Visiting the Acropolis of Lindos: Tickets, Timing and Tips

The Acropolis of Lindos is one of the great sights of the Greek islands: a fortified rock rising about 116 metres straight out of the sea, crowned with a Doric temple, a Hellenistic colonnade and the walls of a medieval castle. The view from the top, over two turquoise bays and the white village below, is one you will remember for a long time.

It is also a steep, exposed climb, and in high summer it can be hot and busy. Most of the difference between a great visit and a miserable one comes down to timing. We see visitors make the same mistakes every season, so here is how to do it well. If you want the full story of the site, read our companion piece on the history of the Acropolis of Lindos.

When to visit: go early or go late

Be at the gate when it opens. In the main season, the site usually opens at 8am. At that hour the air is cool, the light is beautiful and the first coach groups are still on the road from Rhodes Town. By around 10am the lanes fill with day visitors, and by midday the rock is hot, with almost no shade.

Or go in the last couple of hours before closing. The crowds thin out again in the late afternoon and the light turns golden. Closing time moves earlier through autumn, and last entry is usually about half an hour before closing, so do not leave it too late.

Avoid late morning to mid-afternoon in July and August. This is when the cruise excursions and coach tours visit, and the heat on the exposed summit is intense.

Opening hours change through the year, and winter hours are shorter, so always check the official times before you go.

Tickets: how they work

Entry is by ticket, sold for timed entry slots. You can buy them:

• Online, through the official Hellenic Heritage ticketing website, which lets you choose your slot in advance. This is the best option in high season.
• At the ticket office at the entrance to the site, subject to availability.

Aim to arrive within your chosen time window. Reduced and free admission categories exist, so check the official site for current details. Be wary of unofficial resellers adding fees for the same ticket.

Getting to the top: walk or donkey?

From the main square of Lindos, follow the signs uphill through the village lanes. The walk to the entrance takes around 15 to 20 minutes at a steady pace, mostly on stepped, cobbled paths, and then there are further steps inside the site.

You will also see the famous Lindos donkeys waiting near the square. They carry visitors part of the way up, not to the summit, so everyone walks the final section. Many visitors today prefer to walk, and the path is manageable for most people who take their time.

What to see at the top

The site is compact, but there is a lot packed into it. In the order you meet them:

• The ship relief. At the foot of the main staircase, a Hellenistic warship is carved into the living rock. Look closely and you can make out the stern and the steering oar.
• The castle. The Knights of Saint John fortified the rock in the Middle Ages, and you enter through their walls and the remains of the governor’s quarters.
• The Byzantine church of Saint John, a small chapel built within the fortifications.
• The Hellenistic stoa, a long colonnade with a monumental staircase rising behind it towards the sanctuary.
• The Temple of Athena Lindia, a Doric temple from the 4th century BC set right at the cliff edge, one of the most dramatic temple sites in Greece.

Then there is the view: Saint Paul’s Bay on one side, Lindos Bay and the village on the other, and the open Aegean stretching away to the horizon.

What to bring

• Water. More than you think. There is very little shade on the summit.
• A hat and sunscreen, even in spring and autumn.
• Shoes with good grip. Centuries of footsteps have polished the rock and the steps smooth. Flip-flops are a bad idea.
• A light layer if you go at opening time early or late in the season, when the wind at the top can be cool.

Large bags are best left behind, and drones are not allowed over archaeological sites in Greece.

Photography tips

The best light on the temple and the colonnade comes early, when the sun is low in the east and the stone glows. From the summit, the classic shot looks down over Saint Paul’s Bay; the other side frames the village and Lindos Bay. For a picture of the whole rock, head back down and look up from the lanes on the far side of the village, or from the beach at dusk, when the floodlights come on.

Accessibility

The route involves steep, uneven steps and cobbles, both in the village and on the rock. It is not accessible for wheelchairs or pushchairs. Visitors with limited mobility can usually manage with plenty of time, a very early start and rest stops. Babies are best carried in a sling.

Combine it with a perfect Lindos morning

Our favourite plan: Acropolis at opening time, back down to the village by half past nine for a slow breakfast, then a late-morning swim at Saint Paul’s Bay before the heat sets in. You will have done the best of Lindos before most day-trippers have arrived. For the rest of the day, see our perfect day in Lindos and our list of things to do in Lindos.

Stay close and beat the crowds

The simplest way to see the Acropolis at its best is to sleep in Lindos. Lindos Comfy Suites is a family-run, 21-suite hotel on the edge of the village, a few minutes’ walk from the square and with the Acropolis overhead. Some of our suites look straight up at the castle walls. Book direct with us at comfysuitesrhodes.com and be at the gate before the coaches.