In this guide
💡 The Short Version: One day: the Acropolis in the first timed slot (€30), the Acropolis Museum (€20), lunch in Plaka, the Ancient Agora (€20) and the sunset from Philopappos Hill or Lycabettus. Two days: add the Changing of the Guard, the Panathenaic Stadium (€12) and the National Archaeological Museum (€20). Tuesday opens the National Archaeological Museum at 13:00, Monday closes the Acropolis Museum at 17:00, and from 1 November the Acropolis closes at 17:00 and the smaller sites at 15:00. Or book a tour: the Athens: Acropolis, Parthenon & Acropolis Museum Guided Tourad is from €29 for 2 to 4 hours, and the entry ticket is extra.
What to book
| Booking | Price | Hours and closed days |
|---|---|---|
| Acropolis | €30, a timed slot | 08:00 to 20:00 from April to August, to 17:00 from 1 November. Closed 1 January, 25 March, 1 May, Orthodox Easter Sunday, 25 and 26 December |
| Acropolis Museum | €20 | April to October: Monday 09:00 to 17:00, Tuesday to Sunday to 20:00, Friday to 22:00. In winter Monday to Thursday close at 17:00 |
| Ancient Agora | €20, timed entry | The same hours as the Acropolis. The Stoa of Attalos museum opens at 10:00 on Tuesdays |
| National Archaeological Museum | €20, timed entry | 08:00 to 20:00 from 1 May, 08:30 to 15:30 in winter; Tuesday 13:00 to 20:00 |
| Panathenaic Stadium | €12 | 08:00 to 19:00 from March to October, to 17:00 from November to February |
| Lycabettus cable car | €13 return | 09:00 to 02:30; winter evenings may stop earlier |
The Acropolis, the Acropolis Museum and the Ancient Agora come to €70 at the operators’ prices, and the National Archaeological Museum and the Stadium make €102. There is no combined ticket. For the full list with the booking links and the free days, see what to book before you go to Athens.
One day: the rock, the museum and the Agora
The sights are within about a kilometre of each other: the Acropolis Museum is 0.40 km from the hill, Monastiraki Square 0.52 km, and Syntagma Square 0.87 km, in straight lines. This is the order for a Wednesday to Sunday.
First slot, the Acropolis
€30 · a timed slot · allow 2 hours
Book the first slot of the day: in summer the first hourly zone is 08:00, and the Acropolis has closed at midday in heatwaves. In winter the rock closes at 17:00 with the last entry 20 minutes earlier, so book a morning or an early-afternoon slot. Allow two hours on the rock, more if you add the south slope. See Acropolis tickets.
The Temple of Athena Nike on the Acropolis, seen from below. Photo: Jebulon, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.
Late morning, the Acropolis Museum
€20 · allow 1.5 hours · open to 22:00 on Fridays
The museum is about five minutes’ walk from the rock, with the Parthenon Gallery on the top floor. On a Friday keep it for the evening, when it is open to 22:00. See Acropolis Museum tickets.
Lunch, Plaka or Monastiraki
Souvlaki, a taverna or the Central Market
The skewers round Monastiraki are in best souvlaki in Athens, and the tavernas in where to eat in Athens. A food tour covers lunch in 3 to 4 hours: see Athens food tours.
Afternoon, the Ancient Agora and Plaka
€20 · allow 1.5 hours · Plaka and Anafiotika free, allow two hours
The Ancient Agora is a 4-minute walk from Monastiraki Square, with the Temple of Hephaestus on the hill at its west edge and the Stoa of Attalos museum. It closes at 17:00 in winter: see the Ancient Agora. Plaka and Anafiotika are free and always open, and the Monument of Lysicrates and the whitewashed lanes of Anafiotika are on the walk: see Plaka and Anafiotika.
Evening, a hill or a roof
Free hills · the cable car €13 return
The Acropolis closes before sunset, so the sunset is from Philopappos Hill, the Pnyx and the Areopagus, which are free, or from Lycabettus, where the cable car runs to 02:30: see the best views in Athens and Lycabettus Hill. Sunset is at about 20:51 on 21 June and 17:09 on 21 December. The bars with a view of the lit rock are in rooftop bars in Athens.
The second day: the Guard, the Stadium and the museum
Morning, Syntagma and the Stadium
Guard free · the Stadium €12 · opens 08:00
The Evzones change every hour on the hour at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and on Sundays at 11:00 a large detachment marches from the barracks with a band: see the Changing of the Guard. The Panathenaic Stadium, where the first modern Olympics were held in 1896, is 0.95 km from Syntagma. The ticket includes a 30-minute audio guide and lets you run onto the track: see the Panathenaic Stadium.
Midday, Monastiraki and the Roman Agora
Roman Agora and Hadrian’s Library €10 each · the flea market free
The Roman Agora and Hadrian’s Library are 2 minutes from Monastiraki station, beside each other, and close at 15:00 from 1 November to 31 March: see Athens archaeological sites. The flea market along Ifestou Street is free, and the second-hand bazaar fills Avissinia Square on Sundays: see Monastiraki flea market.
The Roman Agora, with the Tower of the Winds in the distance. Photo: George E. Koronaios, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Afternoon, the National Archaeological Museum
€20 · timed entry · allow two hours · opens at 13:00 on Tuesdays
The museum holds the finds from Mycenae, the Cycladic figurines, the sculpture halls, the Antikythera Mechanism and the Thera wall paintings. In winter it closes at 15:30, so go by 13:30: see the National Archaeological Museum. Other museums, among them the Cycladic and the Byzantine, are in Athens museums.
Evening, Lycabettus
€13 return · 09:00 to 02:30
The cable car leaves from Aristippou 1 in Kolonaki and takes about three minutes. Dinner is in where to eat in Athens.
If your days are different
- Monday: the Acropolis Museum closes at 17:00, so go in the morning after the rock. The Acropolis, the Agora and the National Archaeological Museum are open.
- Tuesday: the National Archaeological Museum opens at 13:00, and the Cycladic and Byzantine museums are closed. Use the morning for the Acropolis and the Agora.
- Friday: the Acropolis Museum is open to 22:00, so it is the evening plan.
- Sunday: the Guard parade is at 11:00 and the Monastiraki bazaar fills Avissinia Square. From 1 November to 31 March the first and third Sunday are free at the state sites.
- Winter: the Olympieion, Roman Agora, Kerameikos and Hadrian’s Library close at 15:00, and the Acropolis and Agora at 17:00. Visit the small sites in the morning and the rock around midday.
- Summer: book the 08:00 slot, because the Acropolis has closed at midday in heatwaves. See the best time to visit Athens.
- Around Christmas and Easter: the state sites are shut on 25 and 26 December, 1 January, 1 May and Easter Sunday, 2 May 2027: see Christmas in Athens and Easter in Athens in 2027.
- A third day: day trips from Athens compares Delphi, Cape Sounion, the Saronic islands and the others, Athens walking tours the guided walks, and the Athens City Pass the sums against the single tickets.
Getting around
The centre is walkable, and the metro covers the rest. The Acropolis station is on line 2, Monastiraki on lines 1 and 3 and Syntagma on lines 2 and 3. A 90-minute ticket is €1.20: see Athens public transport. From the airport the metro is €9 and a taxi a fixed €50 by day: see Athens airport to the city.
Where to sleep and what next
Where to stay in Athens compares the areas, and hotels near the Acropolis lists the hotels within walking distance of the hill and the museum. Where to eat in Athens names the restaurants, and Athens food tours compares the guided evenings. For the same job in other cities, see Rome in one or two days, Istanbul in one or two days and Madrid in one or two days.
Common questions
Can you see Athens in one day?
The centre, yes. Book the Acropolis for the first slot, go to the Acropolis Museum, eat in Plaka, see the Ancient Agora in the afternoon and watch the sunset from Philopappos Hill or Lycabettus. The National Archaeological Museum, the Panathenaic Stadium and the Changing of the Guard need a second day.
What should I book before going to Athens?
The Acropolis, at €30 for a timed slot from tickets.hh.gr. The Acropolis Museum (€20), the Ancient Agora (€20) and the National Archaeological Museum (€20) are separate tickets, and there is no combined ticket. The Panathenaic Stadium (€12) sells at its desk and online.
Which day of the week is best to visit Athens?
Wednesday to Sunday. On Tuesday the National Archaeological Museum opens at 13:00 and the Cycladic and Byzantine museums are closed. On Monday the Acropolis Museum closes at 17:00. On Friday it stays open to 22:00, and the Changing of the Guard parade is on Sunday at 11:00.
How much do the main sights cost in Athens?
€70 for the Acropolis (€30), the Acropolis Museum (€20) and the Ancient Agora (€20), and €102 with the National Archaeological Museum (€20) and the Panathenaic Stadium (€12). Plaka, Anafiotika, Philopappos Hill, the flea market and the Changing of the Guard are free.
Is two days enough for Athens?
For the main sights, yes. Day one can hold the Acropolis, its museum and the Ancient Agora, and day two the Changing of the Guard, the Stadium, the National Archaeological Museum and Lycabettus. A third day suits Delphi, Cape Sounion or the Saronic islands.
What closes early in winter?
From 1 November to 31 March the Acropolis and the Ancient Agora close at 17:00, and the Olympieion, Roman Agora, Kerameikos and Hadrian's Library close at 15:00. The National Archaeological Museum closes at 15:30. The state sites are free for everyone on the first and third Sunday.
