Athens tour guide question

[DeSto]

We just returned from a 10 day cruise which included a stop in Athens. We booked a 5 hour tour with Paul Kalorimis of athens minibus, and had a fantastic day. A big surprise, since Athens is such a huge city and we didn't really know what to expect. Our driver was Konstantinos, who speaks fluent English and was full of information. Used to be a school teacher, and was good enough to drive us all the way up to the Church of St. George - the highest point in Athens. Incredible. We highly recommend this company, not just for the great day we had, but for the professional way all arrangements were handled.

[katiepe]

We are just back from our NCL Spirit cruise.

We used Athens by Taxi or Greek Taxi or PK Travel..(they are known by different names-not sure why) and they were marvellous.

We took a 5 hour tour as DH didnt want museums-just the highlights

Constantine was our driver and he was so great. Gave us so much information and was so much fun. Ask him to take you to lunch at his suggestion.We had the BEST greek salad I have ever eaten..

More importantly to me was how safe we felt. We were in Athens Ochi Day and there had been a lot of demonstrations just prior to our arriving.

Potoula reassured me in my many emails:o and we also felt quite comfortable with Constantine. He knew where to drive us while the parades were taking place and we were even able to see more than we normally would because of all the back streets he had to use!

Can really recommend you use this company without a doubt.

[mscno]

You cannot go wrong with them. just returned from a cruise and used them in Athens. Prompt, always accommodating and great correspondence before the trip. Beats the ships tours and will get you to the sites before the crowds and will tell you everything! Do not hesitate, book with this company!

[J & G]

We just returned from a 10 day cruise which included a stop in Athens. We booked a 5 hour tour with Paul Kalorimis of athens minibus, and had a fantastic day. A big surprise, since Athens is such a huge city and we didn't really know what to expect. Our driver was Konstantinos, who speaks fluent English and was full of information. Used to be a school teacher, and was good enough to drive us all the way up to the Church of St. George - the highest point in Athens. Incredible. We highly recommend this company, not just for the great day we had, but for the professional way all arrangements were handled.

 

We are just back from our NCL Spirit cruise.

We used Athens by Taxi or Greek Taxi or PK Travel..(they are known by different names-not sure why) and they were marvellous.

We took a 5 hour tour as DH didnt want museums-just the highlights

Constantine was our driver and he was so great. Gave us so much information and was so much fun. Ask him to take you to lunch at his suggestion.We had the BEST greek salad I have ever eaten..

More importantly to me was how safe we felt. We were in Athens Ochi Day and there had been a lot of demonstrations just prior to our arriving.

Potoula reassured me in my many emails:o and we also felt quite comfortable with Constantine. He knew where to drive us while the parades were taking place and we were even able to see more than we normally would because of all the back streets he had to use!

Can really recommend you use this company without a doubt.

 

I want to echo everything that's been said here about Athens by Taxi/Greek Taxi/PK Travel (athensminibus.com)! Four couples of us did a day tour with Paul's very handsome son, Dimitri, last May. Dimitri was prompt, informative, and went to great lengths to grant our every request.

 

He made sure we got to sample local cuisine at lunch and that we had a little time for shopping, as well. Most of all, however, Dimitri was professional and prompt AND we beat the "big bus tours" to all the best sites!! Dimitri even told us little inside secrets to get the most out of each of the sites and to find locations for the best pictures. We were ALL very impressed and can recommend this company without hesitation!

Edited January 7, 2013 by J & G

[travelnnana]

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

 

Yes - 2 groups from our cruise used Paul - you cannot go wrong with him - he will ask for a CC guarantee - we went to Cape Sounion - the link to my shutterfly site is http://2012nieuwamsterdam.shutterfly.com/

[BillandChristy]

We had a group of 15 take a tour of Athens and Cape Sounion from PK Travel and athensminibus.com in April 2013. Dimitris met our cruise ship and we picked up our Athens walking tour guide, Athanasia, on the way to the Acropolis. Both did an outstanding job and we were able to visit the Acropolis before the tour buses, and then see the sites around Athens in the rest of the morning before heading down the coast to the Temple of Zeus. We had an excellent lunch for a very reasonable price on the way. We highly recommend PK Travel when you visit Athens. Potoula did an excellent job arranging the tour with me.

 

Bill

[Mojitolover]

We were in Athens last month and used Paul Kalomiris' Taxi company, PK Travel. What a great experience! This is the second time we use them, and both times they have done a wonderful job for us. This time, Kostantinos took us to Cape Sounion to see the Temple of Poseidon one day and Dimitrius took us to the New Acropolis Museum the second day. They are dependable, information, helpful, fun and reasonably priced. What more can you ask? We will use PK Travel every time our cruise ship is in Athens!

[TravelingDiva1]

Another vote for PK Travel or AthensByTaxi.com. We had Paul for a full day tour of Athens for a group of 12. Very informative, professional, and also allowed some free time to ourselves for eating and shopping. One of the best tours of the cruise!

[celebrity]

Another vote for PK Travel or AthensByTaxi.com. We had Paul for a full day tour of Athens for a group of 12. Very informative, professional, and also allowed some free time to ourselves for eating and shopping. One of the best tours of the cruise!

 

Thanks for sharing. Looks like we wil be booking with them.

[djmamad]

We just returned from a Cruise to Greece 5/14/2013 and were extremely impressed by our tour guide with Privategreecetours.com and used nikos.

Athens was amazing, and the Acropolis is a MUST SEE as well as the theatre of Dionysus. Try to make your way to the Roman Agora-The tower of Winds very facinating. Be sure to ask Nikos where the best Greek restaurant is- i wish i could recall the name but they serve buffet style and it is a AMAZING.

[TravelingDiva1]

Thanks for sharing. Looks like we wil be booking with them.

 

Great!!! You won't be disappointed ! The communication via email is very prompt. He even offers free WiFi which was an unexpected bonus. ;)

Edited June 4, 2013 by TravelingDiva1

[2travel4life]

Has anyone used Athens Tour Greece? The tours sound wonderful...

[jackieianb]

We had a fantastic family tour of Athens. Picked up after leaving the cruise ship and had wonder tour of Athens by our super friendly driver Constantine he made us feel very special and nothing was to much trouble for him. Excellent knowledge and a great way of explaining things to my 13 year old twins. One of our best day of the cruise. Please if you want a quality service and make the most of your time in Athens then use this service and you will not be disappointed.

[2travel4life]

Thanks! Was this booked through Athens Tours Greece, or another company?

[jackieianb]

hi it was booked through PK Travel

[TravelingDiva1]

Thanks! Was this booked through Athens Tours Greece, or another company?

 

This vast majority of this thread is recommending PK Travel/Athens By Taxi/Minibus owned by Paul Kalomiris. If you want info on the company you are inquiring about I suggest type the name in the search bar or looking them up on Trip Advisor. ;)

[2travel4life]

Sorry, thanks to all for the information.

[celebrity]

Great!!! You won't be disappointed ! The communication via email is very prompt. He even offers free WiFi which was an unexpected bonus. ;)

 

Wow! That is great! I booked with them the other day.

Very prompt and courteous service. So far, so good!

[NextOne]

Here's another shout-out for Private Greece Tours. We were greeted as soon as we got outside the terminal, and our driver/guide Manos made sure we got to the Acropolis before most of the buses. Afterward, he gave us a wonderful tour of the city and managed a stop for some yummy gyros before we headed back to the ship. It was a great day!

[NCCruisingmom]

We had a fantastic family tour of Athens. Picked up after leaving the cruise ship and had wonder tour of Athens by our super friendly driver Constantine he made us feel very special and nothing was to much trouble for him. Excellent knowledge and a great way of explaining things to my 13 year old twins. One of our best day of the cruise. Please if you want a quality service and make the most of your time in Athens then use this service and you will not be disappointed.

 

We also had Constantine with PK Travel as our driver last week. He was great, and my kids (14 and 10) loved him! He was very friendly and knew about each of the sites we visited. He said he wanted the day to be no stress for us and he wanted to show off his country to us. Overall, it was the best private tour we did last week, but all of them were very good.

[Holly2]

We just returned from a cruise and used Dimitrios with Athens by Taxi. At the risk of being repetitive, they really are that good! He even showed us where to stand for the best view of the changing of the guards. Extremely knowledgable. we did even more than we had planned since he made everything so easy. He knows the city inside out and varied our itinerary based on traffic.

Can't imagine a better experience.

[frogsinthecreek]

We were on a Mediterranean cruise with a port stop in Athens. We booked a full day tour of Athens with PK travel. Very easy to book after corresponding via email with Potoula who was very helpful. Our driver Paul, met us at the terminal exit holding a sign with our name on it. Vehicle was a very comfortable van with A/C. It was a hot day so the A/C felt great. Paul also provided us with some very cold bottles of water. We visited the Acropolis, Temple of Zeus, Panathenaic Stadium, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier for changing of the guard (very interesting), Hill of Lycabettous, had lunch in the Plaka, the Roman Agora and finally the New Acropolis Museum (very cool). Paul was very informative, super nice, his english is perfect (he lived in the US). We couldn't have seen nearly as much without his expert driving and knowledge of Athens. I highly recommend.

[Profguy]

Paul at PK Travel arranged for a private Mercedes/driver and Athanasia Kostopoulou to be our private guide for 8 hours in Athens . Athanasia is an archeology graduate from the University of Athens and shows why she is a great guide with the intimate knowledge of everything Greek. We visited the Acropolis, Temple of Zeus, Plaka, Archeology Museum, Olympic Stadium, etc. and the changing of the guard. First, let me say the driver and van service are a must if you only have one day in Athens. Relaxing or sleeping between venues and letting someone else handle the traffic is priceless.

 

OMG, Athanasia has more knowledge in her head than I thought existed about Athens. She is pleasant, kind, understanding and simply a joy to spend the day with. We like to ask a lot of questions and she was extremely happy to answer. In fact, the more she was asked the better she got. Each stop was a real life history lesson. We were given the chance to hear and experience Greek history because of Athanasia’s vast knowledge. In the Archeology museum she knew exactly where to go and what to show you in order to make the museum come to life. Her stories of history and seeing the art up close made the day go fast. After almost 9 hours with Athanasia, we could hardly believe the day was over. It went so fast, we were sad to see her leave.

 

She was very accommodating to our schedule changes. We like to alter the itinerary as we add or lose interest. Each change was seamless with her. We invited her to lunch with us and she was wonderful to be with. In addition to having a private tour guide, our time at lunch and speaking in the van gave us a cultural experience as well as a private tour. God Bless you Athanasia for a memorable day and experience. We are lucky to have spent the day with you.

 

(PS - Full disclosure. This is the same review I posted on TA).

[suedemag]

We were traveling in the Mediterranean to visit sites of antiquity with our 16 year old grandson! Constantinos just stepped right up and made Greek history real with his stories and guidance! He had a great guide book for everywhere! With overlays to show then and now! We wanted a tour that wasn't available from our cruise ship, since we wanted to visit Corinth as well as Athens, and this group took us exactly where we wanted to go! In a very comfortable Mercedes too! the Price was cheaper than going to either location on one of the ship tours for three of us! Constantinos also took us to one of his favorite restaurants for lunch and it was delicious! We highly recommend this company!

[Holly2]

In case you were wondering if there are two great companies, they are one and the same. Sounds like the only question is which guide is the best! (Dimitris:))