Background
A rocky hill above Athens, crowned by the ruins of the Parthenon, the Erechtheion, the Propylaea and the small Temple of Athena Nike. UNESCO calls it the greatest architectural and artistic complex left to the world by Greek Antiquity.
The main temples went up in the second half of the 5th century BC, after the victory over the Persians and the birth of democracy, under the statesman Pericles and the sculptor Pheidias. The hill itself was lived on from the Neolithic, and a Mycenaean wall circled it in the Bronze Age.
- 13th c. BCMycenaean wall built around the hill
- 570–550 BCFirst temple to Athena Polias
- 480 BCTemples destroyed in the Persian invasion
- 5th c. BCParthenon, Erechtheion and Propylaea built under Pericles
- 1687Parthenon blown apart in the Venetian siege
- 1987Inscribed as World Heritage
Find Your Way Around
The main parts of the site, in the order most visitors see them
- 1PropylaeaThe monumental gateway at the western end of the hill, designed by Mnesicles.
- 2ParthenonThe great temple built by Ictinus, damaged in 1687 when gunpowder stored inside exploded.
- 3ErechtheionOne of the temples built under Pericles.
- 4Temple of Athena NikeThe small temple to Athena Nike, of the same period.
- 5Acropolis MuseumBelow the hill, the next stop in the GoGo Athens guide.
Know Before You Go
From Wikivoyage and the GoGo guides
A Morning on the Acropolis
From the GoGo Athens guide · Open the Athens Guide ›
- 08:00The Parthenon and the Acropolis2 hrsThe temples at opening time, before the heat.
- 10:30Acropolis Museum90 minThe museum below the rock.
Best Time to Visit
Best months: Apr–May, Sep–Oct.
Typical highs
Climate: NASA POWER
Pair It With
Other World Heritage sites nearby, by distance
