Pristine Parthenon: Acropolis Tour & Skip-the-Line Acropolis Museum Tour

Join a small group of no more than 10 people and start your Acropolis tour, led by an expert local guide. By entering just as the gates open, you avoid the long tourist queues. Inside, pause by temples and monuments on your way up the hill, before heading to the main spot, the Parthenon. As you stand on the rocky outcrop and take in its beauty, your guide will explain the Parthenon's millennia-spanning history and answer some of your burning questions, such as why it has never been replicated.

Slowly, the crowds will begin to arrive, and your guide will lead you down the hill to enjoy the other attractions here, including the Erechtheon, the Temple of Athena Nike, the Theater of Dionysus (the oldest theater in the world), and the Theater of Herodes Atticus. You’ll also enjoy spectacular views over the Greek Agora, once the civic center of the ancient city.

At the foot of the Acropolis, enter the New Acropolis Museum with skip-the-line tickets. Browse through a carefully curated collection of artifacts that once adorned the hill. Some of these include the Caryatids, huge statues of women that once supported the entablature of the Erechtheion (the ones you saw on the actual temple are recreations) and the Parthenon Marbles. Continue onwards and admire the archeological excavations that come with access to the underground area of the museum. Your guide is a passionate art and history expert and will regale you with stories behind the stones. By the end of the tour, you will have a newfound appreciation for why we still consider these to be among the greatest works of art. The tour ends inside the museum so you can spend more time looking at the exhibitions or sit down in the cafe for some lunch.