Closed for a multi-year conservation and restoration project after a month of Farewell Celebrations in June 2026. This Is Athens gives 7 August 2026 as the start of the closure; Wikipedia and the festival's press kit describe at least three years. No reopening date is confirmed and the Culture Ministry has said the timeline may be extended.
In the room
The experience
You climb Dionysiou Areopagitou with the Acropolis wall above you, pass under the old arches and step into a bowl of white marble. Thirty-three rows tilt down to a chequered floor, the tall stone wall behind the stage is pierced with arched windows, and beyond it lies the whole city. The stone is warm through your clothes long after sunset, and the seat is hard enough that regulars bring a cushion. Maria Callas sang here in 1957, and the room still asks singers to fill a Roman semicircle under open sky. The judgement is easy: no indoor hall in Europe can offer a ceiling of Athenian night. Now the conservators move in, because the marble needs mending after decades of encores and farewells. For now, the curtain is down, and the Acropolis keeps the house lights.
Insider tip
Walk in knowing
Whenever it reopens, bring a cushion and flat shoes: the marble seats are hard, heels are prohibited to protect the stone, and filming during performances is not allowed. While it is shut, This Is Athens recommends the renovated Lycabettus Theatre.
Why it fits
Why it is in the atlas
Sonic Paths features the Odeon because it is one of the few 1,800-year-old theatres still working as a concert hall, its sound shaped by marble tiers, a semicircular bowl and open sky. The restoration includes replacing the sound equipment with systems that spare the ancient masonry, so when it returns it will be heard, and handled, differently.
Plan the trip
When to go, hours, getting there
Best time to go
Closed. Before the closure the festival season ran from May to October, ending with the Farewell Celebrations of June 2026, which ran from 5 June to 30 June. No reopening date is confirmed. For open-air music in Athens meanwhile, This Is Athens points to the renovated Lycabettus Theatre.
Hours
Closed for restoration. Before closure: festival performances only, May to October.
Getting there
The nearest airport is Athens International Airport 'Eleftherios Venizelos', about 20 km east of the centre, linked by Metro line 3 to central stations such as Syntagma and Monastiraki. The closest station to the Odeon is Akropoli on Line 2 (red), a 10-minute, 750 m walk along Dionysiou Areopagitou; bus 230 also serves the site. The monument is closed to visitors.
Straight from the source
Official site and tickets
Dates and tickets come from the venue itself. Opens aefestival.gr in a new tab.
FAQ
Questions people ask
Is the Odeon of Herodes Atticus open?
No. It closed after the Farewell Celebrations of June 2026 for a conservation and restoration project of at least three years. This Is Athens lists 7 August 2026 as the start of the closure.
When will the Odeon of Herodes Atticus reopen?
There is no confirmed date. Wikipedia and the festival describe a closure of at least three years, and Greek media report the Culture Minister saying the timeline may be extended if archaeological findings require it.
Where is the Athens Epidaurus Festival playing in the meantime?
The festival's 2026 programme runs at other venues, and a travel site reports Pireos 260 and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center. Check aefestival.gr for the current calendar.
What should I bring to a concert there?
A cushion, since the marble seats are hard, a jacket for evenings and flat shoes, because heels are banned to protect the stone. Filming during performances is not permitted.
Is it worth planning a trip around its reopening?
Yes. Around 5,000 seats of Pentelic marble under the Acropolis, with Callas, Sinatra, Pavarotti and Coldplay among its performers, is a rare setting. Wait for a confirmed reopening date before booking.
Stay
Book somewhere to stay nearby
Find a bed close to Odeon of Herodes Atticus in Athens through our accommodation partner, Stay22.
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