The most famous archaeological sites will be open until approximately midnight.
Tourists planning a trip to Greece at the end of August are advised to pay attention to a large‑scale nationwide cultural event, Euronews reports.
Every year, after dark, the Greek Ministry of Culture opens more than a hundred archaeological sites, monuments, and museums on the occasion of the full moon and allows visitors to explore them for free. This year, the full moon falls on Friday, August 28. From approximately 7:30 p.m. until midnight, visitors will be able to see historical landmarks — from ancient temples to Minoan palaces — in the moonlight. In some places, concerts, choir performances, and organized excursions will also take place.
Among the 126 open sites, there are several of Greece’s most popular tourist attractions, so seeing them in the unusual night lighting will be especially interesting, the authors note.
One of the places worth visiting is Delphi, an ancient sanctuary and city on Mount Parnassus. In ancient times, people came here from all over the world to hear the prophecies of the Delphic Oracle about wars, the founding of colonies, and marriages. On August 28, free entry to the area up to the terrace of the Temple of Apollo will be available from approximately 19:30–20:00 until midnight.
In the western part of the Peloponnese, Ancient Olympia – the birthplace of the Olympic Games – will offer free access to both the archaeological site and the museum. From 8:00 p.m. to midnight, guided tours with archaeologists will also be held there.
In Sparta, you will be able to visit the medieval ghost town of Mystras – it will be open from 8:00 p.m. until midnight, and the program includes a musical event.
In Athens, the Acropolis Museum will be open non‑stop from 9:00 to midnight. The regular entrance fee will apply to visits to the permanent exhibitions, and the ticket offices and shops will be open until 22:30. At the same time, visitors will be able to get free admission to the temporary exhibition “Inspiration: Ancient Greek Art in Italy,” which will run until August 30. The exhibition features 38 outstanding works made of ceramics, bronze, and marble from museums in various regions of Italy. Many of them have left their permanent museum collections for the first time.Read also:
On August 28 at 6:00 p.m., a tour of the exhibition will also take place, led by a museum archaeologist. To participate, you must register online in advance via the museum’s platform.
Lesser‑known ancient monuments worth paying attention to.
The program features dozens of places that often remain in the shadow of the most famous tourist destinations, although they are also worth visiting if you happen to be nearby, notes Yahya Davud, the founder of Bnbstay, a company that rents out villas in Greece and Cyprus. He advises paying attention to the Necromanteion of Acheron in Epirus – an ancient sanctuary above the valley of the River Acheron. In ancient times, it was believed to be the entrance to the underworld, where pilgrims came to communicate with the spirits of the dead. Admission will be free from 7:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. until midnight.
“Everything in this place was built around darkness and rituals, so visiting at night during the full moon is not just a spectacular tourist attraction. In fact, this format is much closer to how this place was meant to be perceived than visiting during the middle of the day,” Dawood notes.
In Dodona, in the northwest of Epirus, there is one of the oldest oracle sanctuaries in Greece – it is considered more ancient than Delphi. The sanctuary was built around a sacred oak, which, according to beliefs, conveyed the will of Zeus. It can be visited for free from 8:00 p.m. until midnight.
On the island of Crete, in Malia, a Minoan palace complex will be opened on the northern coast. Visitors will be admitted from 19:30 to 20:00, and the program includes a musical performance featuring the Greek singer Manolis Mitsis and a large choir.
Another attraction in Crete, Gortyna, will also offer free access and host a musical evening. Here you can find the Gortyn Code – the longest surviving inscription in Ancient Greek. It contains about 600 lines of civil law from the 5th century BC, carved directly into the stone.
Nafpaktos Castle is a Venetian fortress overlooking the Gulf of Corinth, rising above the port city of the same name in western Greece.
“It is the water that will make this place really special, because the moon will be reflected in the bay and at the same time illuminate the castle itself,” says Davud.
For opera lovers, he advises visiting the sanctuary of Ammon Zeus in one of the villages of Chalkidiki. This year, a full production of the opera “Orpheus and Eurydice” will take place in the ancient coastal sanctuary on the Kassandra Peninsula.
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