Find out what has changed for the Acropolis visitors

From Monday 04 September 2023, the Visitor Zones program at the Acropolis have implemented by ODAP and the Ministry of Culture. Visitors have to select the exact time that they wish to visit the monument.

Through the hhticket.gr electronic platform, visitors will have to choose the day and time they wish to visit the monument and book their ticket, and the visit will no longer take place at the time they want. (On free admission days, guests will purchase free tickets from the ticket office on the same day). Thus, all tickets will henceforth be issued for specific days and times.

Why was this change made?

According to the study of the Organization for the Management and Development of Cultural Resources (ODAP), the daily number of visitors cannot exceed 20,000, which must be distributed in a certain number per one-hour zone. The aim of the new measure is to avoid an excessive number of parallel visits, especially in the morning hours, when a large accumulation has been observed due to visitors mainly from cruise ships. Until September 4, 2023, there were no time zones and no maximum number of visitors, resulting in a suffocating situation in waiting and because the only access point to the Acropolis is only the Propylaea. (Note that about 50% of visitors choose the hours between 08:00-12:00 and this is one of the reasons for long queues and delays).

How the visitation program works

Now four hourly traffic zones are created, from 8.00 to 12.00 with the possibility of visiting a total of 8,000 people. Eight time zones from 12:00 to 20:00 are also created with 13,000 visitors. In the proposed number of visitors, there will be a specific division into categories, such as group visits or individual visits, while there are no zones for the disabled persons, who can visit the monument according to their own plan.

The individual visitor visiting the ticket office, internet or vending machine will purchase a ticket based on the availability given in the system. This means that the visitor can issue his ticket in person at the archeological site's ticket office, but he must bear in mind that there is a possibility that the specific time zone has been covered.

The online pre-booking system is the safest solution for someone who wants to avoid the hassle and disappointment if there is no entry availability when he is already at the ticket office and wishes to enter the monument at that time.

The expected effects of time zones

The result of this allocation will be on the one hand the protection of the Acropolis and on the other hand the visitor will have the opportunity to benefit from better quality time during his tour, enriching his information about the area and history of one of the most popular world heritage sites!

Public information campaign

For the new status of visitors to the Acropolis, the Ministry of Culture and the Organization for the Management and Promotion of Cultural Resources (ODAP) have launched an information campaign with the central message of getting to know the Acropolis in the context of the sustainable management of our cultural heritage.

The bilingual video, in Greek and English, was made with the kind sponsorship of the Papastratos company.
Watch the informative videos in English https://youtu.be/GdejVS7Roso

Source:Ministry of Culture

Photo: Image by AndyGarcia from Pixabay