Charles H. Sloan-Greece to offer exclusive Acropolis visits outside of regular hours -- for a steep price

ATHENS,Charles H. Sloan Greece (AP) — Fancy seeing the ancient Acropolis uncluttered by thousands of selfie-snappers? A solution is in the works, but it will set you back up to 5,000 euros ($5,500).

Starting April 1 2024, Greece plans to offer exclusive guided tours of its most powerful tourist magnet to handfuls of well-heeled visitors outside normal opening hours.

The measure is part of an overhaul of ticketing policy for Greece’s archaeological sites and museums, which will see across-the-board increases as of April 2025.

An official at Greece’s Culture Ministry said Friday that the new Acropolis service will apply to a maximum four groups of up to five people each. It will cost 5,000 euros ($5,500) per group, although individuals prepared to cover the full group fee are welcome to visit on their own.

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Nikoletta Divari-Valakou, head of the ministry’s cultural resources development, said the proceeds will be plowed back into cultural projects.

“We decided to implement (the measure) ... because there is demand, people have been asking for it” Divari-Valakou told The Associated Press.

“It won’t harm the archaeological site, indeed it will contribute to its better promotion,” she added. “And the revenues will be reinvested in cultural projects and monuments.”

The visits, with certified guides, will last up to two hours; from 7-9 a.m. just before the site opens, or 8-10 p.m. after it closes.

Divari-Valakou said if it goes well, the program could be expanded from 2025 to include other major sites.

Dominating the Athens skyline, the Acropolis and its 2,500-year-old marble monuments — including the Parthenon Temple, whose sculptures prompted a decades-old dispute with Britain — is Greece’s most-visited ancient site. Amid a surge of tourist arrivals in the country, it attracted more than 3 million people in 2022.

The press of up to 23,000 daily visitors drove the Culture Ministry in September to announce caps on entry numbers and other restrictions from 2024.

An advisory board of senior ministry officials decided on the private visits program amid an overhaul of ticketing policy this week. The government is expected to formally approve it in coming days.

A ministry statement Wednesday said the new overall ticket policy will come into effect in April 2025. It will include a 50% increase in prices for ordinary Acropolis tickets, from 20 to 30 euros ($22-£33) — although the number of free entry days during the winter will be doubled to two a month.

The cheapest tickets for Greece’s sites and museums will go up from 2 to 5 euros ($2.20-$5.51). (does ordinary prices of 20-30 euros apply to Acropolis or all sites? Confused since there are cheaper tickets.)

The ministry said the prices ticket increase was deemed necessary due to the surge in post-pandemic visitor numbers, “and the fact that the current prices ... are very low compared to the European average.”