus), one of Athens’ most important and oldest shrines. The space even today gives the visitor a sense of grandeur.

Panathenaic Stadium

Continuing with the stunning Calimarmaro or as it is called today, the Panathenaic Stadium, the house of the first modern Olympic games, made of Pentelic marble in which the Olympic ideals are still reflected today.

Mount Lycabettus

After leaving the beautiful Calimarmaro behind us, we will drive up to Lycabettus hill where you will enjoy the beautiful panoramic view of the city and admire the combination of ancient and modern Athens from above.

Syntagma Square

Syntagma Square (Constitution Square) is the central square of Athens. The square is named after the Constitution that Otto, the first King of Greece, was obliged to grant after a popular and military uprising on 3 September 1843.[2] It is located in front of the 19th century Old Royal Palace, housing the Greek Parliament since 1934. Syntagma Square is the most important square of modern Athens from both a historical and social point of view, at the heart of commercial activity and Greek politics. The name Syntagma alone also refers to the neighbourhood surrounding the square.

Hellenic Parliament

Traveling thousands of years ahead, to the Hellenic Parliament building that houses the Greek Parliament in an impressive building in downtown Athens overseeing Syntagma Square, protected by the presidential guard that consists of two soldiers dressed in the traditional Greek combat uniform, standing stationary and guarding beside the tomb of the unknown soldier. The two guards perform the guard change ceremony every hour with impressive accuracy and agility.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a war memorial located in Syntagma Square in Athens, in front of the Old Royal Palace. It is a cenotaph dedicated to the Greek soldiers killed during war. It was sculpted between 1930 and 1932 by sculptor Fokion Rok. The tomb is guarded by the Evzones of the Presidential Guard.

Academy of Athens

The Academy of Athens is Greece's national academy and the highest research establishment in the country. It was established in 1926 and operates under the supervision of the Ministry of Education. The Academy's main building is one of the major landmarks of Athens.

National Library of Greece

The National Library of Greece is situated near the center of the city of Athens. It was designed by the Danish architect Theophil Freiherr von Hansen, as part of his famous Trilogy of neo-classical buildings including the Academy of Athens and the original building of the Athens University. It was founded by Ioannis Kapodistrias.

Old Parliament House

The Old Parliament House at Stadiou Street in Athens housed the Greek Parliament between 1875 and 1935. It now houses the country's National Historical Museum.

Plaka

The old historical neighborhood of Athens, clustered around the northern and eastern slopes of the Acropolis, and incorporating labyrinthine streets and neoclassical architecture. Plaka is built on top of the residential areas of the ancient town of Athens. It is known as the "Neighborhood of the Gods" due to its proximity to the Acropolis and its many archaeological sites.

Glyfada

Glyfada is a suburb in South Athens located in the Athens Riviera. It is situated in the southern parts of Athens' urban area. The area stretches from the foot of the Hymettus mountain to the Saronic Gulf. It is the largest of Athens' southern suburbs.

Voula

Voula is a southern suburb of Athens.

Vouliagmeni

Vouliagmeni is a seaside suburb and former municipality 20 km south of Athens city center.

Varkiza

Varkiza, also Alianthos, is a suburb of greater Athens forming part of the municipality of Vari-Voula-Vouliagmeni in southern Attica.

Anavyssos

Anavyssos is a town and a former municipality in East Attica.

Archaeological site of Sounio

Cape Sounion is the promontory at the southernmost tip of the Attic peninsula, 8 kilometers (5.0 mi) south of the town of Lavrio (ancient Thoricus), and 70 kilometers (43 mi) southeast of Athens. It is part of Lavreotiki municipality, East Attica. It is 59.6 km away from Athens. Cape Sounion is noted for its Temple of Poseidon, one of the major monuments of the Golden Age of Athens. Its remains are perched on the headland, surrounded on three sides by the sea.

Temple of Poseidon

The ancient Greek temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion, built during 444–440 BC, is one of the major monuments of the Golden Age of Athens. A Doric temple, overlooks the sea at the end of Cape Sounion, at a height of almost 60 meters (200 ft).

Lake Vouliagmeni

During our return to the city of Athens, we will stop at one of the most idyllic places. Vouliagmeni Lake, in the heart of the Athenian Riviera, is the hidden treasure of Attica's nature. Lake Vouliagmeni ("Sunken Lake") is a small brackish-water lake fed by underground currents seeping through the mass of Mount Hymettus located to the south of Vouliagmeni.

The route

Where you'll travel

Tour route map
Pickup service provided in Athens. to Drop-off service provided in Athens. 2 cities · 9 Hours

The fine print

Trip details

What's Included

  • Lunch/ Dinner (With Greek Traditional Food option)
  • Professional drivers with deep knowledge of history (not licensed to accompany you in any site)
  • Hotel/ airport/ port pickup and drop-off
  • Private transportation
  • Air-conditioned vehicle
  • WiFi on board
  • Bottled water

What's Not Included

  • Licensed tour guide (upon request and depending on availability)
  • Gratuities
  • Acropolis (must be purchased in advance - limited availability) Yes 30
  • Acropolis Museum (must be purchased in advance - limited availability)
  • Sounio & Temple of Poseidon (can be purchased only on-site)

Know before you go

  • PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION NEARBY
  • INFANTS MUST SIT ON LAPS
  • INFANT SEATS AVAILABLE
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Not stroller accessible
  • Not suitable for pets
  • Our drivers are not official tour guides, but they are knowledgeable and can provide fascinating commentary in fluent English. Although they will not enter the archaeological sites with you, they can answer all of your questions about the places you visit with this tour.
  • Third party activities and especially extreme sports are not allowed during the tour. This can be a cause for immediate cancellation of the tour.
  • We can provide you with the skip-the-line tickets for the Acropolis and the Acropolis Museum upon request or you can pre-purchase them by following the links on your ticket/ voucher. The availability is limited and these tickets must be pre-purchased timely.
  • Entrance tickets are not included in the tour price. We can assist with arranging all entrance tickets upon request after booking. Guests may also purchase tickets independently using the official links below.

    Acropolis of Athens

    Advance booking strongly recommended. Please select a time slot shortly after your tour start time.

    Acropolis Museum

    Please select the time slot following your Acropolis entry time.
  • This private tour is exclusively for your group, ensuring a personalized and flexible experience. Pickup time can be adjusted upon request.

    Your driver can pick you up and drop you off either at the same location or at different locations of your choice within Athens.
    * Hotel pickups: Your driver will be waiting in the hotel lobby.
    * Apartment pickups: Your driver will be waiting outside the building entrance.
    * Cruise port pickups: Your driver will meet you at the disembarkation gate, holding a sign with your name for easy identification.
    * Airport pickups: Your driver will be waiting in the arrivals hall holding a sign with your name. We monitor all incoming flights to ensure a timely pickup, even in case of delays.

Logistics

Meeting & route

Meeting point
Pickup service provided in Athens.
Tour start
Pickup service provided in Athens.
Tour end
Drop-off service provided in Athens.
End of the journey

Your 9 hours run from Pickup service provided in Athens. to Drop-off service provided in Athens..

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