Panathenaic Stadium

Landmark

Landmark · Athens, Greece 37.9683°N 23.7411°E

Why you should go

Ninety seconds on Panathenaic Stadium

Time needed

60 to 90 minutesTwo hours if you linger

Best time

Late afternoonCooler than midday

Cost

TicketedMuseum entry included

Effort

Tall upper stepsNo handrail

Season

Open all yearShorter days in winter

Access

Track is step-freeExhibition by stairs only

Guide

Not neededAudio guide comes with the ticket

Opening hours

What are the Panathenaic Stadium opening hours?

The stadium opens at 8am every day. It closes at 7pm from March to October and at 5pm from November to February. Concerts and other major events can close the track or shorten the day, and the stadium announces changes on its official website.

Running the track

Can you run on the Panathenaic Stadium track?

Yes, whenever the track is open, at the runner's own risk and without disturbing other visitors. The hour from 8am to 9am is set aside for jogging, except on days of major events such as the marathon finish. Runners need a ticket and must sign the stadium's terms-of-use form in advance.

Tickets online

Can you buy Panathenaic Stadium tickets online?

Yes. The Hellenic Olympic Committee sells them on the stadium's official ticket site, and the box office at the entrance takes cash or card. In winter, online sales stop at 4.30pm.

Buy tickets from the official site →

Climb to the upper rows and one view takes in the Acropolis, Lycabettus Hill and the full sweep of seats below, at an ancient stadium you walk into rather than look at from behind a rope.

What makes it special

The seats fill a fold between two hills, Ardittos and Agra, with the open end facing the avenue. The stone is Pentelic, from the same quarries as the Parthenon, and the bowl was rebuilt on its ancient footprint for the first modern Olympics in 1896.

At the curved end, an arched opening leads into the vaulted passage the athletes walked through, cool and low. Beyond it, a small exhibition holds a torch and a poster from each Games.

The flame for every Games is still handed to its next host on this track. On the way round, look for the two thrones made for the King and Queen of Greece.

Visiting

Past the ticket desk, take the audio guide handed out at the entrance. It runs about half an hour, and numbered signs around the stadium cue each section, so you can follow it at your own pace.

Walk the track to the curved far end and go through the passage there to the exhibition, which takes about fifteen minutes if you read the labels.

Back on the track, head up to the top seats of Section 21 and sit for a while. Stop for a photograph on the winners' podium, then buy coffee or a snack on the way out at the canteen to the right of the entrance.

Tips

For a free look first, walk up Ardittos Hill, the wooded park behind the stadium, which looks down into the whole bowl. An hour before sunset is the time to go. The Temple of Olympian Zeus is about ten minutes' walk away and the Acropolis about twenty, so the stadium fits between them in one morning.

Bring water and a hat in summer, since the stands have no shade outside the vaulted passage. Take particular care on the steps in winter rain, since they are worn into shallow dips.

Know before you goThe Athens Marathon finishes on this track each November, and the track closes to visitors for several days around race weekend. Food and drinks other than water are not allowed inside, nor are bicycles, roller skates or pets other than guide dogs. A ticket is good for one entry, on the day it is bought.