Acropolis tickets: the timed entry rules people get caught by

The Acropolis is no longer somewhere you wander up to. Entry is capped at 20,000 visitors a day, every ticket carries a compulsory time slot, and in peak summer the good slots go five to seven days ahead. The standard adult ticket is thirty euros. Turning up on the day in August and expecting to walk in is the most common way to lose a morning in Athens.

Which slot to take

The first one. Gates open at eight in summer and the difference between eight and eleven is the difference between a pleasant climb and a queue in full sun on bare marble with no shade anywhere on the rock. If the early slots are gone, take the last two hours instead. The light is better and the coaches have left.

The heat rule nobody plans for

During extreme heat the site closes in the middle of the day, usually from around midday until five, and the announcement often comes at short notice. It happens most years in July and August. Build your day so that a midday closure costs you nothing, which in practice means seeing the rock early and the Acropolis Museum in the afternoon when it is air conditioned and quiet.

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.