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New restrictions on visitors to the Acropolis in Greece
From September, the Greek government has implemented changes to access one of the most interesting archaeological sites in Athens, the Acropolis.
If you are thinking of visiting this incredible place, read on!
Apollo-gies for the slightly bad news, pirates... but accessing the Acropolis might not be as easy as it used to be!
In order to prevent overcrowding the Greek government has announced new measures to protect the Acropolis.
To better manage the flow of visitors, from September onwards, a limit of 20,000 people per day will be allowed to access this famous archaeological site, one of Greece's main cultural attractions.
So far, the number of daily visitors has exceeded 23,000, with a majority of large groups preferring to visit the site during the morning.
In addition, a cap will be set on the number of visitors allowed per hour in order to mitigate overcrowding and to prevent congestion that could damage the Acropolis, which is an important UNESCO World Heritage Site.
No time restrictions will be applied to visits currently. But Minister Lina Mendoni stated that those arriving via organised tours or cruise ships, who contribute approximately 50 per cent of the daily attendance, usually spend about 45 minutes exploring the Acropolis. The possibility of reducing this time to 30 minutes is being examined.
In a radio interview reported by Euronews, Minister Mendoni said: "Of course, tourism is welcome for Greece, but we must understand that excessive tourism cannot and must not damage the Acropolis".
The Minister also stated that similar limits will be applied to other renowned archaeological sites in Greece; the decision to start with the Acropolis was taken after consultation with tour and cruise operators, and its implementation was delayed due to the elections held in Greece in June.
The new access limits will be introduced on an experimental basis from 4 September and will then be implemented permanently from 1 April 2024.
So, pirates, don't miss the chance to visit this fantastic archaeological site which, we assure you, is definitely worth a visit... Have a good trip! ✈️