A treasure trove of historic landmarks, Athens is one of Europe’s most beguiling cities – and can be explored by booking onto a hop-on hop-off tour.
(Photo: Open Top Bus hellas M.E.P.E. / Courtesy Viator)
The iconic Greek capital is too big to navigate on foot, meaning that if you’re hoping to see the entire city during your stay, you’re likely to need to use public transport. One of the most affordable and time-efficient options is booking tickets for a hop-on hop-off tour, which lets you board buses at designated stops and then jump back on again when you want to head to another part of the city. There are numerous companies offering this kind of tour in Athens – and we’ve compared four of them below.
Hop on Hop Off Classic tour of Athens
Run by Open Top Bus hellas M.E.P.E, this is the quintessential Athens hop-on hop-off tour that lets you see the sights around Athens at your leisure. Travelling across two interchanging lines—the Blue and the Orange – you can stop off and visit the Acropolis that towers over the Greek capital and walk around its ancient grounds, and admire the temples, the Parthenon and the other important monuments dotted around the site. Onboard all of the buses, audio commentary is available in 14 languages and will regale you with fascinating facts and stories about the city and its long history. From £13.32 per person.
48-hour Hop On Hop Off Bus Ticket & Acropolis Entry
(Photo: ATHENS OPEN TOUR / Courtesy GetYourGuide)
See the sights in Athens and visit one of its most popular attractions with a combination 48-hour hop-on hop-off bus ticket and skip-the-line entry to the Acropolis. Run by Athens Open Tour, over two days you can travel around the city, getting off and on at any time, with onboard audio commentary. Visit the Acropolis and feel connected to the past as you stroll through this place of great importance to the ancient Greeks. Admire the temples, the Parthenon and the other important monuments dotted around the site, such as the Propylae, the Temple of Athena Nike, and the Porch of Maidens at the Erechtheion. Tours operate all year round. From £36.22 per person.
Athens, Piraeus, and Coastline: Blue Hop-On Hop-Off Bus
(Photo: SIGHTSOFATHENS / Courtesy GetYourGuide)
This one-day tour by Sights of Athens gives you access to not one, nor two, but four different bus lines. You can hop on and off buses as often as you like, while listening to commentaries aboard the buses. Located at the terminals in the Port of Piraeus, the Blue Line is ideal if you’ve just arrived on a cruise, while the Orange Line roams by some of the most beautiful attractions further towards the city centre from the Acropolis and Parthenon. The yellow Line, meanwhile, lets you explore the Athenian Riviera, and finally the green line offers a history lesson as it passes by the Allied Forces Cemetery and the Byzantine Museu,- with the enticing chance to stop at the idyllic beach of Kavouri Oceanis as a reward for your sightseeing endeavours. From £13.09 per person.
Red Hop-On Hop-Off Bus with Piraeus and Beach Rivera
Available as either a one or three-day ticket, this tour by City Sightseeing Europe invites you to discover Athens from any number of double-decker open-top sightseeing buses, with the option to visit Piraeus too. Marvel at the Acropolis and the Parthenon, visit the National Gardens and the city’s many museums, see the amazing sailing boats at Piraeus, and enjoy a free extra day when you opt for the 24-hour ticket. With the help of the onboard multilingual audio guide, you can trace the history and culture of Athens from ancient times to the present day. From £13.09 per person.