Acropolis tickets: the timed entry rules people get caught by

Visiting the Acropolis works a little differently now. Entry is capped at 20,000 people a day, every ticket carries a time slot, and the standard adult ticket is thirty euros. None of that is difficult once you know it. It only catches people who arrive expecting to buy at the gate, which in peak summer no longer works because the best slots go five to seven days ahead. Book in advance, or let us do it, and the whole question disappears.

Which slot to take

The first one. Gates open at eight in summer, the marble is still cool, and you get the Parthenon with room to look at it. The last two hours of the day are the other good answer, when the light turns golden and the coaches have gone. Either is a lovely visit. We book the early slot by default unless you tell us you are not a morning person.

How we shape the summer day

On the hottest days the site closes for a few hours around the middle of the day, and that announcement can come at short notice. It is easy to plan around and we build every summer itinerary so it makes no difference: the rock in the early morning, then the Acropolis Museum in the afternoon, which is air conditioned, quiet and arguably the better half anyway. You see everything either way.

Ticket or guide

A ticket gets you in. It does not tell you what you are looking at, and the Acropolis is a site where that matters, because most of what is interesting is either missing, rebuilt or somewhere else. A licensed guide books the slot as part of the tour, which also removes the sold out problem entirely.

Our Athens day tours are private, led by licensed guides, and include the entry tickets. If you would rather do it alone, book your slot the moment your flights are confirmed.