"Excellent experience! I would recommend it to anyone visiting Athens! We cooked delicious, authentic Greek food together using fresh ingredients from a local market. Our guide was incredibly friendly, knowledgeable, and passionate about Greek cuisine. The whole experience was so much fun!!! A perfect experience for anyone who wants to discover authentic Greek flavours beyond the usual tourist spots!"
Central Market · Hands-On · Wine Included · 4 Hours
Athens Cooking Class
Shop at Varvakios, the Athens Central Market, with a Greek home cook, then cook five dishes yourself, from dolmades and spanakopita to an orange pie, and sit down to eat them with a glass of wine.
Top rated
From
$77
per person
Free cancellation
- 4.9 / 5 1,306+ Reviews
- 4 hours Duration
- 5 Dishes Cooked by You, Then Eaten
- Market Walk Varvakios, With Your Cook
- Free Cancellation
The Experience
What the Market Class Covers
Four hours at The Greek Kitchen: a shopping walk through the market, the cooking, and the meal.
Highlights
- Visit Athens Central Market with your cook for a shopping trip
- Create a delicious range of Greek dishes using fresh, local ingredients
- Learn from a Greek cooking expert about the secrets of traditional cooking
- Enjoy a delicious meal at the end of the class, including soft drinks and wine
What's Included
- Cooking class experience
- Food market visit with the cook
- All ingredients for the class
- Full-course meal
- Water, wine, soft drinks
- Complimentary shot of Greek liquor
- All recipes
Good to know: There is 30 minutes of walking during the tour so please wear comfortable footwear and clothing that is weather appropriate · Please bring a refillable bottle of water, you can fill this up at the cooking studio · There is a choice between either a morning class starting at 9:30 AM or an afternoon class at 3:00 PM · Not suitable for: Wheelchair users · Not Included: Gratuities (optional)
How a Cooking Class in Athens Works
Morning or afternoon, market first, then the kitchen. Four things to know before you book.
Pick Morning or Afternoon
The market class runs as a morning class starting at 9:30 or an afternoon class at 3:00. Morning is when the market is busiest and most alive; the afternoon class ends around dinner time.
Tell Them About Your Diet Early
The kitchen adapts the menu for dietary needs, but only with notice: send a message through the booking as soon as you book. It cannot change anything at the last minute.
Walk to the Market
You start at The Greek Kitchen, leave your bags, and walk to Varvakios, the Central Market, with your cook to buy what you need. About 30 minutes of walking in all, so wear comfortable shoes.
Cook, Then Eat
Back in the kitchen you make every dish with your own hands, then sit down to the meal with wine, soft drinks and a shot of Greek liqueur. The recipes are yours to take home.
Photo Gallery
In the Kitchen
Vine leaves rolled by hand, phyllo, the market stalls on Athinas Street and the table at the end.
Book Your Experience
Check Availability & Prices
Select your preferred date and time. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure.
Three Kinds of Cooking Class in Athens
All three are hands-on and end with the meal you cooked. What changes is the market, the view and the time of day.
| Feature | THIS PAGE Market Visit + Class | Rooftop Class + Dinner | Acropolis-View Studio (Viator) |
|---|---|---|---|
| What You Pay | From $77 per person (checked October 2026); meal, wine and recipes included | From $114 per person (checked October 2026); dinner included, drinks extra | From $112 per person (checked October 2026); booked for two or more; meal, wine and recipes included |
| Market | Yes: a shopping walk to the Central Market with your cook | No | No; the studio is on Evripidou Street, by the market |
| What You Cook | Dolmades, spanakopita, imam baildi, tzatziki, orange pie | Moussaka, spinach and milk pies, salad, tzatziki | Phyllo pies, tzatziki, dolmades, salad, moussaka or pastitsio, dessert |
| When | 9:30 or 3:00, about 4 hours | Evening, about 4 hours, dinner with the Acropolis lit | About 3 hours |
| Diets | Adapted with advance notice | Vegetarian-friendly; no gluten-free option | Vegetarian and vegan on request |
| Best For | A first class, and anyone curious about the market | A special dinner with a view | Learning phyllo by hand in a small studio |
| Check dates | See the rooftop class | See it on Viator |
More Options
Other Cooking Classes in Athens
Rooftop dinners with an Acropolis view, a stone house in Kerameikos, a plant-based studio, a roof garden and a gyros class. Dates and cancellation terms are on each listing.
ROOFTOP DINNERAthens: Greek Cooking Class & Dinner on a Rooftop
A hands-on class on a rooftop in Psirri, near Monastiraki: moussaka, spinach and milk pies, salad and tzatziki, then dinner facing the lit Acropolis.
SUNDAY DINNER MENUAthens: Greek Cuisine Cooking Class and 3-Course Dinner
A four-hour class that cooks a Greek Sunday dinner, three to four starters or salads, a main and a dessert, eaten with a glass of local wine.
STONE HOUSEAthens: Kerameikos Stone House Cooking Class
Six Cretan and Peloponnese dishes in a 1920s stone house in Kerameikos, from gemista to loukoumades, with local wine; a farmers' market stop on Tuesdays.
PLANT-BASEDAthens: Greek Cooking Class with Meal and Drinks
A plant-based take on Greek classics in Koukaki: moussaka with cashew bechamel, spanakopita, fava and almond feta, cooked in small teams and shared.
LOWEST PRICECooking Class & Meal at a Roof Garden in Athens
A three-hour class on a roof garden near Panormou metro: tzatziki, dolmadakia, ladenia, Greek salad and moussaka, with a glass of white wine.
HOME COOK, GARDENAthens Cooking Class in a Garden with Optional Market Tour
A cooking class with a Greek home cook in a private garden, with a transfer from Monastiraki Square; one option adds a market tour first. The menu changes daily with what is fresh.
The Guide
Cooking Classes in Athens, Explained Properly
What a class involves, what you actually cook, which ones include the market, and how to choose between a morning in the market and a dinner on a roof.
A cooking class is one of the best things to do in Athens that has nothing to do with ruins. You spend three or four hours with a Greek cook, make four to six dishes with your own hands, and sit down to eat them, usually with wine. You leave with the recipes and with a much better idea of what to order for the rest of the trip.
Athens has a few dozen classes, and they differ in three ways that matter: whether you shop at the market first, where you eat (a studio, a garden, a rooftop facing the Acropolis), and what the menu is built around.
The market class
The class at the top of this page is the most-reviewed in Athens on GetYourGuide, and the one to start with if this is your first. It runs out of The Greek Kitchen, a small cooking space near Varvakios, the Athens Central Market. You meet there, leave your bags, and walk to the market with your cook to shop for the class: about 30 minutes of walking in all. It is a shopping trip with a local rather than a guided tour of the market, and that is the point.
Back in the kitchen you make every dish yourself. The menu is dolmades, spanakopita (spinach and feta in phyllo), imam baildi (roasted stuffed aubergine, an Ottoman-era dish shared with Turkish cooking), tzatziki, and portokalopita, a sticky orange pie made with phyllo. Then you eat it, with water, wine and soft drinks, and a shot of Greek liqueur to finish. The class runs at 9:30 in the morning or 3:00 in the afternoon and lasts four hours.
It costs from $77 per person, rated 4.9 from 1,306 reviews (checked October 2026), with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Check dates for the market class
If you have any dietary needs, message the kitchen through the booking as soon as you book. The menu can be adapted, but not at the last minute.
What you will cook
Almost every class in Athens teaches some version of the same core: a dip (tzatziki or fava), a phyllo pie (spanakopita or a cheese pie), something stuffed (vine leaves or gemista, tomatoes and peppers stuffed with rice), a baked main (moussaka is the favourite), and a sweet. The differences are in the details. One class makes the phyllo from scratch, another teaches gyros five ways, another cooks Cretan dishes from a family’s recipes. The dishes guide explains what each one is and which class teaches it.
Market, garden or rooftop?
The market is the reason to choose a morning class. Varvakios is a working food market on Athinas Street, between Omonia and Monastiraki: butchers and fishmongers in the covered halls, fruit and vegetables outside, and spice, cheese and olive shops in the streets around. It is closed on Sundays. Our Central Market guide covers it properly.
A rooftop is the reason to choose an evening one. Several classes in Psirri and around Monastiraki cook on a roof terrace and serve dinner as the Acropolis is lit up. They cost more, and drinks are often extra. The rooftop cooking class page compares them.
A garden or a home is the quieter choice: a roof garden near Panormou metro, a 1920s stone house in Kerameikos, or a home cook’s garden reached by a transfer from Monastiraki.
Which class suits you?
First class, market included
Market visit and cooking class
Shop at the Central Market with your cook, cook five dishes, eat them with wine. Morning or afternoon.
Check dates →Dinner with a view
Rooftop class and dinner
Moussaka and handmade pies on a rooftop in Psirri, eaten facing the lit Acropolis. Drinks are extra.
See the rooftop class →Phyllo by hand
Hands-on studio class with an Acropolis view
Cook in pairs in a studio on Evripidou Street, phyllo made by hand, then eat with Greek wine; vegetarian and vegan on request.
See this class →Prices, ratings and review counts from GetYourGuide and Viator, checked October 2026. Classes price by season, so treat them as the shape of the market, not a quote.
- On a budget? The roof-garden class near Panormou is the lowest-priced here, from $55 per person, three hours with a glass of wine, limited to 10 people.
- Plant-based? The vegetarian and vegan guide covers the Koukaki studio that cooks Greek classics without animal products.
- Street food instead? The gyros cooking class makes pita bread and gyros from scratch.
- Want to taste more of Athens? greece-food-tour.com covers the food walking tours in Athens and elsewhere in Greece.
Practical points
- Price covers the ingredients, the class and the meal; extra drinks and tips usually are not. The price guide goes through each level.
- Timing: morning classes catch the market; evening classes match the Greek dinner hour, which starts around nine. The Greek food etiquette guide explains how and when Athenians eat.
- Access: most kitchens are up stairs or on a roof, and few suit wheelchair users. The plant-based studio in Koukaki is wheelchair accessible.
How these facts were checked
Written 25 October 2026.
- Class menus, timings, inclusions, dietary terms, prices, ratings and review counts come from the GetYourGuide and Viator listings, read 25 October 2026, and change over time.
- The Central Market’s location and Sunday closure are from Athens visitor information and the market’s published hours, read October 2026.
- Greek meal times are general guidance from Greek tourism sources.
Guest Reviews
What Guests Say
4.9/5
from 1306 verified guests
"Activity was fun, and everyone got to really make the food rather than watch. The food was delicious!"
"Market tour and food was amazing. Things I wouldn’t eat at home that I tried I loved! Unbelievable experience!"
"We loved this experience highly recommend it. We had so much fun the hosts were great and the food delicious."
"I bought this for my parents and they had a great time"
"Blown away. This was far and away the best experience we had while visiting Athens! The food we made was absolutely delicious, and the tour through the food market was eye opening. Thanasis was a great host and teacher, making the whole experience fulfilling, educational, and hilarious along the way."
"Fanasis is a top notch cook, presenter, entertainer, regional expert... This man needs his own TV show. Stella and her blond companion, whose name I didn't get, were quietly ensuring the show ran smoothly. Great job. we thoroughly enjoyed the experience and found it not only gave us good insights into greek food and culture but gave us a welcome respite from all the craziness that is going on in this world today, with people of all backgrounds. We recommend it highly."
"Our host was charming, knowledgable and had a great sense of humor. He let us all engaged and we cooked some great food!"
Read all 1,306 verified reviews
See All ReviewsMarket, Kitchen, Table
A shopping walk through the Athens Central Market with your cook, a hands-on class at The Greek Kitchen, and the meal with wine at the end. Morning or afternoon; check the price for your date in the calendar. Starting from $77 per person.
Check Availability & BookCan't Make These Dates?
Browse More Available Options
Find a tour that fits your schedule. Dates and cancellation terms are on each listing.
Athens Cooking Class: Questions People Ask
The questions people type into Google before they book, answered in the first sentence.
Most of them are in the old centre, within walking distance of Monastiraki. The class on this page works out of a kitchen near the Central Market on Athinas Street. Others run on rooftops in Psirri with an Acropolis view, in a 1920s stone house in Kerameikos, in a plant-based studio in Koukaki and on a roof garden near Panormou metro. The comparison table and the cards below set them side by side.
For a first class, the market visit and cooking class on this page: it is the most-reviewed Athens cooking class on GetYourGuide, rated 4.9 from more than 1,300 reviews (checked October 2026). You shop at the Central Market with your cook, then make five dishes yourself. If the view matters more than the market, a rooftop class with dinner facing the Acropolis suits better; if you eat plant-based, the vegan studio in Koukaki is the one built for you.
From about $55 for a three-hour roof-garden class to around $114 for a rooftop class with dinner and an Acropolis view, per person (checked October 2026). The market class on this page starts from $77, with wine and the full meal included. Prices include the ingredients and the meal you cook; drinks beyond the included glass and tips are usually extra. Our price guide lays out what each level buys.
Usually four to six classic dishes: a dip such as tzatziki, a pie with phyllo, stuffed vine leaves or vegetables, a main such as moussaka, and a sweet. The market class on this page cooks dolmades, spanakopita, imam baildi, tzatziki and portokalopita, an orange pie made with phyllo. Menus change with the season, and most classes send or hand you the recipes. The dishes guide explains each one.
Some do, and the one on this page is built around it. You walk with your cook to Varvakios, the Central Market on Athinas Street, to buy ingredients, about 30 minutes of walking in all. It is a shopping trip rather than a guided market tour. The Kerameikos stone-house class stops at the farmers' market outside its door on Tuesdays. The market itself closes on Sundays, so a market class runs Monday to Saturday.
Vegetarian and vegan, yes; gluten-free is harder. The Soybird studio in Koukaki cooks Greek classics entirely plant-based, with cashew bechamel and almond feta. The market class adapts its menu for dietary needs if you message the kitchen as soon as you book. The rooftop class is vegetarian-friendly but has no gluten-free option. Our dietary guide goes through each class.
Three to four hours, including the meal. The market class on this page takes four hours: the walk to the market, the cooking and the meal. Roof-garden and gyros classes take about three; the rooftop dinner classes about four. Allow a little time to find the kitchen, which is often up a flight of stairs or on a roof.
On most, a glass or more is included. The market class serves wine and soft drinks with the meal and finishes with a shot of Greek liqueur. The roof-garden class includes a glass of white wine; the Kerameikos class serves wine from local producers. The rooftop dinner class does not include drinks, but a full wine list is available.
Usually, yes, but check the age limits. The plant-based Soybird class is not suitable for children under 8. Classes involve knives and hot ovens, so children cook with an adult beside them. For families, a morning class is often easier than a late dinner class.
Morning if you want the market at its best; evening if you want dinner with a view. The market class runs at 9:30 or 3:00, and the market is busiest in the morning. Rooftop classes run into the evening, so the meal is eaten with the Acropolis lit up, at about the time Athenians sit down to dinner.
Yes, especially in the morning: it is a working food market, not a tourist sight, and entry is free. Varvakios Agora on Athinas Street has halls of butchers and fishmongers and an open-air fruit and vegetable section, surrounded by spice, cheese and olive shops. The hall was built between 1878 and 1886, and the market is closed on Sundays. Our Central Market guide has the hours and what to buy.
Souvlaki and gyros, moussaka, spanakopita, gemista, dolmades, horiatiki salad and loukoumades, plus whatever is grilled that day. Most of them are exactly what the cooking classes teach, which is a good reason to take one early in a trip: you will know what to order afterwards. Mezedes, small shared plates, are how Athenians eat in tavernas.
No. We are an independent guide and not a cooking school. The classes shown here are sold through GetYourGuide and Viator.
Still have questions? Email us at info@athens-cooking-class.com