Akrotiri Archaeological Site
Akrotiri Archaeological Site: Hours, Address, Akrotiri Archaeological Site Reviews: 4/5
Akrotiri Archaeological Site
Akrotiri Archaeological Site
4
8:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 3:30 PM
About
This ancient city was covered in a heap of volcanic ash in the late 17th century B.C., preserving it for present-day archaeologists and interested tourists. The site is so well preserved that it is often referred to as the Pompeii of the Aegean.
Suggested duration
1-2 hours
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingTours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
What is Travelers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Top ways to experience Akrotiri Archaeological Site
The area
Best nearby
Restaurants
95 within 3 miles
Taverna Glaros
870
0.2 mi$$ - $$$ • Seafood • Mediterranean • Greek
The Cave of Stolidas
357
0.2 mi$ • Seafood • Mediterranean • Greek
Melina's Tavern
674
0.2 mi$$ - $$$ • Seafood • Mediterranean • Greek
The Wave
241
0.2 mi$$ - $$$ • Mediterranean • Greek • Vegetarian Friendly
Asterias
927
0.3 mi$$ - $$$ • Seafood • Mediterranean • European
The Cave of Nikolas
1,193
0.2 mi$$ - $$$ • Seafood • Mediterranean • Greek
Asterias Tavern
76
0.3 mi$$ - $$$ • Seafood • Mediterranean • European
The Dolphins
545
0.3 mi$$ - $$$ • Seafood • Mediterranean • Greek
Misteli Restaurant
315
0.5 mi$$ - $$$ • European • Greek • Contemporary
Akrothiri Eat Drink & Heal Bistro
158
0.5 mi$$ - $$$ • Cafe • Mediterranean • Greek
Attractions
82 within 6 miles
Red Beach
6,242
0.5 miBeaches
Caldera Beach
216
0.7 miBeaches
Lost Atlantis Experience
271
1.8 miSpeciality Museums • History Museums
Theotokaki Art Gallery
2
0.5 miArt Galleries • Antique Shops
Gavalas Winery
296
2.3 miWineries & Vineyards
Venetian Castle of Santorini
74
0.6 miCastles
Vlychada Beach
763
1.8 miBeaches
Tomato Industrial Museum, D.Nomikos
253
1.9 miSpeciality Museums
Megalochori - Traditional Village
528
2.5 miPoints of Interest & Landmarks
Venetsanos Winery
838
2.7 miWineries & Vineyards
Contribute
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
5,503 reviews
Excellent
2,798
Very good
1,651
Average
681
Poor
235
Terrible
138
Christina K
1 contribution
Jun 2022 • Family
Amazing place and definitely a must visit in santorini! It wouldn’t be though a unique experience without our guide Yanis, who actually transferred us, with his magnificent guided tour, in the streets of ancient akrotiri town. It wouldn’t be the same without him! Wow!!!!!!
Written June 30, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
PaintedLadyHan
Birmingham, UK25 contributions
Jun 2022
The site at Akrotiri is a fabulous find of the oldest known European city destroyed along with the rest of the Minoan culture, such as on Crete.
The site itself is really well set up and presented with a roof over the remains of this pre-historic city. It is well looked after, clean and tidy with a cafe and toilets and outdoor seating. There is a walkway around the ruins and you can see buildings up to first floor level, windows, doors and stairways. It is truly amazing,
However, with such an interesting story to tell about this city and the people who lived there and what their lives were like, the interpretation of the site and storytelling was a massive fail.
There was a model of the site as it is today but a twin model of how it is believed the site to have looked before the eruption would have been really useful. The information panels were very old and out of date and read like they had been written by archaeologists and curators and was rather academic rather than being written by interpretation or storytelling professionals. Some were even hand written and looked like they dated to the period of the excavations in the 1960s! It would have been great to have reconstruction drawings and videos and some information about the people and the place, what evidence there was for their lives, their jobs etc. There was one video about one of the houses which was really good and more of this sort of interpretation would have been brilliant.
There are some amazing finds of pots and figurines and wall paintings found at the site but these are all in the little prehistoric museum in Fira (which is well worth a visit but these objects should be displayed on site).
Could be amazing but better interpretation/ information/ storytelling required for such an amazing site.
The site itself is really well set up and presented with a roof over the remains of this pre-historic city. It is well looked after, clean and tidy with a cafe and toilets and outdoor seating. There is a walkway around the ruins and you can see buildings up to first floor level, windows, doors and stairways. It is truly amazing,
However, with such an interesting story to tell about this city and the people who lived there and what their lives were like, the interpretation of the site and storytelling was a massive fail.
There was a model of the site as it is today but a twin model of how it is believed the site to have looked before the eruption would have been really useful. The information panels were very old and out of date and read like they had been written by archaeologists and curators and was rather academic rather than being written by interpretation or storytelling professionals. Some were even hand written and looked like they dated to the period of the excavations in the 1960s! It would have been great to have reconstruction drawings and videos and some information about the people and the place, what evidence there was for their lives, their jobs etc. There was one video about one of the houses which was really good and more of this sort of interpretation would have been brilliant.
There are some amazing finds of pots and figurines and wall paintings found at the site but these are all in the little prehistoric museum in Fira (which is well worth a visit but these objects should be displayed on site).
Could be amazing but better interpretation/ information/ storytelling required for such an amazing site.
Written June 26, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Juliette G
16 contributions
Jun 2022
It's a great place to attend, a bit like a little Pompei, and it's very interesting when you like archaelogical sites !
Written June 25, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Cindee H
21 contributions
Jun 2022 • Couples
We had a private tour of Akrotiri, with a driver to get us to the site. Our guide, Georgia, was perfect for taking us through this amazing archaeological site, explaining the civilization that lived there and the advanced technological features.
Written June 20, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
nagytibi
Budapest, Hungary474 contributions
Jul 2021 • Solo
Archeological site with well preserved buildings and wide variety of rare tools. There is a roof over the site so you do not have to be afraid of the sun.
Written June 17, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
MUG132
London, UK19 contributions
Jun 2022
This is an excellent site to visit, giving you a feel for what life was like. Walking amongst the ruins felt like being back in that time .Well worth a visit , its undercover so also a break from the sun.
Written June 17, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Leonidas B
Athens, Greece61 contributions
Jun 2022
A must of the island, do not miss it! It worth to use a guide to get all the experience of this well presented ancient city, you can see in good shape 3-4 roof buildings, it worth to take the 15 euros ticket to visit the Fira museum as well were all the 'Fresco's" are kept.
Written June 14, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Amit N
Princeton, NJ20 contributions
May 2022
Magnificent site - not to be missed. What the Minoans achieved before the volcanic eruption is mind blowing!
Videos are nicely put together and a must watch.
Videos are nicely put together and a must watch.
Written June 4, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
DeepeshB
Indore, India116 contributions
May 2022
I would recommend going in only if you are interested in looking at the excavations. It's a quite big shaded area around the excavation site, if you are into such stuff, should definitely go in!
Written June 4, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
reeceyb
Chichester, UK1,283 contributions
Jun 2022
We came here to escape the heat of 12-3pm in the afternoon as it is all undercover the site itself is impressive the amount they have excavated and the attention to detail. some pieces they've restored to show you what it would have looked like worth the visit
Written June 2, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Amaz W
Chester, UK32 contributions
Hi, can anyone tell me how long the tour is or how much time to allow for here please 🤔
Clare F
7 contributions
Hi. It took us a good hour with our guide, who was extremely knowledgeable about everything there.
Without a guide it would take a lot less but there is plenty to walk around and see.
jantoby1
Chigwell, England386 contributions
To go to the archaeological site, which is the best bus stop to get off at Akrotiri - the beach or the village?
The Public bus system will drop you off near the entrance to Akrotir If you miss that stop for some reason, don’t worry, the last stop is at the beach is just a few blocks down the hill.
LadyLolth
Reading, UK12 contributions
Is Akrotiri open on Friday 31st July. Not sure if the opening times have changed because of Covid. Thanks
Katherine C
Essington, PA108 contributions
I agree. I'm in the USA and visited Akrotiri 5 months ago so well before the pandemic affected all of us. I'm sure the site itself will have current information and expectations for visitors. Have fun! It was a most memorable experience for us!
Patriciacuncik
Piestany, Slovakia
Hello is the excavation of akrotiri open now? I mean this summer 2020?
Cost to get into akrotiri
Tom K
Canning Vale, Australia113 contributions
€12 but you can buy a combo ticket you get you into other museums on the island. If you intend going into two places I’d recommend the combo ticket for €14 I think it is.
Berkshire45
Reading, UK180 contributions
Is the site open every day?
Stacey A
Israel34 contributions
Open
Hi,
I copied this information from their site
Winter:
(1 November - 31 March 2019)
08.00 - 15.00 Tuesday - Sunday
Summer:
(15 April - 31 October 2019)
Hope this helped
The archaeological site will be open daily 08:00 - 20:00
Gabe
1 contribution
We are planning on visiting Akrotiri Archaeological Site the last day of our stay in Santorini but are not sure what to do with our luggage while there. Are their any storage lockers there or somewhere near by we can leave our bags at while touring the site?
billyroo
Adelaide, Australia161 contributions
You May be able to leave them in the tourist shop/office but did not see any other facilities for this purpose
Anahi G
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico9 contributions
Algun guia en español que me recomienden para la visita? o alli el mismo dia puedo encontrar a algun guia? Gracias!!
Sandra R
Richmond, CA190 contributions
Hola AnahÃ, siempre vas a encontrar visitas guiadas en español, pero en mi caso me informé un poco antes de ir y además cuentan con wifi, entonces buscaba en google algunos datos que me interesaban, vale la pena ir!!! Saludos
Kim N
Long Island, NY
The entrance tickets price & where can I purchase it in advance from website?
edsalazar1
Chicago, IL27 contributions
Tickets are sold at the site as others have stated. There was no line on the day we went. We organized a tour guide via concierge of our hotel.
Frequently Asked Questions about Akrotiri Archaeological Site
- Akrotiri Archaeological Site is open:
- Sun - Sat 8:00 AM - 3:30 PM
- We recommend booking Akrotiri Archaeological Site tours ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. See all 99 Akrotiri Archaeological Site tours on Tripadvisor
- According to Tripadvisor travelers, these are the best ways to experience Akrotiri Archaeological Site:
- Archaeological bus tour to Akrotiri excavations & Red beach (From $43.59)
- Half-Day Santorini South Coast and Akrotiri Tour from Fira (From $43.59)
- Akrotiri Excavations Guided Tour (From $53.16)
- 6-Hour Private Best of Santorini Experience (From $196.70)
- Santorini Day Tour with Sunset in Oia (From $58.48)
- Hotels near Akrotiri Archaeological Site:
- (0.15 mi) Hotel Akrotiri
- (0.57 mi) The Fisherman's House Santorini
- (0.21 mi) Capeland Houses
- (0.66 mi) Goulielmos Hotel
- (0.68 mi) Ambassador Aegean Luxury Hotel & Suites
- Restaurants near Akrotiri Archaeological Site:
- (0.16 mi) Melina's Tavern
- (0.18 mi) Taverna Glaros
- (0.19 mi) The Cave of Stolidas
- (0.20 mi) The Wave
- (0.19 mi) The Cave of Nikolas
- Attractions near Akrotiri Archaeological Site:
- (0.04 mi) Your Santorini Guide
- (0.18 mi) Santorini Sea Kayak - Day Tours
- (0.05 mi) Insight Santorini
- (0.06 mi) DIFFERENT TOURISM
- (0.29 mi) Experience Horse Riding