must-visit in AthensHistoric Ruins & Heritage

Parthenon

📍 Parthenon, Acropolis of Athens, Athens 105 58, Greece

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★★★★★

Quick Facts

Location: Greece, Athens
Category: Historic Ruins & Heritage
Duration: 20–30 minutes for the temple; 2–3 hours for the Acropolis, half a day with the museum.
Opening Hours: 1 April-31 August 08:00-20:00; 1-15 September 08:00-19:30; 16-30 September 08:00-19:00; 1-15 October 08:00-18:30; 16-31 October 08:00-18:00; 1 November-31 March 08:00-17:00; last admission 20 minutes before closing; closed on 1 January, 25 March, 1 May, Orthodox Easter Sunday, 25 and 26 December
Ticket Price: Adult: 30 EUR · Senior: 15 EUR · Valid ID required at the gate for reduced tickets; free-day tickets cannot be booked online and must be obtained at the ticket office
Address: Parthenon, Acropolis of Athens, Athens 105 58, Greece
Coordinates: 37.9715, 23.7266

Introduction

The Parthenon (Greek for "maidens' chamber") stands at the highest point of the Acropolis, the greatest legacy of ancient Greek architecture and the summit of the Doric order. Begun in 447 BC and completed in 432 BC, it was designed by Ictinus and Callicrates with sculpture supervised by Phidias. Built of Pentelic marble on a stylobate of 69.5 by 30.9 metres, its 8-by-17 Doric colonnade (46 outer columns, about 10.4 m tall) hides refined optical corrections: entasis in the shafts, a curved base and thickened corner columns. The cella housed Phidias' colossal Athena Parthenos, some 11.5 m of gold and ivory, long lost, and once served as the Delian League treasury. The pediments told the birth of Athena; 92 metopes and a 160-metre Ionic frieze of the Panathenaic procession rank among the finest Greek sculpture. The marbles removed by Lord Elgin in the early 1800s remain in the British Museum in a still-running restitution dispute, while a 1687 Venetian bombardment detonated a powder magazine that blew off the roof and most of the sculpture. Anastylosis restoration has continued since 1975. The temple is the centrepiece of the Acropolis timed-entry ticket.

✨ Highlights

The 8-by-17 colonnade

46 outer columns ring a 69.5-by-30.9 m stylobate; entasis, thickened corner columns and a subtly curved base make it the textbook of classical proportion.

Athena in gold and ivory

The cella held Phidias' 11.5 m chryselephantine Athena Parthenos, lost to history and known only from copies and descriptions.

Ninety-two metopes

The outer metopes stage the Gigantomachy, Amazonomachy and the sack of Troy — compositions that shaped Western sculpture for two millennia.

The 160 m Panathenaic frieze

The inner Ionic frieze records the procession honouring Athena and is considered the apex of Greek relief sculpture.

The Elgin dispute

Marbles removed in 1801–1812 remain in the British Museum while Greece presses its restitution claim — the field's landmark case.

A living restoration

The 1687 blast destroyed the roof and most sculpture; the titanium-and-new-marble anastylosis running since 1975 turns the temple into a working workshop.

🛈 Practical Info

→Duration：20–30 minutes for the temple itself; 2–3 hours for the whole Acropolis, half a day with the museum.

→Booking：Book a timed slot at tickets.hh.gr; for July–August book 2–3 weeks early — first and late slots sell out.

→Photos：Best light on the east face in the morning and the west in the evening; do not cross the barriers, drones are banned.

→Gear：No shade and slippery marble on top: water, sunscreen, a hat and grip shoes.

→Pair with：The Acropolis Museum (280 m down the south slope) holds the originals; the Erechtheion, Propylaea, Athena Nike and Theatre of Dionysus share the same ticket.

→Opening Hours：1 April-31 August 08:00-20:00; 1-15 September 08:00-19:30; 16-30 September 08:00-19:00; 1-15 October 08:00-18:30; 16-31 October 08:00-18:00; 1 November-31 March 08:00-17:00; last admission 20 minutes before closing; closed on 1 January, 25 March, 1 May, Orthodox Easter Sunday, 25 and 26 December

→Transportation：Metro Akropoli, about a 12-minute walk to the south entrance, then up the slope to the summit.

Ticket Information

Ticket Information
Adult	30 EUR
Senior	15 EUR
Student	15 EUR

Valid ID required at the gate for reduced tickets; free-day tickets cannot be booked online and must be obtained at the ticket office

💡 Tips

• The interior is not open to visitors — walking the perimeter is the whole experience, so spend the time on the columns, frieze and pediment.

• The 8 a.m. slot or after 4 p.m. gives raking light across the columns and half the midday crowd.

• Do not just circle the barriers — walk to the west side where the Elgin marbles were cut away, then see the originals in the Acropolis Museum to complete the story.

• The Theatre of Dionysus to the south and the Erechtheion's caryatids to the east are minutes away on the same summit.

• The Acropolis Museum's second-floor café gives a level view of the Parthenon — a free photo vantage.

• There is no shade or water on top; bring your own, and take extra care on wet marble in the rainy season.

• Never cross the barriers, drones are banned, and please keep clear of the active restoration zones.

• The old multi-site ticket was discontinued on 1 April 2025, so the Acropolis, the Ancient and Roman Agoras, Kerameikos and the Temple of Olympian Zeus are now sold separately — as is the Acropolis Museum.

FAQ

What are the opening hours of Parthenon?

1 April-31 August 08:00-20:00; 1-15 September 08:00-19:30; 16-30 September 08:00-19:00; 1-15 October 08:00-18:30; 16-31 October 08:00-18:00; 1 November-31 March 08:00-17:00; last admission 20 minutes before closing; closed on 1 January, 25 March, 1 May, Orthodox Easter Sunday, 25 and 26 December

How much is the admission for Parthenon?

Adult: 30 EUR; Senior: 15 EUR; Student: 15 EUR; Valid ID required at the gate for reduced tickets; free-day tickets cannot be booked online and must be obtained at the ticket office

Any practical tips for visiting Parthenon?

The interior is not open to visitors — walking the perimeter is the whole experience, so spend the time on the columns, frieze and pediment. The 8 a.m. slot or after 4 p.m. gives raking light across the columns and half the midday crowd.

How long should I spend at Parthenon?

A typical visit takes 20–30 minutes for the temple; 2–3 hours for the Acropolis, half a day with the museum..

Compiled from tickets.hh.gr and the Acropolis Restoration Service (Oct 2026). The temple is included in the Acropolis timed ticket; hours follow the seasonal schedule.