Bodyguard in Athens
Hiring a bodyguard in Athens: the questions people ask first.
Are bodyguards legal in Athens?
Yes, through a company licensed under Law 2518/1997 as amended by Law 3707/2008. Both the company and the individual officer are licensed by the Hellenic Police, and a private individual may not perform protective duties whatever their background.
What a bodyguard costs in Athens
From EUR 850 per day, the market base, for one officer on twelve hours covering one principal. A security-trained driver with an executive car is quoted separately and in this city is frequently the more useful half of the answer.
How much notice we need
At least seven days. Shorter notice is looked at case by case, but under 48 hours is an urgency case: additional fees, and no guarantee. Summer weeks pull officers to the islands, so August in Athens needs earlier planning than people expect.
Armed or unarmed protection
Unarmed and low profile is the standard and the right answer for effectively every brief in Athens. Armed carriage is tightly restricted under Greek law and is not something to plan a visit around.
Where we cover in Athens
Kolonaki, Syntagma and the historic centre, the Athenian Riviera from Glyfada to Vouliagmeni and Cape Sounion, Piraeus and the marinas, Kifissia and the northern suburbs, Athens International, plus island connections.
Who your protection officer is
Licensed Greek officers, many from the armed forces or police, who work the city and the islands through the season. Greek and English as standard, with Russian, Arabic and female officers on request.
Where business meets the Aegean.
Athens is the political and commercial heart of Greece and the principal gateway to the Cyclades and the Ionian. It combines a dense historic centre, a thriving business district and the coastal luxury of the Athenian Riviera.
From the boardrooms of the city centre to the residences of Kifissia and the seafront of Vouliagmeni, Glyfada and the Astir peninsula, Algoz coordinates protection for executives and principals moving between the capital and the islands.
Wealth, visible and exposed.
Executive Movement
Principals moving between meetings, hotels and the financial district on tight schedules.
Port & Airport Transfers
High-traffic transfers through Athens Airport and the ports of Piraeus and Rafina.
Residential Exposure
Villas and residences in Kifissia and along the Riviera requiring discreet coverage.
Island Transfer Logistics
Onward movement to the Cyclades by ferry, charter or helicopter.
Public Demonstrations
Periodic demonstrations in the central districts that can restrict movement.
Tourist-Zone Crime
Pickpocketing and opportunistic theft around major landmarks and transit hubs.
Bodyguard Services in Athens
Greek-Licensed Officers
Discreet operatives compliant with Greek private-security law, fluent in Greek and English.
Executive Transport
Secure, chauffeured movement across the capital and the Riviera.
Residential Security
Coverage for villas and residences in Kifissia, Vouliagmeni and Glyfada.
Island Transfer Coordination
Seamless onward security to Mykonos, Santorini and the wider Cyclades.
Airport & Port VIP
Fast-track arrivals and discreet handling at Athens Airport and Piraeus.
Athens International and the road in
Eleftherios Venizelos sits about thirty kilometres east of the centre, and the run in splits three ways: the Attiki Odos toll motorway to the northern suburbs, the coast road to the Riviera, or the Mesogeion corridor into town. Which one you take changes the journey by half an hour or more depending on the hour, and in summer the coastal option is the slowest of the three by a wide margin.
Arrivals is a single public hall with a taxi rank in the obvious place. We meet principals inside the terminal rather than at the kerb, hold the car in an agreed position, count the bags at the belt, and choose the route against the actual traffic rather than the shortest line. For private aviation there is a general aviation terminal, and the ground side is arranged whoever supplied the aircraft.
Kolonaki, Syntagma and the historic centre
Kolonaki holds the embassies, the private banks, the galleries and the retail that a visiting principal actually uses, and it works well: proper building entrances, short walks, a manageable street pattern. The centre around Syntagma, Monastiraki and Plaka is different. It is dense, heavily touristed and the one place in the city where pickpocketing and bag-snatching are genuinely common, particularly on the metro and around the busiest squares.
The other Athens-specific factor is demonstrations. They are a normal feature of civic life, they concentrate on Syntagma and the streets around parliament, and they are almost always announced in advance. They very rarely threaten a visitor, but they close roads quickly and completely. We check the calendar against your dates, keep the car outside the affected ring when something is scheduled, and build the walking leg into the plan rather than discovering it on the morning.
The Athenian Riviera: Glyfada, Vouliagmeni and Astir
The coast south of the city is where most private stays now happen: Glyfada, Voula, Vouliagmeni, the Astir peninsula and on towards Sounion. It is residential, well policed and comfortable, and the exposure is not the street. It is the property, the marina and the predictable pattern of an expensive car leaving the same gate at the same time each evening.
We survey the villa or the residence before arrival rather than after, look at the gate routine, the access list and who actually holds keys, and vary the departure pattern across a stay. The coast road is the constraint on timing, and in July it is a real one, so evening bookings are planned against it rather than around a map.
Piraeus, the marinas and island connections
Piraeus, Flisvos, Alimos and the Athens marinas are where most Greek programmes actually begin or end, because Athens is the gateway to the islands rather than the destination itself. Ferry departures put large numbers of people onto one quay in short waves at published times. Yacht arrivals are quieter but no less visible: the tender comes in on a schedule, and the walk to the car is open on both sides.
We confirm the berth or the gate the day before, meet at the vessel rather than at the port entrance, place the car where it may legitimately wait, and plan the departure so it does not collide with a ferry wave. Where the programme continues to Mykonos, Santorini or Crete, the same supervisor holds the file rather than handing you to a stranger at the other end.
Business visits, embassies and official meetings
Athens carries a substantial diplomatic community and a real corporate centre in shipping, energy, tourism and construction. A business visit here usually means several addresses in a day, a mix of Kolonaki offices, Piraeus shipping houses and northern suburb corporate parks, and meetings whose time and place are known in advance to a number of people.
We run this as one programme rather than as separate journeys: checked addresses, agreed set-down points, a driver who knows the approaches to specific buildings, an officer in business dress, and a single point of contact for the visit. Where an embassy or a government building is involved, officer details and vehicle plates go in ahead of time rather than at the door.
Events, the Acropolis and the cultural circuit
The Odeon of Herodes Atticus, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, the Acropolis Museum and the Acropolis itself are on nearly every itinerary, and each behaves differently. The archaeological sites are hot, crowded, uneven underfoot and have controlled entry points with genuine queues. The performance venues have fixed schedules and concentrated arrivals and departures.
These are planned by timing rather than by presence: early or late entry where it is available, tickets and access arranged in advance, a set-down point agreed against the actual pedestrian layout, and a departure decided before the event rather than during it. On the Acropolis in August the real risk is heat and footing, not crime, and we say so.
What the work actually looks like in Athens
One officer for most principals, dressed for the setting rather than the role, with a security-trained driver and an executive car, and a second officer only where a group, an event or a profile genuinely warrants it. The officer arrives before you, walks the addresses, agrees waiting positions with the driver and confirms what the centre is doing that week.
From the inside a good day looks unremarkable: the car is already there, the entrance is the right one, nobody waits on a pavement and nothing is announced. Behind that sit a driven route, checked alternatives, an agreed rendezvous point and a named supervisor who owns the whole file, including the island legs.
Bodyguard, close protection or personal security in Athens?
Bodyguard is the everyday word and the one most people search. Close protection is the professional term for the same work done properly: the officer, plus the route, the venue advance, the access arrangements and the contingency behind them. In Greece private security is governed by Law 2518/1997 as amended by Law 3707/2008; both the company and the individual officer are licensed by the Hellenic Police. The Greek word is somatofylakas. A private individual, Greek or foreign, may not perform protective duties here.
Executive protection is the corporate framing of the same discipline, usually including the security-trained driver and the vehicle. Personal security and private security are broader terms that also cover static guarding, event security and residential guarding: a different licence and a different skill from moving with a principal. A security detail means more than one officer.
For most visitors to Athens the honest answer is a security-trained driver plus an officer for the parts of the day that need one, rather than a detail attached to you from morning to night. The city is safe in the ordinary sense; what actually costs people is the route, the timing around demonstrations, and the crowded pinch points in the historic centre. If you are unsure which you need, describe the trip and we will tell you which of the three it is. How our close protection works and bodyguard in Mykonos.
"From the capital to the islands, one coordinated standard of protection - calm, discreet and entirely reliable."
Hire a Bodyguard in Athens
Tell us your itinerary, including any onward island travel, and we will coordinate protection end to end.
EnquireWhy protection in Athens must be licensed.
In Greece, private security is regulated under Law 2518/1997, with personnel and companies licensed and the Hellenic Police providing oversight. Private protection is unarmed.
Algoz coordinates protection in Athens exclusively through this licensed framework, with every operative licensed, NDA-bound and discreet. See how our close protection works, add concierge and secure transport, or extend across Mykonos and Santorini.
What protection in Athens costs.
As a guide, professional close protection in Greece and the islands is, in 2026, from EUR 850 per day for a single principal on twelve-hour cover - the market base - with the final rate shaped by the profile, the threat picture and the season, and confirmed on enquiry with no obligation. Specialist profiles, armed or armoured requirements, short-notice mobilisation and peak season carry a premium. Read our full close protection pricing guide, how a security driver works, and how modern close protection is run.
Protection in related destinations.
Protecting celebrities & public figures
Actors, musicians, athletes, royals and the people the world recognises - celebrity protection is its own discipline: anti-paparazzi strategy, leak-proof operations, crowd and stalker management, and details that switch from red carpet to invisible in the same day.
Celebrity Close ProtectionAlgoz FZ-LLC (Trade License 5033995 | TRN 105119056700001) is licensed for Businessmen Services and Lifestyle Development Consultancy by RAKEZ. We do not directly provide armed or unarmed security, bodyguard or close-protection services. All operational execution is performed exclusively by licensed third-party partners holding the necessary local permits (e.g. private-security licensing under Greek Law 2518/1997, regulated by the Hellenic Police). We provide direct assistance and support in partnership with local regulated providers, complying with local laws. Clients are responsible for obtaining any required approvals. Armed services require a minimum 30-day lead time for authorisation, which may be refused. All activities comply with UAE laws and RAKEZ regulations.