Athens Food Tour: Street Food, Market or 15 Tastings

At $66 per person, the street food tasting is the lowest price of the three and the most reviewed: 4,114 reviews at 4.9. It is a 3-hour Athens street food tour that starts at Syntagma Square, by the round fountain, with a guide who speaks English.

The listing sets out the order. First a fresh cheese pie or spanakopita, the spinach and cheese pie, at a pie shop. Then souvlaki: skewers wrapped in warm pita with tomato and tzatziki, in a meat or a vegetarian version, with a local beer or wine. The walk crosses the main shopping district to a spot that bakes boat-shaped Greek pizza, then stops for loukoumades, Greek doughnuts in honey and cinnamon.

The last stretch runs through Psyrri, a neighbourhood of street art, vintage shops and cafés, and ends with Greek desserts. For a short, lively Athens food tour on a smaller budget, this is the one.

The original Athens food tour costs $77 per person for 4 hours, rated 4.9 from 3,597 reviews. Its heart is Varvakios Agora, the central market: you walk through the meat and fish halls and into specialty shops selling fruit, olives, cheese, ham and other deli goods.

The tastings start with koulouria, sesame bread rings, then loukoumades and custard-filled filo squares, with a visit to a filo pastry shop. After that come pies and cheese at a bakery, roasted coffee, and a sampling of local wine, olive oil, honey, aged vinegar and Greek yoghurt with thyme honey. Evripidou Street adds the smell of herbs.

The listing calls it a full meal experience. The last stops are downtown tavernas with mezze, the Greek take on tapas, and a souvlaki pita with pork or chicken gyros to finish.

The ultimate food walk is the priciest of the three at $100 per person, and the most personal: the group is limited to 10 participants. It runs 4 hours, rated 4.9 from 641 reviews, and starts at the fountain on Syntagma Square, where the guide holds a sign with your name. Arrive 15 minutes early.

Of the three, it has the most tastings: more than 15 foods across seven stops. A filo pie at a family-run shop, spanakopita, pastourma, feta and other Greek cheeses, olives, loukoumades, portokalopita (an orange filo cake) and homemade specialties. One sweet on the route, says the listing, was once enjoyed by winners of the ancient Olympic Games. Between stops you visit specialty food stores, small tavernas off the main streets and the Athens Central Market.

If you want a gourmet food walking tour in Athens, with the stories behind the recipes and the spices, this is the one to book. The listing gives one piece of advice: skip breakfast.

Book the street food tasting. For a first Athens food tour, it gives the most for the money: $66 per person, 3 hours, a drink with the souvlaki and 4,114 reviews at 4.9.

Want a market and a proper meal? The original food tour at $77 per person. Want the most tastings in a small group? The 15-tasting walk at $100 per person, capped at 10.

On another day, eat at sea. Our top pick, the Greek meal catamaran cruise, costs $191 per person for 5 hours, with a Greek barbecue cooked on board, two swim stops, and local wine and beer included. Compare it with the other sails from Alimos Marina in our list of ten catamarans.