Orestis Seferoglou

Don’t just see the city, live it! Let the locals walk you through unseen Athens. Discover the people and stories that make up this glorious capital, full of colour, contrasts and unexpected beauty.

Overview

Info

Potential starting points are the Info point kiosk at Syntagma or the City Hall. Locals are non-paid savvy Athenians providing their personal opinions and not professional tour guides.

Reviews

Serdar

I would like to thank Nikki very much for the informative tour. Our tour was based on Ethnikos Kipos, Zappeion Garden and Presidental Palace garden from the outside. We have also seen Byzantine and Christian Museum. I was also informed about the historical periods of Athens and how the city had been improved. Since our walk was based on gardens, we talked about different tree types and where they came from. We saw also some archeological areas and talked about the Athens conservatory on the way. We talked about the Greek history and society. I have gotten so much information that I didn't know before. Thank you Nikki for the impressive and informative tour.

Visited Athens in December 19, 2024

Sarrah

We were so excited to explore Athens with a local. We definitely tried exploring on our own and kept ending up in the same places or in places that we were not comfortable. Unfortunately, our local ended up cancelling at the last minute due to illness. Such a great idea, but we didn't get to experience it. Maybe next time.

Visited Athens in October 13, 2024

Anonymous

We had a great time exploring different neighborhoods of Athens

Visited Athens in September 21, 2024

Lydia

Initially we had asked for an architectural tour, but unfortunately nobody was available. So we decided to opt for the Surf tour and were assigned to Demetra. We were pleasantly surprised that it turned out she was not only very knowledgable about the area, but also knows a lot about the different architectural periods and styles. So we had a very pleasant and informative walk with her.

Visited Athens in April 6, 2024

Stav

We did a different walk off the beaten path and it was good to see how everything connected.

Visited Athens in March 23, 2024

Tony & Pat

Our Locals, Danai B. and her husband, Alex, were delightful hosts and guides. We met at Syntagma Square on a drizzly Sunday afternoon, but the rain did not deter us. We meandered through the streets of Psiri, Monistraki and Plaka, with Danai pointing out goods and trends and places special to those neighborhoods. We stopped for coffee and delicious pastries at a wonderful sidewalk bakery. The rain stopped, and the sun came out. Thank you, Danai, for making us feel welcome, for the parting gift, and for sharing Athens with us. And, for making sure that I stayed warm and dry while we walked and visited. I highly recommend this laid back way to explore Athens, and Danai made a very informative and interesting guide who generously gave her time and knowledge. Efcharisto.

Visited Athens in March 17, 2024

Jennifer

The walk was great and I was able to explore some places I wouldn’t have been able to find on my own.

Visited Athens in February 29, 2024

Madli

The tour with a local is such a great idea to offer for visitors of Athens. To say that it exceeded my expectations would be understatement. Not only was it two hours of magic and wonder to walk around in the streets and in the stories that Niki had found and prepared and that she presented marvellously, but already before we met in person we were getting to know each other through emails, which made me feel very welcome and appreciated. It was an encounter that made my first visit to Athens very special. I’m thoroughly amazed by this experience and recommend it wholeheartedly.

Visited Athens in January 12, 2024

S. M.

The walk with Danai was very interesting. She also answered many questions for us and made numerous recommendations. She also showed us Greek specialties.

Visited Athens in December 31, 2023

Mohammad Riduwan

Absolutely brilliant what the government trying to implement. We learn so much bout Athens through the eyes of a local. Definitely a good way to introduce Athens to the world. It was recommended by a friend of ours and I’ll definitely will recommend it to others if they ever visit Athens.

Visited Athens in November 27, 2023

Monica S.

Nikki is an amazing person, very polite, nice and pleasant! Young, multicultural, talented. The tour was interesting, mixed with actual and an understanding of the city neighborhoods, its people, and lifestyle.
Your initiative is really outstanding :) Congratulations!

Visited Athens in November 18, 2023

Sian Lewis

We had a fabulous orientation to Athens on our walk with Ekaterina. A great mix of information on the history and culture of the city, coupled with great local tips.

Visited Athens in October 25, 2023

Yuxiao

It was really good and enjoyable! Would definitely recommend to anyone visiting Athens.

Visited Athens in September 25, 2023

irem b.

i really enjoyed the walk.

Visited Athens in September 28, 2023

Maryanne Pope

We loved this fun, fast-paced & informative walk around Athens with Miltos!! I highly recommend it, as it is a great way to see some of the different neighbourhoods. Miltos is an excellent guide & very funny & friendly 😀

Visited Athens in September 13, 2023

Mirjam

It was a fantastic walk with Nikos. He told us a lot about Athens. We enjoyed it very much.

Visited Athens in August 31, 2023

Marie nawal

The walk was good. All because of the coolest guide we had

Visited Athens in August 27, 2023

Joan

It has been an opportunity to discover this initiative, which has allowed to share part of our time in Athens talking and walking with a local, discovering new places but also sharing opinions and knowledges about how life is in Athens and in other parts of Greece. The walk we did let us to discover two different places not known before, which bring us the opportunity to complement the tours done by our owns.

Visited Athens in August 10, 2023

Marieve

Nous avons beaucoup apprécié ce tour faisant découvrir un autre point de vue d’Athenes que les tours habituels.

Visited Athens in August 2, 2023

Paul

Niki crafted a very personalized and tailored talk for my wife and I, showing us a side of Athens we might never have seen without her diligent and thoughtful planning. But our favorite part was after the tour when she took the time to chat with us about Greece, city planning, and the more modern history of this fascinating city. It was a thought provoking conversation with a local that we would likely never had the chance to have had we not booked this tour. I highly recommend considering slotting this tour into your Athens exploration to round out your experience in the city—it’ll help you witness a whole other side to this complex and interesting city.

Visited Athens in July 11, 2023

Giusy Sangiovanni

The walk with Niki has been really nice. She is lovely and really well informed about Athens.
I really enjoyed the time spent with her and also our short stops to say hello numerous cats (patatoni) living in the city center.
A pleasant experience that I will definitely recommend to friends visiting Athens!

Visited Athens in June 29, 2023

Salma Chabchoub

It was amazing and rami was very nice. He speaks three languages fluently and he is very welcoming and friendly.

Visited Athens in June 11, 2023

Anthony Boutin

We really like the walk across Athens , we have the pleasure to saw plaka, Monastriraki, Psiri and some other cute places , we walk for about 2 hour 45 min. We would never discover these little places without the help for a local!

Visited Athens in June 6, 2023

Shelley B

We couldn’t have asked for a warmer welcome to Athens that Danai gave to our family of six. She engaged beautifully with our teenagers, shared stories that were interesting, and showed us parts of the city we never would have found on our own. Truly, this was a wonderful experience and we are grateful for the opportunity we had to spend time with Danai. We paid money for other tours and activities in Athens, but our walk with Danai was the highlight of our three days in the city.

Visited Athens in June 2, 2023

Alberto

I really enjoyed walking around the Ambelokipi neighbourhood with Katerina and seeing the city from the top of Lycabettus Hill. It gave me a new perspective on the city and Greek culture, while also getting to know a neighbourhood with its own personality.

Visited Athens in May 13, 2023

Dennis Clarke

We were impressed by the opportunity to join with a local to walk primarily the plaka neighborhood and learn about it’s culture, history, architectural variety, and the reasons buildings took the form they are today.

Visited Athens in May 3, 2023

Geraldine D Ong

The walk was a very good introduction to Athens and the neighborhoods. We scheduled the tour on our first day in Athens, so it was a good orientation to the city. We also asked for tips o how to navigate the city.

Visited Athens in March 23, 2023

Sally Kirkman

Fantastic way to see the real Athens. Can highly recommend.

Visited Athens in February 10, 2023

Anna

As it was the first day of my visit to Athens this walk was just like a quick overview of Athens :)

Visited Athens in February 2, 2023

youwanna

everything

Visited Athens in September 7, 2022

Achilleas

I enjoyed not only the different aspects of each area we visited but particularly the insights to life in Athens (past and present) Vivi was kind enough to share. There are so many hidden gems still to discover, but this walk certainly showed me parts of Athens I never knew existed and each quite beautiful in its own way. Certainly an insightful walk and I would recommend to anyone who comes to visit!

Visited Athens in September 9, 2022

Andy from New Jersey

Danai showed us around Plaka and all around the Acropolis. Later in the week, as we walked the city, we realized that Danai had walked us to the most important sites and showed us the popular and fun areas of Athens. We almost felt like locals ourselves!
Thanks very much.

Visited Athens in September 3, 2022

Marko

Great experiance to visit places that the locals know and hear intresting stories about the city and culture.

Visited Athens in August 18, 2022

Andy Stermer

Our walk with Danai was one of the highlights of our time in Athens! We toured a variety of charming neighborhoods we wouldn’t have visited otherwise and learned much about the city’s past and present. Waking with Danai, we discovered many hidden gems and insights beyond what you can find in a guidebook or blog. There’s no match for seeing the city through the eyes of a local!

Visited Athens in August 5, 2022

Enrico Giustiniani

unusual and pleasant places, well explained rour. excellent

Visited Athens in June 29, 2022

Mehdi

Total unforgettable local experience with Evi!
We had a nice walk around the neighborhood where she lived as a child, and a wonderful square full of typical, delicious and cheap restaurants. The best and cheapest meal I had in 10 days in Greece! Then, we went to a nice and original bar.
Another day, she showed me Kolonaki, the old and the new Parliament, Syntagma Square and the Guards, and then we walked around the Acropolis and Plaka District.

Visited Athens in May 12, 2022

Elisa

It was intriguing and original, I would definitely recommend it.

Visited Athens in April 18, 2022

Anonymous

Mein Spaziergang mit Athanasios war super. Er hat das Auge für´s Detail und hat spannende Zusammenhänge erklärt. Ich habe wieder etwas mehr über Griechenland, "die Griechen" und Athen erfahren. Bravo!

Visited Athens in March 14, 2022

Neil

The 'walk' that I took with Danai left an lasting impression on me. I was lucky enough to meet with her more than once. Please see the 'rate the local' section for my full review.

Visited Athens in February 18, 2022

Ibrahima

The best way to visit a city is to do so with a local. And I really appreciated the walk proposed by Kagkas. He was very friendly and showed me different parts of the city in a casual way. Something I truly love.
Thanks for everything

Visited Athens in October 6, 2021

Zhuolun

We love the walk. It was really beyond our expectation and showed us an amazing part of Athens which is hard to know for tourists. We explored some local food (Dolma, Mydia, Baklava, Lukumades, Tzatziki, and of course, Moussaka) and streets with George and had a beautiful night view near the Acropolis. We had dinner together at a very stylish restaurant (lots of old vintage ads decorations on the wall) and the food was good there. The walk started from evening and lasted into late night, and it was a great time. Btw, the good thing of 'Athens with a local' is that the entire program is volunteered by local people who love Athens and like to share the beauty of Athens with tourists and is not at all commercialized as walks in other places.

Visited Athens in September 8, 2021

Julia & Fabienne

We had a great time!

Visited Athens in August 13, 2021

Raudhah

It was a cold breezy day, a perfect weather for a tour around the neighbourhood. We went to central Athens and were introduced to the sights (museums and architecture of the buildings), the delicacies (food, drinkks, sweets and desserts) as well as the culture of the community in Athens (education, politics, free canvas for grafitti etc). My husband and I truly enjoyed the walk as Danai shared with us the rich knowledge of Athens.

Visited Athens in January 20, 2020

Diamantis

It was a great walk!

Visited Athens in January 8, 2020

Lidia C

We started our walk at Acropolis metro station, went to Anafiotika, then to Plaka (Agora, library of Hadrian), Monastiriaki square, Central Market and ended at the Academia. It was close to a 2 hours walk.

Visited Athens in January 11, 2020

Your Locals for this Walk

Dimitris T.

I’ll leave the ancient / historical monuments and typical city landmarks to the pros and the travel books. I believe that mingling with locals and acting like a local is the best way for our visitors to get acquainted with the Greek spirit. So that’s what I offer you as a volunteer of “This is Athens with a Local".

Read More

Yannis P.

I like exploring, sometimes with my camera.

Read More

Nikos H.

A friendly, down-to-earth guy who enjoys meeting new people and experiencing new things. I’m in love with my city, and can't get enough of tasting its splendour as well as its diversity. Young at heart - although not a spring chicken any longer.

Read More

Vanessa F.

Hello everybody! I am Vanessa. Welcome to Athens! I love travelling, exploring, walking, meeting people, food, cooking, summer, beaches and snorkelling! For the purposes of our walk, I can take you to a couple of neighbourhoods in Athens that you might not discover on your own. I also love art, so we can pass by a couple of art galleries if you are interested.

Read More

Jason A.

Hey there! Ι'm in my 30s and I grew up Athens. I live in London since 2020 but come back to my home city regularly. I am fascinated by the city's hills and its urban landscape. Tip: getting to the top of either Lycabettus Hill or Philopappou Hill is a must during your visit; the views are simply breathtaking.

Read More

Vicky P.

Hi, I am Vicky - Greek but also a citizen of the world: I love my city (born and raised here) and I find any intercultural exchange just amazing! So far, I have met travellers from all continents, but my purpose is to have friends from every single country.

Read More