The Acropolis in Greece, described by UNESCO as “the most striking and complete ancient Greek monumental complex existing in our times”, is set to allow visitors unprecedented private access to the ruins. However, the chance to take an exclusive tour before or after normal opening hours will cost takers up to 5,000 euros.
Available to individuals or groups of up to five people, the service will include a two-hour tour with a certified guide. Visitors treating themselves or their loved ones to views of the Acropolis unimpeded by other tourists, will either need to be early risers, up bright and ready for a morning visit from 7-9 am before the site opens to the public, or be prepared to spend the evening from 8-10 pm exploring the site after it closes. A maximum of four groups at a time will be wandering the site, so it should be easy to avoid the others and feel as if you have the place to yourself.
Elitist?
The site will remain accessible to other visitors during normal opening hours, and the new ticketing policy is being contextualised as part of a wider band of price increases at the site to be made next year, but the idea of allowing such exclusive access to the beloved national and world heritage has raised some eyebrows among those who say allowing exclusive access at such a high price is elitist and unequitable.
The Acropolis is Greece’s most visited attraction, welcoming around 3 million visitors in 2022 – that’s up to 23,000 people a day – numbers that threatened to overwhelm site infrastructure, causing damage and crowding. As a result, in September 2023, tighter rules around entry were brought in, dropping the daily visitor cap by 3,000 to 20,000 and introducing hourly limits too. Access for “normal” visitors therefore has effectively been restricted, while access for those wealthy enough to blow 5,000 euros on a two-hour tour is being enhanced.
Proceeds to be reinvested in culture
Explaining the rationale behind the move, Nikoletta Divari-Valakou, the Ministry’s head of cultural resource development, told the Associated Press, the exclusive tickets were being launched “because there is demand, people have been asking for it,” adding that “It won’t harm the archaeological site, indeed it will contribute to its better promotion and the revenues will be reinvested in cultural projects and monuments.”
Whether that is enough to satisfy critics remains to be seen, but the reality is, exclusive tours of public heritage are not unusual, and even attractions that do not publicise the possibility of exclusive access often offer such services for the right price if contacted on the quiet.
