Greece’s heritage attractions are about to bump up prices by as much as 430 per cent as the country’s government tries to find new sources of revenue to fund the cash-strapped nation.

Entrance fees at landmark archaeological sites, including the Acropolis, Ancient Olympia and the ruins of Knossos, will be raised up to four times their current price, potentially raising an additional €10bn (US$11.4bn, £7.4bn) for the Greek government.

The decision, made by the country’s archaeological council also applies to Greece’s 200 state museums, with entrance fees raised as well as tours of archaeological digs, which were once free.

The Acropolis, Greece’s most-visited tourist attraction, will raise prices from €12 (US$13.70, £8.90) to €52 (US$59.50, £38.40). The site is very popular during the summer months, welcoming more than 10,000 tourists between May and August, the main attraction being the 2,500-year-old Parthenon Temple.

“The price adjustments put the rates on a par with those in the rest of Europe,” said the ministry of culture’s Ioanna Baltsou. “They will take effect from the start of 2016.”

The changes will not affect Greece’s unemployed workforce of 1.2 million, who will still enjoy free entry to the sites. Off-peak tourists visiting between November and April will also pay a 50 per cent discount on the new summer prices.

Greece has around 20,000 archeological sites across the country, with heritage a key lure for the 26 million tourists that visit each year. The move comes after Alexis Tsipras was re-elected as Prime Minister in September, with the head of state vowing to make a number of cuts in exchange for €86bn (US$98.4bn, £63.4bn) worth of bailout loans.