About this activity
Editor's Note
Look, everyone tells you that you must see the Acropolis, but let's be honest—the tourism industry has a habit of turning sacred history into a high-occupancy conveyor belt. If you just walk up there alone, you're basically looking at a very expensive pile of rocks without any context. I’ve seen too many leads waste their one afternoon in Athens wandering aimlessly because they wanted to save a few Euros on a guide. Don't be that person. This specific tour actually gets it right by starting at the South Slope; it’s a bit of a "pro move" because you bypass the heaviest crowds while building the narrative of the city from the theater up to the temples. It’s one of the few itineraries where the RevPAR (revenue per available room) in the local hotels actually matches the quality of the surrounding tours. If you're going to do Athens, do it with an archaeologist who can actually explain why a broken column matters, rather than someone just reading from a script.
About the Tour
This guided journey offers a seamless blend of mythic history and archaeological precision. You will meet your licensed guide—a professional archaeologist—at Porinou 5, the perfect jumping-off point for a deep dive into Antiquity. Instead of rushing the summit, you’ll enter through the South Slope, allowing for a more leisurely and insightful ascent.
Highlights of the Journey
- Theater of Dionysus: Stand in the very spot where drama was born. You’ll have the chance to sit where ancient Greeks once watched the premiere of masterpieces by Sophocles and Euripides.
- Odeon of Herodes Atticus: Witness the grandeur of this stone theater, which remarkably still hosts world-class performances during the annual Athens Festival.
- The Asclepieion: Find a moment of calm at the ancient healing temple dedicated to the god of medicine.
- The Parthenon: The crown jewel of the Acropolis. You’ll explore the intricate architectural secrets of this temple dedicated to Athena and learn how it has survived millennia of turmoil.
The New Acropolis Museum
After exploring the heights, the tour transitions indoors to the New Acropolis Museum, consistently ranked among the top five museums globally. Following a brief refreshment break at the museum café, you’ll explore the vast collections of statues and artifacts. One of the most striking features is the Gallery of the Slopes, where glass flooring offers a literal window into the ongoing archaeological excavations beneath your feet.
It's a rare chance to see how the ancients lived, played, and prayed, all within a single afternoon.
Highlights
- Skip the lines at the ticket offices to the Acropolis and the Acropolis Museum
- Marvel at the remains of temples and monuments from ancient Greece
- Discover the first theater of humanity at Theater of Dionysus
- Listen to the histories of all the ancient monuments from licensed tour guides
- Visit the new Acropolis Museum
Know before you go
- There is no skip-the-line separate entrance to the Acropolis
- Audio quality may be affected by other groups' equipment during crowded times.
- The tour lasts 3 to 4 hours, depending on the group's pace and weather conditions
- In an effort to avoid any kind of discomfort, guides may change the order of the sites you may visit
- If you choose the without tickets option, you should purchase Acropolis and Museum entry tickets at least one day before the tour, and contact us first to confirm appropriate time slots.
- If you do not purchase ahead of arrival, bear in mind that we can only supply full-priced adult entry tickets at the meeting point, paid in cash
- In case you want to buy the tickets from us, you should have informed us several days before the tour
- Please note: On days when the Acropolis or Acropolis Museum offers free entry, our tour prices are adjusted accordingly, ensuring you are not charged for these complimentary tickets.
What to bring
Not allowed
Includes / Excluded
Itinerary
Starting location:
Porinou 5
Makrygianni
Break time, Walk (15 minutes)
Theatre of Dionysus
Guided tour (15 minutes)
Odeon of Herodes Atticus
Visit, Guided tour (15 minutes)
Propylaea, Athens
Photo stop, Guided tour, Sightseeing, Walk (15 minutes)
Temple of Athena Nike
Guided tour, Sightseeing, Walk (5 minutes)
Parthenon
Visit, Guided tour, Sightseeing, Walk (30 minutes)
Erechtheion
Visit, Guided tour (10 minutes) Extra fee
Acropolis of Athens
Break time, Photo stop, Free time (15 minutes)
Dionysiou Areopagitou
Sightseeing, Walk (15 minutes)
Acropolis Museum
Guided tour (1.5 hours)
Finish at:
Λόφος Αρείου Πάγου