We are thinking we might like to hire a guide or go on a group tour for the major sights in Athens.
We think this will enhance the experience.
What has been your experience with either one?
I especially like to know if you used either one to visit the museums and tour the city center.
I'm not looking for any leads now, just experiences.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts
Some people find tour groups helpful and convenient.
Others prefer to do it yourself and that's very easy with guide books and the internet.
I've never used a tour group so can't help but Rick Steves does have a step by step do it yourself tour in his Athens Guide book and probably somewhere on-line.
Do it yourself is free, you are on your own time frame and if you start out early enough you'll avoid the tour groups especially at the Acropolis.
However, do what is most convenient and easiest for you.
Just like tommy I have never used the services of a private guide in Athens, and group tours are certainly not my cup of tea.
Regarding the title of your post: "Yes, not, for what?" the "for what" part is in my opinion the most important.
What are you interested or passionate about?
Archaeology in general? What period of history? Social life? Mythology? Architecture? Art? Crafts?
There are places that may interest you and others not, even if they are listed as "must see". For those that interest you, do some research before visiting them and hire a private guide.
If you do not have any answer for the "for what" it may mean that you want to visit a place without even knowing why.
I have used private guide services in a few other places in Greece for specific reasons and have sometimes been disappointed because the guide's knowledge or explanations did not match my expectations on specific points even if the guide was very competent.
We used a guide in Athens but only for outside sites-not museums. We had a group of 7 and I thought a private guide was perfect. We had a range of interests with several people reading every sign and others nothing. A guide helped bridge that divide.
My husband and I when by ourselves like small group tours that last a few hours. We find we learn a lot more that way. We have only had a few tours that we haven't enjoyed.
We hired a private guide when we were in Delphi because we couldn't find a group tour. I did not like that nearly as well as a small group tour.
We haven't been to Athens yet, but are going next year, hence my reading this forum.
On past European trips, when we've had a guide it has been mostly very good. We had an excellent private guide for the Colosseum and Roman Forum in Rome, and she brought the entire thing to light for me and I loved it. Later in the trip we visiting Pompeii, and I declined the offer of a guide. To this day I regret that decision, as I couldn't make sense of Pompeii, no matter how much I read.
I think we will almost certainly get a guide for the Acropolis, which is what our hotel has suggested too.
Thanks to everyone for your advice
We visited Athens in May 2024 and took a guided bus tour (it was part of a package we won in an auction) that included a guided tour of the Acropolis and the Acropolis museum. If I had to do it over again, I would not have taken the bus tour. Too many people, too much sitting in traffic, and we had to wait for others on the tour who were late to come back to the bus. However, I would have opted for a smaller tour of the Acropolis (going earlier in the morning to avoid the heat and crowds). The Acropolis museum is a more modern museum and I would have liked to tour it on my own.
We used the Rick Steves Greece Book for the Athens walk and were pleased with the information in the book. We also took a food tour and absolutely loved it. We visited the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. It is an older museum and to get the most of the museum, I would do some research in advance.
@SandyO it sounds like you enjoyed your Athens food tour. Do you remember who you used?
smithonline,
There are lots of food tours in Athens. There are a few variations but as Athens is a city where I go regularly, I know roughly where the basic food tour will take you.
You will probably taste some pastries, then stroll through the Athens Central Market here:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/PPKw9BYdLBomxvSr7
and taste some samples of Greek products (with establishments that have an agreement with the tour organizer), feta cheese, olives, etc, and perhaps some mezzes with a glass of wine or tsipouro.
This is something you can do very easily on your own at your own pace.
If you don't feel able to do it yourself you can try for example one of these:
