This walking tour will help you discover the historical center of Athens with prime examples being the changing of the guards at Syntagma Square, the Greek Parliament and National Gardens. We will also marvel at the ancient Hellenic ingenuity at the Kotsanas Museum of Ancient Greek Technology which offers an entertaining and educational experience for guests of all ages. As part of the tour, you will join the Make your Own Calculating Mechanism in Antiquity workshop and learn about the Antikythera mechanism, an ancient Greek analogue computer! Before you head home, a gift bag of goodies will be waiting for you!
Available Daily.
Starting Time: 15:00
Book online here
129 euro per person
* Tickets for children age 6-12 cost 69 € regardless of group size
* Children must be accompanied by at least two adults
* Infants under the age of 6 can join this tour for free
This afternoon walking tour will give guests the opportunity to explore the historic center of Athens, as well as take part in a unique workshop. After meeting your guide at Syntagma, the tour will begin at the Kotsanas Museum of Ancient Greek Technology, a foundation nominated for the European Museum of the Year Award. This is a truly wonderful setting to learn about the technological advancements of ancient Greeks during the 1-hour guided tour that will follow. Afterwards, you will take part in the Make Your Own Calculating Mechanism in Antiquity workshop. From the calculator of Salamina, to the analogue computer of Antikythera and under the guidance of the museum’s expert staff, you will learn about telecommunications in ancient Greece, as well as discover and operate the renowned Antikythera mechanism.
It is there that you will discover the Greek (acrophonic) abacus, a special sign that allows the user to quickly place numbers of any size, using the Herodian numbering system and to perform numerical operations. Practice, compete and win a special gift from the Museum’s shop. Turn the lever, of a large-scale Antikythera Mechanism, and unlock its secrets. Transfer to the past or future and find the position of the sun in the zodiac cycle, the phase and position of the moon, the month in the lunar calendar, the date and hour of the eclipse of the sun and moon, the dates of the most important games of antiquity and more. Build your own functional part of the Antikythera Mechanism from metal and plexiglass, and use it as a decoration for your favorite place!
After the workshop concludes, we will proceed towards the Greek Parliament and observe the change of the Greek Presidential Guard (the famous Evzones). Take some memorable pictures and then allow us to guide you to the National Gardens and walk in its maze-like paths, discovering archaeological treasures hidden among the local flora and share stories under the shade. The Greek National Gardens are a 19th century monument, adorned with statues of patrons of the modern Greek state, small lakes, a handful of buildings of delicate beauty and an irrigation system. In the words of Henry Miller "It remains in my memory like no other park I have known. It is the quintessence of a park, the thing one feels sometimes in looking at a canvas or dreaming of a place one would like to be in and never finds."
After you take in the scenery of the Gardens, you will be returned to Syntagma Square to conclude an incredible afternoon!
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