Athens Olympic Preparations Close Many Sites

Renovations are underway at these popular sites

Due to preparations for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games in August 2004, many popular archaeological sites, attractions, and museums are closed for renovations. This is only a partial list. Some sites and museums may be partially closed or have limited access. If there is a location that makes or breaks your trip to Greece, and you must know if they will be open during your trip, contact them directly by telephone through the Ministry of Culture's List of Monuments, its list of Archaeological Sites, or its list of Museums. While most major closures have been noted on their webpages, they may not have been updated in all cases, so contact the site directly.

In most cases, it's mainly major or Olympics-related sites which have been affected. This includes some sites near Olympic venues which are expected to get more visitors than usual. Less popular attractions will be more likely to be operating normally. Most attractions on smaller islands are operating normally.

Known Site Closures

Akrotiri on the island of Santorini
Estimated opening date: Spring 2004

The National Archaeological Museum in Athens
Estimated opening date: June 2004
UPDATE: Reopens June 25th.

Palace of Knossos on the island of Crete
Estimated opening date: Spring 2004
UPDATE: Reopened in May, 2004

Athens Agora/Stoa of Attalus in Athens
Estimated opening date: Spring 2004

Archaeological Museum of Delphi
Most of museum is closed; two rooms with some key items remain viewable. The adjacent archaeological site of Delphi remains open to visitors.
Estimated opening date: May 2004

Archaeological Museum of Olympia
Closed until about Easter 2004 (Easter Sunday is April 11th, though this is unlikely to be the precise date the Museum reopens)
UPDATE: Reopened in April, 2004

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