Acropolis guided tour · Athens
A licensed guide takes you through the Parthenon, the Caryatids and the Theatre of Dionysus, with the Acropolis Museum as an option.
Why a guide helps
The Acropolis was a holy place and a fortress long before the Parthenon. The Persians sacked Athens in 480 BC and burned what stood on the rock, and the major temples were rebuilt under Pericles in the Golden Age of Athens, between about 460 and 430 BC.
The Propylaea is the gate, the small temple of Athena Nike is a shrine to victory, the Parthenon is the great temple of Athena, and the Erechtheion holds older cults. Seen without a guide they can blur into one pale ruin; named and placed, they separate.
Much of the sculpture has left the rock. Five of the six original Caryatids are in the Acropolis Museum, one is in the British Museum, and the Parthenon's carvings are shared between Athens and London. Knowing where each piece is explains much of what you see.
Signs on the rock are short. A licensed guide joins the buildings to the myths and the history and answers questions as you walk. The tours listed here run as private tours for up to 20 people, small groups of up to 10 or standard groups of up to 22, depending on the option.
The monuments in walking order
From the gate to the slopes below, these are the monuments you pass, in the order most visitors walk them.
The way in
A late Roman gateway, built from reused marble, leads to the Propylaea, the monumental entrance begun about 437 BC by the architect Mnesicles.
Victory
A small Ionic temple on the south-west bastion, designed by Callicrates and the earliest fully Ionic temple on the rock.
The great temple
Built between 447 and 432 BC with eight columns across the front and seventeen along the sides, and dedicated to Athena.
The maidens
An Ionic temple for older cults, whose south porch is carried by six female figures. The originals are in the museum below.
Below the rock
On the south slope, where plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides were staged, with stone seats of honour in the front row.
The evening stage
A Roman theatre of 161 AD that is still the main venue of the Athens Festival, which runs from May to October.
A guided tour may reverse this order or start on the south slope to avoid crowds, so treat it as a map of the rock and not a timetable.
What a guided tour covers
Several operators run guided tours of the rock, and they differ in group size, language, whether entry is included and whether the museum is part of the day. This is what the first tour offers.
Around the rock
The Beulé Gate, the Caryatid porch, the temple of Athena Nike, the Theatre of Dionysus, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, a frieze block in the museum, the Areopagus and the Parthenon behind its scaffolding.
Six ways to visit
| Option | What it is | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Acropolis and museum guided tour | A guided walk of the rock with the Acropolis Museum as an option, as a private, small-group or standard-group tour. Lasts 2 to 4 hours, led in English, Italian or French. | First-timers who want the stories behind the stones. |
| Acropolis tour with a museum upgrade | A guided tour led by a licensed guide with audio earsets, lasting 2 to 4 hours, with a museum tour as an upgrade. On some options you buy the entry tickets yourself. | Visitors who want a guide and are happy to handle a ticket step. |
| Premium Acropolis and Parthenon tour | An expert licensed guide with wireless headsets, in English, French or German, with a private group available. Entry tickets come with the options that include them. | Travellers who want a private or smaller-feeling tour. |
| Tour with an archaeologist | A walking tour led by an archaeologist guide in English, covering the rock and a visit of about 1.5 hours to the museum. Entry tickets come with the option that includes them. | People who want the museum in the day and an archaeologist for company. |
| Acropolis timed-entry ticket with audio | Entry for a chosen date and time slot, with an optional audio guide in English, French, German, Spanish or Italian. A live English tour is one of the options. Cancellation is not available on this ticket, and dates and slots cannot be changed. | Visitors who prefer to go alone. |
| Acropolis Museum ticket | Entry to the museum, valid for one day, with an optional audio guide through an app. Cancellation is not available on this ticket. | A museum visit on its own, or after the rock. |
Ways to see the rock
The first card opens the guided tour this guide describes. The next three are other guided tours, and the last two are for people who would rather go alone, one for the rock and one for the museum.
A guided walk of the rock with the Acropolis Museum as an option, as a private, small-group or standard-group tour. Lasts 2 to 4 hours, led in English, Italian or French.
First-timers who want the stories behind the stones.
See dates ↗A guided tour led by a licensed guide with audio earsets, lasting 2 to 4 hours, with a museum tour as an upgrade. On some options you buy the entry tickets yourself.
Visitors who want a guide and are happy to handle a ticket step.
See dates ↗An expert licensed guide with wireless headsets, in English, French or German, with a private group available. Entry tickets come with the options that include them.
Travellers who want a private or smaller-feeling tour.
See dates ↗A walking tour led by an archaeologist guide in English, covering the rock and a visit of about 1.5 hours to the museum. Entry tickets come with the option that includes them.
People who want the museum in the day and an archaeologist for company.
See dates ↗Entry for a chosen date and time slot, with an optional audio guide in English, French, German, Spanish or Italian. A live English tour is one of the options. Cancellation is not available on this ticket, and dates and slots cannot be changed.
Visitors who prefer to go alone.
See dates ↗Entry to the museum, valid for one day, with an optional audio guide through an app. Cancellation is not available on this ticket.
A museum visit on its own, or after the rock.
See dates ↗More to do in Athens
Before you go
The first tour asks you to arrive at the meeting point 20 minutes before departure. It has two meeting points, and your confirmation shows the one for your option.
Entry tickets are included only on the options that list them. On the others you buy entry yourself, and some tours ask you to do it at least a day ahead.
The paths are polished marble and the way up is steep. Comfortable shoes with grip matter more than anything else you pack.
There is almost no shade on the rock, and the sun reflects off the stone. Bring water and cover your head, especially from late spring to early autumn.
Pets, baby strollers, luggage and large bags are not allowed. Leave suitcases at your hotel and carry a small bag.
A passport or ID card (a copy is accepted) is on the tour's list of things to bring, and reduced or free entry needs ID.
Plan your Acropolis visit
Getting there How to reach the Acropolis of Athens: Acropolis metro station, the walk along Dionysiou Areopagitou, the entrances, and routes from the airport and Piraeus.
Read the guide → Timing When to visit the Acropolis of Athens: the cooler months, the best hour of the day, heatwave closures, timed entry, daily caps and winter visits.
Read the guide →FAQ
No, but the rock is easier to read with one. The buildings are ruins with short signs, and a guide connects them to the myths and the history.
The tour lasts 1.5 to 2 hours for the Acropolis alone and 3 to 4 hours with the Acropolis Museum, depending on the pace of the group and the weather.
Only on the options that say so. The others ask you to buy entry yourself, and some ask you to do it ahead of the tour.
It is an option. The tour with the museum is longer and visits the Parthenon Gallery, the original Caryatids and the glass floors.
The tour lists children under 6 as not suitable. Older children usually manage the climb, which is steep and without shade.
The tour lists mobility impairments and wheelchair users as not suitable, and it does not include the lift. There is a lift for visitors with reduced mobility.
On free-entry days the tour price is adjusted so you are not charged for tickets.
Prices are per person and shown in US dollars here; your own currency appears at checkout.