Greek PM: Extension of sites' hours ‘should have happened decades ago’

Greece’s main museums and archaeological sites will remain open seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., during the summer, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras confirmed on Tuesday.

The new timetable, which will run from April 1 to October 31, has been in the works for some time and will apply at 33 key sites and museums such as the Parthenon in Athens, Ancient Olympia in the Peloponnese, Knossos on Crete and Akrotiri in Santorini.

“This is something that should have happened decades ago,” admitted Samaras, who served as culture minister in 2009.

He said that the 33 picks account for 95 percent of total annual visitors to museums and ancient sites.

“This is about common sense, which demands that Greece should show what it is,” he added.

“And, above all, Greece is culture.”