Although I still believe that admission fees to archeological sites and public museums in Greece are amongst the lowest anywhere – 12e for admission to the Acropolis & a host of other archeological sites in central Athens – The Parthenon on the Acropolis is one of the most signifant places on earth – and you can explore it up close for 12 euro! Basil and I paid 12 euro for the two of us to enter the Karen Blixen house outside of Nairobi in Kenya. OK, Meryl Streep portrayed her, but to pay the same to visit a 2.5 room house on a former coffee plantation as you pay to ascend the Acropolis of Athens? Sorry, I get carried away because I think tickets to archeolgoical sites in Greece are amongst the best bargains anywhere…
But if you are looking for an even bigger bargain (free!) visit the sites on one the free archeological site and museum admission days in Greece
Free admission to Greece’s Sites Every Sunday from November 1st to March 31st.
All National Holidays in Greece (beware, sometimes museums or sites may be closed on these holidays)
New Year’s Day on January 1st
March 25th – Greek Independence Day
May First – for May Day
August 15th – Feast Day of the Virgin Mary
October 28th – Oxi Day
December 25 – Christmas Day, some websites indicate sites are free and open on this day. In all my years in Greece I’ve not seen the main sites open on Christmas Day – But if they are, they’ll be free
December 26 – Boxing Day
Site & Museum Admission during the Easter Holiday Period:
Clean Monday, the start of Lent
Good Friday
Easter Monday and Tuesday
Monday after Pentecost is usually also free.
Sites that do open on these days (with free admission) tend to have special earlier closing times. It is a good idea to phone ahead to double check.
Other Free Days for Greece’s Sites & Museums
March 6th – In honor of Melina Mercouri
April 18th – International Monuments Day
May 18th – International Museums Day
June 5th – International Environment Day
September 27th- International Tourism Day
Last Weekend of September – European Heritage Days
Sundays in the period between 1 November and 31 March Outside of that period, it’s free the first Sunday of every month, except for July, August and September. If the first Sunday is a holiday, then the following Sunday will be the free admission day.
Full Moon in August – Many sites are open at night for the full moon during August so that visitors can truly experience the setting as the ancients once did. In recent years the Acropolis Full Moon Festival became too crowded so in 2011 they did not open their gates, though I was lucky enough to be there for a total lunar Eclipse a few years back and it is an amazing experience so perhaps they will come up with a way to permit access sometime in the future (even PAID access to the site would be worthwhile – and I’d pay more than 12 euro for controlled access during a full moon J)
The Ministry usually announces which sites will be open a few weeks prior. I’ll be tweeting any updates.
First Sunday of October is no longer free since January 1st 2012