Extended Hours for Greek Museums and Archaeological Sites

According to travel agents, more than 18.5 million tourists are expected to visit Greece this year, so the Greek Ministry of Culture has decided to extend the opening hours of 33 major museums and archaeological sites from April until late October in an attempt to attract more visitors. From April 1 until the end of October tourists will be able to visit Greek museums and sites from 8am to 8pm, seven days a week to admire Greek civilization and culture. In 2013, 17.8 million tourists visited Greece and about 12 million of them visited Greek museums and archaeological sites. Record tourist arrivals are expected for 2014 and so travel agents have been urging the Greek authorities to extend opening hours. Tourists will benefit from the fair weather in Greece during spring and autumn and Greece’s tourist season will be extended, resulting in more visitors and earnings. Among the 33 museums and archaeological sites that will launch the new opening hours are the Acropolis of Athens, Ancient Olympia in the Peloponnese, Knossos in Crete, the royal tombs of Vergina in northern Greece, Delos and Spinalonga islands, Akrotiri in Santorini and the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki. Executives from the Ministry of Culture are also discussing ways to optimize the facilities of the museums and sites and the services offered to tourists.

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