The Acropolis Museum is the glass-and-concrete museum at the foot of the Acropolis that holds the sculptures and finds from the sacred rock, from painted archaic statues to the original Caryatids and the Parthenon frieze, displayed in a top-floor gallery that looks straight at the temple. As of October 2026 general admission is €20 (€10 reduced). Until 31 October it opens Monday 9:00–17:00, Tuesday to Sunday 9:00–20:00 and Friday until 22:00. Buy e-tickets only on the museum’s own .gr website, and allow two to three hours.
Right now in Acropolis Museum
- Wed14–26°C57–78°FMostly clear
- Thu16–25°C61–76°FClear
- Fri19–25°C66–77°FMostly clear
Tickets and tours for Acropolis Museum
See all tours for Acropolis Museum →
From local operators, with prices and reviews; you check availability and book on Viator, our partner. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. How we earn money
Why the Acropolis Museum matters
For over a century the finds from the Acropolis were crammed into a small museum on the hill itself. The new building, designed by Bernard Tschumi with Michael Photiadis, opened in 2009 just south of the rock, on stilts above the excavated remains of an ancient Athenian neighbourhood. Its purpose is to show the sculptures as close as possible to where they were made to be seen, in natural light, and to make the case, gallery by gallery, for reuniting the Parthenon sculptures, many of which are in the British Museum in London.
What you’ll see
- The excavation: glass floors at the entrance and in the courtyard look down onto streets, houses, workshops and baths of ancient Athens, lived in from prehistoric to Byzantine times. The excavation beneath the museum can be walked through and is included in the ticket.
- The Gallery of the Slopes: a rising glass ramp with finds from the sanctuaries and houses on the slopes of the hill, echoing the climb up to the Acropolis.
- The Archaic Acropolis Gallery: a bright hall of statues from the 7th and 6th centuries BC, including the korai, young women with braided hair and enigmatic smiles, many still showing traces of their original paint, and the Moschophoros, a man carrying a calf. Photography is not allowed in this gallery.
- The Caryatids: five of the six original maidens from the Erechtheion’s porch, now displayed indoors on a balcony; the sixth is in the British Museum.
- The Parthenon Gallery: on the top floor, a glass hall angled to match the Parthenon, where the 160-metre frieze of the Panathenaic procession, the metopes and the pediment sculptures are set out in their original order around a core the size of the temple. Originals in Athens sit next to white plaster casts of the pieces held abroad, which makes the gaps impossible to miss. Look out of the windows: the Parthenon is right there.
Tickets and booking
Prices and rules from the Acropolis Museum, as of October 2026:
- General admission: €20, all year. Tickets give access to all exhibition areas and the excavation.
- Reduced (€10): young people up to 25 from non-EU countries, and over-65s from Greece and other EU countries, with a passport or ID card.
- Free: EU citizens up to 25, children up to 5 from non-EU countries, and visitors with a disability (67% or more) with one companion, among other groups. Reduced and free tickets are issued only at the ticket desk, on showing proof.
- Booking: buy general tickets at the ticket desk or on the museum’s e-ticket service, reached from theacropolismuseum.gr. The museum warns that a fake copy of its website ending in .org has been used to deceive visitors.
- Free days: 6 March, 25 March, 18 May and 28 October.
- Temporary exhibitions: these have their own ticket (€10 for the current one, “Meanings”).
Opening hours
- Summer (1 April–31 October): Monday 9:00–17:00; Tuesday to Sunday 9:00–20:00; Friday 9:00–22:00. Last entry 30 minutes before closing, and staff start clearing the galleries 15 minutes before.
- Winter (1 November–31 March): Monday to Thursday 9:00–17:00; Friday 9:00–22:00; Saturday and Sunday 9:00–20:00.
- The excavation: in summer Monday 9:00–17:00 and Tuesday to Sunday 9:00–20:00; in winter daily 9:00–17:00.
- Closed: 1 January, Orthodox Easter Sunday, 1 May and 25–26 December. Short hours on 24 and 31 December (9:00–15:00), Orthodox Good Friday (12:00–18:00) and Holy Saturday (9:00–15:00). On the August full moon and the European Night of Museums it stays open until midnight.
Bags, photos and food
All visitors pass an X-ray security check, so leave large bags at your hotel. Backpacks and bulky items go into the free cloakroom on the ground floor. Amateur photos and video are welcome everywhere except the Archaic Gallery, but no flash or tripods. The ground-floor café and shop need no ticket; the second-floor restaurant, with a terrace facing the Acropolis, is reached with a free pass from the ticket desk and stays open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
When to go
The museum is the ideal partner for the Acropolis: climb the rock at 8:00, then spend the hot middle of the day indoors here. Friday evenings until 22:00 are calm and lovely, with the Parthenon floodlit outside the top-floor windows. Mornings bring school and tour groups, especially in spring.
Accessibility
The museum is a modern building on several levels linked by ramps and lifts. Lifts are kept for priority use by visitors with reduced mobility, and visitors with a disability of 67% or more enter free with one companion, with tickets issued at the desk.
Getting there
The entrance is on the pedestrian street Dionysiou Areopagitou. Metro line 2 stops at Akropoli, a two-minute walk away; buses and trolleybuses stop at Makrigianni. The south-east entrance to the Acropolis is a short walk west along the same street.
Combine it with
See the Acropolis of Athens the same day, before or after, then walk into Plaka or have dinner in Koukaki, the neighbourhood behind the museum. Plan the rest of your stay with our Athens travel guide and our Greece travel guide, and see our city sightseeing guide.
Acropolis Museum FAQ
How much is the Acropolis Museum in 2026?
General admission is €20, all year, as of October 2026. Reduced tickets cost €10, and EU citizens up to 25 enter free; both are issued only at the ticket desk.
Is the Acropolis Museum ticket included with the Acropolis ticket?
No. The Acropolis (€30) and the Acropolis Museum (€20) are separate tickets, sold on separate official websites.
What are the Acropolis Museum opening hours?
Until 31 October, Monday 9:00–17:00, Tuesday to Sunday 9:00–20:00 and Friday until 22:00. From 1 November, Monday to Thursday 9:00–17:00, Friday 9:00–22:00 and weekends 9:00–20:00.
How long do you need at the Acropolis Museum?
Two to three hours covers the excavation, the Archaic Gallery, the Caryatids and the Parthenon Gallery. Add time for the terrace café.
Can you take photos in the Acropolis Museum?
Yes, everywhere except the Archaic Acropolis Gallery, without flash or tripods.
Should I visit the Acropolis or the museum first?
Either works. In summer, the Acropolis first thing in the morning and the museum in the heat of the day is the most comfortable plan.