Acropolis of Athens Audio Guide: A Tour with Context

(129 reviews)

Athens audio tour: Acropolis of Athens Audio Guide: A Tour with Context

This is a 1.1mi walking tour

It takes an average of 120 mins to complete.

Athens

Greece

$19.99

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About the Tour

For centuries, the Acropolis of Athens has watched from above as civilisations have come and gone. On this walking tour, Context Travel expert and tour guide Smaro Touloupa will enthrall you with tales of ancient gods, ambitious Greek projects, and the enduring spirit of human creativity.

The tour begins outside the Acropolis Ticket Office where you‘ll learn how the site, an ancient citadel built on Acropolis Hill, was dedicated to the goddess Athena Parthenos. As you walk around, you‘ll take in the remains of impressive and groundbreaking architectural structures, including the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, the Temple of Athena Nike, the Theatre of Dionysus, and the Parthenon, the largest marble temple of its time which took 15 years to complete. You‘ll hear how, in the aftermath of the 1687 explosion, the Parthenon was looted, leaving sections visibly missing. Along the way, you‘ll find out what remains of the original Acropolis, and how it’s long been a source of inspiration. Smaro will also share interesting details about how, over the centuries, it came to symbolize democracy, philosophy, design, and entertainment. As you make your way to the south slope of the Acropolis of Athens, where our tour ends, you‘ll enjoy panoramic views of the city.

On this Athens walking tour, you‘ll:

Gain insights into the Greek War of Independence, which marked the birth of modern Greece and still echoes through the Acropolis
Pay tribute to Manolis Glezos, the ‘first partisan of Europe,‘ whose legacy for fighting fascism resonated until his passing in 2020 at the age of 98
Marvel at the remarkable craftsmanship that brought the Acropolis to life, involving 150 stone masons and 50 sculptors over a 15-year period
Find out about the ingenious use of wooden cranes and pulley systems that lifted massive blocks during construction 2,500 years ago
Discover the mathematical precision behind the Acropolis‘ geometric beauty, including principles like the golden mean and Fibonacci sequence
Delve into the Dionysian Theatre, one of the world‘s oldest
Learn about the awe-inspiring 42-foot gold and ivory statue of Athena Parthenos, symbolizing the Virgin, adorned with nearly 1.2 tons of gold
Visit sanctuaries dedicated to Artemis, the virgin goddess of hunting, and Asclepius, the god of healing and medicine
Visit the tiny sanctuary for Asclepius, once a very popular symbol of health

By the end of this 2-hour tour, you‘ll have unlocked the mysteries of the Acropolis and gained a profound understanding of its enduring significance and timeless allure.

Please Note: This tour doesn't include entry into the Acropolis of Athens. Buy your entry tickets online here.

Tour Producer

Context Travel

92 tours

Context was founded in Rome in 2003 by Paul Bennett and Lani Bevacqua an expat couple eager to curate experiences for travelers, not tourists. Since then Context has taken over 200,000 people to 60+ destinations around the world – accompanied by thousands of leading experts. What started as a dream to create cross-cultural connections is now a worldwide network and community of thoughtful, engaged travelers and experts.

Join a live private or small group tour in destinations around the world at contexttravel.com.

Preview Location

Location 7

Parthenon west

Stop close to the corner for a moment.

As you are looking at the Parthenon, you can see the best-preserved side of this battered building. The Parthenon was a temple to Athena Parthenos, in other words the Virgin, a very important attribute of the goddess. It was the first ... Stop close to the corner for a moment.

As you are looking at the Parthenon, you can see the best-preserved side of this battered building. The Parthenon was a temple to Athena Parthenos, in other words the Virgin, a very important attribute of the goddess. It was the first structure the Athenians started building in 447 BCE, soon after they voted for this ambitious project and they worked on this for 15 years non-stop, realizing the largest marble temple of its time, and a landmark in western architecture.
You may assume that this side of the Parthenon was the entrance, since it is the first thing you face when you enter the hilltop that, but it’s not. The rule for ancient Greek temples orientation is to face east, towards the sunrise. So, you are actually looking at the back which is however symmetrical to the façade on the other side.

From where you stand you can admire the most distinctive feature of a Greek temple in the west narrow side, currently covered by restoration scaffolding: the columns, which in a typical Greek temple surround the entire rectangular walled structure, in this case 46 of them. You can also see behind the colonnade a section of the ancient walls rising all the way up to the roof, and miraculously still standing since 432 BCE without ever collapsing, despite all the fighting and earthquakes!

How come? Let me explain.

Because Greece is in a very active earthquake zone, the ancient builders dealt with the challenge by reinforcing the structures with lead clad iron pins in between the building blocks, the so-called dowels. As a rule, they used no mortar in between the building blocks in ancient Greek architecture, but they put hundreds of hidden reinforcement iron pins coated in lead so that the rust would not erode the marble. In the current restoration they are replaced with titanium ones.

So natural phenomena in reality barely damaged these structures. But human fighting has caused a lot of harm... The Parthenon actually was spared until 1687, as it had a continuous use: after serving for 11 centuries as a pagan temple, the Christians used it as a church and a cathedral dedicated to another Virgin: the Virgin Mary the Athenian! Fun fact: the columns you are looking at on this side have about 250 Christian graffiti inscriptions with prayers for clergymen and believers.
The Catholic Crusaders called it Notre Dame. And finally, the Ottoman Turks converted it into the Victory Mosque in 1458, and built houses for the military who lived in this fort with their families. On September 16th, 1687, the Venetians under the command of Francesco Morosini laid siege to this Turkish fort and targeted the Parthenon after receiving information that all the gunpowder was kept there. The Turks indeed had put all their ammunition, wives and children in there hoping that the thick marble walls would resist the blows. But a shell found its way through the roof, hit the gunpowder and the building went up in smoke! But this side survived!

So the restorers have a lot of work to do, but let me clarify something: restoration does not mean reconstruction – you will never see the Parthenon rebuilt! The Acropolis Restoration Committee follows strict guidelines and has adopted the 1964 UNESCO Venice Charter, which dictates that you cannot fully restore unless you have at least 70% of the original material. As a result of this guideline, and since most of the building was blown up, you will never see it as it looked originally. You see a minimal use of new marble – easily spotted by its bright white colour – to support the surviving original fabric in a way that the monument’s authenticity is protected. This is valid for all the structures on the Acropolis.

We will return to the Parthenon, but now let’s head to the Erechtheion temple. Please take the path turning left downhill that leads to the lower side of the Erechtheion. Read More

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Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
Athens 105 58, Greece
Total distance

2km
Final location
Dionysiou Areopagitou 17, Athina 117 42, Greece
Distance back to start location

464.06m

Directions to Starting Point

The tour begins at the Acropolis of Athens' main entrance. Travelers can take bus numbers 24, 40, 57, 103, 106, 108, 111, 126, 134, 135, 136, 137, 155, 206, 208, 227, 230, 237, 790, 856, Α2, Α3, Α4, Β2, Β3, Β4, Ε2, Ε22 or trolley lines 1, 5, or 15 to the Makrigianni stop. Travelers can also take subway line 2 Anthoupoli - Elliniko to the Akropoli station to reach the Acropolis.
The signs leading to the Acropolis main gate are inexistent, therefore please follow our map.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

There is a public bathroom and fountain to fill your water bottle along the tour. While not along the route, it's highly recommended to Visit the Acropolis Museum, open daily from 9 AM till 5 PM.

Best time of day

The Acropolis has different opening hours based on the time of year. It is open daily from 8 AM till 5 PM during winter months (November-March) and 8 AM till 8 PM during high season (May-September). If you are visiting in April or October, please check the closing time because it gradually changes according to length of daylight. The Acropolis is closed on Christmas, New Year's Day, and Greek Orthodox Easter Sunday.
Please note that the Acropolis has a timed slot ticket system, therefore please arrive on time otherwise you will lose your ticket. It can be very crowded, especially in the morning hours, therefore the best time to visit is either at 8 AM when the park opens or after 3 PM in the afternoon to avoid crowds.

Precautions

An admission ticket is required to visit the Acropolis which can be purchased here: hhticket.gr.
Please bring a pair of headphones, sun protection and a bottle of water. Don‘t forget to keep an eye on your belongings. It's kindly requested that visitors don't touch the columns as they are original and have been located in the same place for the last 25 centuries.

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