Akrotiri

Archaeological Site

Archaeological Site · Oia, Greece 36.3514°N 25.4036°E

Why you should go

Ninety seconds on Akrotiri

Time needed

60 to 90 minutesAn hour if self-guided

Best time

Avoid summer noonRoofed but not cooled

Cost

TicketedE-tickets sold online

Effort

Easy walkwaysSome lead down to streets

Season

Open all yearTuesdays shut in winter

Opening hours

What are the opening hours of Akrotiri?

From 1 November to 31 March, Akrotiri opens 8.30am to 3.30pm and is closed on Tuesdays. From 1 April to 31 October it opens 8.30am to 3.30pm on Mondays and Thursdays, and from 8am on other days, closing at 6pm in most weeks and later in September and early October, up to 7.30pm in early September. The site is closed on 1 January, 25 March, Easter Sunday, 1 May and 25 and 26 December.

Free entry

When is entry to Akrotiri free?

Entry is free on 6 March, 18 April, 18 May, the last weekend of September and 28 October. Free or reduced tickets also apply to some visitors by age, residence or status, under the categories the Ephorate of Antiquities of Cyclades lists.

Combined ticket

Is there a combined ticket for Akrotiri and the Museum of Prehistoric Thera?

Yes. A Hellenic Heritage combined ticket is valid for Akrotiri, Ancient Thera and the prehistoric museum in Fira, so one ticket covers both the excavation and the museum.

Getting there

How do you get to Akrotiri from Fira or Oia?

KTEL buses run from Fira to Akrotiri, a ride of about 20 minutes; in the winter timetable the first leaves Fira at 8.30am and the last at 8pm. From Oia the trip changes buses in Fira, with a second ticket. By car the site is about 12 km from Fira, around 40 to 45 minutes from Oia, with parking near the site that can get busy in peak summer.

No bodies

Why were no bodies found at Akrotiri?

No human remains have been found at Akrotiri, unlike at Pompeii, and nearly all valuables were gone from the houses. Why is not settled: violent earthquakes came before the eruption, and the missing valuables point to people leaving early.

You walk above the streets of a Bronze Age town buried by the Thera eruption, close enough to look into its houses and squares.

What makes it special

The eruption of Thera, probably at the end of the 17th century BC, buried the town under volcanic debris and kept its buildings standing. The dig has uncovered only about 5 percent of the original town, yet it holds open squares, paved streets with their drains and more than 30 public and private buildings.

The best-kept of them is the West House, three storeys high, on the north-west side of the Triangular Square. Paintings from two rooms on its second floor are now in the Museum of Prehistoric Thera in Fira.

On the dig itself you see pottery, storage vessels and the impressions of furniture. The pithoi, tall clay jars for wine, oil and grain, stand all over the excavation, and over 15,000 pots have been found here in total.

Visiting

The site lies beside Akrotiri village in the south of the island, about 22 km from Oia. A single modern roof covers the whole dig. Under it, raised walkways carry you around the edge of the excavation at roughly the height of the ancient rooftops, with set viewing stops along the way.

In places a walkway goes down into reconstructed interiors at street level, among the staircases and storerooms. Partway round, a video reconstruction shows what the buildings looked like when they stood whole.

At first sight the place can look like a vast shed of broken walls, staircases and clay jars.

Tips

Make time for the Museum of Prehistoric Thera, which holds many of the most important finds from the site. The museum has two floors, and the frescoes are on the lower one, so do not leave after the upper rooms.

In summer, bring water and sunscreen.

Know before you goRed Beach, the usual pairing with this site, is officially considered unsafe. Deaths from landslides and rockfall there have closed the beach for periods, and it may be shut when you arrive.