Athens Tour: Ancient City Bus Adventure

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Experience the best of Athens, Piraeus, and Glyfada with Athens Open Tour. Hop on and off at your own pace and explore the city’s rich history, architecture, and culture with commentary in 12 languages.

Duration: 5 hours, 10 minutes

Cancellation: 24 hours

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Highlights

Athens Line - Red Route (Route)

Operating Schedule: Buses run every 20 minutes. The first bus leaves from Stop 1: Syntagma Square - 1 Ermou St. (in front of the Nike Store) at 8:30 AM, and the last bus departs at 6:00 PM. The complete tour takes approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes.
For the latest bus stop locations and departure times, please…

Athens Line - Red Route (Route)

For the latest bus stop locations and departure times, please visit the Big Bus website or download the Big Bus app. To track buses live on your travel day, download the Big Bus app before your arrival.

1. Parthenon
Stop 4 - Acropolis - 69 Rovertou Galli St. (next to Dionysos Restaurant)

2. Temple of Olympian Zeus
Stop 5 - Temple of Zeus (Next to the temple entrance)

3. Hellenic Parliament
Stop 6 - Parliament (Next to the Parliament)

4. Benaki Museum
Stop 7 - Benaki Museum (Opposite the Benaki Museum)

5. Panathenaic Stadium
Stop 8 - Panathenaic Stadium (Opposite the Panathenaic Stadium)

6. Vallianeio Megaron
Stop 9 - National Library (In front of the Library)

7. National Archaeological Museum
Stop 10 - National Archaeological Museum (In front of the Archaeological Museum)

8. Omonoia, Athens
Stop 11 - Omonia Square (In front of Hondos Center store)

9. Platia Karaiskaki
Stop 12 - Karaiskaki Square (In front of Wyndham Athens Residence)

10. Monastiraki Square
Stop 13 - Monastiraki Square (In front of Nike store)

11. Kotzia Square
Stop 14 - Kotzia Square (Opposite the City Hall)

12. National Historical Museum
Stop 15 - Old Parliament

13. Syntagma Square
Stop 1 - Syntagma Square - 1 Ermou St.

14. Acropolis
Stop 2 - Plaka & South Entrance Acropolis

15. Acropolis Museum
Stop 3 - New Acropolis Museum

Points of Interest

Acropolis
Acropolis Museum
Syntagma
Monastiraki Square
Temple of Hephaestus
National Theatre of Greece
Panathenaic Stadium
Benaki Museum - Museum of Greek Culture
Agios Eleftherios
Ancient Agora of Athens
Parthenon
Hellenic Parliament
National Archaeological Museum
Omonia Square
Karaiskaki Square
Kotzia Square
National History Museum (Old Parliament)

Piraeus Line - Purple Route (Route)

Operating Schedule: The Piraeus Line is available with selected 48- and 72-hour tickets. Please check your confirmation for details.

Buses run every 40 minutes. The first bus departs from Stop 2: Plaka & South Entrance Acropolis at 9:40 AM, and the last bus leaves at 5:00 PM. The full tour takes approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes.

1. Acropolis
Stop 2: Plaka & South Entrance Acropolis (In front of Melina’s statue)

Stop 16: Pantion - Leof. Andrea Siggrou 136-138 (In front of Pantios University)
Stop 17: Stavros Niarchos (In front of Onassio Hospital)
Stop 18: Municipal Theatre (Next to the Theatre, on Korai Square)

5. Cruise Terminal A
Stop 19: 1st Cruise Ships Terminal (Outside Gate 11 at the cruise ships terminals)

6. Cruise Terminal B - Piraeus
Stop 20: 2nd Cruise Ships Terminal (Outside Gate 12 at the cruise ships terminals)

7. Pasalimani
Stop 21: Pasalimani (Opposite the statue of the “Clock”)

Stop 22: Mikrolimano (Opposite “The Alex” Hotel)

9. Athens Marriott Hotel
Stop 23: Planetarium/Athens Marriott (In front of Athens Marriott Hotel)

10. InterContinental Athenaeum Athens, an IHG Hotel
Stop 24: Intercontinental (to Acropolis)

11. Temple of Olympian Zeus
Stop 5: Temple of Zeus (Next to the temple entrance)

12. Hellenic Parliament
Stop 6: Parliament - 13-15, Vasilisis Amalias Av. (Next to the Parliament)

13. Syntagma Square
Stop 1: Syntagma Square (In front of Nike store)

Points of Interest

Acropolis
Temple of Hephaestus
National Theatre of Greece
Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre
Municipal Theatre of Piraeus

Riviera Line - Green Route (Route)

Operating Schedule: The Riviera Line is available with selected 48- and 72-hour tickets. Please check your confirmation for details.

Buses run every 60 minutes. The first bus departs from Stop 2: Plaka & South Entrance Acropolis at 9:00 AM, and the last bus leaves at 5:00 PM. The complete tour takes approximately 2 hours.

1. Acropolis
Stop 2: Plaka & South Entrance Acropolis (In front of Melina’s statue)

Pantion: Leof. Andrea Siggrou 136-138 (In front of Pantios University)
Stop 17: Stavros Niarchos (In front of Onassio Hospital)

4. Flisvos Marina
Stop 25: Flisvos Marina - Leof.Poseidonos, P.Faliro (Next to public bus stop Oulen, out of Flisvos Marina)

5. Alimos Marina
Stop 26: Alimos Marina (Next to public bus stop 2nd Kalamakiou in Alimos)

6. Agios Kosmas Marina
Stop 27: Ag.Kosmas Beach (Next to public bus stop 2nd Ag.Kosma in Ag.Kosmas)

7. 3rd Glyfada Marina
Stop 28: 3rd Glyfada Marina (Opposite Glyfada Square (sea side))

8. Divani Apollon Palace & Thalasso
Stop 29: Divani Apollon (Next to Divani Apollon Hotel)

9. Kavura Point
Stop 30: Kavouri Beach (next to the public bus stop Litous)

10. Astir Beach
Stop 31: Astir Beach (In front of Okeanis restaurant)

11. Lake Vouliagmeni
Stop 32: Vouliagmeni Lake

Stop 33: Voula Park (In front of Galini Hotel)
Stop 34: Glyfada City Center (On Glyfada square, next to the public bus stop Pl.Glyfadas)

14. Glyfada
Stop 35: Glyfada Beach (In front of Oasis Hotel)

Stop 36: Hellinikon Airport (Next to public bus stop 2nd Ellinikou in Hellinikon)
Stop 37: War Cemetery (In front of the Cemetery)
Stop 38: Edem (In front of Posidon Hotel)

18. Athens Marriott Hotel
Stop 23: Athens Marriott (In front of Athens Marriott Hotel)

19. InterContinental Athenaeum Athens, an IHG Hotel
Stop 24: Intercontinental & Grand Hayatt (to Acropolis)

20. Temple of Olympian Zeus
Stop 5: Temple of Zeus

21. Hellenic Parliament
Stop 6: Parliament - 13-15, Vasilisis Amalias Av.

22. Syntagma Square
Stop 1: Syntagma Square

Points of Interest

South Slope of the Acropolis of Athens
Temple of Hephaestus
National Theatre of Greece
Flisvos Marina
Alimos
Glyfada
Kavouri Beach
Lake Vouliagmeni
Voula Beach

What's Included

Explore 3 Incredible Routes: Athens, Piraeus, and the Riviera
48 or 72-Hour Hop-On, Hop-Off Bus Ticket
Audio commentary in a choice of 14 languages
Free Wi-Fi on board
Headphones

What's Not Included

Gratuities

Additional Information

Explore the ancient city of Athens, the cradle of Western civilization and birthplace of democracy, on a hop-on, hop-off, open-top sightseeing tour. Discover the city’s 3,000-year history from the vantage point of the top deck of a double-decker bus. Marvel at Athens’ ancient ruins, including iconic landmarks like the Acropolis, the Parthenon, the…

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings

4.0

(641 Ratings)

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1 star

Emma_r

Nov 29, 2025

Mom and her boys - Rain or shine and every 20 mins they come through. Even when the others never came. Comfortable and happy bus

Review provided by Viator

Anrink2025

Nov 25, 2025

value - a very nice ride to athens and area above. we started frpm piraeus cruise ship and we went to fantastic acropolis. value for money .

Review provided by Tripadvisor

983aizhanz

Nov 23, 2025

Recommend to use Big Bus tours - I was travelling solo to Athens in November 2025. I bought a ticket at Syntagma Square. Irene was very helpful and explained me that purchasing a 48-hours tickets is advantageous and with the ticket I can see all three sightseeibg routes. Irene was very helpful. She is customer orientated, communicative and has a beautiful smile. Wish her all the bet on her career growth! And, yes, I recommend Big Bus tours, very convenient, easy to buy tickets and explore beautiful sights of Athens!

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Juliakn1049ku

Nov 5, 2025

big Athens - it was a very good trip in Athens and Acropolis. We started from Syntagma sq. and on Acropolis the view is fantastic. value for money .

Review provided by Tripadvisor

672lyndonb

Nov 3, 2025

Great top on hop off bus ride with a fantastic employee named Bill - The big bus was an excellent company to hire for your travels. We did hop on and hop off all around Athens and never had a problem going anywhere we wanted to go. Bill was fantastic with every bit of information that he gave us. We appreciate employees like him that care about the customer.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Navigator59273431991

Oct 24, 2025

Great and easy excursion - Bill, your service rep was extremely helpful. He represents the Big Bus company really well! Thank you for making a day trip around Athens so enjoyable.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Joestinson

Oct 25, 2025

Good tour loop to learn about the city of Athens. Used the bus loop to get insight into other sites to visit - Rode the bus on 2 separate days. The bus was clean, the bus loop made about 15 stops. So it was easy to identify locations we wanted to visit for future stops. My only issue was the quality of the headphone connections. This sometimes made it difficult to hear and understand the pre-recorded info about the individual stops.

Review provided by Viator

Hutch333id

Nov 18, 2025

Convenient for seeing the sights - My wife and I were in Athens for a few days prior to heading out for a cruise. This gave us the ideal opportunity to view Athens and the major attractions using the Big Bus company. After buying our tickets online and installing the app we then ventured out to use the buses. My wife is still recovering from total knee replacement surgery so getting on and off the bus was more challenging and no assistance was offered by either the driver or the ticket inspectors for any of the journeys we took during our 48 hour ticket time. Having used the app when we boarded the very first time, we were then given a very long paper ticket that more resembled a till receipt from Costco, only this now had a QR code. We were both told to present this instead of the app each time we boarded a bus so not sure why we needed the download the app. On each of the buses we used, and there were several over the two days, we were never once offered a set of the ear phones and it was day two before I realized they even existed. Even then I thought they must be an additional cost optional item. From our experience of the buses and the crew, neither the drivers or the ticket inspectors were engaging or helpful, instead they stood at the from and chatted to each other. When the driver did make an announcement I found it to be incomprehensible. The only reason I score this 3 stars is for the value. EUR 21 for two days of travel around the crowed, busy streets of Athens made life easier than trying to walk or risk the subway. It got us to and from our hotel to the major scenic attractions. The day time service does stop early though (before 6pm) but there is an option to purchase the night tour. We didn't use the bus to get to the cruise port due to baggage and the difficulties that would provide using a bus. Overall, the bus is convenient as a hop-on, hop-off service.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Stefaieh

Oct 24, 2025

Disappointing experience - Sure, here is the customized version: ⸻ We were two couples and rather disappointed overall. Audio guidance was often too early or too late, so you hardly knew what you were seeing. The buses were fine, but we would have expected much more for the price – a shame, because the idea is actually good, but the implementation in Athens is not convincing.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Fredg447

Oct 29, 2025

Not respected, no last bus and 80€ taxi to get home. - Buses not regular, time indications distorted. We took the riviera circuit. Last bus to return at 5:40 pm. We were on site at 4:30 pm. No bus passed, we waited 1h30 and ended up taking a taxi back for 80 €. Buses of other companies have all passed 2x. Call number is not answering, chat is not working. We went to complain the next day and they told us that "often" there's a lag... well... for a bus that's supposed to pass every 40 minutes and never passed, I don't call it lag. Go to the other two companies.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Check Availability

From $27

up to 15 guests

1 - Adult