Is there a more iconic landmark in the city of Athens than the incredible ruins of the Acropolis? This rocky hill near the center of Athens hosts a citadel of ancient temples that have stood for millennia and offer a glimpse into the city’s deep history. It almost seems wrong to visit Athens, even for just a weekend and not visit the Acropolis, which is why it is an essential inclusion in any good Athens itinerary.
- The best ways to get tickets for the Acropolis
- 1. Queuing (not recommended)
- 2. Book online (recommended)
- 3. Book a combined ticket
- 4. Book a guided tour
- Useful Information for Visiting the Acropolis
- Opening hours of the Acropolis
- What is the best time to visit the Acropolis?
- How to Get to the Acropolis
- How Do Acropolis Tickets Work?
- How Much Do Acropolis Tickets Cost?
- Hotels Near the Acropolis of Athens
- Safety procedures for visiting the Acropolis
- Visiting the Acropolis with a disability
- Curiosities about the Acropolis
- What is the Acropolis of Athens?
- What does Acropolis mean?
- When was the Acropolis built?
- How old is the Acropolis?
- Who built the Acropolis?
- Why was the Acropolis built?
- Where is the Acropolis located?
But with such a popular attraction, it’s crucial to plan your visit carefully and much of that involves organizing your Acropolis tickets to avoid hiccups. That’s why we’ve put together this guide on how to buy Acropolis tickets.
Quick tip: unless you enjoy spending your vacation waiting in long lines, we highly recommend booking your skip-the-line Acropolis tickets in advance here or booking a guided tour of the Acropolis. Of the two, the guided tour is the better option as you can learn about the history of this beautiful city from an expert guide.
The best ways to get tickets for the Acropolis
As with any world-famous attraction, the popularity of the Acropolis has led to many different ways to arrange tickets. Here we show you your options on where to buy Acropolis tickets, what types of tickets are available, and the benefits of booking your Acropolis tickets in advance.
Regardless of the popular attraction you’re talking about, the worst way to get tickets to the Acropolis of Athens is generally to queue for them on the day. Waiting in line to buy tickets is never a good use of your precious holiday time, and queues at the Acropolis are known to last up to two hours when busy. It’s even worse if you want to visit the Acropolis Museum because then you’ll have to queue again. However, if you leave it too late and don’t arrange your visit ahead, this might be your only option.
A far better way to get your tickets is to arrange them before your visit. However, while booking tickets online saves you the hassle of waiting at the ticket office, not all tickets available online offer the same benefits.
Tickets can be purchased online through the official website of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports. However, these tickets are not actually skip-the-line tickets for the Acropolis, and you will likely still have to queue to enter the archaeological site through the main entrance, the western entrance.
For the fastest entrance to the Acropolis and its slopes, you need true skip-the-line tickets that allow you to enter through the much less crowded side entrance, which is the south-east entrance. For the skip-the-line tickets for the Acropolis of Athens we recommend booking through this link or this. An additional advantage of this type of ticket is that you can cancel it up to 24 hours in advance and receive a full refund, unlike tickets purchased through the official website.
Tickets for the Acropolis Museum can be purchased in combination with the Acropolis or separately here.
Tourists intending to make multiple visits while in Athens might consider buying a combined ticket to save some money. These types of tickets offer entry to several attractions at a lower price than buying tickets individually.
The most obvious combined ticket is the one that includes entry to both the Acropolis and the Acropolis Museum. This type of ticket lets you skip the line at both tourist attractions and allows cancellation for a full refund with 24 hours notice. It can be booked through this link.
For something a bit more comprehensive, consider a ticket covering various ancient sites around Athens. There are several variations of this type of ticket, but the most well-known includes entry to the Acropolis, the Ancient Agora, the Roman Agora, Hadrian’s Library, the Olympieion, Kerameikos, and Aristotle’s Lyceum, and is valid for five days. This ticket can be purchased through the official website, but you’ll encounter the same problem mentioned earlier for single Acropolis tickets. Instead, we recommend booking through this link to get actual skip-the-line tickets.
Tourists hoping to really deepen their knowledge of the history and significance of this wonderful place will be best served by a guided tour of the Acropolis. This way you can learn more about what you’re seeing and appreciate some nuances you might otherwise miss.
Tours aren’t offered through the official website, so we recommend booking a shared or private tour or a tour with included entry to the Acropolis Museum. Of course, both tour options include skip-the-line tickets for the archaeological site.
Useful Information for Visiting the Acropolis
Opening hours of the Acropolis
The Acropolis is open every day of the week but is closed on January 1st, March 25th, May 1st, Easter Sunday, December 25th and 26th. During summer, the site is open from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM and during winter, it is open from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The last entry to the site is 30 minutes before closing time.
It’s important to understand that the Acropolis Museum has different opening hours than the site. From April 1st to October 31st, the museum follows summer hours, opening at 8:00 AM and closing at 4:00 PM on Monday, 10:00 PM on Friday, and 8:00 PM the rest of the week. During the winter season, from November 1st to March 31st, the museum opens at 9:00 AM and closes at 5:00 PM Monday through Thursday, 10:00 PM on Friday, and 8:00 PM on Saturday and Sunday. The last entry to the museum is also 30 minutes before closing.
What is the best time to visit the Acropolis?
Since the Acropolis is one of Athens’ main tourist attractions, and mostly outdoors, it makes sense that there are better periods to visit than others. No one wants to deal with huge crowds of tourists or bad weather that could ruin what should be an unforgettable experience.
Athens and the Acropolis are busiest during the summer months from June to September. This means it’s best to avoid this time of year if you want to avoid crowds. Consider instead visiting in April, May, and October, when the crowd is a bit lighter and the weather is still good. The winter months from November to March are best if you want the site to be quieter, but you’ll have to deal with colder weather and shorter daylight hours.
When visiting during summer, the quieter times of day to visit are early in the morning or late in the afternoon. This timing in summer works thanks to longer days, later opening times, and the fact that this way you can avoid the hottest part of the day. Going early in the morning also works in winter, although it’s not as necessary.
How to Get to the Acropolis
Reaching the temples of the Acropolis once in Athens should not be a problem as the site is located in the city center, close to many otherthings to do in Athens. Its summit also makes it very easy to find since the Acropolis is a distinctive feature of the Athens skyline.
The best way to reach the Acropolis will depend on where you are coming from, but generally involves taking public transport and then walking to one of the entrances. Single ride tickets for Athens buses and metro start at €1.40 for a 90-minute journey.
The two nearest metro stations are Acropoli and Monastiraki, with Acropoli being the closest of the two. From Acropoli station, it’s only a one or two-minute walk to the southeast entrance at Dionysiou Areopagitou Street. Arriving from Monastiraki station, head south past the Roman Forum to Theorias Street and you will reach the western entrance in 10-15 minutes.
Tourists can also reach the western entrance by taking bus 230 from Syntagma Square to the Akropolē bus stop and then walking for a few minutes.
How Do Acropolis Tickets Work?
When booking tickets for the Acropolis of Athens, it is helpful to know a few things about how the tickets work to get the most out of them. One of the most important things to understand is that tickets for the archaeological site and the museum are separate, so you will needtickets for both if you want to visit both.
After purchasing tickets online for the Acropolis and its paths, you will receive a voucher which you must take to a designated ticket office depending on the ticket purchased. There you will exchange the voucher for your physical tickets. There are no time slots for Acropolis tickets, so you can visit at any time of the day during which they are valid.
How Much Do Acropolis Tickets Cost?
The cost of tickets for the Acropolis depends on various factors, mainly related to the time of year, whether you are eligible for a discount, and if it is a single or combined ticket. During the high season, from April 1 to October 31, the regular single ticket costs 20 euros for adults, while from November 1 to March 31 the ticket price is reduced to 10 euros. Combined tickets for adults cost €30.
Some visitor groups can obtain a single ticket at the reduced rate of €10 during high season. These groups include EU citizens over 65 years old and young people between 6 and 25 years old. EU citizens aged 25 or under are entitled to free entry to the Acropolis, as well as any child aged 5 or under of any nationality.
There are also days throughout the year when entrance to the Acropolis is free to the public. These days include the first Sunday of the month from November to the end of March, March 6, April 18, May 18, October 28, and the last weekend of September.
Hotels Near the Acropolis of Athens
Thanks to its central location in Athens, near famous neighborhoods such as Plaka, Monastiraki, and Psirri, visitors will find many places to stay near the Acropolis. So if staying near the Acropolis, or even just admiring it, is a priority, then you are in luck. If you don’t feel like browsing a long list of accommodation options, let us suggest some places to make things easier.
For the perfect blend of style and location, treat yourself to a stay at the AthensWasshared or private tour. Perfectly situated one minute from the southeast entrance, this five-star design hotel boasts spectacular views of the Acropolis and stunning, modern decor.
There’s no secret about what to expect at the budget-friendly but comfortable Acropolis View Hotel. This three-star hotel is a five-minute walk from the western entrance and offers some rooms with private balconies overlooking the Acropolis and superb views from its rooftop terrace.
Finally, we have good news for budget-conscious travelers. Not only is Athens Studios one of the best hostels in Athens with dormitories and private apartments available, but it is located just two minutes from the Acropolis metro station and the Acropolis Museum.
We have selected a wide range of hotels near the Acropolis of Athens with discounts and special prices.
Safety procedures for visiting the Acropolis
As with any historic site or special tourist attraction, entry to the Acropolis means following various security procedures to gain admission. This means even if you skip the line to buy Acropolis tickets, you may have to wait in a shorter queue to pass security checks at the entrance. Realistically, however, this process is much less complicated compared to other famous attractions worldwide.
Visitors can bring small backpacks and handbags into the site, as well as photography equipment. However, drones are not allowed in archaeological sites in Greece. It is best to store large luggage at a hotel or with a luggage service as these items cannot be deposited on-site. Similarly, while you can store small bags at the cloakroom of the Acropolis Museum, it is not practical to take large bags there either.
Visiting the Acropolis with a disability
A understandable concern for some visitors to the Acropolis is how accessible the archaeological site atop the hill is for visitors with disabilities. The good news is that in recent years services have been introduced to make the site more suitable for wheelchair users or those with mobility issues.
Flat pathways have been introduced around the site to allow wheelchair access, and there is also a designated elevator to the top, located 350 meters (1,148 feet) from the west entrance. Be sure to contact the site in advance to ensure access by calling +30 210 3214172.
Curiosities about the Acropolis
What is the Acropolis of Athens?
The Acropolis is a citadel on a rocky hill, within which several ancient temples still stand today, such as the Parthenon.
What does Acropolis mean?
The word acropolis literally means a city at the highest point and was a common term for an ancient Greek citadel built on a hill in a city.
When was the Acropolis built?
The Acropolis and many of its main landmarks were built during the 5th century BC.
How old is the Acropolis?
The oldest significant parts of the Acropolis are about 2,500 years old.
Who built the Acropolis?
Pericles was the politician responsible for the construction of many of the main surviving landmarks on the Acropolis.
Why was the Acropolis built?
The temples of the Acropolis were built to worship various gods of ancient Greece and required rebuilding after the Persian invasion in the 5th century BC.
Where is the Acropolis located?
The Acropolis is located on a limestone hill that shares its name in the center of Athens, the capital of Greece.
I hope this answers all your questions about the history of the Acropolis, also telling you what you need to know before your visit and the best ways to get your tickets for the Acropolis. Having all this information in advance will surely make planning your visit much quicker and easier.
