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The marble bull of Dionysios from the Kerameikos cemetery in Athens

Kerameikos: the burial ground where the roads left the city

Kerameikos is the ancient cemetery of Athens, on the north-west edge of the old city where the walls met the roads out.

An at a glance card for Kerameikos. What it is: The ancient cemetery. Also here: The city’s two main gates. On the site: Grave monuments in place. Also there: A small museum. Allow: About an hour. One row is marked out as the thing that decides the visit. The conclusion reads: The quietest ancient hour in the centre. No prices appear.
The quietest ancient hour in the centre.

Diagram by Greece Trips. Free to reuse with credit - CC BY 4.0.

What is on the site

  • The city wall line, with the foundations of the Dipylon and the Sacred Gate, the two great entrances to ancient Athens.
  • The Sacred Way, the road to Eleusis, and the Street of Tombs running out from the gates.
  • Grave monuments standing where they were placed, including marble bulls, stelai and relief sculptures, many of them casts with originals in the museum.
  • A small museum on the site with the finest of the grave sculpture and the finds from the excavations.
  • Greenery, water and tortoises, because the site sits on a low wet patch of ground and is more alive than most ruins.

Why go

Athens’s famous sites are about power and religion. Kerameikos is about ordinary death, family, and the boundary of the city, and its sculpture is among the most human material to survive from the ancient world.

It is also rarely crowded, and it is often included in the combined ticket that covers several central sites, which makes it one of the cheapest hours in the city.

Practical notes

  • An hour covers the site and the museum.
  • Shade is limited on the site itself; the museum is the cool half.
  • Ground is uneven, with grass, gravel and low stone.
  • It sits beside Gazi and Thissio, so it pairs with a walk along the pedestrian streets under the Acropolis or an evening in the bars of Gazi.

Last checked August 2026. Hours and combined-ticket terms change - see our editorial policy.

Common questions

What is Kerameikos?

The ancient cemetery of Athens, outside the old city walls, with the remains of the Dipylon and Sacred Gate, the Street of Tombs and a museum of grave sculpture.

How long do you need at Kerameikos?

About an hour for the site and its museum.

Is Kerameikos included in the Athens combined ticket?

It has commonly been part of the combined archaeological ticket, though terms change, so check at the entrance.

Is Kerameikos worth visiting?

Yes, particularly if you have done the Acropolis and the Agora and want something quieter and more human in scale.

Where is Kerameikos?

On the north-west edge of the old city, between Thissio and Gazi, a short walk from Monastiraki.

Next

Read things to do in Athens, the Ancient Agora, or Monastiraki.