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The Acropolis Museum in Athens

Greece › Athens › Museums › Acropolis Museum
By Santorini Dave

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Marble sculpture next to a large window looking up to the Athens Acropolis

The Acropolis Museum’s Parthenon Gallery displays original sculptures and artifacts sourced from the Parthenon alongside a view to the structure itself.

Tickets and Tours

The stunning Acropolis Museum houses all archaeological findings from the Acropolis and surrounding slopes and is a must-see for any first-time visitor to Athens. Opened in 2009, the museum looks not only above for inspiration, but also below; it is built on concrete pilings over an ancient Athenian neighborhood. Years of excavation while building the museum revealed streets, sewage systems, courtyards, wells, reservoirs, latrines, workshops, and tombs – all of which are available for visitors to see and tour. It’s essential to pair a museum visit with a trip to the Acropolis itself; to get the most out of your visit, we highly recommend a taking guided tour.

Excellent exhibits include three airy floors of permanent collection plus the underground excavation site. In the incredible third-floor Parthenon Gallery, original sculptures sourced from the Parthenon are arranged and oriented along a rectangular core that mimics the dimensions of the original building; floor-to-ceiling windows allow visitors to view these artifacts while also looking out on the Acropolis above. Video presentations are set up in a couple of different spots throughout the museum, and archaeologists are available on site to answer questions and give presentations.

The museum has a ground-floor café and stylish second-floor restaurant that features a large dining terrace in the Acropolis’ shadow, offering fantastic Parthenon views. You can enjoy either one without going to the museum; access to the café does not require a ticket, access to the restaurant requires a (free) ticket you have to get from the ticket desk. Restaurant hours are the same as the museum with the exceptions of Friday and Saturday nights, when it closes at midnight. A fantastic bookstore and souvenir shop are also on site.

The Acropolis Museum is open daily, with reduced hours and admission prices from November through March. There is a mandatory coat and bag check for all museum visitors (small purses, wallets, and phones may be carried throughout the museum, but no overcoats, backpacks, or larger bags), and belongings must go through an X-ray baggage control station at the entrance before ticket purchase. Located in central Athens on the Acropolis’ south slope, about a kilometer from Monastiraki Square and 120 meters from the Acropoli metro station.

Acropolis Museum Hours and Information

  • Hours: November 1 to March 31: Monday to Thursday 9am – 5pm, Friday 9am – 10pm, Saturday & Sunday 9am – 8pm. April 1 to October 31: Monday 8am – 4pm, Tuesday to Sunday 8am – 8pm, Friday 8am – 10pm. Last entry is 30 minutes before close, and clearance of the exhibition galleries begins 15 minutes before close. The museum is closed on January 1, Orthodox Easter Sunday, May 1, and December 25 & 26; on Orthodox Good Friday, the Museum is open from noon – 6pm, on Orthodox Holy Saturday, from 8am – 3pm.
  • Website: theacropolismuseum.gr
  • Location: Dionysiou Areopagitou 15
  • Telephone: +30 21 0900 0900
  • Admission Fee: General Admission 10€ April through October, 5€ November through March. Reduced Admission (students, people under 18, EU seniors) 5€ April through October, 3€ November through March. Reduced admission and free admission tickets are only available from the museum ticket desk, with proper eligibility documents. Children under 5 and EU students are free with proper ID.
  • Free Entry: March 6 (Melina Mercouri Day), March 25 (National holiday), May 18 (International Museum Day), October 28 (National holiday).
  • Parking: Street parking.
  • Nearest Metro: Acropoli

The Acropolis Museum

Stairs leading down to a modern angular museum building made of stone and glass

The Acropolis Museum in Athens opened in 2009 and is located on the Acropolis’ southern slope.

View looking down on excavated stone ruins

The museum building rests on concrete pilings above the excavated ruins of an ancient Athenian neighborhood.

Large museum corridor with glass floors and a staircase at the end

The museum exclusively houses artifacts sourced from the nearby Acropolis, arranged over three floors.

Twin statues of a woman, done in red clay and sitting atop pedestals

Clay bowls and vessels in a museum display case

Sculpture of a head, inset into a stone pillar

Museum visitors look at marble sculptures

Marble sculptures of women's forms atop pedestals in a museum

Sculpture of a man's bearded head on display in a museum gallery

Marble caryatid sculptures on display in a museum

Diorama of the Athens Acropolis next to a large window

Marble frieze on display in a museum gallery

Red and black clay vases lined up in a glass museum display

Sculptures on display in front of a large window

Marble sculpture displayed along a sunny museum corridor

The beautiful third-floor Parthenon Gallery displays works from the Parthenon in the same arrangement and orientation as the original structure.

Miniature model of the Parthenon's west pediment

Miniature models show how the Parthenon’s pediments would have looked when when the sculptures were still intact.

Marble sculpture displayed along a large rectangular core in a bright glass-walled museum.

View from large windows up to the Parthenon and Acropolis.

Large windows in the Parthenon Gallery look out to the Parthenon above.

Detail of a marble frieze of a woman sitting on a chair

Marble sculptures on display in a sunny gallery

Dining tables set in front of a large window

The museum’s stylish restaurant is located on the second floor. It generally keeps the same hours as the museum, but is open until midnight on Friday and Saturdays.

Dining terrace looking out to the Acropolis

The restaurant has a large dining terrace that sits right under the Acropolis.

Books displayed on shelves for purchase

The museum bookstore is adjacent to the restaurant, and stocks a good selection of books for all ages.

Museum gift shop with replica art pieces, jewelry, toys, and clothing on display

The museum’s gift shop is located on the building’s ground floor…

Cafe with a dozen tables set for two or four

…next to a small café.

Ruins of an ancient city, next to large concrete pillars

Visitors to the Acropolis Museum can also access the archaeological excavation that lies below the building.

Archaeological site with elevated metal walkways

Elevated walkways lead visitors through the site.

Ancient ruins next to concrete pillars

While building the museum, workers uncovered ancient streets, sewage systems, courtyards, wells, reservoirs, and more.

People sit on a bench in an archaological site and watch a video

ancient ruins next to concrete pillars

View from a sidewalk down to an archaeological dig bleow

Entrance to the Acropoli Metro station in Athens

The nearest metro station to the Acropolis Museum is Acropoli, just 120 meters away.

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Santorini Dave I’m Santorini Dave. I started this site in 2011 with a quick guide on visiting Santorini with kids. Now, my small team and I provide guides to Santorini, Naxos, Paros, Mykonos, Crete, Athens, and all of Greece - as well as favorite places to stay in some of my favorite cities - like London, Paris, Barcelona, Rome, Venice, and Florence. Email me at dave@santorinidave.com.