Bites of History and Gastronomy Tour

We will start the tour from the head of the road at the historic Omonoia Square/ Concordance Square, where the two so-called BAGGEIA hotels stand on the left and on the right, the BAGGION and the affiliated MEGAS ALEXANDROS hotels, designed by the famous philhellene architect Ernst Ziller.. We pass the Mansion of the Civil Servants Joint Stock Fund build by the architect VassileiosKouremenos following the neoclassical and modernist style with impressive mosaics formed by the National School of Arts in Paris.

As we get down towardsMonastirakiwe will stop for a while to taste koulóuria (sesame bread rings), and we will arrive at the Athens City Hall and the Kotzia square, which initially was named Ludovico’s Square,in honor of King Othon’sfather(Othon was the first king of Greece).

We cross the road and through the Sofokleous and Socratous streets we pass the οld tavern “Diporto” (meaning two doors) andwalk to the small Theater Square, as it was its first name in the 19th century- towards the Diplareios Manufacturing School, which has trained up to65.000 craftsmen.

Here we are going to stop at the well-known “Miran”charcuterie, where weare going to taste “tsipouro “ or “ouzo” with pastrami, delicious sausages and smoked pork meat from the north or the south of Greece. A few steps further on the same sidewalk there is the small Stoa Koniari/ Koniari Gallery, one of the city's many galleries. Opposite is the little church of Agios Ioannis stin Kolona/ Saint John at the Column named after the column inside the church. As we keep walking in Euripidou Street, we stop at the“Bahar” shop, a famous Athenian spot for high quality spices.

At the corner with Athinas street there is the “Tsakanikas” pastry shop. Here we will try nice loukoumia( a sweet delicacy) with or without almond.

We cross the street getting to the VarvakeiosAgora,( Athens Central  Market). This is literally the Grand Central Station of food, where people from all walks of life converge to discover the freshest and most delicious ways to satiate their hunger. Make no mistake, everyone shops here, from celebrity chefs to neighborhood grocery store owners.

 Named after one of Greece’s national heroes, gentleman pirate Ioannis Varvakis (1974-1825), this is a tribute to the everyman, as the Athens Central Market, aka the Varvakios, knows no class divideswhich once risked to be demolished.Its’ an historic open market with bioclimatic ventilation, built in 1886. We will wander in the meat market, the fish market to get to know the goodies from the Greek seas, we will buy fruits and vegetables and, finally,we will try a traditionally brewed Greek coffee

Our tour will finish at around 12.30-13:00 as we will arrive at a local tavern to enjoy some traditional Greek food.