A big group of us (7 adults + 7 kids) will be spending 4 days in Athens in early July.
I'm thinking that it may make sense to arrange 2 half day child-friendly tours - perhaps Acropolis one day and some other sites on the next day. Does anyone know the best way to go about doing this? Should I contact the hotel concierge in advance (Intercontinental) or when we get there? Is it better to try to arrange independently of the hotel?
Thanks for your help.

Can't give best advice without a bit more info. "7 Kids" doesn't tell much ... makes a BIG difference if they are 10 - 15, or under 5 -- and what the "spread" is. Please spell out.

Group is quite challenging as kids are spread out in ages (2 twelve year-old boys, 1 9 year old girl, 1 6 yr. old boy, 2 four yr. olds and 1 three yr. old). Also, my mom is traveling with us, she is in her late seventies and can walk fine but not a crazy amount. She is very well read, has never been to Greece but is very interested in all the history and culture there. Everyone, including all the kids, are pretty flexible and laid-back and have traveled internationally quite a bit. We will not have jet lag to worry about as we will be in Athens after 10 days in Crete. I really want the older kids to get a sense of Athen's amazing history. Thanks!

CHILD CARE SITUATION
I do not think you can design a satisfying tour involving the 3 younger ones ... it just will not work. The kiddies may say they want to go, but after 30-45 minutes, especially going up to the Acropolis, they will start whining and asking to be picked up. I have been to Athens more than a dozen times, and up to the Acropolis at least 7-8 times and cannot tell you how many times I have seen this happen. The occasion is then unhappy for everybody.

I really think the realistic solution would be for you to contact the Intercontinental NOW, and ask for them to line up a child-care person who speaks English, to take care of these children for a 6 hour period, starting at 8 am. It might be well to have the sitter also come on a previous evening to take them out for ice-cream, to get to know her, and to associate her with "treats" and fun. The Intercontinental unfortunately is not near any park and its pool is inappropriate for young children... therefore I suggest you arrange for some GREAT videos beforehand, and perhaps some special room-service treats.

TOUR(s) for REMAINDER
Since you have a large family group (11) even without the 3 youngest, I would suggest you immediately contact guides for a private guided tour or 2. Here is a list of a number of good licensed Guides in Athens, showing their photo, their experience etc. I would suggest you contact several simultaneously as time is growing short and you need to find one: http://tourguides.viator.com/Listing...ki&City=Athens
.. if you cannot line up one thru them, the fallback situation would be to contact http://www.athenswalkingtours.gr/ and ask for their custom-tours division ... but you would know much less about what guide you would be assigned to.

Because July is the VERY hottest month, I suggest you plan a tour that would start at the ticket office of the Acropolis at 8 AM, both to beat the package-tour crowds and avoid the worst of the heat. Since your hotel is nowhere near (are you getting it on "points"?) you should taxi as close as u can, to spare your Mom, and the 6 year old. After the Acropolis, she can take your group down through the Agora quickly, as many as are interested. The logical follow-up would be the New Acropolis Museum... many of us enjoy having lunch there in the a/c glassed in restaurant looking on the Parthenon, Before going thru the museum. If your mom feels the heat, she might go back to the hotel, rest, & then rejoin you... as could 1 or more of the parents of the pre-schoolers. OR you could arrange for ALL of you to go there in late afternoon -- the museum is open until 8 pm -- and if you did that, the younger children could join you for that part, as long as they obey well enough that they wouldn't run off or melt down.

FOr a 2nd TOur -- The guides on that list will have many suggestions, but I think it's also up to your group to do some of your own prep, to make informed choices, not just wait to be told. For instance, if Orthodox churches do not interest you, you need to say so. Some ancient sights are of less interest than others (i.e. Kerameikos Cemetery, Roman Forum), and others are impressive & easy to see quickly (Temple of Zeus). The National Garden is nice to walk through with kiddies & has playgrounds, in cooler part of day). The Nat. Arch. Museum is fascinating for true Greece Buffs and can be toured on one's own... (The Rick Steves book has a good D-I-Y tour u can photocopy & take) or can be a good 90 minute tour for the whole group with a pvt guide -- he/she particularly could make it "come alive" for an imaginative 9 or 12-year-old. PS: The Museum currently has a coin exhibit built all around the major Greek Olympian Gods. For your Mom, when she just needs to sit down, there is a very attractive cafe on the ground floor looking on to an atrium -- as a matter of fact, I sat there happily for an hour last Sunday, when there was a cloudburst at the end of my visit!

Final advice: Take plenty of Taxis, they are cheap in Athens, and your hotel is unhandy. Go to th hotel pool in the afternoon and then lie down. It's July. And Try to agree among yourselves, before heading somewhere, to either do it as a group, or agree ahead of time to split up; there is nothing more tension-making in hot weather as having to wait on the pavement while a shopaholic in the bunch ducks into a souvenir store!

PS: Big convention hotels like Intercontinental also will hve private guides "on tap" to conduct tours ... you could always also ask for their rates, and compare the information and charges they tell you about with the rates/info on the link I provided.

Dear Travelerjan,

This is super-helpful advice, thank you so much.
You are right about the little kids, we might either need a babysitter or one adult in the group will have to stay with them. I will definitely contact the hotel about babysitters.
Thanks again for giving me such detailed advice, it is great to have a strategy outline to work with. This is everyone's first trip to Greece and we cannot wait - what an amazing country!

Rather than leave the little ones out altogether & back at the hotel, how about a couple of you take them on the Happy train? Maybe you could all go on it. It takes you round Plaka, up to Syntagma & you go past many of the sites.
Combine this with a some more grown up sightseeing & I think everyone will be happy!
http://www.athenshappytrain.com/

PS: Please Don't have your mom be the sitter. I am your Mom.

and here some info on the cost of the guide...
If you don't care about the price just arrange it through the concierge of the hotel. Make the booking as early as possible, as guides may be very busy ( and not available), if it's a day with cruise ships arrivals.
As for the price that you should pay if you contact a guide directly : ask for half day service ( 4 hours - as you wanted to split it in 2 days ), say that you don't need any receipt ( otherwise you will have to pay for their social security etc), and you shouldn't accept any price that is over 160 Euro.
Most guides will accept guiding without a receipt.....

Will definitely try to do the Happy Train - My 3 yr. old loves trains, planes, buses, boats. I think we will bring everyone to the Acropolis and someone can leave early with the little kids if they start melting down.

Don't worry, my mom will not be the primary babysitter.
I'm not sure she will have another chance to visit Greece so I want her to see all that she wants to.

Clausar - so terrific of you to give me an idea of prices as I was having trouble figuring out what is reasonable. We are definitely on a budget. It is too bad that our hotel seems a bit out of the way.

We got a really good deal on it by using priceline and I wanted to make sure we stayed somewhere comfortable for my mom.

One other question if you folks don't mind -
someone suggested to me that we should try to see an evening performance at the open air theater at the back of the Acropolis as it is a fantastic setting. I looked up the schedule when we are in Athens (July 7-10th) on www.greekfestival.gr and the performances then are Greek tragedies. I assume it is not worth it for us to go as they will be in Greek and we will not be able to follow the story.
Just wanted to see if you all have any thoughts on this.

I think they were referring to Dora Stratou Theatre, which is very near to the Acropolis.have a look at http://www.grdance.org/en/

I would absolutely recommend it, it's an open air theatre where you can enjoy greek folk dances, performed in original traditional costumes.

The Athens Festival takes place at the Herodion ( roman theatre underneath the acropolis), and they have a great program. Seing an ancient greek tragedy or comedy performed in an original location like 2.000 thousand years ago, is a unique experience, even if you don't understand the language... Would be absolutely boring for the kids though....