Athens to Marathon and Acropolis Tour
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SUV Car: Ask for price (up to 4 pax)
In Brief
Let us take you on a private tour, to travel you back in time, to the actual battle location, of one of the earliest recorded battles in human history, in Marathon area.
When dawn broke... that summer morning in 490 B.C., it found the Athenian troops stood ready for battle on the coastal plain near Marathon, northeast of Athens. They awaited the charge of their mighty enemy, the king of kings of Persia: Darius the Great. His relentless expansion was headed westward, toward the heart of the ancient Greek world, a society he aimed to subjugate.
During that battle the heavily outnumbered hoplites warriors of the Athenian army, only being supported by Plataea– a nearby small town with 1.000 hoplites- a gesture which did much to steady the nerves of the Athenians-, and won unending Athenian gratitude to Plataea – defeated King Darius, during his first-out of the three- attempts to invade Greece.
It was the domination of the Hoplite phalanx against a much bigger army. The battle was a defining moment for the young Athenian democracy, showing what can be achieved with unity and self-belief. Prior to this defeat, the Persian Empire seemed unbeatable. Other leaders and other forces had fallen before its might, but the Battle of Marathon revealed that Persia, too, had weaknesses. Indeed, the battle effectively marks the beginning of a "Golden age" for Athens. That was the beacon that has changed a big part in the history of mankind, considering the rise of classic Hellenism over the next two thousand years. This was also applicable to Greece as a whole; "their victory endowed the Greeks with a faith in their destiny that was to endure for three centuries, during which western culture was born".
It also inspired numerous legends and tales, including one in which the Athenian hero Theseus visits the battlefield to inspire the Greek forces to beat back their enemies. Millennia later, the battle would even provide an origin story for a long-distance Olympic event: the marathon.
Battle lineup: 11,000 Greeks vs 100,000 Persians
Know before you go: Tours with a licensed expert guide
As we want to offer the best service to our guests, we have carefully
selected expert licensed guides to ensure the best experience possible.
Our team consists of a group of young professionals of high-expertise
in the fields of Archaeology, History, History of Arts or graduates
of the official 'Greek State School of Tour Guides'.
Hence, they are well-trained to share their knowledge with the public
in an interesting and fun way. Their academic background works as a
springboard immersing you into the wealth of Greek culture and holding
your undivided attention for the whole duration of the tour. Despite the
aforementioned assets though, it is their enthusiastic character and
passion about their field of study that unquestionably guarantees you a
memorable tour experience.
- The Acropolis hill, the Parthenon, temple of Athena Nike, the Propylaea, the Erehthion temple.
- The Panathenaic Stadium (erected in 338 BC as part of the public works carried out in the city of Athens by the orator Lykourgos, renovated in 1896 for the first modern Olympic games)
- The plain of Marathon
- The 9 m-high tumulus (burial mound) which shelters the bodies of the 192 Athenian warriors that fell in the battle.
- Marathon museum
- Marathon dam
