Greece › Athens › Archaeological Sites › Panathenaic Stadium
Updated: October 31, 2022
By Santorini Dave
See Also
- Best Hotels in Athens
- Where to Stay in Athens
- Best Restaurants in Athens
- Best Things to Do in Athens
- Complete Athens Travel Guide
Tours and Tickets:
• Tickets are are only available for purchase at the stadium, not online.
• Small Group Olympic Games Workout (2 hours)
• Athens City Tour with Entry Tickets (5 hours)
• Athens Small Group E-Bike Tour (2.5 hours; passes stadium, no entry.)Panathenaic Stadium Hours and Information
- Hours: Open daily. 8am to 7pm March to October; 8am to 5pm November to February.
- Website: panathenaicstadium.gr
- Location: Vasileos Konstantinou Avenue
- Telephone: +30 21 0752 2984
- Admission Fee: General admission fee: 10€. Reduced fee: 5€ for seniors over 65 and students. Free admission for children under 6 and for visitors with disabilities and persons accompanying them. – Audiobooks are available in 11 languages and included in the admission fee. Ask for this option at the entrance.
- Parking: Street parking, nearby pay lots.
- Nearest Metro: Syntagma or Evangelismos, both about 1km away.
Panathenaic Stadium in Athens
- The Panathenaic Stadium in Athens was the site of the first modern Olympic Games, held in 1896, and the only stadium in the world built entirely out of marble. The top rows of the stadium (especially the upper tier of stand 21) enjoy impressive views of Mt. Lycabettus and the Acropolis.
- Also known as Kallimarmaro (meaning “beautifully marbled”), the stadium is located in the central Athens district of Pangrati, about a 750-meter walk from the Temple of Olympian Zeus and about a 1km walk from Syntagma Square or the Acropolis Museum.
- The original stadium was built in 330 BC by an Athenian statesman, Lykourgos, for the Panathenaic Games which were held every 4 years in honor of the goddess Athena. In 144 AD, Herodes Atticus, an Athenian aristocrat and Greco-Roman politician, rebuilt the original stadium out of Pentelic marble (from Mount Penteli, northeast of Athens) with a massive capacity of 50,000.
- In the 4th century, after the rise of Christianity, the stadium was mostly abandoned and the area was covered by a wheat field until excavation began in 1869.
- It is the finish point for the annual Athens Classic Marathon, which originated in 490 BC when an Ancient Greek messenger ran from the Battle of Marathon to Athens to announce Greece’s victory against the Persians.
- The stadium holds regular concerts in the summer and is host to significant cultural, sporting, and ceremonial events. During an Olympic Games year, the Olympic flame travels from Ancient Olympia throughout Greece before finally arriving to the Panathenaic Stadium for the official hand-over ceremony to the new host country.
- Daily runs are held every morning from 7:30am to 9:00am. Signed safety waivers (provided on site by stadium staff) are required.
- A small coffee shop is open daily at the front of the stadium.
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About Santorini Dave
I'm Santorini Dave. I started this site in 2011 with a short article on tips for visiting Santorini with kids. We're now a small team of writers and researchers dedicated to providing the best travel content on the internet. We focus on Santorini, Mykonos, Athens, and Greece, offering recommendations for top hotels, neighborhoods, and family-friendly hotels worldwide. I can be contacted at dave@santorinidave.com.