The route spanned from Munich, passing through Villach, Ljubljana, Zagreb, Belgrade, Pristina,[1] Skopje, Thessaloniki, and reaching Athens.
Designated as a D-train in Germany with the train numbers D 290/291, it held the classification of Express (Ex) in Austria and Yugoslavia.
[2][3] Introduced in 1967 as a complement to existing Balkan train services, the Acropolis-Express aimed to cater to German tourists, distinguishing itself from the primarily worker-focused Hellas Express, which had been running from Dortmund to Athens since 1963.
The Greek State Railways advocated for the Deutsche Bundesbahn to provide the train cars.
[4] Initially featuring both open sitting railcars and sleeping cars from DSG and a sleeping car from CIWL, the Acropolis underwent changes over the years.