An Acropolis ticket costs €30 in 2026, at the same price in winter and summer, and every ticket comes with a timed entry slot. Book it on hhticket.gr, the only official online seller, and pick the 08:00 slot or the last hours of the day to avoid the worst crowds. From November to March the site opens 08:00 to 17:00 and is free on the first and third Sunday of each month. Here is how the tickets, time slots and free days work, plus when paying more for a guided tour is worth it.
How much does an Acropolis ticket cost in 2026?
Greece reformed admission prices in two steps, in April 2024 and April 2025. The Acropolis sits alone in the top price band at €30, and the cheaper winter rate it used to have was abolished in favor of one year-round price.
| Ticket | Price | Who it’s for |
|---|---|---|
| Full | €30 | Adults |
| Reduced | €15 | EU citizens over 65, from October to May |
| Free | €0 | Under-18s of any nationality, EU citizens under 25, everyone on free days |
| Guided tour or audio-guide package | from about US$34 per person on GetYourGuide (October 2026) | Visitors who want a guide; check whether the €30 entry is included |
Bring a passport or national ID if you claim a free or reduced ticket, because staff can ask to see it at the gate. The ticket is officially called Acropolis and Slopes and also covers the south slope, including the Theatre of Dionysus.
Where do you buy official Acropolis tickets?
Online, the only official seller is hhticket.gr (Hellenic Heritage e-ticket). In a July 2023 notice on the Ministry of Culture’s website, the Hellenic Organization of Cultural Resources Development named it the only official online portal for Acropolis tickets and warned visitors against sites promising services it doesn’t offer. You can also buy at the ticket offices on site, but you’ll get whatever time slot is left that day.
Tour companies and resellers sell the same timed ticket, often packaged with an audio guide or a live guide. That is fine if you want the guide, but the reseller pays the same €30 entry and adds a margin, so a ticket-only package will cost you more than the official site.
How do you book on hhticket.gr?
It is a standard e-ticket checkout in four steps:
- Pick the site. Look for Acropolis and Slopes in the list of sites. The Acropolis Museum sells its tickets separately, on its own site.
- Choose the date and entry slot. Pick the earliest slot you can realistically make.
- Choose a ticket type for each person. If you qualify for a free or reduced ticket, book a slot for it too and carry the ID that proves it.
- Pay by card and save the e-ticket. It arrives by email with a QR code. Save it to your phone or print it, so you aren’t relying on a signal at the gate.
If the confirmation email doesn’t arrive within an hour, check your spam folder before buying again.
How long do you need at the Acropolis?
Plan on about two hours on the hill, which is also the length of most guided tours, and longer if you want to walk the south slope and sit in the Theatre of Dionysus. Add two to three hours if you’ll visit the Acropolis Museum the same day. A full morning covers both comfortably if you start with the 08:00 slot.
How does Acropolis timed entry work?
Since September 2023, every Acropolis ticket is tied to a one-hour entry slot. You choose the date and slot when you buy, receive an e-ticket with a QR code, and scan it at either entrance during your hour. The aim was to spread visitors across the day instead of letting everyone climb at 10:00.
In practice:
- Book the slot you want. In summer and on days when cruise ships are in, morning slots go first. In winter there is usually more choice, but booking still lets you lock in 08:00.
- Arrive within your hour. Allow time for the bag check at the gate and for the walk up, which is steep in places.
- Expect a queue at the Propylaea anyway. The ancient gateway is narrow, and everyone funnels through it. This is why the same 2023 notice says no skip-the-line ticket has ever existed or will exist for the Acropolis, whatever a reseller’s listing claims.
What are the Acropolis opening hours?
| Season | Opening hours | Last entry |
|---|---|---|
| Winter (November to March) | 08:00 to 17:00 | 16:30 |
| Summer (April to October) | 08:00 to 20:00 | 19:30 |
Hours shift in the weeks around the change of season and on some public holidays, and Greek state sites close on a few days a year, including Christmas and New Year’s Day. Check hhticket.gr for the exact hours on your date before you go. In summer, heat waves can also cause midday closures at short notice.
When is the Acropolis free in winter 2026-27?
State-run sites in Greece are free on the first and third Sunday of each month from November 1 to March 31, plus a handful of fixed days, which adds up to roughly 30 free days a year.
| Month | Free Sundays |
|---|---|
| November 2026 | November 1 and 15 |
| December 2026 | December 6 and 20 |
| January 2027 | January 3 and 17 |
| February 2027 | February 7 and 21 |
| March 2027 | March 7 and 21 |
The other free days are March 6, April 18 (International Monuments Day), May 18 (International Museum Day), the last weekend of September and October 28. Free days draw thousands of visitors, so if you’d rather pay €30 for space on the hill, pick another day.
Is there a combined ticket for the Acropolis and other sites?
Not any more. The old unified ticket that covered the Acropolis plus the Ancient Agora, Roman Agora, Kerameikos and other sites was withdrawn when Greece stopped issuing multi-site tickets as part of its 2024-25 price reform. Each site now sells its own ticket on hhticket.gr. If you plan to see the Ancient Agora with its Temple of Hephaestus, budget for a second ticket.
Is a guided Acropolis tour worth it?
A guide is worth paying for if you want the stories behind the stones, because the site itself has few signs. It won’t get you in faster.
Small groups are the sweet spot. GetYourGuide’s Acropolis small-group tour with a maximum of 8 people had a 4.9 rating from 494 reviews when we checked, and the Acropolis and Mythology Highlights small-group tour a 4.8 from 2,798. If you plan to do the museum the same day, Viator’s Acropolis, Parthenon and Acropolis Museum guided tour covers both in one half-day. The afternoon Acropolis and Parthenon walking tour suits arrivals who land in the morning and want the softer evening light.
Book on ViatorAthens: Acropolis, Parthenon and Acropolis Museum Guided Tour
Book on ViatorAcropolis and Parthenon Guided Walking TourPrefer to go at your own pace? The Acropolis ticket with optional audio guide bundles the timed entry with an app-based commentary, which costs more than the official ticket alone but saves you from reading on a hot hilltop. We compare the two booking platforms in Viator vs GetYourGuide.
Which Acropolis entrance should you use?
There are two:
- Main (west) entrance, below the Propylaea, reached on foot from Monastiraki or Thissio. Most groups use it, so it is busiest from mid-morning.
- South slope entrance on Dionysiou Areopagitou street, a few minutes from Akropoli metro station and the Acropolis Museum. You pass the Theatre of Dionysus on the way up, and the climb is longer but gentler.
Your ticket works at both, so pick the one closer to your hotel or your next stop. By metro, Akropoli station on Line 2 (red) is closest to the south slope, while Monastiraki (Lines 1 and 3) and Thissio (Line 1) are the stops for the main entrance.
When is the best time to visit the Acropolis?
The first slot at 08:00 is the quietest and coolest time of day, especially from May to September. The last two hours before closing are the other good window: in winter that means about 14:30 to 16:30, when the low sun lights the marble from the west. Midday in July and August is the time to avoid, both for the crowds and the heat on the open rock.
Wear shoes with grip, because the marble paths have been polished smooth by centuries of feet, and carry water, since there is little shade on top.
Do you need a separate ticket for the Acropolis Museum?
Yes. The Acropolis Museum, at the foot of the south slope, is run separately from the state sites and is not part of the free-day scheme. Buy its tickets on the museum’s own website, or use a reseller such as the Acropolis Museum ticket with optional audio guide. Visiting the museum first gives you the context for what’s missing on the hill, since many of the original sculptures are inside.
More of Athens
Stay close and you can walk to the early slot: the Electra Palace Athens in Plaka is a short walk from the south slope entrance. With the hill done by lunchtime, the Cape Sounion and Temple of Poseidon sunset trip fills the late afternoon, or book a private Greek food walking tour for the evening. An Airalo eSIM for Greece keeps your e-ticket and maps working on your phone.
For places to eat and drink between the sites, open Maya Barkan’s Athens map or Traveliri’s Athens map, both in Hebrew. Heading to Rome or Paris too? Our guides to Colosseum tickets and skip-the-line hacks for Europe’s busiest sights explain which timed tickets save real time there.
