Pushing and cursing in the queue: Acropolis almost succumbs to tourist flow | To travel

It was always a queue to climb the Acropolis in the summer, but the queues now break all records. The number of visitors is 80 percent higher in June and July than in the same period of 2019, the last year before the corona pandemic.

And that means queuing up from early in the morning. Then most cruise ships arrive at the port of Piraeus, and their passengers naturally want to admire the Parthenon temple on the Acropolis in large numbers. Others have flown all the way to Greece from other continents to visit what many consider the most important archaeological monument in the world.

The Acropolis currently receives no less than 17,000 visitors per day. Visitors first have to stand in lines for hours, in the blazing sun.

The Greek government is now taking measures to manage the huge flows of visitors. There will be separate access for groups and tourists who have booked in advance. The issue of electronic admission tickets will be expanded. “The measures will take effect at the end of the month,” said Culture Minister Lina Mendoni on Greek Radio.

It remains to be seen to what extent this will help with such large numbers of visitors. Those who want to visit the Acropolis before that time will also have to suffer extra. A heat wave is on the way, with temperatures in Athens above 40 degrees – in the shade. And there is none on the Acropolis, nor in the queue.

Many tourists look for some cooling under olive trees next to the path up the mountain, but otherwise they stand for hours in the burning sun. Guards report fainting tourists, and visitors who push in front and in some cases even push, pull and curse. Bringing plenty of water is the motto, as well as a parasol or, if necessary, an umbrella.

Adding more shade is not easy, because of the strict protection that the Acropolis and the surrounding area enjoy as a monumental area. Culture minister Mendoni is going to try anyway. “I commissioned to find a way to install blinds in areas that are not sensitive,” said Mendoni. “And we are going to install discrete water points along the access roads.”

The only way to avoid congestion in the long term is to enlarge the monumental entrance gate. But this is met with great resistance from archaeologists and historians. They were already on their hind legs when Mendoni took advantage of the corona pandemic to build concrete paths on the Acropolis, which promote accessibility and traffic flow. Until then, visitors had to cross slippery, worn stones, which often led to slips and trips.

A modern and illuminated elevator, which makes the Acropolis more accessible for disabled people, is also a thorn in their side. Critics are also afraid that these kinds of measures will attract even more tourists, which would not benefit the monument.