rick steves audio tours greece

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Audio guide recommendations: Olympia, Delphi, Athens Acropolis

We are in Greece now, have spent the first few days with more leisurely activities and site seeing around the Peloponnese and are now gearing up for Olympia, Delphi and Athens.

Has anyone used audio guides on your phone for these sites? Do you have recommendations? I’ve found a few on Viator and Get Your Guide, but reviews seem mixed.

2 adults traveling with a 9 year old.

Rick's Audio Europe app has several walking tours of Athens that you can download. We used them a few years ago and they were good.

Thanks, I’ve got the app and am planning on it. Wondering if there was anything more detailed for Delphi and Olympia specifically.

Rick has free audio guides for the Acropolis, the Agora and the National Archaeology Museum in Athens in addition to a city walk. If you have access to YouTube try to watch the hour-long BBC video “Delphi Why It Matters” before you go. Recently recommended to me on this forum. Very informative and helpful to understanding Delphi and how it actually looked. Rick doesn’t have an audio guide for Delphi but I got an electronic copy of his Greece guidebook from the library and made screen shots of his walking tour of the sight for reference for my upcoming trip. Not going to Olympia so can’t help you there. Enjoy you trip!

DELPHI - I looked this up for a friend earlier this year and found 3 links -- As you say, mixed reviews. As I recall, the best one appeared to be a combo of an "Official" entry ticket PLUS a downloadable audio:

https://www.getyourguide.com/delphi-greece-l116/delphi-skip-the-line-entry-ticket-and-audio-guide-t427876/ (please note: this "skip the line" thing is deceptive-- the only lline u skip is ticket-window, not if there's a line at gate... but there almost never is, so it's a big nothing). \

here's another: https://cliomusetours.com/tours/delphi-self-guided-audio-tour-the-google-of-the-ancient-world/

The key thing with any audio download, including Ricks - don't wait until you're onsite -- play it ahead of time too.

I found this pretty good audio tour someone created http://www.elladaguides.com/2016/01/get-your-ancient-olympia-audio-tour-here.html

It wasn’t super in depth, but it was a good length and proceed enough details for us.

The Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports has an AR/VR app guide to the site, it is a huge download, so better to get it when you are on WiFi, though I was able to connect to an open WiFi network at the archeological site https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ancient-olympia/id1534215598

Oddly: this app did not show up in any of the google searching I did before going.

This podcast is also a great primer on the history at Delphi https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ithaca-bound/id1559088835?i=1000531539054

It features Professor Michael Scott, Warwick University, who has written a book about Delphi.

I also found this app called digital Delphi which is a thorough guide of the archeological museum at Delphi. It is a big download, so you should get it when you have a hood internet connection. There was WiFi in the museum. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/digital-delphi/id1596299854

There is also an ar/vr app called Digi-Past Delphi. To unlock all the content you have to may about $12 us. It was okay. Definitely made it a little more engaging for the 9 year old.

There is also an app called COSMOTE CHRONOS for the Acropolis but not only do you need to download the app, you also need to download a file for each waypoint in the app. It uses ar to show you what the buildings would have looked like.

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Rick Steves Audio Europe‪™‬ 4+

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• #194 in Travel
• 4.3 • 385 Ratings

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This app organizes the vast and varied library of Rick Steves’ audio content into geographic-specific playlists so that travelers can enjoy ready access to the information that relates specifically to their travel plans. Many tracks provide general cultural and sightseeing information gleaned from his public radio program, Travel with Rick Steves. Other tracks are self-guided tours to great sights and historic walks. While we travel there’s lots of down time, and this application can both entertain and teach. Rick Steves Audio Europe will hopefully make your European travels more meaningful and more fun. Features: • The app downloads and stores audio files on your device. No Wi-Fi or cellphone connection is required to listen. (You will need a connection if you choose to add audio tracks later.) • Handy maps (PDF) that complement the self-guided audio tours can be viewed on your device. • The audio content originates from Rick Steves guidebooks and the Travel with Rick Steves public radio program. Self-guided tours are excerpted from Rick Steves country and city guidebooks. • Rick Steves Audio Europe is a work in progress. New audio tracks will be added and existing tracks updated as necessary. Be sure to enable Notifications for this app to get the latest updates.

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385 Ratings

It’s a free private tour

We travelled to Rome and Vatican City, and visited all major tourist attractions including Pantheon, Colosseum, Roman Forum, Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, and St Marks Basilica. This app is like a private tour at no expense. We used it at all sites. For Vatican sites, we did not book in advance so had to take an in person group tour. 10 minutes into the tour, we ended up asking our tour guide that we would leave and do the tour ourselves as this tour is far more engaging. The tour guides you right from the entrance through the finish gates. The bonus is that you are not stuck with a tour group and have the flexibility to tour at your own pace with breaks especially if you have kids like us. As per the kids, this app brings every site to life. Thanks Rick! Tip: share wireless earbuds with the family while touring to get a complete private tour experience

Love this app

My partner and I took a trip to Italy this past summer, and this guide was such an important part of our vacation. The guide had episodes for all of the major cities we visited, as well as particular ruins and sites within the cities. They never seemed too long, always giving just enough information, and allowed us to skip around however we pleased. The maps were also extremely helpful. My favorite were the walking tours around the city, easy to follow and doable. Some pieces were a tad outdated but otherwise we loved it. This audio guide not only saved us money, but also supplemented our trip perfectly. Highly recommend for anyone heading to Europe!!

Such a hyped app but not up to expectations

Probably should not complain for a free app, but some improvements are definitely needed to make it useful. I had such a great expectation, because everywhere I read on the internet, people says great things about the guide, esp that it is way better than the one cost 8 euro at pompei park entrance. Even that is debatable, since I did get the official audio guide for a family member, they both have plus and minus’s. We decided to use the pompei guide from this app after a few mixed experiences with a few Roman tours. The only usefulness of Rick’s pompei guide is the route, but it did not mention it anywhere in the app. Being frustrated with directions after 45 minutes, I started to play with the app, found the book shaped button, that leads me to the tour route. After that, it became a bit easier to follow. The best audio guide I have used in the past is Gypsy. It is gps guided that made it so easy to use. I wish they have similar guides for European destinations.

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Free Rick Steves Audio Tour for... - Acropolis

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Free Rick Steves Audio Tour for Acropolis

As I mentioned in my Parthenon review, I wish that I had a tour guide during our trip. Just now, I found a free audio tour guide from Rick Steve. You need to download "Rick Steves Audio Europe" , then go to "Find Tours & Interviews". From here, you can choose "Greece". From this submenu, you can find many audio tours: Athens Acropolis, Athens Ancient Agora, Athens City Walk, etc. It is very easy, cheap & informative. Enjoy...

Obviously a must see in Athens. A climb that’s definitely worth it. Loved our less busy visit in the winter season. Don’t forget the sunscreen!

I am from Greece and I had only visited Acropolis once, but never walked the whole hill up to Parthenon. I am shocked how we do not appreciate what we have and take it for granted. I have visited many archaeological sites around the world, but Acropolis is breathtaking. You can feel the glory of the size of the whole hill and all the ancient structures built on it as well as the spotless architecture of the monuments. It's honestly a must visit.

The history and magnificent size of it is such an architectural feat. You feel so small when you are next to it. We found it incredible and a must do when in Athens.

Hopefully it will look much better very soon after the stolen marbles -taken down by lord Elgin- return from the British Museum. Missing since 19th century and the Greek people are waiting. Now is the time!!! Greece will then celebrate and so will the whole world. Please join this latest movement.

It's worth getting up early to visit the Acropolis and its temples. Book tickets online before you go. If you do arrive later and there's a queue, walk a little way up the hill to some steps to get to the rear gate (which is near the main entrance of the Parthenon) as it can be quieter. Many of the paths are marble and uneven so I recommend wearing comfortable shoes with grip. This is not the place for slippy sandals or anything with a heel! Only water is allowed - no other drinks or food. Don't expect the site to be pristine. The Acropolis is an active archaeological site.

591a Polynesian Explorers; Northern Greece; Greek to Me Travel with Rick Steves

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We admire the seafaring prowess of the Polynesians and hear how a cultural faux pas led to Captain James Cook's fateful encounter with 18th-century Hawaiians. Then tour guides from Athens and Thessaloniki recommend attractions to visit in northern Greece, and The New Yorker’s "Comma Queen," Mary Norris, explains what an appreciation for Greek language and mythology can add to your own Greek odyssey.

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Things To Do

I used to think of Athens as a big ugly city with obligatory ancient sights, fine museums, the Plaka (an extremely touristy old quarter), and not much else. “The joy of Greece is outside of Athens,” I wrote. “See Athens’ museums and scram.”

But while updating my guidebook one summer, I enjoyed the city more than ever before. I discovered a many-faceted city that’s getting its act together, despite Greece’s economic struggles. I had a great experience even though it was the worst time of year for a visit. It was sweltering – well over 100 degrees – and since it was mid-August, most Athenians were gone, finding relief on the beach. Still, there was an energy in Athens that made me want to come back and linger … in the spring or fall.

I discovered much of that energy in the offbeat parts of the city, thanks to Matt Barrett, who splits his time between Greece and North Carolina. He splashes through his adopted hometown like a kid in a wading pool, enthusiastically sharing his discoveries and observations on his generous website .

He took me to Exarchia, a student district just a short walk from Athens’ Omonia Square. This area has long been the heart and soul of Athens’ feisty love of freedom and its nonconformist spirit. Slathered in colorful graffiti, it’s defiant, artsy, and full of life.

From the small Exarchia Square, side streets spin off into grungy neighborhoods. Because of the cheap rent and abundance of students (three universities are nearby), the streets are lined with cafés, bars, art centers, and bookstores. Each evening, Exarchia is a thriving festival of alternative lifestyles. The juxtaposition between Exarchia and the adjacent upscale diplomatic district of Kolonaki is striking.

A more trendy Athens neighborhood is the Psyrri district north of the Acropolis. Until recently, it was a grimy area of workshops and cottage industries, famous locally as a hotbed of poets, musicians, revolutionaries, and troublemakers. But now it’s become one of central Athens’ top after-hours zones. The mix of trendy and crusty gives the area a unique charm. The options include slick, touristy tavernas with live traditional music; highly conceptual café/bars catering to cool young Athenians; and clubs with DJs or live music for partying the night away.

Just beyond Psyrri, Athens’ Central Market isn’t cute or idyllic, like a small-town French halles, and it’s not a tourist trap, like Barcelona’s La Boqueria. The Central Market – an 1886 glass and iron arcade and the surrounding lanes – is refreshingly real: a thriving marketplace where workaday Athenians stock up on ingredients. A walk through the market is a treat for all the senses – sights, smells, and sounds.

The spice sellers are the great-great-grandchildren of those ethnic-Greek refugees from the Greco-Turkish war of the 1920s, who arrived bringing a pungent whiff of exotic Istanbul bazaars.

You’ll see bushels of rice, grains, nuts, and dried fruits. Keep an eye out for bunches of partially dried flowering herbs tied up with string – this is Greek mountain tea, an herbal mixture revered for its healing properties. You’ll also see classic Greek oregano, thyme, basil, and the precious Greek red saffron.

The meat and fish hall is a vivid parade of proteins. Vegetarians might want to skip this gut of the market. Tables are piled high with beef, pork, chicken, lamb, and goat and livestock is proudly pictured on some signs above the stalls. Little delivery scooters nudge their way past pedestrians.

Around the corner displays do their best to make the “fifth quarter” or hard-to-sell meat look appetizing: hooves, tripe, liver, and other organs. You may also see barrels of snails – a cheap source of protein during times of hardship, when locals developed a taste for the little critters that persists today.

Close by, the pleasant, pedestrian-friendly Aiolou Street, quieter than the parallel Athinas drag, is emerging as one of downtown Athens’ most appealing streets. It bustles with interesting stores, designer coffee shops, occasional street musicians, and lots of lunch-focused restaurants for busy urbanites. You can take a break from the heat in the petite, gorgeously restored Kimisi Theotokou Chrisospileotissis church, with a beautiful, serene interior. Back outside, the little square of St. Irene – the epicenter of hip, young locals, day or night – used to be known as the square of the flower vendors; these days only one remains open, and it’s still loyally frequented by Athenians.

Today’s Athens has become people-friendly, an urban scene of pedestrian boulevards and squares filled with benches, shade-giving trees, and inviting cafés. While its drawing power will always be its classic ancient sights, take time to taste its spicy, mod neighborhoods.

(Rick Steves writes European guidebooks, hosts travel shows on public TV and radio, and organizes European tours. This column revisits some of Rick’s favorite places over the past two decades. You can email Rick at [email protected] and follow his blog on Facebook.)

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