In this guide
💡 The Short Version: The Acropolis is €30, one price all year, and every ticket is for a time slot from the Ministry of Culture’s shop, tickets.hh.gr; there is no skip-the-line ticket, because the slot is the queue control. The Acropolis Museum is a separate €20 and open to 22:00 on Fridays. There is no combined ticket. The Acropolis and the state sites are free for everyone on the first and third Sunday from 1 November to 31 March, and on 28 October 2026; UK, US, Canadian and Australian visitors aged 18 to 25 pay. From 1 November the Acropolis closes at 17:00 and the smaller city sites at 15:00. On Tuesdays the Cycladic and Byzantine museums are closed and the National Archaeological Museum opens at 13:00. From the airport a taxi is a fixed €50 by day, and the metro is €9. Prices are in euros. Or book a tour: the Acropolis small-group tourad is from €30.80, and the entry ticket is extra (GetYourGuide).
What to book before you go
Prices are the adult rate in euros, from the operators. Buy from the operators: search results for the Acropolis, the Acropolis Museum, the Agora and the other state sites include many sellers with the monuments’ names in their web addresses that are resellers. The Acropolis Museum warns of a copy of its own site. The genuine channels are the Ministry’s shop for the state sites, the Acropolis Museum’s own shop, and the Stadium’s own site.
The Acropolis from Philopappos Hill. Photo: George E. Koronaios, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.
| Sight | How you get in | Adult price | Official page | What decides the visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acropolis and slopes | Timed slot; changes until 2 hours before, twice at most | €30 | tickets.hh.gr | Not refundable. 20,000 visitors a day. Closes at 17:00 in winter |
| Acropolis Museum | Desk or online | €20 | etickets.theacropolismuseum.gr | Separate from the Acropolis. Open to 22:00 on Fridays. Reduced and free tickets at the desk only |
| Ancient Agora | Timed entry | €20 | tickets.hh.gr | Includes the Temple of Hephaestus. Closes at 17:00 in winter |
| National Archaeological Museum | Timed entry | €20 | tickets.hh.gr | Opens at 13:00 on Tuesdays |
| Temple of Olympian Zeus | Timed entry | €20 | tickets.hh.gr | Closes at 15:00 in winter |
| Roman Agora, Kerameikos, Hadrian’s Library | Timed entry | €10 each | tickets.hh.gr | Close at 15:00 in winter |
| Panathenaic Stadium | Desk or online | €12 | panathenaicstadium.gr | Valid on the day issued. Run on the track |
| Lycabettus cable car | Every 30 minutes, every 10 at peak | €13 return | lycabettushill.com | 09:00 to 02:30. Winter evenings may stop earlier |
The Acropolis, its museum, the Agora, the Olympieion and the National Archaeological Museum come to €110 at the operators’ prices, and the Acropolis, the Acropolis Museum and the Agora to €70. Athens archaeological sites runs the sums for each plan, and Athens in one or two days fits these bookings into a first visit.
Where the official ticket is cheaper, and where a tour is
GetYourGuide prices are its lowest “from” prices.
| What | Official | GetYourGuide | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acropolis entry | €30, with a free Digital Guide app | €36 for entry-only listings, with an audio guide | Official |
| Acropolis Museum entry | €20 | €26 for entry-only listings | Official |
| National Archaeological Museum entry | €20 | €26 for an entry-only listing | Official |
| Ancient Agora entry | €20 | €26 for an entry-only listing | Official |
| Acropolis with a guide | €30 for the ticket alone | From €29ad for the guide; the ticket is extra | GetYourGuide, if you want the guide |
| Acropolis and Acropolis Museum with a guide | €50 for the two tickets | From €49ad for the small-group tour | GetYourGuide, if you want the guide |
| Acropolis and Ancient Agora with a guide | €50 for the two tickets | From €85.50ad, both tickets included | GetYourGuide, if you want the guide |
The free days, and who can use them
The Ministry of Culture’s free days are the main saving in Athens. Entry to the state archaeological sites and museums is free for everyone on:
| Date | Day |
|---|---|
| 28 October 2026 | Wednesday, the national holiday |
| First and third Sunday, 1 November to 31 March | 1 and 15 November, 6 and 20 December 2026; 3 and 17 January, 7 and 21 February, 7 and 21 March 2027 |
| 6 March, 18 April, 18 May | Each year |
| The last weekend of September | Each year |
| Who | Free |
|---|---|
| EU citizens up to 25 | Every day, at the state sites and the Acropolis Museum |
| Children up to 18 from outside the EU | Every day, at the state sites |
| Everyone else | Only on the days above |
UK, US, Canadian and Australian visitors aged 18 to 25 pay full price, except at the Acropolis Museum, where visitors under 25 from outside the EU pay a reduced €10 at its desk. The Acropolis Museum is outside the Sunday rule: it is free on 6 March, 25 March, 18 May and 28 October. Free things to do in Athens has the full calendar and the places that always cost nothing.
Hours and closed days
Hours are by season where an operator splits the year.
| Sight | Hours | Closed or late |
|---|---|---|
| Acropolis | 1 April to 31 August 08:00 to 20:00; 1 to 15 September 19:30; 16 to 30 September 19:00; 1 to 15 October 18:30; 16 to 31 October 18:00; 1 November to 31 March 17:00 | 1 January, 25 March, 1 May, Orthodox Easter Sunday (2 May 2027), 25 and 26 December. Good Friday 12:00 to 17:00 |
| Ancient Agora | The same; the Museum of the Stoa of Attalos opens at 10:00 on Tuesdays | The same |
| Roman Agora, Olympieion, Kerameikos, Hadrian’s Library, Aristotle’s Lyceum | The same in summer; 1 November to 31 March 08:00 to 15:00 | The same |
| Acropolis Museum | 1 April to 31 October: Monday 09:00 to 17:00, Tuesday to Sunday 09:00 to 20:00, Friday 09:00 to 22:00. 1 November to 31 March: Monday to Thursday 09:00 to 17:00, Friday to 22:00, Saturday and Sunday to 20:00 | 1 January, Orthodox Easter Sunday, 1 May, 25 and 26 December; 09:00 to 15:00 on 24 and 31 December |
| National Archaeological Museum | 1 May to 31 October, Monday and Wednesday to Sunday 08:00 to 20:00; 1 November to 31 March 08:30 to 15:30; Tuesday 13:00 to 20:00 | 1 January, 25 March, 1 May, Orthodox Easter Sunday, 25 and 26 December |
| Panathenaic Stadium | March to October 08:00 to 19:00; November to February 08:00 to 17:00 | |
| Museum of Cycladic Art | Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday 10:00 to 17:00; Thursday 10:00 to 20:00; Sunday 11:00 to 17:00 | Tuesday; 1 January, 25 March, 1 May, 15 August, 25 and 26 December, Clean Monday, Easter Monday, Holy Spirit Monday |
| Byzantine and Christian Museum | Monday, Wednesday to Sunday 08:30 to 15:30 | Tuesday; 1 January, 25 March, 1 May, Orthodox Easter Sunday, 25 and 26 December |
| Lycabettus cable car | 09:00 to 02:30 | Winter evenings may stop earlier |
| Changing of the Guard | Every hour on the hour; Sundays at 11:00 |
Closed or changed
- Heat: in heatwaves the Ephorate of Antiquities of the City of Athens has closed the Acropolis at midday: on 14 July 2023, 12 and 13 June 2024, 17 July 2024, 8 and 9 July 2025, and 22 to 27 July 2025, from 12:00 or 13:00 to 17:00. In July 2025 the Ancient Agora, the Roman Agora, the Olympieion, the Lyceum and Hadrian’s Library closed with it.
- The Acropolis closes before sunset in every month, at 20:00 in summer and 17:00 in winter. Best views in Athens lists the hills for sunset.
- Mondays: the Acropolis Museum closes at 17:00.
- Tuesdays: the Cycladic and Byzantine museums are closed, and the National Archaeological Museum opens at 13:00.
- Fridays: the Acropolis Museum stays open to 22:00.
- Easter 2027: 1 May and Orthodox Easter Sunday, 2 May, are closed at the state sites, and Good Friday, 30 April, runs 12:00 to 17:00.
- Christmas: the state sites are closed on 25 and 26 December and 1 January, and the Acropolis Museum is open 09:00 to 15:00 on 24 and 31 December.
- Events: the Panathenaic Stadium posts changes to its hours and its track on its own site, for example for the Athens marathon.
Free things worth a line
- Free entry days: the first and third Sunday from 1 November to 31 March, and six days a year.
- Always free: Plaka and Anafiotika, Philopappos Hill, the Pnyx and the Areopagus, and the Changing of the Guard at Syntagma, every hour on the hour and every Sunday at 11:00.
- The Monastiraki flea market costs nothing to walk. See Monastiraki flea market.
The climate resilience fee
Hotels in Greece charge a flat climate resilience fee per room per night, paid at the hotel and separate from the room price. The amount depends on the star class and the season.
| Hotel class | 1 April to 31 October | 1 November to 31 March |
|---|---|---|
| 1 or 2 stars | €2 | €0.50 |
| 3 stars | €5 | €1.50 |
| 4 stars | €10 | €3 |
| 5 stars | €15 | €4 |
Getting in from the airport
Athens airport to the city compares the options.
- Metro line 3: €9, about 40 minutes to Syntagma, with an airport train every 36 minutes. From Syntagma the first is at 05:53 and the last at 23:18; from the airport the first is at 06:10 and the last at 23:34.
- Suburban railway: the same €9 ticket, hourly, 45 minutes to Larissis Station and 65 to Piraeus.
- X95 express bus: €5.50 to Syntagma Square, about 60 minutes, 24 hours a day.
- Taxi: a fixed €50 by day and €65 at night to the centre, under the ministerial decision in Government Gazette B 5674 of 18 September 2026. Many sites still print the old €40 and €55.
Getting around
The centre is walkable. Athens public transport has the rest.
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| 90-minute ticket | €1.20 |
| 24-hour ticket | €4.10 |
| 5-day ticket | €8.20 |
| 3-day tourist ticket, with one ride each way to the airport | €20 |
| Airport metro or suburban railway | €9 |
| X95 airport bus | €5.50 |
A Visa or Mastercard works on the validator (Maestro and Amex are refused), with a daily cap of €4.10: tap in and out with the same card or phone, or you are charged twice. A ticket inspector’s fine is €100.
Entry rules for Greece
Greece is in the Schengen area, and one 90-day allowance covers every Schengen country you visit. The rules below are for a tourist stay.
| Citizens of | Visa | Passport | On arrival |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | None, for up to 90 days in any 180 (gov.uk) | Issued less than 10 years before you arrive, with 3 months left after the day you leave the Schengen area | Registered in the Entry/Exit System |
| United States | None, for up to 90 days in any 180 (EU visa-free list) | The same | Registered in the Entry/Exit System |
| Canada | None, for up to 90 days in any 180 (travel.gc.ca) | The same | Registered in the Entry/Exit System |
| Australia | None, for up to 90 days in any 180 (Smartraveller) | The same | Registered in the Entry/Exit System |
| EU | None | A passport or a national ID card (Your Europe) | Not registered |
The passport rule is the EU’s, for every non-EU visitor (Your Europe).
- Entry/Exit System (EES): non-EU visitors are registered at the border on their first entry to the Schengen area, with fingerprints and a photo. It is free, needs nothing before you travel, and replaces the passport stamp; it has run in full since 10 April 2026 (EU). Greece applies it with no nationality exempt, and has said that at busy times the scanners can be switched off and your passport stamped instead (eKathimerini, 14 May 2026).
- ETIAS: not yet required. The EU says it will announce the start date several months before launch (EU).
- Carry ID: Smartraveller lists carrying an ID, such as a photocopy of your passport, among Greece’s local laws (Smartraveller). The emergency number is 112.
- Official travel advice for Greece: UK Foreign Office, US State Department, Canada and Australia.
More to book
- Passes: Athens City Pass is a private product; the page runs the sums against the single tickets.
- On foot: Athens walking tours sets the free, paid, bike and bus tours side by side.
- Food: Athens food tours compares the street food walks, the market tours and the cooking classes. To choose your own tables, where to eat in Athens lists the restaurants, and best souvlaki in Athens covers the skewers. Rooftop bars in Athens lists the Acropolis views.
- Museums: Athens museums gives the price, hours and closed day of the Cycladic and Byzantine museums beyond the big two.
- Sights: Acropolis tickets, Acropolis Museum tickets, the Ancient Agora, the National Archaeological Museum, the Panathenaic Stadium and Lycabettus Hill.
Neighbourhoods
Plaka and Anafiotika lie at the foot of the Acropolis, and Monastiraki is beside them, with the Roman Agora and Hadrian’s Library. Syntagma, with the Changing of the Guard, is a short walk from both. For the other cities on this site, see what to book before you go to Rome and to Istanbul.
Day trips
Day trips from Athens compares every trip by bus, train, boat and tour. The ones with something to know:
- Cape Sounion: the temple site opens at 09:30 and closes at sunset; the KTEL Attikis coastal bus runs from Athens, so check its timetable.
- Delphi: KTEL Fokidas buses leave the Liosion terminal at 08:30 and 10:30 daily, and the Tholos is closed.
- The Saronic islands: Aegina is a ferry day, €12 each way and 1 hour 10 minutes with Saronic Ferries; Hydra and Poros are a cruise or a fast boat.
- Mycenae, Epidaurus and Nafplio: no train, and Mycenae and Epidaurus are €20 each.
- Meteora: 5 to 5.5 hours each way by train and replacement bus, and the tours take about 14 hours; an overnight stay is the better plan.
The state sites outside Athens are free for everyone on 28 October and 1 November 2026.
Where to stay and when to go
Where to stay in Athens compares the areas, and hotels near the Acropolis lists the ones beside it. Best time to visit Athens has the weather and the crowds month by month. The dates that change a visit are Easter in Athens in 2027 and Christmas in Athens.
What changed since 2023
- 4 September 2023: the Acropolis began admitting at most 20,000 visitors a day, in hourly zones.
- 1 November 2024: the Acropolis Museum moved to one €20 price all year.
- End of March 2025: the multi-site combined ticket ended.
- 1 April 2025: the Acropolis became €30 all year, and the other state sites moved to €20, €15, €10 or €5 by visitor numbers; a third Sunday was added to the winter free days.
- 1 October 2025: the Panathenaic Stadium rose to €12.
- 1 November 2025: the Acropolis North Slope began opening 08:30 to 15:30.
- 10 April 2026: the EU Entry/Exit System became fully operational.
- 28 May 2026: a Government Gazette set the fine for travelling on public transport without a valid ticket at €100.
- 18 September 2026: the airport taxi fixed fare rose to €50 by day and €65 at night.
- 28 October 2026: the next free-entry day at the state sites.
Itineraries
Day-by-day plans for a first visit.
Which ticket to buy
The official ticket, the tours that include entry, and which sells out first.
Tickets
Acropolis Tickets: Prices, Time Slots, Free Days
The Acropolis is €30 all year, for a timed slot, with 20,000 visitors a day. Who is free and on which days, the hours by month, the heat closures, three guided tours, and the order to see the Parthenon, Propylaia, Erechtheion and the south slope.
Tickets
Acropolis Museum Tickets: Price, Hours, Friday Nights
The Acropolis Museum is €20 all year, on a separate ticket from the Acropolis, and open until 22:00 on Fridays. Hours by season, the four free days, reduced tickets for visitors under 25 from outside the EU, two guided tours, and the order through the galleries to the Parthenon Gallery.
Tickets
Ancient Agora Athens: Tickets, Hours, What to See
The Ancient Agora is €20, closes at 17:00 from 1 November rather than 15:00, and holds the best-preserved temple of the 5th century BC, the Temple of Hephaestus. Free days, hours, the Stoa of Attalos museum, one guided tour with both tickets, and the order to walk it.
Tickets
Athens Combined Ticket: What Each Site Costs Now
The Athens combined ticket ended in March 2025, so every site is priced alone: Acropolis €30, Temple of Olympian Zeus €20, Roman Agora, Kerameikos and Hadrian's Library €10 each, Aristotle's Lyceum €5. The 15:00 winter closing, the free days and the sums for each plan.
Tickets
National Archaeological Museum Athens: Tickets, Hours
The National Archaeological Museum is €20 and opens at 13:00 on Tuesdays. Hours by season, the free days, the halls for Mycenae, the Cycladic figurines, the Thera wall paintings, the sculpture collection and the Antikythera Mechanism, and two guided tours.
Tickets
Best Museums in Athens: Prices and Closed Days
Athens' museums compared: the Acropolis Museum at €20 and open to 22:00 on Fridays, the National Archaeological Museum at €20, the Cycladic Museum at €12, the Byzantine Museum at €8. Hours, the Tuesday closures, the free days and who qualifies.
Tickets
Panathenaic Stadium Athens: Tickets, Hours, Track
The Panathenaic Stadium, the marble stadium of the first modern Olympics in 1896, is €12, with a 30-minute audio guide in 11 languages and a run on the track. Hours by season, the view from Section 21, the rules and how to get there.
Tickets
Free Things to Do in Athens (and the Free Sunday Rule)
The Acropolis and the state museums are free for everyone on the first and third Sunday from 1 November to 31 March and on six days a year. Who else is free, which museums keep their own rules, and the hills, squares, Plaka and Changing of the Guard that never cost anything.
Tickets
Athens City Pass Worth It? The Sums Without a Combo
There is no official Athens combined ticket: each site is priced alone. The private Athens City Pass from Turbopass is from €78.90 and the Flex pass from €59.90. The sums against the €30 Acropolis, €20 Acropolis Museum and National Archaeological Museum, and the Acropolis slot window.
Tickets
Athens Walking Tours Compared: Acropolis, Night, Bike
Athens Acropolis tours start at €27.20 and usually leave the €30 ticket out. Small groups of 8 or 12 from €30.80, night walks from €18, bike tours from €34.88, and three hop-on hop-off buses from €12. Meeting points, what each price covers and the timed-entry rule.
Day trips from Athens
Out and back in a day, with the tours compared against going on your own.
Day trip
Day Trips from Athens: Bus, Train, Boat or Tour
Cape Sounion and Delphi work by bus, Aegina by a €12 ferry, Ancient Corinth by train; Mycenae and Epidaurus need a tour or a car, and Meteora is a 14-hour tour or a night away. Entry prices, hours, free days and tours from €23.97 compared.
Day trip
Cape Sounion Day Trip from Athens: Bus, Tour, Sunset
The Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion is €20 and open from 09:30 until sunset all year, 68 km from Athens. The KTEL coastal bus, sunset tours from €19.04, which tours leave the entry out and what to see on the headland.
Day trip
Delphi Day Trip from Athens: Bus, Tour, Hours
Delphi is about 2½ hours from Athens: the KTEL Fokidas bus leaves Liosion at 08:30 and 10:30, one €20 ticket covers the site and museum, and tours start at €25.50. Hours by month, the closed Tholos and the museum's Tuesday hours.
Day trip
Hydra, Poros and Aegina Day Cruise from Athens
The one-day Hydra, Poros and Aegina cruise from Athens starts at €123.14 for 12 hours with lunch. The cheap alternative is Saronic Ferries to Aegina at €12 each way in 1 hour 10. Cruises compared, the Temple of Aphaia and how the ferries work.
Day trip
Mycenae, Epidaurus and Nafplio Day Trip from Athens
Mycenae is about 1½ hours from Athens by road and Epidaurus about 30 minutes from Nafplio. Mycenae, Epidaurus and Palamidi are €20 each, there is no train, and tours start at €23.97. Hours by month and the order to do the day.
Day trip
Meteora Day Trip from Athens: Train, Bus, Tour
Meteora is about 5½ hours from Athens by Intercity train and replacement bus, so a day trip is a 14-hour tour from €72 or a night in Kalambaka. The tours compared, the six monasteries, the dress code and the overnight options from €120.
Where to stay
Areas and hotels, chosen for a visitor rather than a resident.
Where to stay
Where to Stay in Athens: Areas and Hotels
For a first visit, stay in Plaka or beside the Acropolis Museum in Makrygianni and Koukaki. Ten Athens areas compared with hotels, addresses, rooms and Michelin Keys, the climate resilience fee, the months that fill hotels and the dates that fill the city.
Where to stay
Hotels Near the Acropolis, Athens, by Distance
Hotels near the Acropolis by straight-line distance: Herodion at 370 m, Acropolis View Hotel and A77 Suites at 380 m, Esse at 400 m, then the Plaka, Makrygianni and Syntagma hotels out to 900 m, with addresses, rooms, Michelin Keys and the Acropolis views each hotel states.
Airport transfers
From the airport to the centre, every option priced and timed.
Getting around
Tickets, passes and the transport a visitor actually uses.
What's on, month by month
Festivals, holidays and closures that change a visit.
Events
Best Time to Visit Athens: Month by Month
Athens month by month from the national weather service's Elliniko averages: highs of 13.6°C in January and 32.2°C in July and August, rain from 5.4 mm in June, 9.5 hours of daylight in December. The Acropolis's dated heat closures, free winter Sundays and Easter 2027.
Events
Easter in Athens 2027: Dates, Closures, Midnight Mass
Orthodox Easter 2027 is Sunday 2 May, five weeks after Western Easter. Holy Week dates, the Good Friday Epitaphios, the Holy Flame in Plaka, the midnight Anastasi, the state sites closed on Easter Sunday and 1 May, and the Easter food.
Events
Christmas in Athens 2026: Tree, Lights, New Year's Eve
Christmas in Athens 2026: the Syntagma tree is lit in late November or early December, free; the season runs from 6 December to 6 January. New Year's Eve, what is shut on 25 and 26 December and 1 January, the free Sundays, the weather and the 17:09 sunset.
Food and drink
Where to eat, what to order and when to book.
Food and drink
Where to Eat in Athens: What Sources Agree On
Where to eat in Athens: the places that 41 English and 34 Greek publishers name most, from the Central Market and Kostas to Karamanlidika tou Fani and Ouzeri tou Laki, with addresses, hours, dress codes, what to order, the classic dishes and the food tours.
Food and drink
Best Souvlaki in Athens: Kostas, Lefteris and More
The souvlaki shops in Athens that English and Greek food lists name most: Kostas, Lefteris o Politis, Savvas, Thanasis, Hoocut and Bairaktaris, with addresses, hours, what to order, the kalamaki, gyros and kebab explained and a souvlaki cooking class.
Food and drink
Rooftop Bars in Athens: Acropolis Views, Hours, Dress
The rooftop bars in Athens that the lists name most: A for Athens, 360 Cocktail Bar and the GB Roof Garden, then Couleur Locale, Attic Urban Rooftop, Tudor Hall and the hotel roofs, with hours, dress codes, booking and sunset times by month.
Food and drink
Athens Food Tours and Cooking Classes Compared
Athens food tours from €43.37 for a 3.5-hour tasting walk to €80 for an evening walk with a meze dinner, the 4,146-review Street Food Tasting Tour at €59, and cooking classes from €65.45 to €110. Who runs each, where it meets, whether it visits the Central Market and who it suits.
More guides
Guide
Best Views in Athens: Free Hills, Rooftops, Sunset
Athens' viewpoints compared: Philopappos Hill, the Pnyx and the Areopagus for free, Lycabettus at €13 return until 02:30, Section 21 of the Panathenaic Stadium at €12, and the Acropolis Museum restaurant until midnight. Sunset times for June and December, and why the Acropolis itself is not one.
Guide
Lycabettus Hill Athens: Funicular Price, Hours
The Lycabettus funicular, which the operator calls the cable car, is €13 return and €10 one way, runs 09:00 to 02:30 and takes about 3 minutes. The 5 to 10 minute walk from the theatre car park, sunset times for June and December, the church and the restaurant at the top.
Guide
Plaka and Anafiotika Athens: Walk, Sights, Route
Plaka and Anafiotika cost nothing. How to find Anafiotika, the village of whitewashed houses built by workmen from the island of Anafi, the Monument of Lysicrates, the oldest surviving house in Athens, the Pikionis paths, and a walk from Monastiraki that takes about two hours.
Guide
Monastiraki Flea Market Athens: Sunday Market Tips
The Monastiraki flea market: Ifestou Street, the oldest flea market district of Athens, the Sunday bazaar around Avissinia Square, what is sold, and the theft warning Australia's government gives for Monastiraki. How it joins the Roman Agora, Hadrian's Library and the Ancient Agora.
Guide
Changing of the Guard Athens: Sunday 11:00 and Hourly
The Evzones change every hour on the hour at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Syntagma Square, and every Sunday at 11:00 a large detachment with a military band marches from the barracks for the official ceremony. Free; what the uniform is made of; the Presidential Guard's own account.
Plan your trip
The rules and costs that apply to every city on the site.
Common questions
What should I book in advance for Athens?
The Acropolis, at €30 for a timed slot from the Ministry of Culture's ticket shop, tickets.hh.gr. The Acropolis Museum (€20), the Ancient Agora (€20) and the National Archaeological Museum (€20) are separate tickets with no combined ticket. The Panathenaic Stadium (€12) sells at its desk and online.
Is there a combined ticket for the Acropolis and Athens' other sites?
No. The multi-site combined ticket ended with the March 2025 season. Each site is sold alone, and the Acropolis Museum's ticket is independent from the Acropolis.
When are the Acropolis and Athens' state museums free?
For everyone on the first and third Sunday of each month from 1 November to 31 March, and on 6 March, 18 April, 18 May, the last weekend of September and 28 October. The Acropolis Museum is free only on 6 March, 25 March, 18 May and 28 October.
Can British, American, Canadian and Australian visitors under 25 get free entry?
No. Free entry under 25 is for EU citizens. Children up to 18 from outside the EU are free, and visitors aged 18 to 25 from the UK, the US, Canada and Australia pay full price, except at the Acropolis Museum, where they pay a reduced €10 at the desk.
What is closed in Athens on Tuesdays?
The Museum of Cycladic Art and the Byzantine and Christian Museum. The National Archaeological Museum opens at 13:00. The Acropolis, the Ancient Agora and the Acropolis Museum are open.
How much is a taxi from Athens airport?
A fixed €50 by day and €65 at night to the centre, under the ministerial decision in force since 18 September 2026. The metro and suburban railway are €9, and the X95 express bus to Syntagma is €5.50.
Do I need a visa or ETIAS to visit Athens?
Not for a stay of up to 90 days in any 180 if you hold a UK, US, Canadian or Australian passport. You need a passport issued less than 10 years before you arrive, with 3 months left after the day you leave the Schengen area. Non-EU visitors are registered in the Entry/Exit System; at busy times Greek airports can switch the scanners off and stamp your passport instead. ETIAS is not yet required.
Is there a tourist tax in Athens?
Hotels charge the climate resilience fee, a flat amount per room per night: from €2 to €15 from April to October and €0.50 to €4 from November to March, by the hotel's star class. It is paid at the hotel.