Hop On Hop Off Bus Athens Sightseeing Tour

Athens is one of the easiest cities to find sightseeing tours, there are so many of them to choose from. A great choice is the City Sightseeing Bus. Here is an unbiased review of this Hop On Hop Off Bus Athens for a terrific sightseeing tour.

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What is the City Sightseeing Athens Tour?

This is the original hop on hop off commentated route and tour of Athens. These double-decker buses travel around set routes close to all the major tourist attractions. There are 3 Athens bus routes to choose from.

The idea is that you select which attractions you want to see, and get off at those particular bus stops. Take as long as you like, then just wait for the next Athens sightseeing bus, which normally passes by every 15 minutes.

You can purchase a 1–day bus pass to see Athens in a day. Or you can purchase 2, 3 or 4 day passes. You can even include cruises out to some nearby islands. You can mix and match the different bus routes and boat cruises to suit your itinerary. These are wonderfully flexible sightseeing tours of Athens, and outstanding value for money.

We love to use the hop on hop off buses throughout Europe and have used them in various cities including London, Vienna, Amsterdam, Bucharest, and Budapest. And the Athens City Sightseeing Tour gets our vote as the best City Sightseeing bus we have been on. The flexibility and professionalism are second to none.

What We Love About Hop On Hop Off Buses

Do you need some convincing to try a hop on hop off bus? Here are some of the reasons we love these buses and find them the best way to see a city.

Flexibility

These buses are extremely flexible.

• Want to start early? No problem, the first Athens sightseeing bus starts at around 8:30 am.
• Would you like to finish your tour early? No problem, finish whenever you want.
• Want to sleep in for a late start? No problem, you start as late as you want.
• Need a rest day? No problem, your ticket is valid for several days.

All the Major Attractions

You don’t have to do any research on what to see, because the Athens sightseeing bus take you to all the best attractions in town. There are detailed maps at the bus stops showing all the attractions and routes.

Upon boarding the bus you are issued with an awesome map which shows you all the attractions in detail. There is also a commentary on the bus which tells you what’s coming up. And you can always ask the tour guides on the bus for specific advice.

So Many Options

There are several different routes to choose from. You are not told to take any specific route, you can choose any which way that you want. And there are more options than just sitting on a bus. Here are the standard Athens bus routes and options available.

• Athens Bus Route
• Piraeus Bus Route
• Beach Riviera Bus Route
• Fun Cruise – Swim at Moni and visit Aegina Island
• Walking / Photo Tour – Real democracy and Acropolis views
• Walking / Photo Tour – Secrets of the Parthenon and real Athenian life
• Night History Tour

And with City Sightseeing Athens can also add on some premium Athens Tour Packages including:

• Delphi full day tour
• Full day yacht cruise to Agistri, Moni, and Aegina Islands
• Full day tour to Santorini
• Full day tour to Mykonos
• Athens City Pass a.k.a. Athens Pass

And of course, you can just get the basic 1-day package to see Athens in a day. It’s all up to you!

Online Discounts

You can purchase your tickets on the Athens sightseeing bus, at any bus stop, at Hotels or appointed agents. But you can secure very awesome discounts online on the City Sightseeing website.

As well as getting a great discount you can take your time to examine all the different options in detail.

Note that it is also possible to get some nice discounts through other travel agents and booking platforms online.

Commentary and History Lesson

Whilst traveling on the bus, you can listen to a commentary using your complimentary headphones. Don’t worry because there are many different language options available.

These commentaries focus on the history of all the different neighborhoods and attractions and teach you all that you need to know about Athens. It’s like having your own personal Athens tour guide for the entire journey.

Open Top Bus

The open top on the double-decker bus gives awesome photo opportunities as you travel throughout Athens. There is no roof and no windows to interrupt your photos, and the bus is stopping and starting often in the traffic giving you nice steady photography opportunities.

The open top bus is also very refreshing, with the wind in your hair. It can get hot and sunny, so you really should come prepared with sunscreen and a hat.

Free Athens Map

We just love the free maps which are issued to you when you purchase your ticket. They fold up into a neat handbag size and have all the information you will need for your Athens tour.

Click here for your free copy of the hop on hop off Athens map.

WiFi on the Bus

It’s pretty cool to get free wifi on the bus as well.

Athens Bus Route

There are 15 stops on the Athens Bus Route. Here is what you will find at each one.

1: Syntagma Square

This is where the Athens sightseeing bus starts and finishes. Syntagma Square is the central square of Athens and a non-stop hive of activity. Here you will find an abundance of shopping, cafes, and restaurants. Syntagma Square is also flanked by the Old Royal Palace and Greek Parliament House for some outstanding sightseeing.

2: The 4 Museums

You could easily spend an entire day in this museum district, which includes the following:

1. Athens War Museum
2. Byzantine and Christian Museum
3. Hellenic Children’s Museum
4. Museum of Cycladic Art

You will also find the historic Aristotle’s Lyceum (Peripatetic School) at this stop. This site is famous for the Aristotle School of Philosophy. This was founded by Aristotle himself in 335 BC. There is also a temple dedicated to Zeus the wolf-god.

From this bus stop, you are a short walk from Lycabettus Hill, the highest point of Athens at 227m above sea level. You can catch a funicular (railway) to the top or take the strenuous but scenic walk.

There are also a lot of nice parklands in this area full of interesting historical sights. We recommend the cafe at the back of the Byzantine and Christian Museum for a break, with beautiful and historic parkland setting.

3: The National Gallery

Considered to be the most important art museum in Greece, this 1900 Art Gallery contains over 20,000 pieces of art. It is most famous for it’s European Art from 14th to 20th Century.

4: Ancient Olympic Stadium

This is a must–see attraction in Athens. Panathenaic Stadium is the only white marble stadium in the world. In fact, it’s the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble. It was built around 330 BC and is one of the main historic attractions in Athens. It is also where the first modern Olympic Games were held.

5: Melina Merkouri / Plaka

Plaka is an old historic area of Athens on the slopes of the Acropolis. Here you will find a maze of ancient streets and laneways, and a wonderful area to explore. Hidden treasures and scenic cafes abound.

6: Acropolis Museum

This wonderful museum opened in 2009 and contains many archaeological artifacts from the Acropolis. In 2019 the Trip Advisor People Awards voted the Acropolis Museum as the 6th Best Museum on the planet. Impressive, right?

7: The Acropolis and Parthenon

You can’t visit central Athens without “not seeing” the ancient Acropolis. This is the most prominent of all Athens ruins. It is perched right up on top of a hill, such that you can see the Acropolis from all over central Athens. But you really need to take the walk to the top to appreciate it properly.

The Acropolis is a World Heritage Site and was even a finalist for the New 7 Wonders of the World listings. This site is world famous and worthy of any bucket list. It is the one site that should not be missed when in Athens.

8: Temple of Zeus

We found this to be one of the more picturesque sites, and the place to go for some spectacular photos. The massive temple is in the center of Athens and was dedicated to the king of all Gods, Zeus.

The temple itself is 44m wide and 110m long and is surrounded by a series of giant columns. The building was completed in the 2nd century AD, over 600 years after the massive project began! 21 of the original 104 columns are still standing.

9: Parliament and National Gardens

These are large rambling gardens of 15.5 hectares (38 acres), which were once the royal gardens. In the National Gardens is the Old Parliament House and Zappeion. The Zappeion is a huge building which is mainly used for conferences and ceremonies, and not really a tourist attraction.

10: National Library

The National Library of Athens is almost 200 years old and is a wonderfully scenic building. This is a great place to photograph some grand Greek Architecture. As well as the National Library you also get to see the Academy of Athens and the University of Athens, 2 more magnificent and massive structures.

11: National Archaeological Museum

This is the largest archaeological museum in Greece and contains large collections of artifacts from different periods of Greek history from all over the country. It’s actually the richest collection of Greek artifacts in the entire world. In case you didn’t know it ancient Greece was a big deal in ancient world history.

12: Omonia Square

This is not one of the major tourist spots on the route and is nothing more than an older town square in Athens. This is where you can see the other side of Athens – graffiti art and some of the more run downs streets. Hotels and cafes abound in this area, however, you need to be careful when visiting this area.

13: Karaiskaki Square

This central square is still in the bustling heart of Athens. Whilst the square itself is convenient with it’s own train station, it’s not a well known tourist attraction and there’s not a lot to see here.

14: Monastiraki Square

Monastiraki Square is a gathering place lined with amazing authentic Greek restaurants, and surrounded by a giant flea market. And it’s a stone throw from the best Athens Historic Sites, like Hadrian’s Library and Roman Agora.

There are some outstanding rooftop restaurants and bars across the road from Monastiraki Square, such as A for Athens and the MS Roof Garden.

15: Kotzia Square

This is a smaller but very scenic square with an old fashioned feel. It is flanked by some impressive buildings, such as the City Hall and the National Bank of Greece. The square was built in 1874. Here you will also find some impressive archaeological diggings with a variety of ancient roads, tombs, and gates.

City Sightseeing Athens is a Winner

So the Hop On Hop Off Athens Sightseeing tour is an absolute winner in our opinion. We have shown you the impressive sights on just one of the routes. There are another 2 routes to choose from, as well as walking tours, boat cruises, and night tours.

We recommend you give this tour a try, you will not regret it. After spending 2 or 3 days taking these tours, you will really feel like you have seen Athens, and understand the history of this fascinating city.

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