Your Athens Tour Leader George

I grew up in Brisbane, Australia. Greek family, Australian upbringing. I spoke Greek at home and English everywhere else, which means I grew up seeing the world through two lenses. In my twenties, I moved to Athens, drawn by the same things that bring most visitors to book Athens walking tours: the history, the mythology, the Parthenon. Like everyone else, I did the tourist circuit. And I kept thinking: "There has to be more than this."

Back in Australia, I played rugby league. That background shaped me more than I realised at the time. It taught me to push through discomfort, to find energy when you think you have none left, and to understand that the best rewards come after genuine effort. When I arrived in Athens, those instincts kicked in. I didn't want to sit in a cafe and admire the Acropolis from a distance. I wanted to climb.

So I started walking. Not following tours, not with a map. Just walking. I'd wake up at 5 AM and head for the hills surrounding Athens. I discovered trails on Lycabettus Hill that weren't in any guidebook. I found viewpoints of the Acropolis where I was completely alone with the sunrise. Over months and then years, I mapped every trail, every shortcut, every hidden lookout across the hills of Athens. That personal obsession became something I wanted to share.

The turning point came when friends visiting from Australia asked me to show them around. I didn't take them to the Acropolis ticket queue. I took them up Lycabettus at dawn. I watched their faces when the sun came up over the Aegean and lit the entire city gold. That was the moment. I realised that the Athens I'd discovered on foot was something other people deserved to experience too, but nobody was offering it.

For 21 years, Athens has been my home. Not the Athens of crowded monuments and souvenir shops, but the Athens of early morning trails, hidden peaks like Philopappos Hill, and views that take your breath away. Speaking both Greek and English natively means I can navigate this city like a local while explaining it in a way that makes sense to visitors from Australia, the US, the UK, and beyond. Along the way, I've built up a list of things about this city that still surprise me and experiences most visitors miss. I also share my personal recommendations for food, coffee, and day trips and a guide to where to stay. The stuff people always ask me about after tours.