Athens: Acropolis + Parthenon Skip-the-Line Guided

The Acropolis in summer (May-September) is brutal. No shade, 35-40°C by noon, and the marble pathways are polished to glass by 2,500 years of visitors. The 8 AM slot is non-negotiable: you beat 80% of the crowds and escape before the heat peaks.

The Parthenon itself is under continuous restoration, so you will see scaffolding somewhere. That's fine — the scale is still stunning. Don't miss the Erechtheion (the Porch of the Caryatids — those six female-figure columns are 2,400 years old, the ones you see are replicas; originals are in the Acropolis Museum 500m downhill).

Combo-ticket: the standard Acropolis ticket also covers Theatre of Dionysus (below the Rock), Odeon of Herodes Atticus, Ancient Agora, and the Roman Agora. This tour usually covers the Rock itself in 2.5 hours; do the others on your own afterward with the same ticket.