Athens is a top cultural destination with a long history of 3,000 years that has given the city an impressive character and world class museums with exhibits that cover every period of the Greek civilization. Here are the top 5 museums to visit during your trip in the city. 1. The Acropolis Museum The Acropolis Museum is a gem of the city and one of the must-see museums all over the world. The museum, with the award-winning architectural design, hosts a remarkable collection of incredible ancient artefacts that were excavated on the Acropolis Rock. The building is covered with glass, offering an astonishing view of the Acropolis, which you can also admire from the restaurant of the museum. Among others, guests can explore everyday objects, buildings remains and sculptures that date back to the Bronze Age in Greece.
2. The National Archaeological Museum The National Archaeological Museum, the largest museum in Greece, is located in a neoclassical building of the 19th century. With more than 11,000 exhibits from a wide range of historical periods, you may need many hours to explore it. The most famous exhibits are the wall frescoes of Akrotiri, in Santorini, the Antikythera Mechanism and gold artefacts from Ancient Mycenae.
3. The Museum of Cycladic Art The Cycladic Art Museum focuses on the prehistoric forms created in the Cycladic Islands. The classic figures of this civilization bear a striking resemblance to some forms of modern art, but the most impressive thing is that these small marble statues are 5,000 years old. The museum hosts also modern art exhibitions and a very chic and minimalistic cafĂŠ.
4. The Benaki Museum The Benaki Museum is a stunning private collection that provides an overview of the full spectrum of the Greek history. This museum has everything gathered in one place, and you can admire there ancient prehistoric, Cycladic, Classical, Hellenistic and Roman artefacts alongside Byzantine exhibits, and modern pieces, such as clothing, furniture and paintings, from the Greek Revolution and the Greek folk art.
5. The Numismatic Museum Off the beaten path for the visitors of the museums in Athens, lies the Numismatic Museum. Although a coin museum might not seem like the most exciting destination, you have to prepare yourself to be impressed. The collection is housed in an incredible building in Athens, which was the mansion of the archaeologist, who discovered ancient Troy, Heinrich Schliemann. The exhibitions include coins from the ancient as well as from the modern period, and if you want to relax, you can sit in the museum cafĂŠ in the magical garden that will make you feel far away from the city.