The Acropolis, the “high city”, is a rocky hill in the middle of Athens crowned by the finest buildings of the ancient Greek world. Most of what you see today was built in the 5th century BC, in the Golden Age of Athens under Pericles, and the whole site has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. Here is what to look for as you walk up.

The Propylaea: the gateway

You enter through the Propylaea, the monumental gateway built in 437 to 432 BC. Its marble columns frame the first view of the Parthenon, exactly as the ancient builders intended.

The Temple of Athena Nike

On a bastion to the right of the gateway stands the small, elegant Temple of Athena Nike, Athena as goddess of victory. Built around 420 BC with slender Ionic columns, it is one of the jewels of the hill.

The Parthenon

The Parthenon, the great temple of Athena, was built between 447 and 432 BC by the architects Iktinos and Kallikrates, with sculpture overseen by Pheidias. Its Doric columns look perfectly straight, but they lean and swell very slightly to correct optical illusions. Restoration work has been going on for decades, so you will usually see some scaffolding.

The Erechtheion and the Caryatids

Across from the Parthenon is the Erechtheion, a temple linked to the oldest cults of Athena and Poseidon. Its famous porch is held up by six marble maidens, the Caryatids. The ones on the hill are copies: five of the originals are in the Acropolis Museum, and the sixth is in the British Museum in London.

The theatres on the slopes

From the top you look down on the Theatre of Dionysus on the south slope, where the plays of Sophocles and Euripides were first performed, and on the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, a Roman theatre from AD 161 that still hosts summer concerts. To the west is the Areopagus, the rocky hill where the ancient council met.

Before you go

Tickets are sold by timed entry slot, and the quietest time is the 8:00 opening. For tickets, opening hours and tips for avoiding the cruise crowds, read our Acropolis tips for cruise passengers. To see the original sculptures, finish your visit at the Acropolis Museum at the foot of the hill.

Visit with us

Our Athens Private Walking Tour takes you around the Acropolis with a licensed guide. If you prefer a private driver for the day, the Athens Half Day tour and the Athens Day Tour start with the Acropolis, and a licensed guide can be added on request. Arriving by cruise ship? See our private shore excursions from Piraeus.