Buy the 5-Day Combined Ticket for time-slot reservations at the Acropolis and skip-the-line access to top archaeological sites in Athens. This combination ticket is a good savings deal but especially useful for the queue-skipping entry when sightseeing.
What Is the 5-Day Combined Ticket in Athens?
The 5-Day Combined Ticket is an official combination ticket giving access to the Acropolis and six further archaeological sites in central Athens. It is advertised under many different names e.g. “Athens: Acropolis & 6 Sites Ticket Pass” or “Athens: Acropolis and 6 Archaeological Sites Combo Ticket“.
The 5-Day Combined Ticket includes entry to:
- Acropolis & Slopes (Parthenon)
- Ancient Agora
- Kerameikos
- Hadrian’s Library
- Olympieion (Temple of Zeus)
- Roman Agora (Forum)
- Aristotle’s School (Lyceum)
Several city passes such as the Athens Pass or Turbopass also include these sights. In contrast to the 5-Day Ticket, these passes often include admission to the Acropolis Museum and the National Museum of Archaeology.
Buying the 5-Day Combined Ticket in Athens
It is possible to buy the 5-Day Combined Ticket online, in person in Athens from the Acropolis ticket office, or at other included sites from vending machines (but NOT ticket windows!) Resellers usually add audioguides, which are almost essential to make sense of any of the included archaeological sites.
The price of the 5-day combination ticket is €30 — it is not discounted in winter. The combination ticket is free for EU nationals up to 25 years and all children up to only 5 years. All visitors, including babies, need time-slot reservations for the Acropolis, so always include free admission when buying tickets.
It is best to buy the 5-Day Combined Ticket online as long as possible in advance to ensure the best time-slot reservations for the Acropolis. Whether buying a the official website Hellenic Heritage (HHticket) or from resellers with audioguides, the time for entering the Acropolis is booked when buying.
To buy from Hellenic Heritage, follow the normal process for booking a ticket for the Acropolis & Slopes (in the Attica & Central Greece region). Pick a date and available time slot. Instead of a “Single-Use Ticket”, select the “5-Day Combined Ticket” and complete the buying process. The time slot is to visit the Acropolis. All other sites may be visited before or after but within the five-day limit.
Using the 5-Day Combined Ticket in Athens
The 5-Day Combined Ticket is used as a printed or mobile ticket. At each venue, go directly to the entry to scan the QR code. There is no need to pass by the ticket window.
The date and time slot for visiting the Acropolis and Slopes (including the Parthenon) must be specified when buying the combination ticket. It is possible to enter the Acropolis site up to 15 minutes earlier than the time slot if there are no queues.
At all the other sites, the combination ticket gives skip-the-line entry. This is quite handy as separate time-slot reservations would otherwise be necessary. There is no need to guestimate how much time is needed to see each site.
Irrespective of where the ticket was bought, the combination ticket is valid for 5 calendar days from first use. It is not necessary to see the Acropolis first.
Is the 5-Day Combined Ticket a Good Deal in Athens?
In summer, the 5-Day Combined Ticket is a very good deal while the main benefit in winter is the possibility of skipping the lines and visiting the additional sites at will.
The Acropolis (€20) and Ancient Agora (€10) are must-see-sights in Athens so the €30 combination ticket already covers the admission price for these sites making all the others a bonus (€8-10 each).
All these “bonus” sites are worth seeing but apart from the Kerameikos, all that there is to see can be seen for free through the fence! With a combination ticket do go in but paying even the winter €4 admission each for the Roman Agora, Hadrian’s Library, or the Olympieion will feel like being fleeced. These sites are of historic significance but can be seen without entering the sites.
Sites Covered by the 5-Day Combination Ticket
Acropolis & Slopes
The Acropolis with slopes is the main archaeological site to see in Athens. Acropolis admission alone already covers two-thirds of the price of the 5-Day Combined Ticket. The main sight is of course the Parthenon Temple while seeing the pillared ceremonial Propylaea Gate, the Temple of Athena Nike, and the Erechtheion with Caryatids (female sculptures) as columns close up is also very interesting. The views from the Acropolis Hill are magnificent.
Tip: Enter from the bottom entrance near the Acropolis Museum to see the slopes including the the Theatre of Dionysus, the Asklepieion, and the Odeon of Herodes Atticus while climbing the hill.
→ See also Top Tips for Visiting the Acropolis and Parthenon and How to Buy Tickets or Book Tours for the Acropolis.
Guided tours of the Acropolis are sensible to get more out of visiting this important archaeological site.
Ancient Agora
The Ancient Agora was the political, commercial, and cultural heart of Athens. Although now mostly ruins only, the site is still very interesting to visit. The small museum is in a rebuilt two-story stoa while the Temple of Hephaistus (Hephaestus / Vulcan) is one of the best preserved Greek temples from antiquity anywhere.
→ See Visit the Ancient Agora Archaeological Site and Museum in Athens for more details.
Kerameikos
The Kerameikos is the only of the “bonus sites” that cannot be seen for free from the outside. The site, named after the potters who worked here, played an important role in the history of ancient Athens but the main interest is the large cemetery from antiquity.
The site has many ruins and rubble in addition to a few surviving funerary monuments and copies of statues. Even with an audioguide, it requires a lot of imagination to make much sense out of this historically important venue.
The small museum is well worth seeing. It has many of the original sculptures and other archaeological finds at the site. (Many more are in the National Archaeological Museum). The most famous is the bull from the grave of Dionysios of Kollytos.
The closest metro stations are Kermeikos and Thissio. It is also an easy walk from the Ancient Agora or even Monastiraki station.
Roman Agora (Forum)
The original Roman Agora (often also Roman Forum) dates from the first century BC and was a gift from Julius Caesar and Augustus as the commercial heart of Athens. The surviving pillars and the two main structures here can easily be seen from outside the complex.
The Gate of Athena Archegetis was the monumental entrance to the forum and was donated by Caesar in 11 BC. A row of four Doric columns and a socle made of Pentelic marble are still standing.
More impressive is the Tower of the Winds which served as a clock, weather station, and planetary. The reliefs on the outside of the tower symbolize the eight winds of the world. The tower is only open irregularly but it is possible to peak through the windows to see some of the surviving canals used in the complicated water clock system.
Hadrian’s Library
The Library of Hadrian was a donation of the Roman Emperor Hadrian to the city of Athens in AD132. The rectangular peristyle building measured an impressive 122 by 82 m.
Almost nothing of this building survived but a wall and a few columns. These may be seen from outside the site too. The small exhibition area with a statue of Nike hasn’t been open recently.
Olympieion (Temple of Zeus)
The Olympieion is another site that promises much but delivers little. The few Corinthian columns from the originally huge Temple of Zeus are easily seen through the fence at the Arch of Hadrian. For free.
Entering the site and walking closer to the columns and seeing the foundations of the Roman baths add very little. Athens has many more interesting sites.
Guided tours of the Acropolis often start at the Arch of Hadrian. It is an easy meeting point and guides can explain the link between Athena and Zeus, the enormous Temple of Olympian Zeus, as well as the history involved in the development of the city.
More on Visiting Athens
- Acropolis & Parthenon:
- Acropolis Museum
- Ancient Agora — Archaeological Site and Museum
- 5-Day Combination Tickets — Worth it?
- Cheap Public Transportation to Athens Airport — Bus X95 is cheapest, Metro M3 is fastest.
- Odysseus — the official website of the Ministry of Culture and Sports has better information than the very old-fashioned design.
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