Segway Tour Around the Sacred Acropolis Rock in Athens, Greece
I’m sure you’ve once said “Oh, that two-wheeler thingy that people whiz with,” huh? I have and that two-wheeler thingy is actually called segway. It can go as fast as 12.5 mph. Maybe driving a car at 12.5 mph doesn’t feel fast, but trust me it is fast for a segway! They’re quite popular, and you can find them in group tours in most major worldwide cities such as New York City, Boston, Amsterdam, Paris, Rome, and many more! Grandpa and I was lucky to be offered the luxury to experience one for the first time in Athens, Greece.
On other note, you can always buy one of your own on Amazon. 😉
Grandpa and I were delighted that Athens Segway Tours offered to host us on one of their Classic Acropolis Tours. I’d admit that my Grandpa was especially thrilled about it partially because it’ll be easy on his knee because it’ll be sore and tiresome for him to walk around in Athens, but mainly because he got to try the segway out with me for the first time.
The Pre-Tour Safety Briefing
Grandpa and I arrived a little early—we were too excited, I know. They kindly seated us for a short wait and the rest of group arrived shortly and we all were ready to get started.\
The guide was kind and communicative. He started with a demonstration on how to use the Segway. There were a lot of talking between the group and the guide while my Grandpa and I waited and watched. After all that, he quickly came over to us for personal time of demonstration and hands-on experience on the spot.
As soon as I got on mine, I picked up on the balance. I didn’t realize how clever the segway was. It works our your balance level for you, thus helping you to get the hang of it. I had to use my body to control the ride. Lean forward too much, you’d shooting off down the street!
I could see why it had all of those excellence certifications as safety was their priority. They gave us all plenty of time to get acquainted with the segway to ensure we were comfortable with it before we set off. Good thing because it took Grandpa a little longer to pick up on the balance. He lost balance several times, but it wasn’t long before he eventually picked up on it.
The Segway Tour
As we whizzed through the streets of Athens, we visited:
- Odeon of Herodes Atticus
- Hill of Mars next to the Acropolis Rock
- Hill of Pnyka with the ancient parliament
- the area of Thisseion
- the ancient Cemetery of Kerameikos
- the Flea Market of Athens,
- Monastiraki Square
- the old town of Plaka
- Ancient Agora
- the Roman Market.
It was very pleasing and fun. Truth to be told, that two hours actually went by so fast. The guide pointed out that it’d take us 4-5 hours to see all of the spots in this tour if we walked. Awesome, ain’t it?
We had plenty of time to stop, take photos, either idle on the Segway or step off completely. Sometimes, I’d spin around for some adrenaline. One time, I whizzed in circles with Grandpa in the middle of it trying to talk to me. Such a jokester, am I? =P
My Final Thoughts
I gotta tell you that by the time we arrived back at their offices, I was actually quite sad to say goodbye to new my mechanical friend, segway. Not to mention, the tour guide too. He was excellent at managing time to guide the group and communicate with me and my grandpa to keep us in the loop with the info they share in the tour.
You just don’t get to see 4-5 hours worth of attractions in two hours, but you’ll make a new mechanical friend and what could be better than that? Go take a segway tour with them if you’re in Athens, I can guarantee you that you’ll leave with a smile like mine and my grandpa’s!
Athens Segway Tours
- Address: 9, Aischinou & Frynihou Str. Plaka, Athens, 10558, Greece
- Email: info@athenssegwaytours.com
- Website: http://www.athenssegwaytours.com/en/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AthensSegwayTours