Top Six Team Building Activities in Athens

The scenario is the following: You are an HR administrator or a tour operator entrusted with the exciting task of organising an incentive trip to Athens. Amidst looking for the typical: transportation, accommodation, and food, the time will come to look for some fun, team building activities for the whole team to get to know the city and the country’s culture. And this is where the conundrum starts. Wherever you ask, wherever you search the answer is the following: Archaeology Museum Tour. But somehow the prospect of a usual tour doesn’t seem appealing, engaging and participatory enough.

Below we have compiled a list for you of six exciting team building activities in Athens that will actually bond the team and will not let the participants’ thoughts drift away or worse: make them drift away back to their hotel rooms.

1. Greek Cooking Class

What is a better way for you team to understand the concept of a hands-on approach than a cooking class? A cooking class can be a fun way to bring the team together and learn about Greek cuisine. Let’s face it, Greek cuisine is one of the most beloved  in the world. The team can learn to make Greek dishes such as the challenging, multi-leveled moussaka, various heart warming pies and tzatziki. This activity can be held at a cooking school, a restaurant or a traditional bakery.

2. Beach Olympics

Sports are a classic yet trusted team building idea. At the same time, Greek weather is pretty forgiving when it comes to sunlight and beach days. Greek summer starting in early May is in most cases extended until the late days of October. What better then, than a day spent at a beach of the Athenian riviera but with a twist: Participating in a beach sport. Providing a variety of different sports and difficulty levels is key for the experience to feel rewarding and not disappointing and demotivating. Wonderful options in this respect can be beach volleyball and beach soccer. The excitement and immersion in the games combined with the hard-earned relaxation by the sea make for an ideal way of spending the time allocated for activities away from the city’s centre.

3. Escape Room

Would you believe that Athens has over 25 escape rooms running the gamut from traditional mystery-solving ones to mythologically themed? An escape room can be a wonderful way to build teamwork under pressing conditions and a ticking clock. The scenario of an escape room might be fictitious but the activation and further acquisition of problem-solving, communication and project managing skills will be lasting and real. At the same time choosing a mythologically themed escape room would familiarize participants with the local culture and heritage.

4. Greek Dance Classes

It is no exaggeration to say that, to this day, every kind of Greek party ends with traditional Greek group dances. Learning how to dance sirtaki, hasaposerviko or ikariotiko is one of the most authentic, direct and corporeal ways of delving into Greek culture. It is also a fun and energetic way to bring the team together, enhancing their social skills, reduce anxiety and stress and boost energy. And don’t forget! These new found dancing skills will get handy at the local tavern you have booked for later the same night!

5. Bike Tours

This is the closest this team building activities list will ever get to proposing a tour. Bike tours have emerged worldwide as a necessary way of jazzing up the traditional walking tour format which undoubtedly had its days of glory and Athens has not fallen behind. Rather on the contrary, Athens has a variety of bike tours to offer. Those can be city center explorations, coastline tours, food bike tours and more. Being the cooler, fitter version of a walking tour, they provide a series of benefits that also align with the requirements of a team building activity. Although the groups are mostly guided, communication between members is required in order to effectively navigate the streets of Athens and maintain the cohesion of the group.

6. City Scavenger Hunt

This is the equivalent of the golden ratio for team building activities in Athens. A City treasure hunt combines what appears as self-guided physical exploration of the secret corners of Athens with an overarching unifying goal that will condition teams to work together promoting team cohesion. The employees can be divided into small, flexible groups and will be completing tasks such as solving riddles in order to find historical landmarks and try local foods. This will create a constant sense of reward which is a great way of boosting team morale and confidence providing motivation to carry on.

Naturally, a City Treasure Hunt does not only reflect the compartmentalization of a business target. It mainly is a great, original way of getting to know the city by walking it, tasting it and perceiving it. In Athens you will find treasure hunts in various neighbourhoods to suit every taste: from vibrant, alternative nightlife districts to quiet, picturesque ones that offer a glimpse of 19th century Athens.

And the list goes on. Don’t waste any time, go make this trip amazing! And don’t forget, if you love games, we offer a unique variety of city treasures hunts. Take a look here