Have you always wanted to visit the great historic city of Athens? Here’s a presentation of the Athens City Pass, an essential part of your visit.
Whether you’re an ancient history buff, a travel enthusiast or simply a moussaka fanatic, Athens is a city that’s sure to win everyone’s heart! Anyone discovering this city for the first time will want to return as soon as possible.
Athens is a city rich in museums, archaeological sites and fine restaurants. When our time is limited, we sometimes have to make choices, and we don’t always make the right ones. That’s where the Athens City Pass comes in, the sesame for those who want to do a lot in a short time!
Is it a good idea to buy an Athens City Pass to visit the ancient city of Pericles? Let’s check it out right now, before you decide to go.
What is the Athens City Pass?
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The Athens City Pass comes in dematerialized form, and can be accompanied by a card. This depends on the option chosen, and we’ll come back to this point in a later paragraph.
Like other passes of this type, the City Pass Athens is a great way to save money. It entitles you to free entry to many museums and archaeological sites, access to public transport, discounts at certain restaurants, and even a cruise!
Another major advantage of the City Pass Athens is that it’s a queue-busting ticket. This means you don’t have to queue when you visit.
The Athens City Pass is a flexible solution that adapts to your needs. There are several options, which we’ll explore together.
Activities included in the Athens City Pass
Acropolis
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Athens’ most famous and popular attraction, the Acropolis, is of course part of the Athens City Pass. It’s at the Acropolis that you’ll realize just how useful a ticket can be!
Inhabited since Neolithic times, the Acropolis was completely rebuilt by Pericles in the 5th century BC. It then became the nerve center of the city of Athens. Numerous temples and monuments can be found here, including the Parthenon, the Erechtheion, the Temple of Athena Nike and the Propylaea.
A symbol of the power of the city of Athens, the Acropolis also offers a magnificent panorama of the city and Lycabettus, the highest point in Athens.
Acropolis Museum
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Not satisfied with a visit to the Acropolis? Then take a trip to the Acropolis Museum! Inaugurated in 2009, it is located close to the Acropolis and displays all the objects found during excavations on the hill.
The museum is organized into five themes: the slopes of the Acropolis, the Archaic Acropolis, the Parthenon, the Classical Acropolis and the rest. There are, of course, numerous statues and sculptures, as well as an excellent presentation of the history of the Acropolis. Everything is done to put the visitor at ease.
Don’t hesitate to use your Athens City Pass to visit this superb museum!
Ancient Agora of Athens
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Close to the Acropolis, the ancient Agora is Athens’ other major archaeological site. In ancient Greece, this was where the population met and where the city’s shops were located. Unlike other ancient sites, the agora was inhabited in later periods, with important functions under the Byzantine Empire until the 12th-13th centuries.
The agora has undergone little maintenance since classical times. As a result, there are many monuments in ruins, and it takes a great deal of imagination to put yourself in the shoes of an inhabitant when the agora was bustling.
However, two monuments are remarkably well preserved. The first is the Temple of Hephaestus, the best-preserved classical Greek temple. The second is the stoa of Attalus, a sublime Hellenistic portico.
Roman Agora in Athens
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Less well-known than Athens’ other historic sites, the Roman agora is located just a few minutes from Monastiráki and the Pláka district. It is generally referred to as the forum, so as not to confuse it with the ancient agora.
Built in the 1st century B.C. after the ancient agora, the Roman agora housed the businesses of the city of Athens after the ancient agora, as well as numerous residential buildings. Today, the Tower of the Winds, combining a water clock, a sun frame and a weather vane, is the best-preserved monument of the Roman agora. Come and enjoy this unique visit with your Athens City Pass.
Olympiad
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Also known as the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Athens City Pass allows you to visit the site of the Olympiion. Once home to a huge temple dedicated to Zeus.
Unlike some of the city’s other archaeological sites, this temple was little used, having been plundered in 267 during a barbarian invasion – barely a century after it was built! Despite this, many of the columns are still standing, and are among the best preserved in the city and in the entire Corinthian architectural order.
Kerameikos
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Kerameikos is one of the city’s forgotten treasures. The Athens City Pass allows you to discover the cemetery of classical Athens, as well as a museum retracing the history of the site.
Enjoy a quiet stroll among the ancient steles, some of which are absolutely sublime. A unique and magical place to discover before or after exploring the Monastiráki district.
Athens City Pass prices and durations
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There are many different options and prices, which we’ll try to summarize simply.
European Union citizens aged 25 and under can visit the Acropolis free of charge. So think before you buy your Athens City Pass.
The 1-day pass costs €54.90 for over-25s, €19. 90 for adults aged 18-25. The 2-day pass costs €61. 90 for over-25s, €23. 90 for 18-25s. Finally, the 3-day City Pass Athens is priced at €65.90 for over-25s, €27. 90 for 18-25s.
Are you a frequent flyer? The 4, 5 and 6-day options are respectively priced at €69.90, €75.90 and €79. 90 for over 25s, and €30.90, €34.90 and €37. 90 for 18-25s. Whichever option you choose, you’ll notice that the rate decreases according to the number of days!
For all passes, the rates for your underage children are on average 40% cheaper than the 18-25 rate. There are also two additional options: public transport at €27 for 72 hours, and a cruise around three islands (Hydra, Poros and Aegina) with buffet included for €100. These prices are the same for all Athens City Passes.
In all cases, the validity of the Athens City Pass begins when it is first used. Our advice is: start your activities as early as possible in the morning to enjoy them for longer.
Where can I buy a City Pass Athens?
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The Athens City Pass can only be purchased on the operator’s website. There are no on-site collection points in Athens.
If you choose the option without public transport, you will receive your Athens City Pass by e-mail, which you can either print out or present on your phone. If you choose the option with public transport, the public transport card will be sent to you by post.
Our review of the City Pass Athens
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The Athens City Pass offers many advantages, some of which have already been discussed in this article. The first is to visit all the major attractions in Athens without having to check out. The second is to avoid the long queues that can form in high season.
But don’t reduce the Athens City Pass to attractions alone. In fact, the pass offers great discounts on guided tours of monuments, the city and sites such as Cape Sounion and Delphi. There are also numerous discounts at restaurants in the city’s liveliest districts. Finally, for those taking the public transport option, the pass includes travel to and from the airport.
For Generation Voyage, this pass is aimed above all at those wishing to discover the many treasures of Athens, as it saves you having to queue. As we all know, queues can cost you half a day. It’s particularly useful for families, as children can get impatient if they wait too long! On the other hand, if your main aim is to stroll around, enjoy the city’s cafés or have fun with friends, this pass won’t be of any use to you.
As far as duration is concerned, unless you’re aged between 18 and 25, we don’t recommend the rather expensive 1-day pass, as it decreases significantly from the second day onwards. As for the public transport option, it’s only useful if you intend to use it for the airport.
In short, the Athens City Pass is an excellent choice for those who want to see a lot and stay for at least two full days, or just one if you’re under 25, with a public transport option only if you want to get to and from the airport by metro.