Espa
our team

Pavlina

tour leader Photo of tour leader Pavlina

It was while I was in Vietnam that I came across Vivien Greene's famous quote, "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass; it's about learning to dance in the rain,” and I thought, yes, that's what I'm learning here.

I'd gone there right after I finished my studies, to do something completely different with my life for a while. I was offered a position teaching English for three months at a kindergarten in a small town where no one else at all spoke the language. This meant that even a simple thing like shopping for groceries was a challenge in communication!

The difficulties I faced, however, were small in comparison to what everyday life demanded from the people there. They got up early every day, worked seven days a week, earned very little money, and yet they were happy. They shared everything they had with one another and with me, inviting me to simple meals in their homes. Seeing how they coped made me realize that it's not about the problems you face, it's about how you face them. My time in Vietnam taught me a lot. I found friendship and adventure, and I learned to dance in the rain. How much more can you want out of a journey?

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 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

"Our group of 18 took a private tour of the Athens coastline, including to Sounio, where we saw the sunset over the Aegean Sea from Poseidon's temple, and Lake Vouliagmeni. Our fantastic tour guide was knowledgeable, informative and polite! He even let us linger for an extra hour or so to fully enjoy the sites. Highly recommend!"

SethBYU

"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

"As an artist, Nikos was able to give us a lot of insight into both art we were looking at and the personalities behind the art. Along the way he provided much of the contemporary history that contextualized the life of Athenians the inspires the art that we saw. …Can't miss."

Eric K