podtour
Around the Acropolis
Walk around the Acropolis on its outer paths to discover what happened to Athens' most famous rock. Its story begins before you enter.
Plaka, Anafiotika and the Catalans of the Acropolis: audio walk in Athens
Along the north slope, right under the wall: the Acropolis when it was the Catalans' castle, the siege of 1826 seen from Plaka, a village of islanders beneath the rock, and Byron living in a convent.
What this walk is about
You walk along Theorias Street, close under the wall, and the rock stops being a temple and becomes a castle. A tower everyone pinned on someone else; the Catalan Company, the mercenaries who seized the duchy in 1311; a King of Aragon who paid for twelve crossbowmen to guard "the richest jewel in the world" without ever having seen it; and the end of the Catalan dream. Then down into Plaka: Greece's first university in the house of an Ottoman lady, six hundred and fifty men crossing the enemy lines with a sack of gunpowder on their backs, why a castle that still has gunpowder surrenders, the stonemasons from Anafi who built a village under the rock, the bell of 1833, and the Scot who fought in that war and wrote its history. You finish at the lantern that survived inside a Capuchin convent, where Byron watched an Ottoman governor get drunk on rum.
- Start
- The Tower with a Thousand Names
- Finish
- Byron, a Friar and the Drunken Voivode
- Who it is for
- For another visit, when you want to look beyond the familiar sights. A walk for anyone curious about medieval history.
- Languages
- Spanish and British English
- Underfoot
- The walk has slopes or changes in level. There are cobbles or uneven surfaces. 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 Tower with a Thousand Names
- 2
1311: The Company and the Castle of Cetines
- 3
The Richest Jewel in the World
- 4
A King Who Never Saw It
- 5
A University in Sadé Hanum's House
- 6
Gunpowder Behind Your Back
- 7
Water, Firewood and Clothes: The Surrender of 1827
- 8
An Island Beneath the Acropolis
- 9
The First Bell
- 10
The Scotsman Who Wrote the War
- 11
The Lantern Without a Light
- 12
Byron, a Friar and the Drunken Voivode
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.
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.
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,
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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.