Booking a visit to the Acropolis

I’d like to book tickets for a visit to the Acropolis at the end of April. The official site is down. What do you think of agencies like Get Your Guide? Are they reliable? It’s a lot more expensive. The audio guide option is tempting, but is that reliable too? We’re a bit older and like to take our time...

Do the other museums (National Archaeological Museum and Museum of Cycladic Art) also require reservations? We visited Athens 50 years ago, and it seems like things have changed a lot.

Thanks for any help!

Hi there,

There's no need to book that far in advance. A week before will be more than enough. Anyway, no one can book right now because the winter hours and prices are still in effect. Don’t book through other sites because you’ll likely pay more, and there’s a risk the ticket won’t be accepted.

Also, you’re probably over 65, so entry is free for you. That means you’ll have to queue up to prove your age and get the free admission anyway. So, just be patient and book a week before—it’ll be more than sufficient.

No need to book for the other sites.

Elenitsa

Correction: if you're over 65, you pay half price, which is 15 €. But regardless, you'll still need to go to the ticket counter to prove your age and get the discount.

To add to Celestina’s reply, check the availability of summer-rate tickets from mid-March onwards every now and then. Reminder: For Athens and the surrounding area, you can find them here:

https://hhticket.gr/tap_b2c_new/english/tap.exe?PM=P1P&region=000000007

Due to the surge in visitors in recent years, tickets for the Acropolis now require selecting a date and a time slot.

The most popular slots are in the morning between 10 AM and 12 PM, when crowds of cruise passengers and organized tour groups arrive. When tickets become available, during the time-slot selection process, you’ll see these slots displayed in orange or red depending on how many tickets have already been booked—or they may no longer be selectable. If you want to be "left in peace," go for the 8 AM or 9 AM slot, or after 4 PM.

Other sites and museums also require date and time selection, but you can choose an approximate time.

No need to book for the National Archaeological Museum—this season, you won’t face a line at the ticket counter, or at worst, there’ll be half a dozen people ahead of you. Free audio guides are available at the reception.

For getting around Athens by metro or bus, you can now use your contactless credit card (Visa and Mastercard) as a paper ticket, or even your Android or Apple smartphone with your usual payment apps.

Other sites and museums also require selecting a date and time, but you can choose an approximate time.

Not quite accurate. You *can* book museums and other sites in advance, but it’s absolutely not mandatory. Besides, for the Acropolis, it’s not really required either—you can queue at the ticket office and get a ticket for the next available slot. Obviously, in the middle of summer, it’s risky because you might not get a spot for the day, which is why booking is recommended. But outside of July-August, no need to worry—you can get in easily even without a reservation.

Oh yeah, of course, you can totally go old-school and just show up without booking anything.

I only mentioned it because Illico asked about the reservation process.

That said, last year for the Acropolis, the early morning slots in early April filled up fast—several days in advance—as soon as tickets went on sale.

Hi, I just tried to book 2 tickets + senior (65+) (9-10 AM slot) for March 27th on the official website, but it doesn’t seem possible. Does this mean we’ll have to go to the ticket office, with the risk of not getting a spot? Is there another solution? Thanks in advance.

Hi Decma,

I just tried on the site and I can definitely book for that time slot. What problem are you running into?

The official site is this one: https://hhticket.gr/tap_b2c_new/english/tap.exe?PM=P1P&place=000000002

Thanks for your quick reply. When I click "add to cart," it doesn’t work, and I don’t understand why! Decma

Have you tried with another browser? For example, Google Chrome? Or from a mobile phone?

That works for me too.

It’s probably an issue with a pop-up being blocked by your browser or one of its anti-something extensions.

Thanks for your tips, but I tried on 2 browsers and disabled an Adblock extension, and it’s still impossible to "add to cart." Looks like we’ll have to go to the ticket counter!

Try it on a smartphone.

Otherwise, this is all I can think of now: 🙂

In any case, you should’ve gone to the ticket counter to prove the discount you’re entitled to. No need to worry at this time of year—it’s not too crowded yet. You’ll get in without any problem. You can even go the day before to pick up your ticket

Eureka, it worked right away on the phone! Thanks for the tip. Computers still have a lot of mysteries (I guess there’s something blocking it on my computer; yet I regularly shop online...)