WOW...there aren't strong enough words to express how amazing this team, and Meijun our travel designer, is. We chose Athens Insider to craft our bespoke multi-generational family vacation to Greece. Our trip included 14 people ages 10-71, 3 different cities in Greece, and all of the dynamic and diverse needs you can imagine that go with this. The Athens Insider team took care to truly get to know me and my family, understand our needs and interests, and craft a truly amazing itinerary, with the utmost attention to detail. The experience was seamless and the follow-up/follow-through in the planning process left us confident that all would be well. While in country, the service was impeccable. All of our needs were met...and then some. The team was so fun, flexible, and truly mastered how they selected guides, activities and experiences. I cannot say enough about this team and highly recommend them!
For our last day in Greece, we decided to take a private, 4-hour walking/eating/drinking/history tour of Athens. It was phenomenal! Yannis Ninos was the most personable, warm, considerate, knowledgeable, professional, kind... guide we could have ever asked for. Yannis fit into our family of two adults and our two adult children (27 & 29) immediately. If you're going to Athens, you must take one of his tours. You will not be disappointed!
We loved the tour and Ilektra was awesome.
Everyone says skip Athens that except the acropolis it’s a nothing city. Well this was a wonderful way to spend 4 hours. Great walk great talk and great food. Ilektra was a great guide knew so much history and even though it was 98 degrees it was a comfortable tour. Diverse great food and so many insights
So this tour is the best
On our last full day we met Yannis Ninos- a chef with the ultimate respect and deep passion for Greek culture through food.
Our tour was beyond expectations. Yannis took us to the paces in Athens that are not just incredible food but tell the stories of the Greek cultural over the ages. His knowledge of the city and how people live and communicate was beyond anything I could have gotten in a book, online or on a standard sightseeing group tour. My only regret is that we couldn’t eat more. We experienced each part of the city over the afternoon and our little four person group felt like old friends meandering through a city we knew well.
We tasted honey, olive oils, pies, cheeses, meats ... all in ways I’ve never experienced. As someone who loves food and particularly Greek food, I walked away with a new level of appreciation.
If you do ONE THING in Athens - make sure you dedicate time to Yannis. Even better if you make this your first stop (even before the Acropolis). He’s not only a delight to spend the day with but your palette will change forever. Even my 11year old daughter who loves Starbucks and penne with butter was blown away by how delicious each stop was.
Just remember to pace yourself. We lost one to over consumption too early on!
George was extremely knowledgeable about the history of Athens as well as street art around town. He took us through the Byzantine history of the city in one segment, and the incredible open market in another. We finished up with a cooking class in a beautiful space and enjoyed a meal and chit chatting about sports by the end. Highly, highly recommend.
