Which one to choose in Athens
Two ancient sites in Athens. Hadrian’s Library has 1 ticket or tour to book; Roman Agora of Athens has no online ticket listed. The table and the two notes below put them side by side; the full pages have what to see, the ticket and the timing for each.
Athens, Greece
Hadrian's Library is the great colonnaded building the emperor Hadrian gave Athens in AD 132, on the north side of the Acropolis beside Monastiraki Square. Behind a facade of tall marble columns lay a courtyard with a long pool and halls where papyrus rolls were kept. Later the site held three churches in turn, whose remains are also on view.
Athens, Greece
The Roman Agora of Athens is the marketplace built with money from Julius Caesar and Augustus in the last decades BC, a short walk east of the older Greek Agora. Its star is the Tower of the Winds, an octagonal marble clock tower that survives almost complete. The site is small, central and quick to see.
| Hadrian’s Library | Roman Agora of Athens | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Ancient Monument | Ancient City |
| Civilisation | Roman | Roman |
| Founded | AD 132 | 27 BC |
| Entry | A few euros; under-18s and EU under-25s free | About EUR 8; EU under-25s free; in the combined ticket |
| Hours | About 8 am to 8 pm in summer, to around 3 or 5 pm in winter; check current hours | Roughly 8 am to early evening in summer, shorter winter hours to mid or late afternoon; check before going |
| Time needed | 45 minutes to an hour | 45 minutes to an hour |
| Booking | Pay at the gate or online; no timed slot needed | Pay at the gate, or use the combined ticket bought online |
| Tickets and tours on GetYourGuide | 1 | none listed |