ATHENS — Summer hours for archaeological sites and museums will kick in later in April this year, from the traditional April 1 date, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Ministry of Culture announced on Friday.

Outdoor archaeological sites will run on summer hours from April 24 to October 31, while museums, monuments and caves will go on summer hours from May 4 to October 31. Overall, there will be two different schedules for visitors, depending on the site/museum, 8:00-20:00 and 8:30-15:00. (The ministry did not provide individual schedules. Usually more popular sites/museums apply an extended schedule, but visitors should check online before visiting.)

The ministry also provided new sites or museums as of this summer season that will open to visitors:

– The Democracy Museum on Agios Efstratios (or Ai-Stratis), the island of the NE Aegean that served as home for political exiles in 1930-1943 and 1948-1963

– The Loverdos-Ziller Museum on Mavromichali Street in Athens

– The archaeological site of the ancient theater of Aegae (Vergina), Macedonia

In addition, more archaeological sites and museums will run on the expanded schedule (8:00-20:00) during this summer, like the Museum of Ancient Eleutherna in Rethymno (Crete) and the Castle of Parga (Epirus).

The sites and museums applying the expanded summer schedule to October 31 will adjust their hours as of September 1, as days start becoming shorter. In this case, they will be adjusted as follows:

– September 1-15: 8:00-19:30

– September 16-30: 8:00-19:00

– October 1-15: 8:00-18:30

– October 16-31: 8:00-18:00

The ministry reminds visitors that wearing masks is obligatory in all archaeological spaces through the duration of the visit, while the latest entry is 20' (twenty minutes) before shutdown.

In addition, national holidays will affect scheduling as follows:

– Orthodox Good Friday (April 30): Open 12:00-17:00

– May Day and Greek Orthodox Easter (April 2): All sites and museums will be shut

In terms of updates on the status of coronavirus pandemic restrictions per Greek region, visitors and travellers in the country are urged to consult the following sites. For a click-on map on Greek regions and related restrictions, https://covid19.gov.gr/covid-map/ (in Greek) and for practical advice on the pandemic, https://eody.gov.gr/neos-koronaios-covid-19/ (in Greek and English).