Acropolis Athens Weather by Month
The Acropolis is an exposed rock with marble paths and almost no shade, so the weather shapes the visit more than it would in a museum. The hours move with the seasons too. Booking a skip the line acropolis of athens tour? Pick the month, then the hour.
What the weather does to a visit on the Acropolis
Four things change with the weather, and each one changes what you should book and when you should go.
- Heat. The plateau is open marble. In July and August the average high is 33 °C, and you climb in full sun. One operator warns of heat on the uphill walk.
- Rain and marble. The worn marble is slippery when wet, so you walk slowly. The site stays open, and the tours say they run rain or shine.
- Wind. The Acropolis lift does not run in severe weather or strong wind, so a visit that depends on it depends on the day.
- Light and hours. The site closes at 20:00 in summer and 17:00 in winter, and in autumn the closing time moves earlier every fortnight.
The figures below are the Hellenic National Meteorological Service's 1991–2020 averages for its Elliniko station, on the coast south of the centre. Each month shows the average daily low and high.
The Acropolis month by month
January at the Acropolis
7–14 °C. The cold, wet half of the year. Sunny spells break the bad weather, the days Greeks call Halcyon days. Winter hours: 08:00 to 17:00, last entry 16:30. The marble is slippery after rain, so you need shoes with grip.
February at the Acropolis
7–14 °C. Still winter hours, 08:00 to 17:00. The Halcyon spells can run into the first half of the month. If you wake to rain, give the morning to the Acropolis Museum instead.
March at the Acropolis
9–17 °C. Spring is short in Greece, and it starts late. The site is closed on 25 March and free on 6 March, so you share the rock with a crowd that day. The museum is free on both.
April at the Acropolis
12–20 °C. The dry season starts. Free admission on 18 April, International Monuments Day. Easter Sunday closes the site, and Good Friday and Holy Saturday have short hours. Check the Orthodox Easter date before you book a slot that weekend.
May at the Acropolis
16–25 °C. Warm and dry. The site is closed on 1 May and free on 18 May. By late morning the rock is warm, so book an early slot and bring a hat. Summer hours are in force.
June at the Acropolis
21–30 °C. Summer hours: 08:00 to 20:00, last entry 19:30. Days are long and dry. The plateau has almost no shade, so carry water to the gate and drink before you go in, because no food or drink is allowed inside.
July at the Acropolis
23–33 °C. The hottest stretch of the year starts in the last ten days of July. Book the 08:00 slot or one of the last two. Summer hours hold: last entry 19:30. The lift does not run in strong wind, so call ahead.
August at the Acropolis
24–33 °C. Still the hottest time of the year, into the first ten days of August. Summer hours hold all month. Walk up early, give the museum your midday, and keep the afternoon for shade and a late slot.
September at the Acropolis
20–29 °C. Hours shorten on 1 and 16 September: last entry 19:00, then 18:30. The last weekend of September is free, for European Heritage Days, and busy. The heat eases, the weather stays dry, and you can enjoy a late slot again.
October at the Acropolis
16–24 °C. Last entry 18:00 from 1 October and 17:30 from the 16th. The wet season begins in mid-October. Free admission on 28 October, and the museum is free that day too. Late slots now finish in the early evening.
November at the Acropolis
12–19 °C. Winter hours: 08:00 to 17:00, last entry 16:30. Autumn in southern Greece is long and warm, but you should pack for rain. The museum's winter timetable keeps it open to 22:00 on Fridays, for an evening after the rock.
December at the Acropolis
9–15 °C. Short days and winter hours. The site is closed on 25 and 26 December. Autumn can linger to mid-December. Last entry is 16:30, so start by early afternoon, and keep a Friday evening for the museum, open to 22:00.
The seasons, and which one you want
The national weather service divides the Greek year into two seasons. The cold, rainy one runs from the middle of October to the end of March. The warm, dry one runs from April to October, with settled weather, clear skies and only short, heavy storms.
April to October: dry, long hours
Summer hours of 08:00 to 20:00 run until the end of August, then shorten every fortnight through October. The heat peaks at the end of July and the start of August. Late April, May and late September to October give you dry weather without the worst of it.
November to March: wet, short hours
Winter hours are 08:00 to 17:00. Tour operators place winter at November to March; the Ministry does not print the dates, so you should check the notice for your day. The rain comes in spells, broken by sunny days, and the plateau is quiet.
Picked your month? Book the slot that suits it.
Early starts beat the summer heat, and late slots catch the evening light. Every tour card shows its length and whether the ticket is in the fare.
Best time of day on the rock
The site opens at 08:00 all year, and if you take the first slot you get the coolest part of the day. One visitor who went in at 08:00 found it much quieter than after 09:00. The middle of a summer day is the hardest time to be on the plateau: take the Acropolis Museum then, which is indoors and open to 20:00 from Tuesday to Sunday in summer.
Late afternoon brings the soft light and, in summer, the last entry at 19:30. It is not cooler than the morning. Nobody enters after dark, whatever a tour calls itself; the options that run to closing are on Acropolis night tours.
Weather questions
What is the best month to visit the Acropolis?
Is the Acropolis open in the rain?
How hot is the Acropolis in summer?
Is the Acropolis worth visiting in winter?
What should I wear to the Acropolis?
Next: check the hours for your date on visiting the Acropolis, plan a rainy hour at the Acropolis Museum, or compare every fare on Acropolis Athens Tours.