Sights in Greece

Greece's state archaeological sites and museums share one official ticket system, Hellenic Heritage (tickets.hh.gr), with timed e-tickets and, since the April 2025 reform, the same price all year: €30 for the Acropolis and €20 for big sites such as Delphi, Olympia and Knossos. The rules that matter most: EU citizens under 25 and non-EU visitors under 18 go free, and in summer you should go early, because heatwaves can close sites at midday.

Checked 6 October 2026

Our sight guides for Greece

Visiting sights in Greece

Passes and combined tickets

There is no national pass, and since the 2024–2025 ticket reform there is no official combined ticket for the Athens sites either; reseller combos are bundles of single entries at a markup. Each site is sold separately on tickets.hh.gr, run by the Ministry of Culture and ODAP: the Acropolis €30 (reduced €15), the Ancient Agora €20, the Roman Agora and Hadrian's Library €10 each, Delphi €20 for site and museum, Ancient Olympia €20 for the site and two museums, Knossos €20 (October 2026). Prices follow tiers set by visitor numbers (€30, €20, €15, €10, €5), and most sites dropped their winter discount. The Acropolis Museum is run separately, with its own €20 ticket.

Free days and discounts

State sites and museums are free for EU citizens under 25 and non-EU visitors under 18 on showing a passport or ID card; at the Acropolis you still book a €0 timed ticket. EU citizens over 65 pay the reduced price, but not from June to the end of September. Free days for everyone: 6 March, 18 April, 18 May, the last weekend of September, 28 October, and Sundays in winter. The official site pages on hh.gr list the first and third Sunday of each month from 1 November to 31 March, though some news reports mention only the first, so check before you go. The next free days are 28 October, 1 November and 15 November 2026.

Getting between the sights

In Athens, Metro line 2 to Akropoli is the stop for the Acropolis, and lines 1 and 3 to Monastiraki serve the Agora. Taxis from the airport to central Athens charge a fixed fare of €40 (05:00 to 00:00) or €55 (00:00 to 05:00). The direct train to Kalambaka for Meteora has been suspended since the 2023 storms; trains run to Palaiofarsalos with a bus connection, or an express bus takes about 4 hours 30 minutes (€54). Island sites depend on boats: Delos is about an hour by boat from Mykonos and closed from December to March, and gales can halt sailings from Piraeus and Rafina, so leave a spare day before a flight home.

Dress codes and customs

Greek Orthodox monasteries expect modest clothes, and Meteora is the strictest: women wear a skirt below the knee (wrap skirts are lent at the entrances), men wear long trousers, and nobody gets in sleeveless. Entry is €5 per monastery in cash, and each of the six closes on a different weekday, with even fewer open days in winter. At archaeological sites, the ministry's rules forbid food and drinks, smoking, touching the monuments and pets (except assistance dogs at the Acropolis, Kerameikos and museums), and guards may remove visitors who dress or behave in a way not compatible with the site. Wear shoes with grip, because polished ancient paths are slippery.

Seasons, holidays and crowds

Sites are open every day, Sundays included, with summer hours of 8:00 to 20:00 at the biggest ones. Winter hours (1 November to 31 March) are much shorter: Delphi and Olympia close at 15:30. In July and August heat is the main risk: in heatwaves the ministry has closed the Acropolis and other sites from 12:00 to 17:00, as in July 2024 and July 2025, often announcing it only the day before. All state sites close on 1 January, 25 March, 1 May, Orthodox Easter Sunday, and 25 and 26 December, and open only 12:00 to 17:00 on Good Friday and 8:30 to 15:30 on Holy Saturday. Orthodox Easter Sunday is 2 May 2027, five weeks after Western Easter.

Scams and problems to know about

Taxi overcharging is the main nationwide complaint. In 2025 five tourists were reportedly charged €292 for a 4 km ride in central Athens, and a driver was arrested for charging more than double the legal fare from the airport to Piraeus. Use official ranks, insist on the meter or the fixed airport fare, and ask for a receipt. Online, look-alike ticket sites with official-sounding names sell Acropolis tickets well above the €30 face value, and may not mention the free categories; the official store is tickets.hh.gr, where free tickets show as €0. Some resellers still advertise a multi-site Athens ticket that no longer exists. In summer, check for heat closures and sailing bans before setting out.

Also worth the trip

Not on Sightsale yet, but worth knowing about.

  • Delos

    The sacred island of Apollo, an uninhabited archaeological site an hour by boat from Mykonos. It is open April to November only and closed from December to March.

Questions people ask about visiting Greece

Is there a combined ticket for the archaeological sites in Athens?

Not any more. The old multi-site ticket for the Acropolis and six other Athens sites was dropped in the 2024–2025 reform, and each site is now sold separately on tickets.hh.gr: the Acropolis €30, the Ancient Agora €20, the Roman Agora €10 (October 2026). A reseller's combo is not an official pass.

Are Greek archaeological sites free for students and young people?

EU citizens under 25 and non-EU visitors under 18 enter state sites and museums free with a passport or ID card. Non-EU students over 18 do not get free entry. At the Acropolis you still need a €0 timed ticket from tickets.hh.gr (October 2026).

When are museums and archaeological sites in Greece free?

On 6 March, 18 April, 18 May, the last weekend of September and 28 October, plus winter Sundays from November to March. The official hh.gr pages list the first and third Sunday of each month, so in late 2026 that means 1 and 15 November and 6 and 20 December. Expect big crowds on those days.

Do archaeological sites in Greece close in the heat?

Yes, during heatwaves. The ministry closed the Acropolis and other sites from 12:00 to 17:00 in July 2024 and July 2025, usually announcing it the day before. In summer, book the first slot of the morning or the late afternoon.

What should I wear to visit Meteora?

Women need a skirt below the knee and covered shoulders, and men need long trousers; sleeveless tops are not allowed for anyone. Wrap skirts are lent at the monastery entrances. Bring cash: entry is €5 per monastery (October 2026).

Sources for this page (20)
  1. Hellenic Heritage: official ticket service (Ministry of Culture and ODAP) (accessed 6 October 2026)
  2. Hellenic Heritage: Acropolis of Athens (accessed 6 October 2026)
  3. Hellenic Heritage: Delphi (accessed 6 October 2026)
  4. Hellenic Heritage: Ancient Olympia (accessed 6 October 2026)
  5. Hellenic Heritage: Knossos (accessed 6 October 2026)
  6. Hellenic Heritage: Delos (accessed 6 October 2026)
  7. Ministry of Culture, Odysseus: Acropolis of Athens (tickets, free days, holidays, operating rules) (accessed 6 October 2026)
  8. To Vima: new pricing policy approved by the Central Archaeological Council (2025 tiers, free Sundays, over-65 rule) (accessed 6 October 2026)
  9. To Vima: free museum and site entry on the first Sunday of winter months (November 2024) (accessed 6 October 2026)
  10. Greek City Times: free admission to Greek state sites, 7 December 2025 (accessed 6 October 2026)
  11. ProtoThema English: free admission on Sunday 2 November 2025 (accessed 6 October 2026)
  12. Athens Walking Tours: entrance fees and tickets (accessed 6 October 2026)
  13. National and Kapodistrian University of Athens conferences: local information and transportation (airport taxi fares) (accessed 6 October 2026)
  14. Dave's Travel Pages: Athens to Meteora by train, bus and car (updated July 2026) (accessed 6 October 2026)
  15. To Vima: Greece halts ferry departures due to gale-force winds (January 2026) (accessed 6 October 2026)
  16. Visit Meteora: monasteries opening hours, closed days, dress code and fee (accessed 6 October 2026)
  17. ProtoThema English: Acropolis closed from 12:00 to 17:00 due to high temperatures (July 2024) (accessed 6 October 2026)
  18. To Vima: Athens sites closed until Friday due to extreme heat (July 2025) (accessed 6 October 2026)
  19. iefimerida: Athens taxi driver accused of scamming tourists with inflated fare (May 2025) (accessed 6 October 2026)
  20. To Vima: taxi driver arrested in Piraeus for overcharging passenger (August 2025) (accessed 6 October 2026)