Exploring Athens’ Ancient Sites, Athens, Greece

Finally, on my last full day in Athens, I was going to explore the ancient sites of the city, starting with the one and only Acropolis. There is a reason I left it to the last day – it is free to visit the Acropolis and quite a lot of the other archaeological sites in the first Sundays of the month during low season, and I believe this was the last weekend before high season starts. This was a happy coincidence – but it definitely saved me some money, which I reinvested in food, of course.

The Acropolis opens at 8am, and I wanted to be there just before the hour to avoid the crowds. Even though it was low season, the Acropolis is one of the most famous landmarks in the world, and it attracts about 3 million visitors. Usually, you have to book your ticket in advance and have allocated time slots – this is to ensure the crowds don’t get out of control, putting the conservation of the place in danger. But because it was a free day, I couldn’t book anything in advance… and when I got there, there was already a queue forming. Once it opened, since payment wasn’t needed, it moved very fast, and I was quickly inside the complex. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).