One of the most visited cities on the planet is Athens. The city is not that big. So, most of the tourist attractions are located in easy destinations. Before you visit Athens, you may want to learn when the places are open and close. In this article, you can find the opening and business hours of places in Athens like shops, museums, and pharmacies.
Before going into details; Athens is on Eastern European Time, and two hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.
You’ll find that most places have wide opening hours. Also, merchants and sellers are flexible in terms of opening and closing hours.
Let’s first look at the opening and closing hours of shops and stores in Athens.
What Time Do Shops Open in Athens?
Usually, shops are open on:
- Monday and Wednesday: at 9 a.m.- 3 p.m.
- Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday: at 9 a.m.-2 p.m., and 5.30 p.m-9 p.m.
- Saturdays: at 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Almost all shops in Athens are closed on Sundays. The souvenir stores like Adrianou, Mitropoleos, Pandrossou, and some others are an exception to this.
Department stores are open on:
- Monday and Friday: at 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
- Saturday: 9 a.m.-8 p.m., or 10 a.m-9 p.m. depending on the store.
On Monday and Wednesday, most of the shops in the city center are open throughout the day. Also, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, they don’t close for the 2.5-hour break.
From Monday to Friday, big international clothing brands are open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Smaller stores usually open and close following the same timetable as well. On Saturdays, they close at 6 p.m. Note that the smaller and traditional ones give a lunch break from around 2.30 p.m to 5.30 p.m.
Pharmacies Open Hours in Athens
Pharmacies in Athens are open on:
- Monday and Wednesday: at 8 a.m.-2. p.m.
- Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday: at 8 a.m.-2. p.m., and 5.30 p.m-8 p.m.
Some pharmacies in each area stay open after hours. Find your nearest pharmacies on duty on this website.
Museums Open Hours in Athens
In general, Athens museums open from 8.30 a.m. to 3 p.m. from Tuesday to Sunday. Most of them have their own timetable, however. So, depending on the season and the day of the week, different opening and closing hours apply.
The most-visited ones, almost all museums are closed on Mondays. You can find some of the popular museums and their opening hours below:
- New Acropolis Museum: Tuesday-Sunday: 8 a.m.-8 p.m. both in winter and summer
- Acropolis Athens opening hours: in summer, open from 8.30 a.m.-7.30 p.m. daily, and on Mondays, from 11 a.m. to 7.30 p.m. In winter, it’s open between 8.30 a.m. and 3 p.m. daily
- Ancient Agora: in summer: 8.30 a.m.-7.30 p.m. daily, on Monday, 11 a.m.-7.30 p.m.; in winter, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. daily
- Agora Museum: in summer: 8.30 a.m.-7.30 p.m. daily and on Monday at 11 a.m.-7.30 p.m.; in winter, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. daily and on Monday at 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
- Byzantine Museum: both in summer and winter: Tuesday-Sunday at 8 a.m.-7.30 p.m.; and closed on Monday
- Historical Museum: both in summer and winter on Tuesday-Sunday 9 a.m.- 2 p.m., closed on Monday
- National Archaeological Museum Athens Opening Hours are: on Monday, 1 p.m.-8 p.m.; on other weekdays, 9 a.m.-8 p.m; on weekends, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
- National Gallery Athens opening hours are as follows:
- In summer: On Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday it’s open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. On Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It’s closed on Tuesdays.
- In winter: On Monday, it’s open from 13.00 to 19.30. On Thursday and Friday, open from 8 a.m. to 7.30 p.m. On Saturday and Sunday, open from 8.30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Post Offices Open Hours in Athens
Generally, post offices are open from 7.30 a.m and 2 p.m. between Monday and Friday. However, the following pharmacies remain open for longer hours:
- Athens International Airport: Between Monday and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7.30 p.m. On Sunday and at holidays: from 8.30 a.m. to 6.30 p.m.
- Syntagma Square: Between Monday and Friday from 7.30 a.m. to 8.30 p.m. On Saturday, from 7.30 a.m. to 2.45 p.m. On Sunday: from 9 a.m. to 1.30 p.m.
- 100 Aiolou Street: Between Monday and Friday from 7.30 a.m and 8.30 p.m. On Saturday from 7.30 a.m to 2.45 p.m.
- 60 Mitropoleos Street: Between Monday and Friday from 7.30 a.m. to 8.30 p.m.
Note that stores are closed on public holidays. Also, museums and archaeological sites can be closed or open for limited hours. It’s advisable to check them online before visiting.
