Museums of Athens

In order to fully understand and appreciate the modern culture of Athens, gaining a sense of its rich history is a must. Explore the city’s many museums that cater to a variety of interests, and allow ancient artifacts and modern art to surprise and inspire you.

By Pia Bhatia

National Archaeological Museum

The National Archaeological Museum is the largest museum in Greece and considered one of the most important museums in the world. Founded in 1829, it was the first museum founded in the Greek state after the revolutionary struggle and liberation. The museum’s collection includes a Sculpture collection which demonstrates the development of ancient Greek sculpture from the 7th to the 5th centuries BC. Other notable sections are the Vase and Minor Objects collection and the Metallurgy collection, while highlights include the Golden Mask of Agamemnon that was unearthed by H. Schliemann in Mycenae.

Not to be missed: the world famous Antikythera Mechanism, the oldest mechanical portable computer in history is part of the vast collection of the Museum. The exhibit features the Mechanism itself as well as several more modern reproductions that tried to reverse engineer it. The museum is a 19th century neoclassical building, hosting more than 11,000 exhibits, and covers an area of 8,000 square meters. Make sure that you have plenty of time to spend at the museum, and don’t forget to visit the atrium’s garden, which was recently renovated and displays 700 plants, many of which are referred to in Greek mythology.

Tue, 13:00-20:00, Wed-Mon 8:00-20:00

Victoria: 44 Patission (28 October) Str., +302132144800

The Acropolis Museum

The Acropolis Museum is an architectural jewel in the city of Athens – made primarily of glass, the building allows natural sunlight to illuminate the statues while also providing visitors with breathtaking views of the Acropolis just opposite. It holds more than 20,000 pieces that were unearthed during excavations in Athens, and is located on the ancient road Dionysiou Areopagitou only 300 meters southeast of the Parthenon. If possible, try to avoid visiting during the rush hours of 10:00 to 14:00, and begin the tour on the first floor at the northeast corner to best appreciate the significance of the Acropolis in the Mycenaean Period.

Additionally, every Friday night the Acropolis Museum stays open until 22:00. Enjoy a special menu at its restaurant (which stays open till midnight) based on traditional recipes with beautiful night views of the Acropolis. The restaurant is located on the second floor of the museum, and has a public terrace with breathtaking views of the historic hills of Athens. Mon 9:00-17:00, Tue-Sun 9:00-20:00, Fri 9:00-22:00 akropoli: 15 Dionysiou Areopagitou Str., +302109000900

Cycladic Art Museum

Founded in 1986 to hold the collection of Nicholas and Dolly Goulandris, the Cycladic Art Museum holds one of the biggest private collections of Cycladic art in the world. In both permanent and temporary exhibits, over 3,000 objects from all phases of Cycladic, Ancient Greek and Cypriot art are housed in the two buildings of this museum. The glass-roofed corridor connects the modern building of Neofytou Douka Street to the restored 19th century neoclassical Stathatos

Full moon at the Acropolis Museum on August 1, 2023

Tango rhythms at 9 p.m. The Museum will be open from 8 pm to midnight, free entrance

Mansion. Don’t forget to visit the new Cycladic café, which is the perfect place for a meal or a coffee.

Mon-Wed-Fri-Sat 10:00-17:00, Thu 10:00-20:00, Sun 11:00-17:00, closed Tue

4 Neophytou Douka Str. / 1 Irodotou & Vas. Sofias Ave. +302107228321-3

The Byzantine and Christian Museum

The Byzantine and Christian Museum possesses an impressive collection of 25,000 artifacts from between the 3rd and 20th century A. D. Marvel at the veritable treasury of early Christian, Byzantine, Medieval, post-Byzantine artifacts, and experience the museum’s rich conservation department, where you can admire reconstructions of early churches and well-preserved mosaic floors. The early Christian ecclesiastical artifacts and icons offer a foretaste for those eager to make a tour of Athens’s abundant churches. Inspired by the Greek War of Independence, the building was originally the villa of the eccentric French-American philhellene, the Duchess of Plaisance.

Mon 8:00-20:00, Τue 13:00-20:00, Wed-Sun 8:00-20:00

22 Vasilissis Sofias Str., Kolonaki, +302132139517

EMST National Museum of Contemporary Art Athens

The National Museum of Contemporary Art, located at the former FIX brewery, began operating in 2000 and hosts unforgettable exhibitions alongside its rich permanent collection. Holding over 1,400 artworks, you can find historic art that dates from the second half of the 20th century as well as contemporary art that features innovative new media. Open daily 11:00-19:00, Thurs 11:00-22:00, closed Mon Kallirois Ave. & Frantzi Str. (former Fix brewery), +302111019000

Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation

Situated in the heart of Athens, the Museum of the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation houses a world-renowned modern and contemporary art collection that includes rare masterpieces by European avant-garde artists. The collection features works by Cézanne, van Gogh, Gauguin, Monet, Degas, Rodin, Toulouse-Lautrec, Bonnard, Picasso, Braque, Léger, Kandinsky, Miró, Giacometti, Balthus, Pollock, Bacon, Lichtenstein and Botero as well as acclaimed modern and contemporary Greek artists including Parthenis, Bouzianis, Vassiliou, Hadjikyriakos-Ghika, Tsarouchis, Moralis, Tetsis, Takis, Chryssa, Stamos and others. Guided tours in Greek, English and French also take place. The Museum Shop offers a broad range of exclusive, custom-made products inspired by the collection and designed by Greek artists, while the café-restaurant, which boasts a cozy and discreet urban garden, specializes in creative Mediterranean cuisine with a twist.

Wed-Thu and Sat-Mon 10:00-18:00, Fri 10:00-20:00, closed Tue 13 Eratosthenous Str., Pangrati, +302107252895

Benaki Museum of Greek Culture

A major institution and landmark in the city of Athens, this museum is located in the upmarket district of Kolonaki. Housed in a beautiful neoclassical building, it hosts more than 40,000 items in its permanent collection, illustrating the character of the Greek world through a spectacular historical panorama: from antiquity and the age of Roman domination to 1922, the year the Asian Minor disaster took place. Its founder, Antonis Benakis, belonged to one of the most prominent families of the Greek diaspora.

Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat 10:00-18:00,

Thu 10:00-00:00, Sun 10:00-16:00, closed Tue

1 Koumbari & Vasilissis Sofias Str., Kolonaki, +302103671000

Benaki Museum / Pireos 138

The museum boasts a vast industrial space –exhibition halls span 3,000 square meters– and is dedicated to contemporary art and design, with no set permanent collection. The museum gift shop is full of unique home decor, and the café-restaurant on the ground floor is a great place for a quick bite.

Thu, Sun 10:00-18:00, Fri, Sat 10:00-22:00, closed Mon-Wed

Pireos 138 Str., Rouf, +302103453111

Benaki Museum of Islamic Art

The Benaki Museum of Islamic Art is home to more than 8,000 works of art from across the globe, including ceramics, gold, metalwork, textiles and glass, smaller groupings of bone objects, and inscribed funerary steles and weaponry. Highlights include the marble-faced interior of a reception room from a 17th-century Cairo mansion and a section of the ancient city wall of Athens. Don’t leave without a glimpse at the view from its terrace café.

Thu-Sun 10:00-18:00, closed Mon-Wed

Thissio: 22 Ag. Asomaton str. & 12 Dipilou Str., +302103251311

Numismatic Museum of Athens

One of the oldest public museums in Greece, the Numismatic Museum of Athens hosts a wide collection of coins and medals that date from Classical, Macedonian, Roman and Byzantine eras up to the foundation of the Modern Greek state. The collection is housed in Iliou Melathron, a neoclassical building near Syntagma Square.

It was built and designed by German architect Ernst Ziller, and was originally the residence of celebrated archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann, the father of Mycenaean and Trojan archaeology.

Daily 8:30-15:30, closed Tue, cafe-bar Mon-Sat 09:00-23:00 & Sun 09:00-20:00 synTagma: 12 Panepistimiou Str., Syntagma, +302103632057, +302103612834, +302103612872

National Historical Museum

Housed in a building that was once the first Greek House of Parliament, the National Historical Museum follows the history of Greece since the fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1453 through archival records, photographs, costumes and flags. Located in front of its entrance is the iconic symbol of the museum, the bronze statue of General Theodoros Kolokotronis.

Tue-Frid 09:00-16:00, Sat & Sun 10:00-16:00 synTagma: 13 Stadiou Str., +302103237617

Jewish Museum

The aim of this museum is to provide a vivid history of Jewish life and culture over the past 2,300 years. It displays more than 10,000 artifacts that investigate the Greek-Jewish experience in both religious and secular terms.

Mon-Fri 09:00-14:30, Sun 10:00-14:00, closed Sat synTagma: 39 Nikis Str., Syntagma, +302103225582

Herakleidon Museum

The museum and its annex consist of two small and beautiful neoclassical buildings in the historic district of Thissio, next to the Acropolis and the Ancient Agora. For those interested in military technology, this museum offers an in-depth look at Greek technological accomplishments during various wars. One highlight includes the mighty warship Trireme. Don’t forget to visit the gift shop, offering a wide selection of collectables that have been inspired by the periodic visual arts exhibitions including M.C. Escher, Constantin Xenakis and Toulouse-Lautrec.

Open daily, 10:00-18:00

Thissio: 37 Apostolou Paulou Str., +302110126486

Museum of Ancient Agora

A small museum housed in the renovated Stoa of Attalos, the museum of the Ancient Agora’s collection mainly consists of findings from wells, deposits, burials, workshops and sanctuaries. The highlights include art dating all the way back to the stone age, every-day life objects, and artifacts related to the Athenian democratic functions during the Classical period. It is also the site of the Treaty of the European Union enlargement signing in 2003.

Tue-Sun 8:30-15:30 Mon 10:00-15:30

MonasTiraki/ Thissio: 24 Adrianou Str., +302103210185

Ilias Lalaounis Jewellery Museum

Ilias Lalaounis is the first museum devoted to jewelry in Greece, and there have been very few of its kind since. Established in 1993, its permanent collection includes over 4,000 pieces of jewelry and micro sculptures from over 50 collections designed by Ilias Lalaounis (the museum’s founder and the country’s most internationally renowned artist and jeweler) between 1940 and 2000. The permanent collection is enriched with donations of jewelry and decorative arts from all over the world. Big spenders usually head straight to the gift shop, but the museum also includes many programs such as jewelry design and making classes, gemology workshops, art history talks and theater for children.

Mon-Sat 9:00-15:00, closed Sun

12 Kalisperi Str., Plaka, +302109221044

Municipal Gallery of Athens

The museum is housed in a neoclassical building that has transformed many times from a silk processing plant to shopping complex and the headquarters of the Hellenic Police. This free gallery features seminal works from primarily Greek artists that are representative of current social issues. Tue 10:00-21:00, Wed-Sat 10:00-19:00, Sun 10:00-15:00, closed Mon MeTaxourgeio: Leonidou & Mylerou Str.

+302103231841

The War Museum

Founded in 1964, The War Museum was constructed to honor all those who fought for the country’s freedom. It presents many important periods of Hellenic History, including military conflicts like the Asia Minor campaign, the Balkan Wars, and the involvement of Greek forces in Korea. It also features 18th and 19th century swords, handguns and military uniforms. Standout exhibits include the full scale model of the Daedalus and the fighter planes in front of the entrance. Visitors are recommended to start their visit from the first floor that hosts the hall of antiquities.

Open daily, 09:00-19:00 evangelisMos: 2 Rizari Str., +302107252974

Industrial Gas Museum

Housed in an industrial heritage building that supplied energy and lighting in the Athens metropolitan area for 130 years, the Industrial Gas Museum opened its doors in 2013, approximately 30 years after the Athens gasworks permanently closed down. Visitors have the opportunity to tour the plant’s facilities, observe the coal gas production line that provided the city with power for 130 years, and discover a forgotten part of the history of Athens. The exhibits include a rich collection of photographs and archive material as well as audiovisual material, including short films and recorded interviews of factory workers and residents of the area. The collection is further enriched with items from the factory itself as well as interactive applications. It is the first industrial museum in Athens.

Open daily 10:00-18:00, closed Mon

KerameiKos: 100 Pireos Str., +302130109325, 2130109300

Kotsanas Museum of Ancient Greek Technology

Located in the heart of Athens at Kolonaki district, a few meters from the Greek Parliament and Syntagma Square is the Kotsanas Museum, a stunning collection of the cuttingedge technology of Ancient Greece. In a unique historic Art Nouveau building which once belonged to the family of Queen Aspasia Manou you will discover a panoramic timeline of Ancient Greek Technology from 2000 BC until the end of the ancient Greek world. Visitors may explore a relatively unknown aspect of Ancient Greek culture through the permanent exhibition “Ancient Greece - The Origins of Technologies” which includes approximately 100 unique exhibits, from the robot-servant and the “cinema ” of Philon to the automatic theater of Heron. The journey to the world of technology continues with Pythagoras and Ktesibios through 42 fully functional, reassembled musical instruments. The helicon and the sixth string of Pythagoras, the lyre of

MHellenic Motor Museu

Hermes, the guitar of Apollo, the Homeric phorminx, the harp of Sappho, the Ptolemaic helicon, the Pan flute, the hydraulis of Ktesibios and much more are presented through the exhibition “Ancient Greek Musical Instruments and Toys”. Αncient Greek strategy games along with a series of educational workshops and thematic guided tours are also some of the museum’s many highlights.

Mon-Sun 10:00-18:00

6Pindarou & Akadimias, +302114110044

Athens Olympic Museum

Located within the Golden Hall Mall, the Athens Olympic Museum offers the epitome of a modern museum experience. Walking through its chronologically organized exhibits, audiovisual programs, and interactive displays, visitors teleport through two thousand years of Olympic History. The museum begins by setting the scene in ancient Olympia, the site of the first Olympic Games, and continues to the present day, with a display commemorating the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympics. Real uniforms, medals, and torches from each Olympic Game are on display thanks to donations made by former athletes. The museum also carefully documents how gender, race, and disability have factored into the Games over time, and notably features a section on the Paralympic Games.

Mon-Sat 10:00-18:00

Athens Olympic Museum, 37A Kifissias Av. (Golden Hall Mall), Maroussi +302106885560

Τhe best car scene in Athens

Hellenic Motor Museum is a highlight of the town. Located near the National Archaeological Museum, the Hellenic Motor Museum showcases cars from the 20th century and currently presents 112 exhibits in a 3,000 square meters surface creating the best car scene in Athens. Visitors ascending a spiral staircase from the street up to the main exhibition space have the opportunity to see an interrupted exhibition of about 72 wheels, from ancient times, until the year 1985. All items (and exhibits in general) are original and add up to approximately 3.500 pieces. Avion Voisin, Adler, Packard, Delage, Iso, Dino, Lagonda, Siata, Bugatti, Ferrari, Maserati, Aston Martin, Bristol, Lotus, Rolls Royce, Bentley, Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Mercedes, Porsche, BMW are some of the car industries whose cars are housed in the Museum. The “Transparency” section completes visitor’s experience – five “transparent” cars and educational models help the inquisitive visitor understand the actual operation of the engines.

3is Septemvriou 78, Athens +302108816187 www.hellenicmotormuseum.gr

Admission price: 10€ General Admission

Open Tuesday to Friday 10.00-16.00 and at the weekend 11.00-18.00