Athens tour guide question

[trvlnliz]

Hello,

I need some help about booking a private tour in Athens for September 2011. I contacted Dimitrius and Paul at athensbytaxi.com and was impressed with what he offered, Does anyone have experience with him?

Thank you

[eh2zed]

You can search this entire thread by using the Search Function. This company has had many reviews in the past.

[chipmaster]

We used them three years ago, very good! Had 15 folks so did it in a minibus versus a van.

 

Search has been down for a while, opps looks up now.

 

Hello,

I need some help about booking a private tour in Athens for September 2011. I contacted Dimitrius and Paul at athensbytaxi.com and was impressed with what he offered, Does anyone have experience with him?

Thank you

Edited August 31, 2011 by chipmaster

[akcruz]

We used them a few weeks ago while in Athens, Dimitrius was with the 7 of us for the day. We had a wonderful time and Dimitrius was very knowledgeable about the city. We were all pretty exhausted from the many days of touring and the heat and he adjusted as necessary to allow us some time to relax between stops. I would highly recommend them.

[trvlnliz]

I had tried last night for several hours and the search function did not work. I see now that they get many positive reviews.

Thank you to those who responded.

[AngieS]

I can highly recommend Paul's Athens by Taxi. He responded immediately to my email enquiry and we booked the transfer from the port of Piraeus to Athens airport on 11th October 2011. Our driver met us with a sign right outside the port terminal. He spoke excellent English and the Mercedes mini van was spotless. He pointed out many things along the way and we so enjoyed his company. They also do tours and I wish we had had more time in Athens to do that.

[Spree75]

I had been in contact with Paul several months in advance and as the time got close for my arrival in Athens I was emailing Paul every couple of days to see if there was any update on the transportaion situation in Athens. Paul was very quick to respond to every email and reassure me that even if there was a taxi strike he would work something out. This definitely put me at ease especially since Athens was to be the last destination.

 

As it turned out there was a mass transportation strike but not a taxi strike so Paul's son Dimitri was waiting for us at the cruise terminal. Coming from NYC the traffic didn't seem that bad but Dimitri still did his best to avoid the congestion by taking some of the side streets. We also had a lot of rain that day and I appreciated Dimitri's ability to drop us off and pick us up right at the entrance to the attractions. The running history and conversation in the cab was very informative and made for a great day. I also appreciated the guidance on how to avoid lines at the Acropolis and suggestions on the best way to see large attractions such as the Ancient Agora.

 

The following day there was to be early demonstrations in Symtagna Square and I was pleased to have Paul's other son Nick call the hotel and rearrange the pick up time for the airport to ensure that we made our 11:20 AM flight.

 

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Paul's services to anyone and would book with him again if I come back to Athens.

[pacaduli]

So Spree75...or anyone else who knows...,

 

Care to share your info on how to avoid the lines at the Acropolis, and the

best way to see the Agora???

 

I would love to hear!

 

Thanks a lot!

[Spree75]

So Spree75...or anyone else who knows...,

 

Care to share your info on how to avoid the lines at the Acropolis, and the

best way to see the Agora???

 

I would love to hear!

 

Thanks a lot!

 

For the Acropolis there seems to be two ways up to the ticket area. If you have your go further down the street you'll come to a road heading up. I think this is usually used for vehicles for wheel chair access. Anyways walk up the road and you'll reach a map. To the left is the rock where Paul gave a sermon. To the right is the area with guides for hire and a ticket booth that was completely empty when we got there. Keep walking down the path and you'll reach the bathrooms and the ticket entrance for the Acropolis. At this point there is only one path so you are stuck with everyone else.

 

For the Agora, Dmitri suggested a couple of things due to the amount of rain. First he suggested to go to the left and visit the rebuilt Stoa of Atticus. There's a museum in there that is very well done. After that if the rain was too hard we could head back to the taxi. The other option was to walk down the central boulevard towards the Hephaestion. With that walk you end up passing most of the ruins of the Agora. The view from the temple was spectacular. Great picture point for the Acropolis.

[CelebConsult]

Great praise for reliability, interesting education and professionalism provided by GreekTaxi.com

 

My wife and I have now engaged the Kalomiris family (Paul, the father, and Nick, one of the sons) for two fascinating tours of Greece, two years apart. We were referred to them by one of the major international travel agencies and advised to work directly with them.

 

Our first engagement was in August 2009, when we stopped in Athens by cruiseline. We made reservations via their Internet site, http://www.GreekTaxi.com, which was very convenient. After committing to dates and time (one and a half days), we emailed back and forth, with Paul being sure to educate us (as first-time tourists to the Greek mainland) about optional sites to visit that met our hopes and prior studies.

 

Nick was our driver. His trip not only covered what we had discussed in advance by email, but also took advantage of Nick's knowledge and our final route selection by visiting sites along the route that Nick thought we might additionally enjoy. For example, two of our selections were Marathon and Rhamnus, which were "not the normal requests we get," Nick advised. But, we were aware of the historical importance of those two locations, and Nick showed us a number of other sites to and from those locations that added greatly to our enjoyment (and added NOTHING to their fees).

 

After we booked our 2011 cruise with final disembarkation at Athens (Piraeus), our first email was back to Paul Kalomiris, this time for a full 2-1/2 days of touring with Nick. It was fabulous, again seeing a number of additional locations than we had originally planned, because Nick knew how to add them without a major change to the routing for our list of sites.

 

About travel logistics, Nick met us at the port terminal on both engagements, with our name clearly marked on his clipboard sheet; no delays -- he was there waiting for us when we emerged with our luggage after passport and customs control. Their vehicles are spotless and have no trouble making speed to get you where you want to be, when you want to be.

 

When it came time for lunch on full-day schedules, Nick makes sure to find wonderful restaurants with cuisine that matches what you tell him you prefer or with selections he thinks will meet or beat what you tell him you prefer. Each restaurant location was a special experience with wonderful food and, frequently, an exciting location and decor. His travel guest customers eat by themselves; Nick sits at another table. It gives everyone a "break" in the day and eliminates any hesitancy or question about who is paying for whose meal; the guests pay for their meals; Nick buys his own.

 

When we needed to be delivered to the Athens Airport on one day, it all went smoothly and on time.

 

Their payment process seems similar to what more and more international -- especially European -- service companies are insisting on, due to the instability of currencies and exchange rates. Final payment is by Euros in cash; no credit card billings. However, when one makes a reservation, part of the Internet process is to guarantee your reservation with a credit card, so that if you are a "no-show" after the cancellation period, you will be billed to properly cover your mishandling the cancellation of the reservation. Both times, it went smoothly for us; no problem. Entrance fees to archaeological sites, licensed tour guide (an extra service), and food are not included in their prices.

 

Our next trip to Greece is scheduled for 2013. Our plan is to engage GreekTaxi.com for a multi-day jaunt in northern Greece, to see what has been described to us a an importantly "different world" from what we've experienced in the South and the Greek Islands. We look forward to making the most of our touring time by having us driven and delivered by GreekTaxi.com.

 

GAM

[SheSailsFL]

We had the pleasure of meeting Dimitri last week! We were in Athens on a port stop and had booked through Paul, who handled all of our reservations with complete professionalism.

 

Dimitri picked us up in the Mercedes taxi at the ship and we immediately felt at ease...it was just myself and my Mom (her birthday trip). Dimitri made a quick Starbucks stop for us and we were off to the Acropolis to try to beat the mid-morning rush.

 

We were there by 9AM and there was already a crowd but we were well ahead of the dozens of buses that arrived later. Along the way Dimitri prepped us on which approach would be best, and what to look for along the way. Dimitri has a great knowledge of the history of the area and gave us information that I never knew before which added to the experience.

 

Since I had been to Athens before, I did not expect that it would be my favorite port stop on this cruise, but because of Athens by Taxi, I can honestly say it was!

 

Dimitri knew all of the routes to take to avoid traffic, and there were no large planned demonstrations the day we were there, although he did opt to take us to the Presidential mansion for the changing of the guard experience rather than the Parliament building, but it was wonderful as it was a very close-up experience and we were actually able to pose for a photo with the Evizones, and observe a complete changing of the guard cycle.

 

We then were whisked to every other key Athens site, including the Temple of Zeus, Agora, the Tower of the Winds, the Lycabettous Hill (amazing views!) and the Panathenaic stadium, the Monasteraki area for a wonderful lunch at a family owned taverna where brother Nick met us and helped us with the menu while Dimitri was parking the car. Then Dimitri dropped us at the Plaka for a couple of hours for shopping...it was truly a beautiful and thoroughly enjoyable day.

 

It was a pleasure to work with the Kalomiris family and I would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone who wants a first class tour of Athens!

Edited October 22, 2011 by caugh51654

[kuldalai]

Another excellent taxi tour operator is Kostas Kasolas phone 6932 816171 .

 

He will pick up from ship (up to 4 pax) and takes you to all the major sights : Parthenon, Olympic Stadium of 1896, Plaka, Lyketobos Hill, etc and return you to the ship at Piraeus for something like 160 Euros per car .

[stephanienolting]

Hello,

 

We visited Athens while cruising in October 2011 and hired Paul at Greek Taxi with the 16 person minibus. *The tour was wonderful and everyone enjoyed the trip and the great price. *We did not hire a licensed tour guide, but Paul had great knowledge about all of the areas we went to. *it was a rainy, nasty day, but we still had a great tout and saw everything we planned to because of Paul. *I would definitely recommend Greek Taxi to anyone going to Athens.

 

Stephanie

[EleanorWW]

10-hour flight to London was to be followed by a 3-hour layover till we flew onto Athens.

 

on 9 October 2011, Athens air traffic controllers staged a "work slowdown" and declined to clear international flights for landing. our plane was at Heathrow. the weather was clear. we had nowhere to go. agents at the gate could only tell us to not go too far as clearance to takeoff could come at any hour.

 

as it was... with no warning, the announcements came over loudspeakers that we should all hustle immediately as the flight was suddenly in final boarding! we had been sitting at Heathrow Terminal One for TEN hours. 200+ of us just went running for the boarding gate with high hopes and deep frustration.

 

we arrived Athens after 10pm on a Sunday. we were fully expecting to not see the driver we had booked with Paul Kalomiris. after all, we were so late and

we understand schedules need to be kept.

 

it was a huge relief to see the sign held up with my name on it. Paul's nephew was waiting with good humor. he briskly got us into his car and delivered us to

our hotel.

 

absolutely, I recommend Paul Kalomiris and his greektaxi because in this crazy

world, there are still those who work hard and work smart.

[CruisingWithThe1ULove]

Nikos of Private Greece Tours is a very professional individual who I had e-mailed often prior to our cruise. Our driver Lambross was waiting for us in Athens and provided a very lovely day. There were 4 of us in a mercedes taxi along with Lambross. Lambross really knew his way around Athens. We were never stuck in traffic. There was a protest going on by University Students but he knew just how to get around it all. We never wasted anytime sitting in traffic.

 

I think if you decide to use Private Greece Tours you will not be disappointed.

 

You can also see my review on Trip Advisor for this company. :)

[margord]

Nikos of Private Greece Tours is a very professional individual who I had e-mailed often prior to our cruise. Our driver Lambross was waiting for us in Athens and provided a very lovely day. There were 4 of us in a mercedes taxi along with Lambross. Lambross really knew his way around Athens. We were never stuck in traffic. There was a protest going on by University Students but he knew just how to get around it all. We never wasted anytime sitting in traffic.

 

I think if you decide to use Private Greece Tours you will not be disappointed.

 

You can also see my review on Trip Advisor for this company. :)

 

We also booked with Nikos of Provate Greece Tours. We were lucky enough to actually have Nikos as our driver. This was a great tour. He just could not do enough for us. I highly recommend them, you will not be sorry.

 

Marilee

[billyandted]

Hello,

I need some help about booking a private tour in Athens for September 2011. I contacted Dimitrius and Paul at athensbytaxi.com and was impressed with what he offered, Does anyone have experience with him?

Thank you

I'm sure you enjoyed your visit in Sept.

 

 

On our recent NCL Jade Cruise Oct / Nov we used Athensbytaxi.com for our full day tour of Athens. I dealt with Paul online who made the booking process so easy for me & provided us with his wonderful son Dimitri as our guide. Dimitri was there waiting to start our adventure as soon as we docked.

Dimitri was so knowledgeable & it was amazing how much he managed to show us of his wonderful city in so short a time. Dimitri managed to get us to the sites before the hoards of big buses arrived so we always got the best views. Athens was breathtaking & we’d all love to return & spend the time needed to fully appreciate all it had to offer. Maybe next time.

Our group of 8 highly recommends using this company for your trip to Athens.

[cruiz10525]

My family of 3 was in Athens at the end of October for 3 days prior to taking our Azamara cruise. We had arranged with Paul in advance, and between him and Constantine his nephew, we had the best time in Athens!

 

Met us at airport, took us to our hotel, gave us great advice on what to do and see. One of our day tours was to Corinth, and then another to Delphi. Paul arranged the most professional tour guide in Delphi....made the whole day come to life. Then, on the day of our cruise, we added a trip over to the Temple of Poseidon prior to going to the ship. It was a perfect way to see more of the countryside.

 

Their cars and min-van were clean, non-smoking, and very comfortable. We went to many sites in Athens area, and learned a lot while going from place to place.

 

We certainly recommend Paul and his family.

[Railer]

We also used Nikos at Private Greece Tours and were not disapointed. Nikos picked us up at the port and drove us around the first day. He was very polite and informative showing us the sites in Athens. The next three days to Delphi, Argolis and the transfer to the airport we had Spyros, a very nice, very large man. My only complaint was sometimes when Spyros was talking, he got a little quite. My hearing is not great so I had a hard time to hear him at times. I very much enjoyed both Nikos and Spyros. They were very knowledgeble and friendly and I would gladly use them again.

 

Russ

[Sir_Randy]

Review of Athens-Taxi.org

Date of excursion: Oct 28, 2011

Excursion pick up: NCL Jade Pier Katakolon

Excursion details: 15 passenger van with English speaking driver, refreshments on the van, transportation to Olympia, transportation to winery, transportation back to Katakolon

 

I am sure there are plenty of very good excursion companies in Greece, but from my experience with Athens-Taxi with John Arvanitakis, this is not one of them.

 

The whole day was ruined by what I can only describe as very unprofessional personnel, that are to the point of being dangerous.

 

Our excursion was to start at 8am, at the dock, but when we looked for our bus and driver, they were no where to be found. I asked one of the other tour companies drivers if they knew Athens-Taxi and they did and made a call and they arrived about 8:30. This would not be a big deal, but when it was a sign of bad things to follow.

 

We are a total of 13 cruisers that reserved a 15 passenger van with Athens-Taxi for 380eu. The rate given and stressed by John with Athens-Taxi was the rate was for the 15 passenger van, not per person. The driver and the "guide" were both very adamant that the tour was for 10, not 13 and became very upset. I tried to explain to them that the reservation was for 15 passengers, but they did not want to listen or did not understand English. While the driver drove us to Olympia he was making and receiving phone calls (I will let individuals decide for themselves the safety of your driver making calls while driving you) and by the tone of his voice, he was complaining that there were 13 people in his van not the 10 he expected. The "guide" was also making and receiving calls during the drive, and her voice was very vocal concerning whatever she was saying to whoever she was talking to. The reason I put quotation marks around the "guide" is what we got for a guide, was someone that read a script to us on the way to Olympia, in between phone calls. We did not have a guide after Katakolon.

 

We did not get to go to a winery which was part of the tour that we paid for and that we were all looking forward to since some in our group make thier own wine at home. We were told by George (Athens-Taxi Olympia representative) that the winery was closed due to it being a holiday, which we accepted at the time, however, when we got back on the ship, we talked to others that did the same tour and they were taken to another winery that was open. Their driver knew the scheduled winery was closed, but made arrangements for his passengers to visit another winery. If their driver was able to do this, why wasn't our driver (maybe because of his bad attitude?) or the Athens-Taxi representative George that met us in Olympia who told us that the winery was closed.

 

As for the trip back to Katakolon from Olympia, we were to have an English speaking driver or guide. The guide did not accompany us back to Katakolon but George told us that his driver spoke very good English and would be able to answer any questions we have. The driver did not speak English and John from Athens-Taxi confirmed this in his email response to me.

 

I have corresponded with John from Athens-Taxi several times and so have others on this excursion, trying to work out some kind of compensation/refund, but John has been unwilling to work with us even though he agrees that what we received was not what was promised and not up to Athens-Taxi standard.

 

 

 

There were no refreshments on the van.

 

 

If you are planning an excursion in Greece, in Katakolon or Olympia or anywhere else, I would highly recommend that you look to a more reputable company other than Athens-Taxi.

 

[sanantoniored]

Our cruise ship (Mariner of the Seas) stopped in Athens in Oct 2011. Based on my reseach, I chose Athens by Taxi (http://www.athenstaxi.org/).

One word-FANTASTIC. Paul's replies to our emails were almost instantaneous . He was 100% flexible with our requests, gave us great pre-trip recommendations, and ensured all of our questions were answered.

Paul’s son Nick was our driver, tour guide, and new best friend. He spoke perfect English, provided us any and all information we requested, and was a true wealth of knowledge. His info was not dry; it was vibrant and interesting. His recommendations ensured we had the perfect experience in Athens. Because of Nick, Paul, and their concern and professionalism, Athens was truly the highlight of our 33 day Rome, Med Cruise, and Transatlantic vacation.

[bingham]

We just returned from a Med cruise on the Equinox(wonderful!!!) and had taken a private tour of Athens-Cape Sounion with PGT. the van provided was very comfortable but best of all was the guide and driver(Frank and Elias) Frank was very well-versed on the current and ancient history of Greece and was just wonderful in pointing out places(esp the delicious lunch we had in a seafood restaurant along the way.).Recommended.

[cruiseidaho]

I highly recommend Nikos Lukos for any touring need. We used his services last year for a tour of Athens, which was everything we could wish for. This year, we were forced by airlines to stay an extra day in Athens so we arranged with Nikos to pick our party of six up at our cruise ship, and transport us with all our luggage to the Athens airport. Because we had an entire day before our flight the next day, and because we had just had a comprehensive tour of Athens last year, Nikos designed a tour of other areas of Attica, including a tour of the Sounion area and the Temple of Poseidon. A most personable driver/guide made numerous photo stops and gave us a running commentary on the sights and history of this area of Greece.

Nikos is always tops with communication, his vans are beautiful and he caters to every wish.

[Iago]

I want to start off by telling you I am a Travel Agent. I do have high standards of travel and this tour company did NOT let me down. From the first email from Paul until the return trip home, I have felt very lucky to find this tour. Paul's son Nick picked us up from the cruise port in a very clean Mercedes. His first goal was to get us to the Acropolis before the tour buses got there. He did...There might have been 15-20 people. This was my 3rd time there but this is the first time I saw the Acropolis in this light. Nick gave us a lot of details and history regarding his country. He took us to other major sites as well. Besides the Acropolis are favorite thing was, Nick took us to a local restaurant. This was a place that he went to with his family. We let him order for us. This was great because we got to taste local food. Not tourist food, local food. Thank you so much to both Paul and Nick for all the great memories. Tour with http://www.greektaxi you will not go wrong.

[agabbymama]

Just a word of caution, some folks may not be aware. These companies offer tours by taxi/driver. They are not usually licensed guides, so a private guide in the Acropolis would cost extra. The driver will get you about Athens and drop you at the entrance. They don't usually go inside the site with you. While informative and some are knowledgeable, they are not licensed guides, and not all of their info is correct.