podtour
Legends of Monastiraki and Plaka
Below the Acropolis lies an Athens of mosques, baths and small churches. Walk Monastiraki and Plaka through legends and eyewitness accounts.
Athens Learns to Be a Capital: audio walk in Athens
Nineteenth-century Athens, invented in a few short years around a set of ruins: where the first king lived, how a Constitution was wrung from him in a single night, and what lies behind the Academy, Schliemann's house, the old parliament, the queen's garden and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
What this walk is about
You start in the square where Greece's first king lived as a tenant in a banker's house, a square that ended up being called "the square of weeping". You climb to the avenue of three marble buildings: Socrates and Plato seated outside the Academy, and the house Schliemann used to show off Troy. In Kolokotroni Square, a parliament that burnt down and two lifelong rivals who now share the same grounds. You reach Syntagma by way of the hotel where dynamite turned up underneath on Christmas 1944, and you relive, through the account of a far-from-neutral witness, the September night in 1843 when Athens surrounded the palace to demand a Constitution. You cross into the garden Queen Amalia planted, watered by an ancient aqueduct, find out why the palace stands where it does, and finish at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier: the empty bier for the missing that Thucydides described, and a line of Pericles carved in stone.
- Start
- The King Who Rented His Home
- Finish
- The Empty Bed
- Who it is for
- A good starting point for your first visit. A walk for anyone curious about modern history.
- Languages
- Spanish and British English
- Underfoot
- The walk is mostly level. The route notes mention stairs or steps on the walk or its approaches.
The route, stop by stop
An outline of the walk. The full stories are in the app.
Loading the map…
Open a marker to see its page. Use two fingers to move the map on mobile.
- 1
The King Who Rented His Home
- 2
The Square of Tears
- 3
Socrates at the Academy Door
- 4
The House of Troy
- 5
The Wooden Parliament That Burned Down
- 6
Two Rivals in the Same Courtyard
- 7
Dynamite Beneath the Grande Bretagne
- 8
The Night of 2–3 September
- 9
The People Beneath the Windows
- 10
A Queen's Garden
- 11
The Palace Never Built in Omonia
- 12
The Empty Bed
Walking directions are based on mapped pedestrian routes. Check local access and signs; the route is not an accessibility guarantee. Times are approximate.
Athens, before you go
Shade helps shape the walk here. Between city pavements, smooth rock and lanes beneath the Acropolis, a flexible plan and a bottle of water go a long way.
More walks nearby
In the Footsteps of Socrates
Follow Socrates around the edge of the Agora and up to the Pnyx. Among temples and hills, separate ancient traces from later inventions.
From the Temple of Zeus to the 1896 Games
From Hadrian's Arch to the marble stadium, follow the ruins and projects that prepared Athens for the first modern Olympic Games.
Good to know
What is Podtour?
An app for self-guided audio walks. Choose a city and a route, then listen to the stories behind its streets. You decide when to start and when to stop.
When can I download the app?
Podtour is coming to iOS and Android. There is no confirmed launch date yet. Join the waitlist and we will let you know when it is ready.
Does Podtour include attraction tickets?
No. Street walks and monument audio tours do not include admission tickets, transport or a guide accompanying you.
Can I listen without an internet connection?
Download the audio in the app before heading out, then listen offline. Loading the online base map and calculating a new route from your location require a connection.
What languages are included?
Every route includes Spanish and British English. The English version is adapted for English-speaking travellers, rather than translated word for word.
How do I get a whole city for free?
Join the waitlist, choose a city and confirm your email address. When the app launches, we will email you with access details. No card is required. You can also try one free route in every city.
Can I buy for myself or for a group?
Yes. Your own access is included and you can choose 0–5 guests: up to 6 people including you. Each guest saves up to €0.50 on a walk, €1 on a pack or €2 on a whole city compared with buying separately. The counter shows the total before you confirm one payment.
How do I share, and when must guests accept?
After paying, share your purchase’s invitation link. Each guest opens it in Podtour and accepts their place on their own iPhone or Android phone. They must redeem it within 30 days of purchase. Unclaimed places then expire and cannot be recovered or renewed. Access accepted in time is kept. Opening the link does not use a place; one account takes just one place, and no more people can join once all places are taken.
Can I add guests after buying?
No. Choose all your guests before confirming the first purchase. Afterwards you can share the places you paid for, but you cannot increase their number or restart the 30-day deadline.
Your first city,
on Podtour.
Join the waitlist. When we launch, your chosen city is yours to explore.
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A little welcome gift
Your first city,
on Podtour.
Join the waitlist and get one whole city free when Podtour launches. You choose where.
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One city per person. All its Podtour routes in Spanish and English. Available at launch. Offer details.