Starting in September, Greece will begin restricting the number of visitors to the Acropolis.

Greece has revealed that it will impose a daily cap on visitors to the Acropolis to help preserve the site and ensure its long-term protection.

From September onward, the UNESCO World Heritage site in Athens will allow no more than 20,000 visitors per day, as confirmed by Greece's culture minister, Lina Mendoni.

In a recent interview with Greek radio station Real FM, Mendoni explained that this new policy is being implemented as a pilot program following research by the Hellenic Organization of Cultural Resources Development.

She added that the current daily attendance at the Acropolis reaches up to 23,000 people each day.

“That’s an overwhelming number,” she commented during the interview. “While tourism is crucial for the country and for all of us, we need to find a balance to ensure that overtourism doesn’t damage the monument,”

The ancient citadel, built on a rocky hill in the fifth century BC, is home to a range of historic ruins, buildings, and relics – with the Parthenon, a temple dedicated to the goddess Athena, being the most renowned.

According to UNESCO, the Acropolis and its monuments “represent the greatest architectural and artistic legacy left to the world by Greek Antiquity.”

The site is open to the public daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., although Mendoni noted that most visitors tend to arrive in the morning, particularly between 8 a.m. and noon.

“This results in overcrowded conditions that affect the site, the visitors, and even the staff working to manage the large number of people,” she added.

Mendoni explained that the government intends to implement hourly visitor limits to prevent overcrowding.

“For instance, 3,000 visitors will be allowed access between 8 and 9 a.m., and 2,000 during the following hour, from 9 to 10 a.m.,” she stated.

The visitor limits will fluctuate throughout the day but will remain in effect from the opening of the site until closing time.

Mendoni emphasized that this measure will help protect the monument while also improving the visitor experience.

She confirmed that the new system will be tested starting in early September, with state broadcaster ERT reporting a launch on Monday, September 4. The restrictions will become permanent starting April 1, just before the 2024 summer season, Mendoni added.

Starting April 1, the new system will be extended to other archaeological sites that use electronic ticketing, which represents 90-95% of visitors to Greek heritage locations.

Last month, Greek authorities temporarily closed the Acropolis and other archaeological sites during the peak heat of the day as the country faced a severe heatwave.