The Acropolis of Athens has two entrances which you may use to enter the site;
- The main Acropolis entrance which is in the west
- The side Acropolis entrance which is in the South East.
Ascending to the Acropolis from both entrances involves some climbing but still the level is moderate.
The main Acropolis entrance
The main Acropolis entrance is used by most individual visitors and mainly by groups; this causes a big traffic and on days there is a cruise ship in Piraeus -and there is nearly every day a cruise ship with many off shore excursions- the main entrance becomes overcrowded and as a result it is often blocked and people have to wait 20 or 30 minutes until they are allowed to enter the Acropolis.
The side Acropolis entrance
This entrance is far away from the parking of the Acropolis and this is the reason that fewer people use it. Using it one avoids the crowds and has some special benefits No waiting to purchase the tickets and ascending the Acropolis from the South you have wonderful views to the city and all the way down to the sea, The main advantage though is that you see much more . You walk through Dionysus Sanctuary and visit the Dionysus Theater which is the most significant theater of Europe as this is the theater where the first performance was held and it is considered the birth place of theater.
We at the Athens Walking Tours in our “THE ACROPOLIS AND CITY TOUR“ use the side entrance to avoid the crowds and to also visit the Dionysus Theater which we consider very important. We believe it is a pity to have been to Athens , to have visited the Acropolis, to have been so close to this theater and not have the chance to visit it.
This is the view from the side entrance of the famous Dionysus Theater, the most significant theater of Europe.