Google Adds Two New Routes to Athens Online Audio Guide

Two new routes are now available on Google’s “Athens. The city is the museum” online platform that aims to help visitors discover the lesser-known neighborhoods of the Greek capital.

Launched in November 2022, the platform is available in English at athens.withgoogle.com and presents curated audio walks that offer an immersive way of seeing Athens, using Google Maps with sound to create a whole new experience.

What makes the platform extra special is the fact that Athenians can be heard, sharing their favorite places and stories that make up the city.

The two new routes now available on athens.withgoogle.com have two hosts guiding visitors through the city.

A City of Contrasts (audio walk 2)

Peter Poulos, a Greek-American who has lived in the Greek capital for 16 years, takes visitors from the vibrant Mavili Square into the residential neighborhood of Pagrati, overflowing with restaurants, bustling cafes and new cultural venues.

The Goulandris Museum of Contemporary Art, a modern art museum, in Pagrati. Photo source: B&E Goulandris Foundation

During the walk visitors will have the opportunity to “live” the city through the voices of its people: Olympic marathon runner Maria Polyzou, who talks about the growing running culture in Athens; entrepreneurs Christos Fasseas and Dimitris Anagnostou, who speak from Mavili Square and tell how they drew inspiration from traditional Greek flavors in their latest venture; and art curator Elena Papadopoulos, who talks about the rising Athenian modern art scene.

Beneath the Acropolis (audio walk 3)

The second new route finds travel writer and editor, Rachel Howard, born in London and raised in Athens, who walks visitors through two of her favorite neighborhoods in the area beneath the Acropolis: residential Mets (often referred to as the “Montmartre of Athens”) and Koukaki, where a new wave of creators and designers is breathing new life into traditional Greek arts.

Visitors will also hear Nikolas Loumidis talking about the city’s “love affair” with coffee and how it has evolved over recent years; Christos Koutsoukos explaining why basketball is so popular in Athens; film director Argyris Papadimitropoulos talking about how Athens inspires his work and how the town evolves into a new film destination; and artist Andrea Finch describing the special charm of the Greek “kiosk”, which is the heart of every Athenian neighborhood.

The “Athens. The city is the museum” online platform is a joint initiative of the Greek Tourism Ministry, the Municipality of Athens and Google, aiming to highlight the urban, contemporary, and often lesser-known bits of Athens all year around.