On Thursday 27th April 2023, The Greek Culture Ministry announced that pets will soon be allowed into more than 120 archaeological sites across the whole of Greece.  This decision, unanimously approved by the powerful Central Archaeological Council, will relax current rules which only allow guide dogs for disabled visitors into archaeological sites at present.  The Greek Culture Minister, Lina Mendoni, said the decision is "a first but important step towards harmonising the framework of accessibility to monuments and archaeological sites with the standards of other European countries, where entry rules for pets already apply".  The Archaeological Council approved the entry of pets provided they are kept on a leash no more than one metre long, or carried by their owners in a pouch or a pet carrying case.

Owners will also need to show their pet's health certificate and carry the necessary accesories to pick up any animal droppings in order to be allowed entry to the new selected monuments and archaeological sites.  Larger dogs will have to be muzzled.  However, some of the most popular archaeological sites such as the Athenian Acropolis, Ancient Olympia, Delphi and Knossos on Crete, which tend to get very crowded, will still remain pet-free (apart from guide dogs) as will ancient theatres, temples, vaulted tombs, graves and monuments with mosaic floors.  Cages will be installed at the site entrances of more than 110 other archaeological sites, so owners can park their pets during their visit.  The Ministry did not specify when the new regulations would be implemented . . . we'll just have to wait.

With the present information supplied, this means that pets will be allowed to nearby sites such as Mycenae, Tiryns, Acrocorinth and the Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidavros.  However, it's not very clear about the pet access to the ancient theatre of Epidavros (which can get very busy in the summer) or the theatre and site at Argos, in addition to the archaeological site of Ancient Corinth.