Espa
our team

katerina

tour leader Photo of tour leader katerina

I am a fan of poetry. Poems have the ability to paint a picture in just a few words. But what I find remarkable is that I often find my life painted in poems…especially while traveling.

I remember a rather odd life changing travel experience during a weekend I spent in Germany in theatrical seminars. I was participating in a lord of the ring role-playing activity where the game-master gave us the mission to search for a fellow elf into the woods at night. I may not remember a lot that day but I certainly can recall the sound of the raindrops on the leaves of those tall German trees as we were walking slowly in utter silence so as not to wake up the animals in the forest. It was at that moment when all our senses awoke as if we became the inhabitants of that forest ourselves. I realized that detecting beauty is a constant exercise.  Sensitivity, adaptability and acknowledgement of the beauty around us, of the small things that turn out to be big only if we slow down and observe them. And of course, I recall the ties of friendship with the people I bonded with that weekend, breaking all language barriers.

Through the years, traveling has become exactly that to me: the sum of silence, observation and attention to small details of beautiful things. Greece is a canvas of them with its history, colors and contrasts.

And as one of my favorite Greek poets says ....

You can build brand new stories from scatch with only sky and salt.
To remind you a bit of autumn, a lot of summer and that eternal spring

Menelaos Lountemis

Photo of Founder Tina.

Tina

Founder

In 2010, the Greek crisis hit and the country went into freefall. From there begun a great and long adventure...

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Photo of tour Leader Andreas.

Andreas

tour Leader

I grew up in a neighbourhood called Nea Smyrni. The first settlers here were refugees from Asia Minor. People in our neighbourhood are proud of where they come from.

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Photo of travel designer Katia.

Katia

travel designer

As I was growing up, I jumped on every opportunity to create friendships without linguistic or other kinds of borders. It was never enough. 

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Photo of tour leader Pavlina.

Pavlina

tour leader

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass; it's about learning to dance in the rain

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Photo of certified guide Vassia.

Vassia

certified guide

There is a book I like a lot. Its final sentence reads: “It is never too late to have a happy childhood”. 

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Photo of tour leader Niko a.k.a. Rude.

Niko a.k.a. Rude

tour leader

It must have been at the end of middle school when I discovered graffiti. My new hobby began stealing ‘precious’ time I could have used for studying for school. I realised that action had to be taken...

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Photo of Accounting Associate George.

George

Accounting Associate

As Euclid said, the laws of nature are but the mathematical thoughts of God. So, maybe the reason I developed an inclination to mathematics is because I was so connected to the earth since my childhood.

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Photo of tour leader antigoni.

antigoni

tour leader

There is a theory that claims that your name determines who you are. Antigone, the famous heroine of a Greek tragedy, defied the rules and for that she faced death.

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Photo of tour leader Josephine.

Josephine

tour leader

‘We must be willing to get rid of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us’. And so I did!

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Photo of tour leader maria.

maria

tour leader

Growing up, I had always thought that life always puts us on the right path. As I got older, however, I discovered that...

 

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Photo of tour leader Elizabeth.

Elizabeth

tour leader

The French poet Arthur Rimbaud once wrote that "Eternity is the sea mingled with the sun " and I guess there' s a little bit of truth of that in me.

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Photo of tour leader Tania.

Tania

tour leader

I was about five, and I was taking part in a school celebration. When I stood behind the microphone, my mind went blank and my mouth went dry. Tears welled up in my eyes.

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Awards & Accolades

Testimonials

"We had an amazing tour through the sites with stories about the gods and goddesses with our kiddos, ages 5 and 9. I highly recommend Alternative Athens! Not only did we have a great guide, but we were also greeted and treated to excellent customer service. This tour was a highlight of our trip!"

Rosanna

"We had the best tour guide I have ever met. She was very smart and could have been an actress with her voice and inflections."

Mstahl1830

"Fantastic Night! We told our guide what kind of drinks we liked and the type of atmosphere that makes us the most comfortable and she did amazing job finding bars to fit us best. If we ever make it back to Greece, I would definitely do this tour again!"

laineyjanexo