Espa
our team

Niko a.k.a. Rude

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

It must have been at the end of middle school when I discovered graffiti, although my fascination with drawing and the arts had been with me a lot longer. My new hobby began stealing ‘precious’ time I could have used for studying for school. I realised that action had to be taken. Good art schools, great street art, late 1990s graphic design capital; United Kingdom, here I come! But that’s a long story I can tell you some other time. One thing I can tell you about that experience right now is that when I got there, I discovered that my study time had now, in fact, truly become ‘precious’.

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 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

"Tour was awesome! Nice and intimate and Nikos was an awesome guide. So much knowledge about the city and street art and food!! Highly recommended :-)"

Colette

"Taking the walking and food tour with Alternative Athens was one of the highlights of a 3 day tour of Athens. It was the best introduction to the city and local neighborhoods. We had tastings of wine, cheese, meze, coffee, and chocolate in a variety of local restaurants and stores that we would not have found on our own. At each stop we were treated as VIPs. We highly recommend this tour to people who want to experience life in Athens beyond the tourist spots."

Diane B

"As a totally blind man the guide, Helen, was terrific and the tour exceeded my expectations. It is an experience I will always remember. The guide told us amazing stories of Ancient Greece. She also had tactile models and they were so helpful for me. Thanks for offering this kind of tour for the blind and visually impaired . The only part that was difficult was climb up to top. But excited and proud that I did it."

William P