At a glance
🎟️ 30€
Same price in summer and winter. Free for EU citizens under 25.
🕗 From 8:00
Winter until 17:00. In summer later, depending on the month.
⏰ Time slot
You pick an entry time. Once inside, you stay as long as you like, until closing.
⏱️ 2 hours
For the Rock. Three, if you also walk down the south slope.
Tickets 2026
A standard ticket costs €30. Until 2024 it was €20, dropping to €10 in winter. Since April 2025 there is one price all year. EU citizens under 25 get in free with an ID card or passport. Free and reduced tickets are issued against proof of eligibility.
Buy from hhticket.gr, the official platform of the Ministry of Culture. Since September 2023 the Acropolis has admitted visitors in time slots, with a cap of around 20,000 a day. You choose an entry time and must go in within it. Once you are through, nobody hurries you until closing. In summer the morning slots sell out first, sometimes days ahead.
The combined ticket for the archaeological sites of Athens was abolished in April 2025. What applies today, and whether the new bundles are worth it, is explained in our guide to the combined ticket. Resellers usually charge more. They are only worth it if you are also paying for a guide.
Opening hours, free days and heatwaves
From November to March the site is open 8:00–17:00, with last entry at 16:30. From April to October it again opens at 8:00 and closes late in the afternoon. The closing time changes from month to month, so check it on your ticket. The site is closed on 1 January, 25 March, Orthodox Easter Sunday, 1 May and 25–26 December.
Free entry for everyone: 6 March, 18 April, 18 May, the last weekend of September, 28 October, and the first and third Sundays of each month from November to March. Those days are crowded. We keep the dates in our calendar of free museum days.
🌡️ During a heatwave
During summer heatwaves the Ministry closes the Acropolis over the middle of the day, usually 12:00–17:00. The decision comes out the day before or on the day itself. If you have a midday ticket, check the news in the morning. There is almost no shade on the Rock. Take water and a hat, and if you can, book the first slot of the morning.
Which entrance to choose
The main entrance is on the west side, above the Areopagus. That is where the big ticket office is, and where most tour groups start. The south entrance is on the Dionysiou Areopagitou pedestrian street, opposite the Acropolis Museum. From there you climb the south slope, past the Theatre of Dionysus and above the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. The path is a little longer, but early in the morning and late in the afternoon the queue is usually shorter.
For visitors with mobility problems there is a lift on the north side of the Rock. Its use is arranged at the main entrance. At peak times you may have to wait.
The turnstiles on the west side. This is where your ticket is scanned.
After the turnstiles, between the olive trees. The climb starts a little higher up.
On Dionysiou Areopagitou, opposite the Acropolis Museum.
On the north side of the Rock, for those who can’t manage the steps.
Photos: Jean Housen (CC BY-SA 4.0), philip.mallis (CC BY-SA 2.0), George E. Koronaios (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
What you will see on the Rock
You climb a path with steps and pass through the Propylaea, the monumental gateway built by Mnesicles between 437 and 432 BC. On your right, on a bastion, stands the Temple of Athena Nike, a small Ionic temple with views down to the sea.
Once you step out of the Propylaea, the Rock opens up. On the right, the Parthenon. It was built by Ictinus and Callicrates, and its sculpture was overseen by Phidias. It served as a temple of Athena, then as a church, a mosque and, in Ottoman times, a gunpowder store. On 26 September 1687 a Venetian shell blew it apart. Restoration has been going on since 1975. That is why you will almost always see a crane or scaffolding on one side.
On the left is the Erechtheion, with the Porch of the Caryatids. The maidens holding up the roof are copies. Five of the originals are in the Acropolis Museum, and the sixth is in London. Between the two temples stood Phidias’ bronze Athena Promachos. According to Pausanias, sailors could see the tip of her spear from as far as Sounio. Today only her base survives.
The monumental gateway of Mnesicles. This is where the day’s biggest crowds form.
On the south-west bastion. From here the view reaches the Saronic Gulf.
The first sight once you pass the Propylaea. The scaffolding has been part of the scene for decades.
Eight columns on the short sides, seventeen on the long ones. Not one of its lines is perfectly straight.
The Caryatids here are copies. The originals are in the Acropolis Museum.
Photos: Holger Uwe Schmitt (CC BY-SA 4.0), Lydia.comstock (CC BY-SA 4.0), George E. Koronaios (CC BY-SA 4.0), PinterPandai.com (CC BY-SA 4.0), HerrAdams (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
The tour on the map
An order that doesn’t send you back for nothing: the Propylaia, the Parthenon along its south side, the flag at the east end for the view, and back along the north side, past the Erechtheion. You leave again through the Propylaia and, if you have the energy, go down the Peripatos on the south slope: the Odeon of Herodes Atticus from above, the Asklepieion, the Theatre of Dionysus, and out onto Dionysiou Areopagitou, next to the museum.
🗺️ The tour of the Rock, stop by stop
The purple line is the tour on the Rock. The orange one is the walk down the south slope, on the same ticket. If you come in through the south entrance, do the tour the other way round. Tap each number to see what it is.
The view from the top
Walk round the walls before you go down. From the north side you see Plaka, Syntagma and Lycabettus. From the south, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, the Acropolis Museum and, on a clear day, the Saronic Gulf. At the east end, next to the big Greek flag, the Temple of Olympian Zeus and the Panathenaic Stadium stand out.
From the north side you see Plaka, Syntagma and Lycabettus.
From the south side the Odeon of Herodes Atticus is visible in full.
The cats of the Rock wander about undisturbed. Please don’t feed them.
The Rock from Filopappou Hill, a quiet walk for afterwards.
Photos: Tom Corser (CC BY-SA 3.0), Jean Housen (CC BY-SA 3.0), George E. Koronaios (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Rules on the Rock
- No food. Water is allowed, and you will need it.
- No drones. Flights need a special permit.
- No tripods or professional photography without a permit from the Ministry of Culture.
- No sitting or climbing on the marble. The guards whistle at once.
- No high heels. The marble has been polished by millions of feet and is slippery, especially on the way down.
🚇 How to get there from Ioulianou 50
There are two easy routes. Choose according to the entrance on your ticket, or the one that suits you better.
Route 1: to the main entrance, no change (about 30 minutes)
- Ioulianou 50 → Victoria station: 3 minutes on foot.
- Line 1 (green), towards Piraeus: Omonia, Monastiraki, and at the third stop get off at Thissio.
- Thissio → main entrance: a 15-minute walk. Go up the Apostolou Pavlou pedestrian street, with the Ancient Agora on your left. At its end, the paved road climbs past the Areopagus to the ticket office.
🚇 Route 1: Line 1 to Thissio → main (west) entrance
No change of train. From Thissio you walk up the Apostolou Pavlou pedestrian street.
Route 2: to the south entrance, with one change (about 25 minutes)
- Ioulianou 50 → Victoria station: 3 minutes on foot.
- Line 1 (green), towards Piraeus: one stop, to Omonia.
- Line 2 (red), towards Elliniko: Panepistimio, Syntagma, and at the third stop get off at Akropoli.
- Akropoli station → south entrance: come out on Dionysiou Areopagitou and walk 200 metres along the pedestrian street, with the Acropolis Museum on your left. The entrance is on the right.
🚇 Route 2: Line 1 + Line 2 to Akropoli → south entrance
One change at Omonia. The south entrance is 200 metres from the station.
Where it is in relation to the apartment
📍 From Angels Athens to the Acropolis and the Parthenon
See at a glance how to get there from the apartment at Ioulianou 50. Drag the map and zoom in for details.
How to plan the rest of the day
In summer, an order that works: the Acropolis at 8:00, the Acropolis Museum when the heat rises, lunch in Plaka and, if you still have the energy, the Ancient Agora in the afternoon. For sunset, the Areopagus is right below the main entrance and needs no ticket. Don’t try to squeeze everything into the midday hours. The heat will win.
Two minutes from the south entrance. The best shelter when the heat rises.
For lunch, ten minutes from the Rock.
In the afternoon, below the north side of the Rock.
Sunset, right below the main entrance.
Photos: Roderich Kahn (CC BY-SA 4.0), George E. Koronaios (CC BY-SA 4.0), Jakub Hałun (CC BY 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons · Areopagus: Angels Apartments archive
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to book in advance?
In winter you can usually get a slot on the same day. From April to October book a few days ahead, especially for the morning slots.
What if I am late for my time slot?
The time is strictly enforced. If you miss yours, you may have to buy a new ticket. Allow time for the queue at the security check too.
Is a guide worth it?
For a first visit, often yes. A licensed guide shows you the Rock as a whole, not as a row of stones. If you don’t want a tour, a good audio guide on your phone is enough.
How much time should I allow?
Two hours for the Rock, not counting the queue. If you want to take the south slope, the Theatre of Dionysus and the view over the Odeon at your own pace, allow three.
— Kathy
