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Looking for the BEST Acropolis tours? I’ve got you covered!
A trip to Athens isn’t complete without visiting the Acropolis, one of the most iconic ancient sites in the world. This hilltop citadel is packed with history, but a guided tour is a must to truly appreciate it!
With so many Acropolis tours available, choosing the right one can feel overwhelming. Whether you want a quick tour, a mythology-focused experience, or a private deep dive, there’s an option for you. To make things easy, I’ve rounded up the best Acropolis tours available, so you can skip the guesswork and focus on enjoying this incredible piece of history. Let’s dive in!
Don’t Miss Out On Our Top Choice!
The tour we loved the most and suggest booking ASAP is this one!
Our personal FAVORITE tour is this Greek mythology tour of the Acropolis! Not only did we learn the history of the ancient sights, but also the myths, legends, and tales that have shaped the culture. It was a fully immersive tour!
Check out the 1,800+ 5-star reviews and book this tour here!
Best Acropolis Tours in Athens
1. 4-hour Acropolis Monuments and Parthenon tour with skip-the-line tickets
- Duration: 4 hours
- Time: Multiple departure times available
- Highlights: Guided small-group tour of the Acropolis, explore the archaeological sites and learn about ancient Greece, upgrade your experience to include a visit to the Acropolis Museum
- Inclusions: Professional guide, skip-the-line entrance tickets (if option selected when booking)
- Rating: 5 stars (check out the 1,900+ reviews here)
- Free cancellation: Yes
- Price: Check price here!
If you’re visiting Athens, exploring the Acropolis is a must—and this half-day tour is one of the best ways to do it! With a knowledgeable guide leading the way, you’ll get a deep dive into Greek history while walking through one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world.
The tour covers all the Acropolis highlights, including the Parthenon, Erechtheion, Temple of Athena Nike, and the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. Our guide really brought everything to life, sharing fascinating stories and historical insights that made the experience so much more engaging than wandering around on our own.
Pro tip: When booking, we highly recommend choosing the option that includes entry fees—it’s not only more convenient, but you’ll also get skip-the-line access, which is a huge perk! You can also upgrade to include a visit to the Acropolis Museum, where you’ll see incredible statues and artifacts that were once part of these ancient structures.
This no-frills tour doesn’t include lunch or hotel pick-up (which keeps it more budget-friendly!), but if you’re looking for a well-paced, informative, and affordable way to experience the Acropolis, this is a fantastic choice!
Read the hundreds of 5-star reviews and reserve your spot here!
2. Learn the Greek Mythology of Athens and Acropolis
- Duration: 4 hours
- Time: 8:30 am
- Highlights: Tour the Acropolis and Ancient Agora with a guide, learn about ancient Greek mythology, learn historical facts and about Greek culture
- Inclusions: Expert guide, ancient Athens map
- Rating: 5 stars (check out the 2,100+ reviews here)
- Free cancellation: Yes
- Price: Check price here!
If you’re as obsessed with Greek mythology as I am, this half-day tour is an absolute must!
Unlike most Acropolis tours, which focus mainly on history, this one weaves in myths, legends, and ancient Greek culture. This is perfect for anyone who wants to explore the history behind these fascinating ruins.
Led by our expert guide, Sophia, we explored the Acropolis, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, and the Ancient Agora while hearing the epic stories of gods, goddesses, and legendary heroes. From the tale of Athena and Poseidon’s battle for Athens to the myth of Hephaestus and the birth of Erichthonius, every stop was brought to life with interesting stories and legends.
One of my favorite parts was visiting the Ancient Agora, where Socrates once debated and Greek democracy was born. Learning about its mythological connections—including ties to Theseus and Hercules—made it even more engaging and memorable.
If you want an Acropolis tour that blends mythology, history, and culture in the best way possible, this is the one to book. And I’m not the only one who thinks so—just look at all the 5-star reviews!
Don’t miss out – book my favorite tour here and get FREE cancellation before you go!
3. Visit the Acropolis, Parthenon, and Acropolis Museum
- Duration: 3 to 4 hours
- Time: Multiple departure times throughout the day
- Highlights: Enjoy a guided tour of the Acropolis and see highlights like the Parthenon, Propylaea, and Erechtheion, visit the Acropolis Museum
- Inclusions: Professional guide, skip-the-line entry tickets (if option selected)
- Rating: 5 stars (check out the 1,000+ reviews here)
- Free cancellation: Yes
- Price: Check price here!
As Europe’s oldest capital city, Athens is filled to the brim with fascinating history. On this half-day tour, you will get a glimpse into ancient Greece by exploring some of the city’s most iconic attractions, including the Acropolis and the Acropolis Museum.
While the Acropolis is actually a large complex consisting of several ancient buildings and temples, I find the Parthenon the most impressive! The Parthenon is a temple dedicated to the goddess Athena. This ancient site sits on a hill overlooking Athens and is the city’s most notable landmark. Seeing it in person was such an incredible moment!
We also explored the Acropolis Museum, which is home to thousands of artifacts, sculptures, and remnants from the ancient Acropolis. Visiting here gave us a glimpse into the lives of the ancient Greeks and helped us better understand modern Greek culture.
The guide on this tour is a wealth of knowledge. We learned so many amazing things about ancient Greece that blew me away – I never knew that ancient Greece was the birthplace of democracy and that they actually created modern-day theatre!
As Athens’ top attractions, the lines to get into the Acropolis and Acropolis Museum can get massive! So we were happy that we had chosen the tour option that includes skip-the-line entrance to both of these sites.
If you’d prefer a private tour instead of a group tour, you can upgrade your tickets for an exclusive experience. No matter which option you choose, this is an activity that deserves a spot on everyone’s Athens itinerary (just look at the hundreds of awesome reviews here)!
Book this popular tour here and get FREE cancellation 24 hours before you go!
Why We Book Tours with Viator
Viator is a trusted online booking system for tours around the world! We almost always book our tours using Viator for a couple of reasons:
- Free cancellation on most tours – Most of the tours on Viator allow you to cancel and get a full refund up to 24 hours in advance. This is handy in case plans change, or if booking an outdoor activity, the weather forecast is looking grim.
- Reserve now and pay later – You can secure your spot on some of the most popular tours well in advance and not pay until closer to the day of the tour.
- Lowest price guarantee – If you happen to find the same tour at a lower price elsewhere, Viator will refund you the price difference.
- Pay in your chosen currency – Avoid costly international transaction fees by choosing to pay in your home currency.
- Peace of mind – When booking with tour operators you find in person on the street or in small booking offices, you are often promised one thing and given another. This online platform holds tour operators accountable with a written description of inclusions as well as the opportunity for customers to leave reviews.
Check out the Viator website here! Or, for more info, read our detailed review about Viator here.
4. Private Athens city tour, including Acropolis
- Duration: 8 hours
- Time: 8 am or 9 am
- Highlights: Skip-the-line entry to the Acropolis, take a scenic drive to the top of Mount Lycabettus, see the Agora, enjoy a Greek lunch, choose to visit either the Acropolis Museum or Natural Archaeological Museum (tickets own expense)
- Inclusions: Professional driver, water, lunch, skip-the-line Acropolis & Agora tickets, hotel pick-up/dropoff (if private tour option selected)
- Rating: 5 stars (check out the 2,100+ reviews here)
- Free cancellation: Yes
- Price: Check price here!
If you want to explore Athens at your own pace, this full-day private tour is the way to do it! While there’s a small-group option available, we went with the private experience and highly recommend it—having a dedicated driver made the whole day seamless, flexible, and stress-free.
The tour covers Athens’ top landmarks, including the Acropolis, Parthenon, Temple of Olympian Zeus, Panathenaic Stadium, and the Ancient Agora. Our driver was incredibly knowledgeable, sharing historical facts, myths, and local insights as we drove between sites.
However, this tour doesn’t include a licensed guide to accompany you inside the attractions, so if you want a guided experience inside places like the Acropolis, you can contact the tour company after booking to add one for an extra fee.
One of the best things about this tour is how flexible it was. After a delicious lunch, we had the choice of diving deeper into history at either the Acropolis Museum or the National Archaeological Museum (tickets not included) or spending free time wandering through the charming Plaka neighborhood.
With hotel pick-up, lunch, skip-the-line tickets, and private transportation included, this is easily one of the best tours out there. If you’re looking for a comfortable and flexible way to see Athens’ historical highlights, this private tour is it!
Check out the 2,000+ 5-star reviews and book this tour here!
5. 2-hour Acropolis and Parthenon walking tour with a local guide
- Duration: 2 hours
- Time: Multiple departure times available
- Highlights: Tour the Acropolis and Parthenon with a licensed archaeologist guide, enjoy skip-the-line entry, and learn all about ancient Greek history and archeology
- Inclusions: Archaeologist guide, entry tickets (if option selected)
- Rating: 4.7 stars (check out the 2,800+ reviews here)
- Free cancellation: Yes
- Price: Check price here!
If you’re short on time but still want to experience Athens’ most famous landmark, this 2-hour Acropolis tour is a fantastic choice. Unlike other tours that cover multiple sites, this one dives deep into the Acropolis, making it ideal for those who just want an in-depth look at this ancient wonder.
What really sets this tour apart is that it’s led by a licensed archaeologist, making it perfect for history buffs and archaeology lovers who want more than just surface-level information. As we explored the Parthenon, Propylaia, Temple of Athena Nike, and Erechtheion, our guide shared incredible insights into Greek architecture, mythology, and the significance of each structure.
We also learned about the Acropolis’s role in Athenian society, how it has withstood wars, natural disasters, and looting over the centuries, and even the ongoing preservation efforts that continue today. The level of detail was next level, and it made us appreciate the Acropolis in a whole new way!
This tour has the option to include skip-the-line entry tickets when booking, which we highly recommend. Having our tickets taken care of made everything so much smoother and saved us valuable time.
If you’re looking for a short but incredibly informative Acropolis tour with an expert guide, this one is well worth it!
Check availability and book this popular tour here before it sells out!
Where to Stay in Athens
There are a ton of different areas you can stay in Athens, but I was keen on being close to the historic sights! Plus, when there are dozens of hotels with views of the Acropolis from your room, how could you pass that up?
Below, I’ve listed three awesome accommodation options for every budget so you can have a comfortable stay in Athens.
Luxury – $$$
If you’re looking for a luxury stay, Electra Metropolis is the best option. Located in central Athens, you’re meters from the top city and historic sights. The hotel provides the finest quality, from the rooftop infinity pool to its atrium or fresh food restaurants. You can expect the same high-class luxuries in the rooms, whether you have a classic double room or an Acropolis view suite.
Standard rooms get as low as €250, but high-end suites can reach €700+. Check availability and reserve this stay on Booking.com.
Mid-range – $$
You don’t have to break the bank to get stunning views from your bed! The Elia Ermou Athens Hotel is a moderately priced option with modern and comfortable rooms and a fantastic location. You can see the famous Acropolis from some rooms and from the restaurant, and you’re within walking distance to all of Athens main attractions.
Room prices range from about €160 to €400 and can be booked on Booking.com.
Budget – $
The Athens Connection Apartments are fully furnished apartments, less than a kilometer from the city center! These apartments are only €50 – €80 per night, which is a fantastic price for the quality. Featuring full kitchens, balconies, and modern design, this is a good option for those with a budget but don’t necessarily want the rowdy hostel vibes.
Check availability and book this stay on Booking.com.
For more options, check out all the hotels in Athens here!
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance!
If you’re looking to save money on travel insurance, we currently use and recommend SafetyWing. We’ve been using their coverage since 2018 and they’ve had our backs when we needed emergency flights and got sick overseas.
SafetyWing is one of the cheapest providers out there and covers everything from medical costs to lost luggage, travel delays, and emergency flights. A huge difference we’ve found between them and other companies is that they let you take out a policy AFTER leaving your home country. We’ve also found it handy that it’s a monthly payment rather than a lump sum, and you can get a refund for unused time.
SafetyWing has helped us out in some scary situations before and their affordable coverage has given us peace of mind. You can read our honest review of SafetyWing for all the pros and cons.
Thanks for reading!
Seeing the Acropolis and all of Ancient Greece’s sights is an absolute must when in Athens! We highly recommend going on an organized tour like the one we did. Not only did it make our day seamless, but we learned so much!
Before you go, be sure to check out our other travel blogs! We’ve traveled all over the world and love sharing our favorite places and experiences with fellow adventurers. Here are a few related blogs to help you plan your next getaway!
10 BEST Things to do in Athens, Greece