Private Tour: Highlights of Athens with Traditional Food Tasting

Start your day with the ritual of Greek Coffee & 'Glikou tou Koutoulu' or 'sweet of the spoon' which has a special place in the daily cycle of Greek life and a fascinating history. This tour begins in the setting of one of the capitals oldest cafes before continuing through the bustling and colorful neoclassic streets of the oldest neighborhoods in Athens.

Athens has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to cuisine and you will see some of the best off the beaten track boutique shops for your experience which combines as a wonderful, fun and educational journey. With your knowledgeable local guide navigating you through the tiny streets, you will experience the many highlights of Greece's rich regional sweet and pastry culture, sampling delicacies such as ‘lukomades, Kadaifi, Galatopita’ among many others. Savory tastes are not neglected with specialist Herb and bread shops and a stop at to sample the best local cured meats and other savories at one of Athens most famous hidden delicatessens.

Cultivated in Greece for over 5000 years the olive has a central place in the Greek kitchen. Greek olive oil is widely recognized as the highest quality oil in the world and rightly forms a key part of the famous Greek diet. The tour would not be complete without a tasting of the selection of oils from various regions and islands of Greece. Accompanied by some of the many fine local cheeses you will have a great insight into their production, the characteristic olive varieties, and the local and regional geographical variations which influence quality.

Continuing through the bougainvillea covered streets, you finally come across one of the best local tavernas for an amazing lunch of ‘Mezethes' or 'many small dishes'. Another of the small pleasures of Greek life, you will savor these as you learn about both their development as a lunchtime food for agricultural or other early workers, the regional influences on this cuisine and its many varieties.

Before the tour ends, you will be left to people watch, pass the time with friends, or return to your hotel. For those wanting to continue with something special in the afternoon, the tour can be followed by a relaxing coastal road trip to Cape Sounio on request.