Ancient Agora of Athens

Tickets and tours: all the options

The Agora has its own entry ticket, sold online and at the gates, which also covers the museum in the Stoa of Attalos. It is also part of the combined ticket for the main archaeological sites of Athens, valid for several days, which covers the Acropolis, the Roman Agora, Hadrian's Library and other sites; it pays off if you plan to see at least three. Queues here are far shorter than at the Acropolis, so booking ahead is optional.

GetYourGuide sells e-tickets with an audio commentary on your phone, one version covering the Roman Agora too, which is useful as signs on the site are brief. Guided tours with entry run in small groups for about two hours, and private guided tours suit families or those with specific interests. There are also walking tours that combine the Acropolis, the Roman Agora and the Ancient Agora in one morning, which gives an overview but only a short time in each.

The site makes most sense with some explanation, because many buildings survive only as foundations. For most visitors a guided tour or an audio guide is worth it; a sensible plan is the combined ticket, the Acropolis early in the morning and the Agora with an audio guide afterwards, when its trees offer some shade.

A short history

The area below the Acropolis was a cemetery and settlement before it became a public square in the 6th century BC. Over the following centuries the Athenians built council houses, law courts, temples and colonnades here, and it was the stage for the democracy of the 5th and 4th centuries BC and for the trial of Socrates in 399 BC. Hellenistic kings and Roman emperors added grand buildings until the Herulian raid of AD 267 ruined the area. A residential quarter later covered the site. From 1931 the American School of Classical Studies cleared the houses and excavated, and in the 1950s it rebuilt the Stoa of Attalos as the museum.

Getting there

The Agora lies in the old centre, between Monastiraki and the north-west slope of the Acropolis. Metro lines 1 and 3 stop at Monastiraki, and line 1 at Thissio; from either it is a walk of about five minutes to the main gate on Adrianou Street. A second gate on the south side, near the Church of the Holy Apostles, opens onto the path up to the Acropolis.

From Athens airport, metro line 3 runs to Monastiraki in about 40 minutes, and the airport bus to Syntagma is an alternative. Driving in the centre is not practical: parking is scarce and streets are restricted. Taxis can drop you on Adrianou Street, a pedestrian zone at its eastern end.

Rules and what to bring

Do not climb on the ruins, sit on marble or enter the Temple of Hephaestus beyond the barriers. Drones are forbidden, and tripods and professional photography need a permit. Large bags may be checked at the entrance. Bring water, a hat and sunscreen in summer: there is shade under the trees, but the paths are dusty and hot. Toilets are near the museum, and there is a drinking fountain, but no cafe on site.

When to go

Come at 8 am, when the gates open and before the heat builds, or after 5 pm in summer, when the light on the Temple of Hephaestus turns gold and many visitors have left. Midday from June to August is hot, though the trees give more shade than on the Acropolis. Groups often arrive mid-morning straight from the Acropolis.

March to May and October are the best months: mild days, green grass between the stones and fewer people. The first Sunday from November to March and a few national days are free and much busier. Winter is quiet but closing times are early. The Agora works well in the afternoon after an early Acropolis visit. Allow two hours for the main buildings and the museum, three if you want to wander or take a guided tour.