Localada’s free The Acropolis & the Parthenon audio guide is part of the Athens audio guide: the story of The Acropolis & the Parthenon, practical visiting tips and a route map, narrated in 15 languages. It opens in your browser, with no app download and no tour group.
Listen to the The Acropolis & the Parthenon audio guide, free →
Opens the Athens guide in Localada, where The Acropolis & the Parthenon is one of the stops. A free account takes a few seconds.
The Acropolis & the Parthenon: key facts
- Time to allow: 2–3 hours
- Hours: 08:00–19:00 (open daily)
- Address: Acropolis, Athens 105 58
- Nearest transport: Akropoli · M2 · 8 min walk (M2 · M3)
- Localada perk: 5% OFF – Guided tour of the Acropolis, Parthenon and Museum — book below
- One entry route up and one down; the marble steps are worn smooth and slippery. There is no shade on the rock. Bags larger than a small daypack are not allowed. The combined heritage ticket also admits you here. Last entry is well before closing.
The story of The Acropolis & the Parthenon
Nothing up here is straight.
The Parthenon has no truly vertical column and no truly flat step. The platform swells upward in the middle by about eleven centimetres. The columns lean slightly inwards and bulge a third of the way up. Every one of these is deliberate — corrections for the way a perfectly straight building looks sagging and thin from a distance. If the columns continued upward they would meet somewhere above a kilometre in the air.
It was built in fifteen years, which is fast even now, and paid for with money collected from other Greek cities for a war against Persia. Several of them said so loudly at the time.
The building has been a temple to Athena, a church, a mosque, and an ammunition store. That last one ended in 1687 when a Venetian shell found the gunpowder and blew the middle out of it. Most of what is missing went that night.
Walk up through the Propylaia and stop before the ground levels out. From there the columns rise above you at the angle the architects planned for, and you are standing roughly where a procession would have stopped.
Listen to the The Acropolis & the Parthenon audio guide, free →
Tips for visiting The Acropolis & the Parthenon
- Go at opening or in the last two hours — the middle of the day on the rock is brutal.
- Use the south-east entrance near the Acropolis Museum; the main gate queue is always longer.
- Take water; there is one fountain and no shade.
- Shoes with grip, not sandals — the marble is polished by three million feet a year.
- The Areopagus rock below is open at all hours and gives the best view back up.
5% off The Acropolis & the Parthenon tickets and tours
Book through Localada and GetYourGuide takes 5% off at checkout, on experiences worldwide. No code needed.
See The Acropolis & the Parthenon tickets and tours on GetYourGuide →
More audio guides in Athens
- The Acropolis Museum · 1–2 hours
- The Ancient Agora & the Temple of Hephaestus · 1.5–2 hours
- The Temple of Olympian Zeus & Hadrian's Arch · 1 hour
All stops in the Athens audio guide →
The Acropolis & the Parthenon audio guide: frequently asked questions
Is the The Acropolis & the Parthenon audio guide free?
Yes. The The Acropolis & the Parthenon audio guide is part of Localada’s free Athens guide: create a free account and open it in your browser, no app download needed. Tickets for The Acropolis & the Parthenon are bought separately; booking through Localada’s GetYourGuide links gives 5% off.
How long should I spend at The Acropolis & the Parthenon?
Allow 2–3 hours for The Acropolis & the Parthenon.
What are the opening hours of The Acropolis & the Parthenon?
08:00–19:00 (open daily). Hours can change on public and religious holidays, so check on the day.
Can I get a discount on The Acropolis & the Parthenon tickets?
Yes. Book The Acropolis & the Parthenon tickets and tours through Localada’s GetYourGuide links and GetYourGuide applies 5% off at checkout.
Which languages is the The Acropolis & the Parthenon audio guide available in?
Narration and text are available in 15 languages: English, Turkish, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish, Russian, Arabic, Persian, Chinese, Japanese and Korean.
Listen to the The Acropolis & the Parthenon audio guide, free →