Athens: Hop-On Hop-Off Bus & Acropolis Museum Entry

Two Days on the Bus, Three Routes Through Athens at Your Speed

You board at any of the marked stops, choose your own route and timing, and use the included Acropolis Museum entry whenever you're ready. The 48-hour window covers three separate bus lines—Athens, Piraeus, and the Athenian Riviera—with an audioguide in sixteen languages and WiFi onboard. No guide, no fixed departure time, no decisions made for you.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Visit Acropolis Museum

• Get tickets at stop A4
• Self-guided visit to Acropolis Museum

Day 2 — Hop-on hop-off Athens tour

• Explore Athens hop-on hop-off bus
• Visit Port of Piraeus and yacht marina
• See Plaka district and Hadrian's gate
• Visit Temple of Olympian Zeus
• View Hellenic Parliament at Syntagma Square
• Tour Athenian Riviera on Glyfada line
• Watch sunset at Marina Flisvou
• Swim and sunbathe at Agios Kosmas
• Shop at Glyfada luxury stores

The Experience

The ticket seller at stop A4 hands you a card and points to the next bus pulling up—no script, just a nod and "you pick the time for the museum." That's the whole thing: you're not locked into a schedule or a group. The 48-hour hop-on hop-off pass lets you ride the Athens line through Plaka and past Syntagma Square, jump off at Hadrian's Gate or the Temple of Olympian Zeus whenever it catches your eye, then catch the next bus twenty minutes later. The Piraeus route takes you down to the old harbor at Mikrolimano and the yacht marina at Pasalimani if you want to see where the fishing boats still tie up. The Glyfada line runs along the Athenian Riviera—Marina Flisvou, Agios Kosmas beach, the whole stretch of what used to be desert in the 1900s and is now the cosmopolitan edge of the city.

Your Acropolis Museum entry is included, and you decide when to go. The museum sits at the base of the Acropolis, and the audioguide works in sixteen languages—you can move through the galleries at your own pace, stop as long as you want in front of a single artifact, or skip ahead. The bus has WiFi, so you're not scrambling for directions or trying to figure out which stop is which. The earphones come with the ticket, and the multilingual guide on the bus itself means you're not guessing what you're looking at when you pass the Hellenic Parliament or the Roman emperor's gate.

The constraint is time: you get forty-eight hours from when you first board, so if you pick up your ticket on day one at noon, it expires at noon on day three. That's enough to hit the main routes without rushing, but you can't spread it across a week. Most people use it to cover Piraeus and Athens on the first day, then either loop back to something they missed or spend the second day on the Riviera beaches and the shopping suburbs around Glyfada.

What’s included

• Hop-on hop-off bus tickets valid for 48 hours across three routes (Athens, Piraeus, and Athenian Riviera).
• Acropolis Museum entry for a date and time of your choice.
• multilingual audioguide in 16 languages onboard the bus.
• earphones.
• free WiFi onboard.

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearbyNot for heart conditionsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Open Top Bus hellas M.E.P.E.

Is this one for you?Right for travelers who want to see Athens, Piraeus, and the Riviera beaches without a fixed itinerary or group—the 48-hour pass and self-guided museum entry mean you move at your own rhythm and skip what doesn't interest you.

Traveler reviews

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Top questions

How long is the hop-on hop-off bus ticket valid for?

The ticket is valid for 48 hours from the time you first use it. You can board and exit as many times as you want within that window across all three routes.

What's included in the ticket?

The pass includes 48-hour hop-on hop-off bus access to the Athens, Piraeus, and Glyfada lines; entry to the Acropolis Museum for a date and time you choose; a multilingual audioguide in 16 languages for the bus; earphones; and WiFi onboard.

Can I visit the Acropolis Museum on any day, or do I have to go on a specific date?

You choose the date and time for your museum visit when you pick up your ticket at stop A4. The museum entry is self-guided, so you can go whenever suits your schedule within your 48-hour window.

What are the three bus routes?

The Athens line covers Plaka, Syntagma Square, Hadrian's Gate, and the Temple of Olympian Zeus. The Piraeus line includes the yacht marina at Pasalimani and the ancient harbor at Mikrolimano. The Glyfada line runs along the Athenian Riviera beaches and shopping areas.

Is the Acropolis Museum included, or do I pay separately?

Museum entry is included in your ticket. You pick up your pass at stop A4 and arrange your visit time then.

Do I need to book a specific bus departure time?

No. Buses run regularly on all three routes, and you can board at any marked stop whenever you're ready. There's no pre-booked departure or fixed group.

Is there a guide on the bus?

The bus has a multilingual audioguide in 16 languages that plays as you travel. If you want a live guide at the Acropolis Museum, you can hire one separately at the museum entrance, depending on availability, at your own cost.

Can I use the ticket on both days if I pick it up on day one?

Yes. The 48-hour window starts when you first board, so if you pick up your ticket on day one at noon, you can use it until noon on day three.