Avoid the crowds at the Acropolis: Pristine Parthenon Tour in Athens

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My first visit to Athens was in 2008 on our way to a cruise of the Greek islands – which also included my first ever stop in Turkey. That trip, we visited the Acropolis ruins in the middle of a sweltering summer day and I was too hot and weary of the crowds to truly enjoy myself or to really take it all in.

Most recently, I returned not for the Acropolis site but for the amazing Acropolis Museum which had opened the year after my first visit. I went early in the day and spent nearly four hours wandering the exhibits! Before leaving, I took a break for a cup of coffee and to write a few postcards in the outdoor cafe looking out towards the Acropolis site itself.

This trip, I was excited to be offered a place in the guided tour with a company called Walks, allowing me to revisit both the Parthenon itself as well as the Acropolis museum – this time with a guide to help bring them to life. Walks offers guided tours (many of them food tours) in cities all over the world, some of which I’d already looked into during research for other trips to Spain, Amsterdam and New Orleans.

Even if you’re not one for guided tours, I can recommend this skip-the-line tour with Walks – especially if you’re averse to crowds, as the Acropolis is understandably very popular and gets even more crowded as the day goes on. It is absolutely worth getting an early start to be among the first to enter. (Don’t believe me? Check out just a small part of the the line we passed as we were leaving!)

Our guide, Ifegenia was fantastic! Not only did she actually grow up in the neighborhood (no, really… she just casually pointed out her primary school as we walked to the entrance, no big deal!) she had a great sense of humor and really kept us engaged throughout the tour. We were given individual headsets so we could hear the stories even if we wandered a bit from the group. I often did this to snap a photo, find shade or just take a moment to get to a crowd-free spot.

It feels a bit surreal listening to the history – going all the way back to Greek mythology and imagining Athena’s gift of an olive tree next to the one still standing at the Acropolis. Or looking out over the sprawl of modern Athens with the stately Caryatid sisters, then seeing the real ones close up in the museum, admiring the detailing of each individual dress and hairstyle… it’s mind blowing, no matter how many times I’ve seen them!

We got to the Acropolis Museum just as other groups were starting to arrive, so Ifegenia took us straight up to the top level, the Parthenon Gallery. Here you are able to view the progression of the Parthenon frieze along the entire perimeter and the sculptures of the east and west pediments, almost at eye level. Just imagine what it would have been like to see them up atop the Parthenon centuries ago!

All this being said, Athens is so much more than just the area around the Acropolis and I’m happy to be just a quick flight away in Turkey – always looking forward to planning another return trip! I’ll be sharing highlights from the Peloponnese and Western Greece in further stories on the blog. You’ll also find these bookmarked in my IG stories over on Instagram.

>> Check out my photo and video gallery from the Pristine Parthenon Tour with Walks.
>> If you’d also like to avoid the crowds at the Acropolis, you can book the Pristine Parthenon Tour here. (Full disclosure: this is an affiliate link, so I’ll get a small commission from anything you purchase on the Walks site – there’s no additional charge to you and it helps me to keep this website running. If you’d prefer the non-affiliate link you can get to the same page here.)

A few tips for your visit:

• There’s very little shade at the Acropolis site, even early in the morning – so be sure to wear sunscreen and bring a hat and water bottle along with you. You can refill bottles at the site as well, near the bathrooms on the east facing side of the Parthenon.
• Wear comfortable walking shoes and watch your step – sometimes you’ll be walking over marble stones that have been worn smooth over centuries, uneven ground, or cobblestones.
• At the end of your tour, you’re on your own to browse the other levels of the Acropolis Museum at your leisure – regular visitors usually start below and work up to the finale at the Parthenon gallery level, so our tour’s way of heading to the good stuff first is another trick to avoid the crowds. Below the main building, you can also witness the extensive underground archaeological excavation of the ancient city that’s still ongoing.
• If you’ve worked up an appetite and want a popular option for lunch near the Acropolis Museum that’s not a tourist trap, Ifigenia recommended Opos Palia. I didn’t have time on this visit, but a friend liked it so much he went twice!
• If you’ve worked up an appetite and want a popular option for lunch near the Acropolis Museum that’s not a tourist trap, Ifigenia recommended Opos Palia. I didn’t have time on this visit, but a friend liked it so much he went twice!
• You can also visit the Acropolis Museum Cafe and Restaurant without a ticket to the museum itself. It’s open during museum hours but on Fridays stays open until midnight.  You still need to go through security to enter, but you’ll find a separate elevator that can take you directly to the shop and cafe on the second floor.

Note: My tour was provided by Walks, but I was not otherwise compensated for this post and as always, my honest opinions are all my own. See my page on Partnerships & Disclosures for more information.