Espa
our team

Katia

travel designer Photo of travel designer Katia

My love of discovery and my curious nature pushed me from a very early age on the path of travel. I first started travelling through books, articles and photos. I was fascinated when I started getting acquainted with different cultures by learning foreign languages. As I was growing up, I jumped on every opportunity to create friendships without linguistic or other kinds of borders. It was never enough. I wanted to learn more. To experience other cultures, other ways of thinking and interpreting life. The constant question I asked as a child was 'what kind of people live in that country? What do they do in their daily lives? What do they eat? How do they love?' That has always been my biggest interest in my trips. Getting to know life through local people's eyes. So I decided to share this passion for discovery with people who share my curiosity. Being a member of Alternative Athens gives me that satisfaction of conversing and meeting young and old alike, people that ask the same questions as me. It's like a never-ending invitation of friendship to the whole world. And with friendships, everyone is a winner.

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 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 katerina.

katerina

tour leader

I am a fan of poetry. Poems have the ability to paint a picture in just a few words… especially while traveling.

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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

"Amazing Tour! It exceeded my expectations. Our guide Demetra was wonderful and had an amazing knowledge of history, archaeology and culture; she did a great job highlighting things of importance and interest, while not bogging us down with too much detail. Our tour included a number of cultural stops (wine tasting, icon painting, Greek lesson, tanner and bellmaker visits, stops for local sweets and food, etc.) and every stop added to the richness of our trip. I honestly cannot say enough good things about Alternative Athens and Demetra!!"

Elizabeth B, TripAdvisor

"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

"My friends and I booked this tour last minute and Alternative Athens was extremely accommodating to fit us in.We had a GREAT experience with Andreas, who walked us through the history of Greek wine and wine making. There was plenty of wine to enjoy and a lot of delicious small plates to snack on at the cozy cafe where this all took place. I never felt like we had a tour guide just spouting off a script about wine, food, and Greece. It was more like hanging out with an old friend who is well-traveled, cultured, and extremely knowledgable. Well worth the cost!"

sighoss999