On the prowl: the cats of Athens tour

A fascinating self-guided walking audio tour for Athens’ cats with credible & original stories written by top local professionals. Take your tour now & enjoy it instantly on your smartphone device.

There are many guidebooks and tours available on Athens, covering many known and unknown aspects of the city’s history and culture. On the prowl – The cats of Athens presents something unique: a tour based on, and dedicated to, the beautiful cats of Athens. Regal or common, spotless or scruffy, friendly or haughty, Athenian cats form an indispensable part of the urban environment and proudly occupy all the local monuments. In contrast to most traditional guided tours that tend to focus on the ancient temples, the medieval churches and the neoclassical jewels of this city, the tour “On the prowl – The cats of Athens” focuses on these felines and highlights the almost mythical stories of their arrival and gradual domination in Athens.

This trip down memory lane begins at one of Athens’ most picturesque spots. Anafiotika is an island in the heart of Athens with narrow lanes and tiny whitewashed houses clinging to the rocks. Ancient Athenian households and markets were full of dogs, grasshoppers, crickets, hedgehogs or monkeys who served as pets. You were more likely to come across a cheetah than a cat in downtown Athens.

As you make your way through the Plaka district, take time and introduce yourself to the city’s adventurous feline residents who enjoy a bird’s-eye view of the Ancient Agora. Was Aristotle right when he claimed that cats are particularly lascivious because they instigate the sexual act by inviting the male? The answer may lie among the ruins of the Roman Agora, frequented by “Little Cats” and “Kittens” (Felicla, Felicula, and Cattula were popular female names back in the Roman days). The remains of the Byzantine church, visible beneath the foundations of the mosque in the Roman Agora, reverberate with the calls of Mechlempe’s descendants. He was the imperial Byzantine cat and lived a life of luxury as he ate from gold plates. During the Ottoman period, cats were the subjects of as much adoration as in the time of the pharaohs. The ruins of the madrasa remain a favorite feline haunt in memory of that relationship.

• 30 stories
• 0.65km distance
• 5 stops

Know before you book

• This is a downloadable self-guided audio tour for your smartphone. No live guide will accompany you. No VR / AR is included (Virtual Reality/ Artificial Reality).
• After booking, you will receive an email with further instructions on how to access your audio tour. Please check your email spam folder as well
• An Android (version 5.0 and later) or iOS (version 15.0 and later) smartphone is required. The audio tour is not compatible with Windows Phones, iPhone 6/6 Plus or older, iPod Touch 6th generation or older, iPad 4th generation or older, iPad Air 1st generation, iPad Mini 3rd generation or older.
• Please ensure you have enough storage space (100-150 MB) 
• Book per device to be used, not per participant
• Non refundable once activated.

Know before you go

• Internet access might be unavailable & mobile signal may be weak. So please download the audio tour on your smartphone prior to your visit in order to enjoy it offline
• Use your headphones to best enjoy it
• Ensure that your smartphone is fully charged prior to your visit