Few places on the planet are more iconic. Even at 9am, an August day in Athens is hot, and especially so here, on top of the Acropolis, the platform-topped rocky crag that has been the centerpiece of this city for three millennia or more. There is little shade, and though a breeze helps, the sun blazing down is a bit rough. I am thankful for my sunglasses and my water.

But despite the heat, and despite the crowds, though there is a timed entry that seeks to keep them manageable, there is truly nowhere I’d rather be than here. I walk slowly over the – at times – very uneven ground to gaze at the structures adorning the hilltop, taking the time to admire each in its turn from as many different angles as possible. All are old; all are stunning.

The Acropolis of Athens, while not one of the official wonders of the ancient world, is one of the most magnificent remnants of the classical past to be found anywhere. It is a place of pilgrimage for those who love history, culture, architecture, or just sheer amazement. It dominates the city of Athens in a way few sights can, visible from all over, inducing excitement from any angle any time it is viewed.

A visit to Athens absolutely has to include an Acropolis experience, whether from the top or down below. And after spending a month in Athens and endeavoring to have as many of these encounters with the beautiful hill as possible, I’ll share my favorites with you.

A natural hill topped with a man made platform, the Acropolis has been populated since archaic times. But during the Bronze Age civilization of the Mycenaeans, it became the spiritual centerpiece of an emerging city. A temple to Athena was built here, the end point for ritual pilgrimage to the goddess of wisdom’s namesake city. That temple, however, and everything on the Acropolis, was destroyed by the Persians in 480 BCE.

What is now atop the hill dates mainly from the time of Pericles, Athens’ famed politician of the classical age, who helped to oversee the rebuilding of the city after the destruction by the Persians. The buildings were constructed between 450 and 410 (give or take) BCE, part of a show of wealth and power stemming from Athenian hegemony in a Greek city-state alliance meant to counter the Persian threat.

The only way to truly see the buildings of the Acropolis is to visit the top. Admissions are for a timed entrance, which as of this writing is €20 for the Acropolis and its slopes or €30 for a five day ticket (beginning with your Acropolis entry) that also includes some other ancient sites. (I have heard this price will be increasing in 2025.) Book online ahead of time, as tickets will sell out. This way you can also make sure that, at least in summer, you have either an early morning or evening entry, since during the heat of the day it can exceed 100 Fahrenheit. (This summer, the Acropolis even closed some days during the hottest hours due to visitors passing out from heatstroke.)

The climb up is a bit steep, either a ramp or stairs depending on which direction one chooses to take, and slippery marble worn down by the millennia in places. There is an elevator for those with mobility issues, as well, although only a small portion of the top (enough to see the major buildings, but only from a single side each) is mobility accessible. Shade is limited, and while there is a place to refill water bottles, you’ll still want to carry a lot with you.

Since its inception, there has only been once way to walk up to the Acropolis. Today, that entrance (at the west side of the hilltop) holds the Propylaia, an ornate gateway from 432 BCE that has also, in post-Hellenistic times, functioned as a palace and a garrison.

Immediately to the right is the small temple of Athena Nike. Nike, goddess of victory, merged with Athena for this temple, built in 420 BCE or so, to commemorate an Athenian victory over Sparta and it’s allies in the Peloponnesian War, a war Athens would ultimately lose.

The two main temples on the Acropolis are the Erechtheion and the Parthenon. The Erechtheion is a temple mainly dedicated to Athena, but a portion also to Poseidon. It is said that the two fought over domination of Attica, with Athena coming out ahead. Completed in 406 BCE, it is the newest of the classical Greek structures on the Acropolis – there is also a small temple to the Roman cult of Augustus from the second century CE – and has perhaps the coolest embellishment of any of them: the Porch of the Caryatids.

This small portico holds six pillars, but they are carved as female forms, their heads holding up the roof. (Note: five of the originals – four of which are mainly whole and one in pieces that was destroyed by a cannon – are in the Acropolis Museum. The sixth was taken to London by Lord Elgin, who we will talk more about in a moment.) This is also my favorite place to watch the sunset, as in August it goes down just behind them as seen from the east side.

Finally, we come to the Parthenon. Again dedicated to Athena, this is the most impressive temple on the Acropolis, and one of the most amazing monumental buildings of the ancient world. When it was fully completed in 432 BCE, it was gleaming white marble with painted embellishments, gold, and intricately carved details on basically all of its surfaces.

Many of those carvings were taken by the aforementioned Lord Elgin and are now, sadly, still at the British Museum since the British government refuses to return them to Greece.

In 1687, during a Venetian siege of Ottoman Athens, a cannonball hit the Acropolis, which the Ottomans were using for munitions storage, destroying much of the temple. It is amazing that so much is still left between that and the plundering.

During its heyday, the center of the Parthenon was a nearly 40 foot tall statue of Athena, a smaller version (still dating to classical times) of which can be found in Athens’ National Archaeological Museum.

A visit to the top of the Acropolis can easily be completed in about two hours, as while it is monumental, it is fairly small, and only the Propylaia is actually able to be entered (as it is still the gate to the area). But it is only the start of truly experiencing the magnificence.

Some of that can be achieved just by walking around the city. The Acropolis can be seen from every angle and from all over, and the views from below truly show off the engineering that went into constructing the platform the buildings sit upon.

For my favorite Acropolis experience, have dinner with a view of the complex in the changing light. There is a row of cafes to the west of the Acropolis, near the Ancient Agora. (Search for Thissio View on Google maps and go near there. I don’t remember the name of the cafe I picked.) Here, one can have dinner and a drink for around €20 per person, with a view that is priceless as the Acropolis lights up with the sun and then the lights themselves after dusk.

Or you can splurge a bit for a fancier meal. I picked Electra Roof Garden so I could see the Acropolis and the sunset, since this sits to the east of the hill. It was pricy but spectacular modern upscale Greek fare.

However, to truly learn what the Acropolis is and has been, one must visit the Acropolis Museum. I don’t throw around the phrase “world-class” when it comes to museums often, but this institution, opened in 2009, is worthy of the term. It is reasonably small, with the entirety able to be seen in a few hours or less, and easily approachable. Signage is good, and the collection is incredible, all things found on the Acropolis.

The easy highlight of the Acropolis Museum is the top floor, which is entirely about the Parthenon. It is set up to be the exact size and shape (albeit not as tall) as the mighty temple, with remnants of the stone carvings in place as they would have been. Some are original; others are plaster copies of those in the British Museum that haven’t been returned. (A note here: it is impossible to visit this room and not know with certainty that this is where they all belong. If you are British, please lobby your MPs to return the treasures to their rightful home.)

And to top it all off, just this summer, the Acropolis Museum opened up the remains – mainly Roman – of ancient Athens discovered and excavated during construction that sit below the museum.

No matter how one chooses to experience it, no Athens visit is complete without some aspect of the Acropolis. Whether it is from the top – during the day or for sunset – or the bottom, with a meal or at a museum, the Acropolis of Athens is one of the world’s wonders, a must-see for nearly anyone. It will live up to any expectations you might have, and then some.

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