Temple of Athena Nike: The Small Temple at the Acropolis Entrance
The Temple of Athena Nike is the small Ionic temple on the bastion just south of the Propylaia, the gateway of the Acropolis. The architect Kallikrates designed it, and it was built between 426 and 421 BC, on a spot where older temples once stood. It's the first temple you pass on the way up, and it's easy to walk straight past it.
The temple almost nobody mentions
Keytours has guided visitors around Athens since 1963, and every review on our tour pages is public. On October 21, 2026, we read all of them for our four Acropolis products: the two early access walking tours, the early morning tour with the Acropolis Museum and the admission ticket with audio guide. After removing duplicates, that's 3,984 reviews written between April 2014 and October 2026. We searched each one for every monument's name in English, French, Spanish, Italian and German, ignoring accents.
| What the review talks about | Reviews | Share |
| The guide | 2,032 | 51% |
| Any monument by name | 119 | 3% |
| Parthenon | 111 | 2.8% |
| Erechtheion or its Caryatids | 10 | 0.3% |
| Propylaia | 4 | 0.1% |
| Temple of Athena Nike | 1 | under 0.1% |
Half of our reviewers write about their guide, and only 3 in 100 name a monument at all. Even so, the Parthenon comes up 111 times and the Temple of Athena Nike once, in a French review from 2019 that lists the temples on the site. Two more reviews mention a guide called Nike, which doesn't count.
Reviews show what people remember, not what they saw. Still, the gap fits where the temple stands. In June 2019, Meg described the spot in a review of our ticket, without naming the temple: "The Propylaea gate was crowded with tour groups (expected for summer!) but once past this, the crowds disperse." The Temple of Athena Nike stands right there, at the crowded gate.
Where it stands and why people walk past it
The Acropolis can only be entered from the west. The ancient approach passed the Beulé Gate, or a small door under the temple itself, and then went up to the Propylaia, designed by Mnesikles. The Temple of Athena Nike stands on the bastion just south of the Propylaia. Once you're through the gateway, you're in the sanctuary proper, with the Parthenon ahead and the small temple already behind you.
Our advice is simple: stop before you go through the Propylaia and give the temple a few minutes, while it's still in front of you.
What's on the temple today, and where the rest went
Athena was worshipped on the south side of the Acropolis in many forms, and as Nike she was Athena of Victory. Her temple shows it: three sides of its frieze showed battles, and the parapet around its bastion celebrated Athenian victories. Most of that carving has left the bastion, so it helps to know what you're looking at on site and what you'll only see in a museum.
| Part of the temple | Where it is today |
| The building | On the bastion. The Ottomans dismantled it in 1687 for a gun emplacement. It was rebuilt in 1835 and 1836 under Ludwig Ross, again in 1940, and a third reconstruction was completed in 2010. |
| The frieze, 14 blocks | Not on the temple. Nine blocks are in the Acropolis Museum, four in the British Museum in London, one is lost. The east side showed the gods around Zeus, and the south side most probably the Athenian victory over the Persians at Marathon in 490 BC. |
| The parapet, around 410 BC | Its best-known slab, the Sandalbinder, is in the Acropolis Museum. The slabs were about one meter high, set along the dangerous edge of the bastion and carved on the outside, so visitors saw them on the way up. |
| The pediments | Few remains survive. The west one probably showed the gods fighting the Giants, the east one the Athenians fighting the Amazons. |
In the museum, the temple's sculpture is shown on the first floor, west side, together with pieces from the Propylaia and the Erechtheion.
Nike adjusting her sandal: the Sandalbinder
The best-known slab from the parapet is the Sandalbinder: a winged Nike adjusting or untying her sandal so she can walk barefoot into the goddess's sacred area. Her thin chiton clings to her body as if it were wet. Archaeologists call this late 5th-century manner the "rich style." Around her, on the other slabs, winged Nikes lead bulls to sacrifice and decorate trophies while Athena sits and watches. The slab was found near the temple in 1835.
Our take: if you only have time for one, choose the Sandalbinder over a long stop at the temple. On the bastion, you see a building that has been rebuilt three times, without its original frieze and without the Sandalbinder. In the museum, you see the carving itself. The cost is a second ticket, €20 for general admission, and a separate visit.
How to see the Temple of Athena Nike on your visit
With a guide, early. Our Early Access Acropolis & Parthenon walking tour lasts about two hours and covers the Parthenon, the Temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheion and the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. You meet us at our office at 26 Athanasiou Diakou, 15 minutes before your departure. After the guided part, the tour leaves you free time on the Acropolis: that's your moment to walk back to the temple for photos. If you visit in winter and want time at the temple with a small group, take the earliest departure. Here is the median group per departure on this tour, by start time, from November 2025 to March 2026:
| Winter departure | Median group |
| 8:45 a.m. | 2 people |
| 9 a.m. | 3 people |
| 10 a.m. | 5 people |
| 2:30 p.m. | 7 to 8 people |
In the warmer months, October 2025 and April to September 2026, the 8:15, 8:30 and 8:45 a.m. departures had median groups of 3 or 4, against 7 for the 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. departures. The cost is an early start, at our office by 8:30 a.m. for the 8:45 a.m. tour. This winter's calendar again shows departures at 8:45 a.m., 9 a.m., 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
On your own. The Acropolis & Parthenon admission ticket includes entry to the Propylaia, the Temple of Athena Nike and the Erechtheion, with an optional audio guide. There's no mobile signal on the Acropolis, so download the audio tour before you arrive and bring your own headphones. Each audio stop is triggered by your location, so let each narration finish before you move on. This ticket can't be refunded.
With the Sandalbinder too. If you want to see the temple and its sculpture on the same morning, book the Early Morning Walking Tour: Acropolis & Acropolis Museum. It takes about four hours and includes the Propylaia, the Temple of Athena Nike and a guided visit to the museum. It costs you half a day, but you see the Sandalbinder a short walk from where it was found.
For the rest of the site, see our guides to the Acropolis, the Parthenon and the Acropolis Museum.
Planning your visit
- Opening hours: the Acropolis opens at 8 a.m. all year. In winter it closes at 5 p.m., with last entry at 4:30 p.m. In summer it closes at 8 p.m., with last entry at 7:30 p.m.
- Tickets: full admission is €30 and reduced admission €15.
- Closed: January 1, March 25, May 1, Easter Sunday, December 25 and December 26.
- Food and drink: site rules prohibit food and drinks. Our tour notes make an exception for water.
- Shoes: the official site recommends footwear suitable for walking.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Temple of Athena Nike included in the Acropolis ticket?
Yes. Our admission ticket includes entry to the Propylaia, the Temple of Athena Nike and the Erechtheion.
Who built the Temple of Athena Nike?
The architect Kallikrates designed it, and it was built between 426 and 421 BC, according to the Acropolis Museum.
What does "Athena Nike" mean?
Nike means victory. On the Acropolis, Athena was worshipped in several forms, and Nike was Athena as goddess of Victory.
Where is the Nike adjusting her sandal relief?
The Sandalbinder slab is in the Acropolis Museum, on the first floor, west side.
Is the Temple of Athena Nike the same as the Parthenon?
No. The Parthenon is the large temple at the center of the summit. The Temple of Athena Nike is the small temple on the bastion next to the entrance, which you pass before you reach the Parthenon.