Is the Acropolis Museum worth it?
It is the other half of the Acropolis visit. The temples on the hill lost almost all their sculpture, and what survives in Athens is here: the Parthenon’s frieze, metopes and pediment figures, the Caryatids of the Erechtheion, the painted korai of the Archaic sanctuary. The building was designed around them, so the light, the heights and even the orientation of the rooms serve the works. Few museums show sculpture this well.
The one limit is that the Parthenon’s story is split between two cities. Much of its frieze is in the British Museum, and the gallery here shows plaster copies of those pieces next to the originals, so you can see exactly what is missing.
What to see, floor by floor
The ground floor and the excavation
The first gallery climbs gently, like the path up the rock, with finds from the sanctuaries and houses of the slopes. Look down: glass panels in the floor show the ancient neighbourhood excavated under the museum. The excavation itself, opened to visitors in 2019 and included in the ticket, lets you walk its streets among houses, courtyards and workshops. It is worth twenty minutes at the end of the visit.
The Archaic Acropolis (first floor)
The brightest room in the building, lit from windows and skylights, with the statues that stood on the Acropolis before the Persians destroyed it in 480 BCE. Look for the Peplos Kore, Antenor’s Kore, the Rampin Rider and the Kritios Boy, whose relaxed weight marks the end of the Archaic style. Get close to the korai: many keep traces of their paint, which shows how colourful Greek statues were. Their faces carry the Archaic smile.
The Caryatids (first floor, west side)
Five of the six original maidens of the Erechtheion porch stand here on a balcony where you can see them from all sides; the place of the sixth, removed by Lord Elgin in 1804 and still in the British Museum, is left empty. Walk behind them: the thick braided hair strengthens the weakest point of each figure, the neck. The same side of the floor holds sculpture from the Propylaia and the Temple of Athena Nike, including the relief of Nike adjusting her sandal, known as the “Sandalbinder”, one of the finest pieces of drapery in Greek art.
The Parthenon Gallery (third floor)
The reason to come. The gallery is a glass box turned to match the Parthenon, which you see outside. In the centre, a core with the same dimensions as the temple’s inner chamber carries the frieze, in its original order but at a height where you can read it. The metopes hang in pairs between steel columns, as many as the temple had, and the pediment figures stand on low bases at each end. Walk the frieze the way the procession moves; the white plaster casts are the pieces in London and elsewhere.
What can you skip?
If you are short of time, skip the north side of the first floor, which follows the Acropolis from the fifth century BCE to late antiquity: interesting, but secondary to the rest. Skip the queue for tickets at the desk unless you are entitled to a reduced or free ticket, which are only issued there. And skip the idea that the museum replaces the hill: it works best as a second act.
Which ticket, and when to go?
The ticket costs €20, or €10 reduced, and includes the excavation. Buy it on the museum’s e-ticket site; reduced and free tickets are only issued at the desk. From April to October the museum opens at 9:00 and closes at 20:00 (17:00 on Mondays, 22:00 on Fridays). From November to March it closes at 17:00 from Monday to Thursday, 22:00 on Friday and 20:00 at weekends. Last entry is thirty minutes before closing. Friday evening is the best time: the galleries are calmer and the Parthenon is lit up outside the windows. Entry is free on 6 March, 25 March, 18 May and 28 October.
How long do you need?
Two hours for the three main galleries, three with the excavation. With one hour, go straight to the third floor, then the Caryatids. On the same day as the hill, see visiting the Acropolis; for the pieces in London, the British Museum guide.
The Acropolis Museum in brief
- Ticket
- €20; reduced €10; excavation included
- Booking
- Online on etickets.theacropolismuseum.gr; reduced and free tickets only at the desk
- Hours
- 1 April-31 October: Monday 9:00-17:00, Tuesday-Sunday 9:00-20:00, Friday 9:00-22:00. 1 November-31 March: Monday-Thursday 9:00-17:00, Friday 9:00-22:00, Saturday-Sunday 9:00-20:00. Last entry 30 minutes before closing
- Free
- 6 March, 25 March, 18 May, 28 October
- Time
- 2-3 hours; 1 hour for the third floor and the Caryatids
- Note
- Closed 1 January, Orthodox Easter Sunday, 1 May, 25 and 26 December
- Verified
- October 2026, on the official site. Prices and hours change: check before you go.
Questions
Is the Acropolis Museum worth it?
Yes. It holds the original sculptures of the Acropolis, including the Parthenon frieze and the Caryatids, displayed with a view of the temple they came from.
Is the Acropolis Museum included in the Acropolis ticket?
No. It has its own ticket, €20, which includes the archaeological excavation under the building.
Are the Caryatids in the museum the originals?
Yes. The figures on the Erechtheion porch are copies. Five originals are on the first floor of the museum; the sixth is in the British Museum.
Is the museum open late?
Every Friday, until 22:00, all year.
Sources
- Acropolis Museum, opening hours and tickets (October 2026).
- Acropolis Museum, exhibition areas: Gallery of the Acropolis Slopes, Archaic Acropolis Gallery, Other monuments of the Periklean building programme, Parthenon Gallery, Archaeological excavation.
