top of page
Enjoying a guided tour

Professor Susan F. W., Vanderbilt University, USA

What must Efi have thought when she heard she would be guiding a family of nine in Greece for a week, including two grandmothers and five children ages seven to thirteen!  It was a rich and joyful journey for all of us because of Efi.  Her knowledge of Greece is unsurpassed. As a classics professor I have traveled in Greece many times, and at every turn I was amazed at how much Efi knows. Equally important are her kindness, patience, and sense of humor.  She was never imperious with what she knows but was attuned to us and what we wanted to learn.  After my grandson John gave his prepared presentation at Olympia, Efi said, “Well, now let me see what I can add to John’s talk.”

​

A. Brooks, Australia

Her name is Efi Kalampoukidou. Suffice to say though, as each day passed, she surprised and delighted us further with her amazing font of wisdom about everything, and most especially about all the places of deep antiquity that we were to visit in the south of Greece, as well as the history of Greece in general. In addition, besides adding more fascinating, non-touristy places into our original itinerary as we went along on, without feeling in the least that we were squashing too much into a day, we both enjoyed 10 days of privately guided tours with you. 

We are extremely keen to see more your beautiful country’s extraordinary ancient heritage sites, which, along with your expert explanations and commentary, we enjoyed so much this time.

To conclude we wanted to thank you again, very much indeed, for sharing with us your marvellous fund of knowledge as a guide. It made our holiday one of the very best and most interesting we have ever had. 

​

Darcy & Patrick Eibs, USA

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed having Efi Kalampoukidou guide us in Greece in June of 2022. Efi's offhand knowledge of Greek history and mythology was incredible. She customized a tour to suit our interests and was patient and adaptable to our needs. Overall, she was a pleasure to have her accompany us on our last week in Greece. We were able to relax while she and the driver did all the work. Highly recommended!

 

Kim H., USA

I highly recommend Efi's guiding expertise. Her communication skills are top notch--first noticed when I emailed to set up a tour, a response was received within 6 hours--very, very different approach from other tour companies that were extremely slow or didn't even bother to answer. The trip to Vergina was excellent; private car (fine auto and effecient, extremely nice (and safe) driver, and guided tour through the marvelous treasure museum and underground tombs. Her scholastic background is deep, and knowledge thorough, as are language skills in English. She is also quite nice, and very help with other aspects of your travel needs.

 

Pauline G., Australia

Efi organised a special tour to Meteora fromThessaloniki for us. It was fantastic! She was very knowledgeable and very obliging to our needs.The trip was very comfortable, despite the extremely hot weather.Her knowledge was detailed and very informative.

 

Christina L., Australia

This tour was tailored specifically by Efi for us to see what lay outside of Thessaloniki itself. Our day began with hotel pick up at 9am from our guide Effie and driver Christos (excellent driver, very smooth trip). We traveled in a comfy and clean E Class Mercedes with complimentary water. Visiting Vergina museum with its tombs and treasures (a walk into the tomb mound kept us from the heat of the day, the silverware is amazing); drive out to Edessa to see the water falls (standing behind them you feel their power as the spray hits your face); lunch on a sun filtered terrace complete with ouzo; continue onto Pozar for a swim the the naturally heated (37 deg c) spring water baths (the lime in the water makes your skin feel soft); and a 2 hour return drive through Thessaloniki's salad bowl plains with a stop at one of the local stalls to buy fresh fat sweet cherries. Back at our hotel 5.30pm. Efi is a professional and knowledgeable guide. The best thing was she did not overload us with facts and we were able to enjoy the history and nature around us. 

 

Anna Pap., Greece

Ποιοτικες υπηρεσιες απο μια εξαιρετη ξεναγο. Οι γνωσεις της ειναι πολλες, ενω ειναι εξειδικευμενη να κανει ξεναγησεις και σε ατομα με νοητικη υστερηση - προσαρμοζοντας τις υπηρεσιες της στις ικανοτητες των ατομων αυτων. Συστηνεται ανεπιφυλακτα!

 

Cherie Ann S., USA

My adult son and I recently had a short visit to Thessaloniki. We had only one day, but we wanted to take advantage of the time we did have to visit the sites most important to us. Based on Trip Advisor reviews we read on Greece Guided Tours by Efi Kalamboukidou, we engaged her for a private tour. She took us to all the places we wanted to see, provided good information to set the context for the places we visited and set the pace to a level that worked for us. Efi made our visit very enjoyable and memorable. If you are planning a trip to the area, I recommend her highly.

 

Martin P., USA

Efi is absolutely professional. She accomplished every step of the tour as was planned. The cars and drivers she included where also very adequate. Thanks to Efi I could have some meetings that without her cooperation would have been impossible. Efi's work also included all the preparation for the tour with a great dedication. So, all in all, an excellent experience because everything went as planned.

 

Sally Schwarz., USA

Efi did an outstanding job of guiding us in Thessaloniki and out to Vergina. She is so knowledgeable about the archeological museum and the tombs at Vergina. She tailored our trip to our interests..the remainder of Thessaloniki's Jewish community, the foods in the market. She was patient with our questions and offered good advice on restaurants. Her choice of a driver was outstanding. Worth every cent.

 

Debra & Sajish S., USA

We enjoyed meeting you during our expedition to learn about St. Paul's journey. Your indepth knowledge about history and religious connections helped us much in appreciating our vist. We thank you for sharing your time and knowledge with us.

 

Gregg F., USA

Efi was incredibly professional and knowledgeable throughout our tour. She went above and beyond in her assistance, coordinating extra details with hotels and arranging for group reservations at a local restaurant in Thessaloniki. Her command of English is very high and her knowledge of the region's history seemed limitless. We will definitely use her services for future trips like this one.

 

Roberta McI., USA

Efi was very knowledgeable, as well as very pleasant. She recommended the best plan to visit as many sites as practicable in the short time we had. She also helped confirm my rental vehicle and driver when I was unable to get a confirmation from the company. We all were very satisfied with the trip.

 

Leon M., USA

We enjoyed the last part of our trip, but Joanne and I definitely thought that the part in Greece with you was our favorite portion. The sites were wonderful and the food was great.

We really liked being in Thessaloniki and doing day trips. Thassos was also wonderful. It was a joy to have you as a guide with your fund of knowledge and timely stories.We will enjoy fond memories for years to come. 

 

Michael M., UK, Peter Sommer Travels 

You are the best tourist guide we've had in Greece. Your level of knowledge is superb and wide-ranging, and you’ve got a great wealth of experience built up about the best places to stay and eat, and who to call if there is a problem.

 

Hsu-Ming T., Australia

Efi is a fantastic private guide. We had a really great experience with Efi from first contact until the last minute of the tour. She is very prompt in answering emails and she is a lovely person, very knowledgeable about everything and very accommodating. She makes travelling around Greece a huge pleasure. My parents and I had such a wonderful time in Greece because of Efi and we appreciate her very much. I thoroughly recommend her as a guide.

 

Pat H., USA

Just wanted to say thank you for an amazing two days in northern Greece!  You are awesome.

We thoroughly enjoyed it.  Everything was very well coordinated.  Thank you for going out of your way to help us with all the transportation, and dinner reservations, and everything.   Meteora was amazing, and so was Thessalonika, Kavala, Philippi. I feel like we got everything that we wanted out of that experience. Thessalonika was wonderful.  We enjoyed the hotel a lot!   

 

Larisa L., Russia

We were in Thessaloniki for one day on a shore excursion with private guide Efi Kalamboukidou. She was excellent. We discussed our itinerary with her prior to the tour and despite the tide schedule, Efi made it all happen. We visited Vergina and Pella and had a tour of Thessaloniki itself all in one day. We even had time for lunch in local restaurant. Efi was very knowledgeable and informative and her English and knowledge of history is fantastic. We would recommend Efi to anyone
 

Terri P., Australia

Thanks for looking after us so well during the last 3 days. We thoroughly enjoyed seeing the wonderful sights, so much enhanced by the information you shared.

 

Greg L., USA

We hired Efi for a private 5-day tour of early church sites-Thessaloniki, Beroia, Vegina, Philippi, Kavala, Athens, Corinth, and the Peloponnesian peninsula. Whew! Efi proved to be a very thorough and knowledgeable guide with respect to the ancient sites. She also helped us understand more of the modern history of Greece, including the history of Macedonia and the mass (forced) migration of Orthodox from Turkey and Muslims from Greece, as well as the tragic deportation of the Jews during WWII. We were not familiar with Orthodox faith and practices, which Efi was able to explain to us as well.

All in all, we would highly recommend Efi for her knowledge and for the care she put into planning our time to visit important biblical and other ancient sites with which we were not familiar.

 

Bill & Nancy M., USA

Thank you for making our journey in Greece so wonderful. You do an excellent job. We wish you the best of luck.

 

Alfredo & Mary R., USA

You are truly a professional in your field-an excellent guide and an exceptional human being. Thank you for being such a treasure to our Austin, Texas group. May God continue to bless you and your loved ones.

 

Mary & Richard N., USA

Thank you for being such a great guide Efi. Your knowledge was the best there is in Greece. We enjoyed every minute of your talks. We really appreciate all that you did for our small group. May God bless you.

 

Sue K., USA

Guide par excellent! You have provided us with a wonderful inspiration for further study, bringing culture, history, mythology, and faith together in a meaningful way. Thank you, thank you!

 

John & Olga L., USA

Your presentations were excellent. Our knowledge and understanding of the Greek cities, countryside and history has been greatly expanded through your descriptions. Thank you so much.

 

Margaret G., USA

Efi, thank you for sharing your beautiful country with us. You did a very good job and I learned a lot. May God bless you. 

 

Elaine G., USA

We had such a wonderful time in Greece. Our day with you in Salonica and Vergina was a highlight of our trip. Thank you for sharing so much good information with us. We loved touring Hagios Demetrios, the old city, familiar areas of Salonica, and learning about King Phillip and Alexander the Great! Oh! And I still talk about the souvlaki we had at lunch - it was delicious!! 

Again, we enjoyed our day with you so much. In addition to the tour sites, we really appreciate the time you took to take us to areas that were familiar from my childhood, especially 48 Vasilissis Olgas. Even though it was so run down, it brought back so many good memories of my childhood. 

 

Peter & Diana T., Australia

We have had the most wonderful time with you and our driver Simos ... a fabulous introduction to your glorious country.

Thank you for everything and we do hope our paths cross again in the future.

 

Lee & Bernard G., UK

We would like to thank you for organising such an interesting and informative day yesterday. It worked out really well for us and made such good use of our day in Thessaloniki.

 

 

bottom of page