City Walks by Big Olive | Exclusive for Mastercard cardholders 

• Downtown Hotel Tour 

Avid travelers of the 18th and 19th centuries made a cultural pilgrimage to the european South in search of art, architecture, culture and the origins of Western civilization; Greece was the destination for the adventurous and the daring. From the humble khánia to the few higher-caliber lodging options, staying anywhere in Greece’s newfound capital was a journey in its own right.

Join us in a two-hour guided walking tour around Athens downtown and unravel the thread of history as you visit some of the most iconic hotels of today...for a reason.

The tour, among other, includes a stop for refreshment drink at the Perianth Hotel and ends with a light lunch at Brown Acropol Hotel.  

Starting Point : New Hotel lobby area, 16 Filellinwn Str.

• The Benaki Museum "Prompts"

Big Olive has come to an exclusive agreement with the Benaki Museum to offer to Mastercard cardholders a unique experience, the “Prompts”. Based on different suggested themes, participants are led through associated city landmarks and points of interest to hear narratives and anecdotal stories associated with the selected prompt. The selected  theme is ''Traces of Commerce in Athens''  which reviews the history of give-and-take in Athens as it takes in the areas of Syntagma and Kolonaki. The walk starts at Syntagma square and ends with a private experience at the Benaki Museum Central Building where a number of associated artifacts from the various collections of the museum, corresponding to the different periods of Greek history, will be presented. The walk concludes with an out-of-display-window experience of three items, a farewell light lunch and a souvenir offered by the museum.

Starting Point : City Link Entrance, 3 Voukourestiou Str.

• Street Photography Masterclass 

Take a leisurely ramble downtown with a photography workshop that captures that Athenian allure. While using the city as both backdrop and classroom, this workshop will provide you with unique photographic opportunities. This two-in-one walk is suitable for all ages, camera types (even smart phones), and levels of photography. The docent will illuminate little-known secrets 4 in your surroundings while instructing you on how to sharpen your photography skills and capture memories for a lifetime. Tour takes in the thoroughfares, but also explores the narrow alleys, where the walls are covered with impressive street art and discreet facades reveal hidden vintage stores, recently-opened hotels, avant-garde art galleries and artisan workshops.

Starting Point: Korai Square, metro station Panepistimio

Cancellation policy:  Free cancellation 24hrs before the date of the experience (before 12am, hotel time, of the previous day). For more info, please visit the Stay in Athens website.