Prioritise A Visit To The Acropolis On Your First Trip To Athens 

The mighty Acropolis, crowned by the Parthenon temple, is the iconic view of Athens. You can see it towering about the city from most places around the city, so it makes sense to prioritise a trip to the Acropolis on your first trip to Athens. But what’s the best way to visit the Acropolis and it’s temples up close? Here are some suggestions…

First, what exactly is the Acropolis of Athens?

A 5000-year-old citadel

The Acropolis of Athens is effectively a city on a hill – an ancient citadel comprised of several buildings located on the slopes of, and on top of, a rocky outcrop above the city of Athens which is thought to have been in use for 5,000 years.

Sights as you walk up the Acropolis

As you walk up the Acropolis on the paths, you pass the remains of several ancient buildings including the:

• Theatre of Dionysus – the birthplace of Greek Tragedy
• Sanctuary of Asklepios – the remains of a hospital
• Odeon of Herodes Atticus – an impressive amphitheatre with a great view which has been renovated to host classical concerts

Sights at the top of the Acropolis

At the top of the Acropolis, aside from stunning views over Athens spread out before you, you will discover the ancient wonders of the:

• Beulé Gate – the first entrance to the Acropolis
• Propylaia – the impressive columned entrance to the Acropolis
• Temple of Athena Nike – small temple on the west side of the Propylaia
• Erechtheion – a temple with Caryatids (statues of women instead of pillars supporting the porch). The Erechtheion is said to be built on the most sacred site on the Acropolis – it is where Poseidon left his trident marks on a rock, and an olive tree grows in front of the Erechtheion where Athena is said to have first planted a tree in a competition with Poseidon.
• Parthenon – a temple dedicated to the city’s patron goddess, Athena, and the most iconic landmark of Athens. Used for political rather than religious purposes.

Overall, it is one of the most important archaeological sites in the world and a monument to the cultural and classical achievements of Greece. As a result, and understandably, you can no longer go inside the temples for preservation reasons. You are likely find parts of the Parthenon temple to be covered in scaffolding as they continue to work on its restoration. However, when we visited there was still plenty of the Parthenon visible to enjoy and a stunning view of its east end.

The Acropolis Museum

Start with a visit to the Acropolis Museum before the Acropolis itself

During my trip research, someone recommended visiting the Acropolis Museum before tackling the Acropolis itself, so that you have context and background for when you explore the real thing. We followed this advice and felt that we got more out of our morning on the Acropolis as a result (more of that later).

The Acropolis Museum is a stunning modern build, with a top floor which sits askew the rest of the building – in fact, the top floor is built on the same scale and orientation as the Parthenon temple. Its Parthenon Gallery has floor to ceiling windows overlooking the Acropolis, it gives a sense of connection with this sacred hill and its remains.

Start at the Parthenon Gallery on the top floor of the Acropolis Museum

Most tour groups visiting the Acropolis Museum start on the ground floor and slowly make their way through the museum and up to the top floor. This means that they are seeing all the artefacts in chronological order but, also at the same time as a lot of other people, so it can be quite crushed.

TIP – If you can cope with viewing the artefacts out of chronological order, then head straight up to the Parthenon Gallery on the top floor to enjoy the artefacts related to the Parthenon temple before it gets too busy with tour groups, then work your way back down to the ground floor.

The remaining original parts of the Parthenon frieze (not taken out of Greece) are displayed in the order in which they would have appeared on the Parthenon, which is a clever way to help you visualise how it would have looked back in the day. Plaster casts occupy the spaces of those held in London, which were removed from Greece by the Earl of Elgin in the early 1800s.

Other relics from the buildings of the Acropolis are displayed on the museum floors below, such as 5 of the 6 original Caryatids (or ‘lady pillars’ as we referred to them) which supported the porch of the Erechtheion, and statues from the Temple of Athena Nike, amongst many others…

Book your tickets and audio guide in advance and visit early in the day

Don’t forget to book your tickets and audio guide in advance so that you can avoid queuing on entry.  We booked our Acropolis Museum Ticket with optional Audio Guide through Get Your Guide.

There is so much to see that you will need 2-3 hours for your visit. It will be the crowds, rather than the fascinating artefacts, which make you decide to call it a day and go find refreshments, so get into the Acropolis Museum early and leave when it becomes too busy.

Consider booking a tour of the Acropolis Museum

If you feel that you need to see the artefacts in the Acropolis Museum in chronological order, then you could consider booking a tour of the Acropolis Museum with a guide who would bring the exhibits to life for you. This is something that I would consider should we visit again, so that we benefit from the expert commentary (and just accept that we would be following the crowds throughout the museum).

Note – We visited the Acropolis Museum on our first morning, and the Acropolis itself on the following morning, so that we had fresh legs for the required walking and to avoid the ‘cultural and information overload’ of doing them both on the same day.

Eat at the Acropolis Museum café on the terrace

The Acropolis Museum café has a large terrace overlooking the sides of the Acropolis which makes for a good stop for lunch, or coffee and almond cake (ignoring the sound of the builders working on something next door!).

Different approaches to visiting the Acropolis?

There seem to be three main ways to visit the Acropolis and its buildings depending on your preferences:

Option 1 – Visit early in the morning via the Western entrance

Head to the Western entrance about half an hour before it opens at 8.00am to get a good place in the queue, then climb straight up to the hill to the top of the Acropolis to see the Parthenon and other buildings before the crowds catch up with you. If you do this then you will miss the artefacts on the southern slope of the Acropolis but will benefit from a quieter view at the top.

Option 2 – Take a walking tour at 8.00am from the Eastern entrance

Prebook a morning walking tour so that you can benefit from the guide’s commentary. We booked the Acropolis and Parthenon Guided Walking Tour through Get Your Guide which worked well.

Most tours seem to start with a slow ascent from the Eastern entrance, stopping to see the Theatre of Dionysus, Sanctuary of Asklepios, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus and the Beulé Gate on the way up.

Unfortunately, this means that there is a large flow of visitors all moving in the same direction at the same time, which is manageable until you reach the bottleneck of the Propylaia (gateway to the Acropolis at the top of the hill) and you must surrender to shuffling along with the crowds. If you are remotely claustrophobic, then this route may not be for you! Even on the 8.00am tour it was already very busy. However, once at the top, the tour groups can spread out, so it then feels less crowded.

Was the 8.00am tour of the Acropolis of Athens worth it?

Yes, particularly on a first trip to Athens. We found the input of the guide invaluable on our tour of the Acropolis, which helped us to understood what we were looking at so much better than reading about it in a dry guidebook. However, now that we have done that and have more knowledge about the Acropolis, should we return to Athens, then we would be happy to try one of the other options for visiting.

Option 3 – Visit the Acropolis at Golden Hour

Visit the Acropolis in the late afternoon, or as close to closing time as possible, to enjoy cooler temperatures, fewer crowds and a beautiful golden hour with sunset light illuminating the ruins – check out the closing times for your visit as there are seasonal changes.

Lunch in Plaka

Once you descend the Acropolis, you will no doubt be wanting a restorative coffee or lunch. There are many pavement cafes on the road just outside the Acropolis Museum or on the streets of Plaka, the neighbouring Old Town. If you just want a snack, then visit the nearby Fresko outlet for wonderful Greek yoghurt options.

So, what is the best way to visit the Acropolis of Athens?

In summary, my main recommendation would be to visit the Acropolis Museum first so that you have set the context for your visit to the real thing. After that, the best way to visit the Acropolis is the one which suits you the best, depending on: whether you are happy to visit on a tour or prefer to visit on your own; how much time you have in your visiting schedule; and how much prior knowledge you have of Greek ancient history.

But don’t miss it – the view from the top of the Acropolis of Athens is stunning and the buildings are so beautiful. My favourite was the Erechtheion – yes, the one with the ‘lady columns’! The history and myths surrounding the Acropolis and its buildings are part of what makes Athens so special. It just must be done – crowds or no crowds!

With the Acropolis and Parthenon now mastered, you can begin to explore all the other elements that Athens has to offer.

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