We'll be in Athens for a weekend in October, arriving Friday night and departing for Peloponnese peninsula on Monday. Since we are travelling with kids and arrive late on Friday I was initially planning to take it easy on Saturday- maybe a food walking tour and then exploring Plaka, Monastriaki, etc. And then find a kid-friendly tour of the Acropolis and Acropolis museum for Sunday where we can be fresh in the morning. But I'm now learning that Sundays are non-working days for guides, except for some cases you can get around that by paying a large fee? So now I'm not sure what to do. Are the Acropolis and museum less crowded on Sundays because of this? If that's the case perhaps it is worthwhile to pay the fee, but otherwise I'm wondering whether we need to push through and visit on Saturday instead. Is it critical to visit first thing in the morning? Any thoughts about how best to plan our time would be appreciated.
Posted by
France Southwest
3165 posts
Licensed guides are legally entitled to a 75% increase in their rates on Sundays and public holidays. You should contact a few guides on the official list to find out how much they will charge you (I've already filled in the language and location fields)
https://www.tourist-guides.gr/guides/list-of-licensed-tourist-guides/?bla=1338&q=atticv
You can also take an organized tour, private or not, by checking out the links I provided at the end of this post.
The presence or absence of guides has no impact on the number of visitors, but you be aware that you will need to book your tickets in advance to visit the Acropolis with or without a guide (even with a private guide you still have to pay for your tickets - entry is free for the guide).
https://hhticket.gr/tap_b2c_new/english/tap.exe?PM=P1P&place=000000002
It is generally recommended to visit the Acropolis very early in the morning to avoid crowds (organized tours and cruise passengers arrive around 9 or 10 a.m.).
You can go to the ticket office on the day of the visit with the risk of waiting and/or that it's sold out at the time you want to visit. Currently, all morning slots in the next 10 days are sold out. So, even if the Acropolis is less crowded in October, don't wait until the last minute to book.
The Acropolis Museum is a semi-private organization with another website, but advance booking is not essential, especially in October.
At the ticket office you'll find free audio guides in 3 versions: 1-hour short audio tour, 2-hour long audio tour, and 1.5-hour family-friendly audio tour. So, you could visit the museum without a guide unless you have specific requirements for explanations that go beyond the usual scope of audio tours.
https://www.theacropolismuseum.gr/en
In my opinion:
Spend your Saturday afternoon relaxing, strolling around Plaka and Monastiraki as planned, you can also visit the Acropolis Museum if you have enough time (with the 90-minute audio guide).
Save the Acropolis for Sunday morning at 8:00 a.m.
Regarding guided tours, food tours, walking tours etc, check-out these local organizations:
https://www.athenswalkingtours.gr/
Posted by
Philadelphia, PA, USA
3601 posts
Jo-Lui, you are such a Gift! You have explained everything so clearly/briefly with correct links, I'm copying & saving to use in future for similar inquiries (I tend to blather on in my answers).
Posted by
373 posts
Have you considered just using Rick Steve's walking tour of the Acropolis, or are your children too young for that?
That is our plan, while not really Rick Steve's fans, we do enjoy his walking tours.
We arrive on a Saturday in October, from Australia, so also plan a chilled day on Sunday.
We have reservations for 4pm on Monday for the Acropolis and will just use the Rick Steve's tour.
Posted by
Philadelphia, PA, USA
3601 posts
Laura you may not be aware of what's offered FREE on this site, to help you with D-I-Y touring, if that helps your schedule. Look in corner of this page "Watch, read, Listen" -- click on that, then CLick on LISTEN then on AUDIO TOURS... Up comes a list of countries. Click Greece & Turkey ... then click ATHENS. You will see 4 FREE downloadable audio tours that take you step by step .... you download them onto your phone(s). I recommend downloading before your trip & listening, so you know how to pace things. If the kids are younger, you might even prep yourself, to do a narrative for them. A useful option!