Best Acropolis Tours
• ◀️ Acropolis Tour
• Private Acropolis Tour
• Radisson Blu Conference Hotel – Hotel contact number: +49 211 45530 • Private Tour of Athens’ Acropolis & Acropolis Museum
The 17 Best Museums in Athens
See Also
- Top-Rated Lodgings in Athens
- Accommodation Options in Athens
- Top Experiences & Activities in Athens
- Top Archaeological Sites in Athens
- Top Dining Spots in Athens
- Acropolis Online Entry
1. Acropolis Museum
Located in 2009, the Acropolis Museum in Athens is one of the newest and finest museums. The airy building showcases archaeological findings sourced from the adjacent Acropolis complex, and the museum itself sits atop an ancient Athenian neighborhood, with glass floors allowing visitors to see excavations below. There are three permanent collection floors, video presentations, and archaeologists available to answer visitors` inquiries. A quality gift shop and outdoor terrace cafe are also available in the Parthenon`s shadow. Ideally combined with a visit to the linked Acropolis archaeological site, plan one to three hours to tour the museum. Doing a private guided tour of the Acropolis and Acropolis Museum will save time, as guides hold skip-the-line tickets. Open daily year-round, with reduced admission hours and prices from November through March. • ” Full Review
2. National Archaeological Museum
One of the largest and most prominent collections of antiquities in Greece, this archaeological museum in Athens exhibits over eleven thousand artifacts spanning from the Neolithic era through late antiquity. History devotees, museum enthusiasts, and lovers of Greek culture could easily spend a full day exploring its permanent exhibits, with an optional stop for refreshments at the on-site cafe. An escorted tour could aid in optimizing one`s visit by swiftly guiding visitors to highlights and providing contextual background. Situated in the Exarcheia region of central Athens adjacent to Athens Polytechnic University, access to this major attraction located away from the Plaka/Acropolis district necessitates a brief taxi ride, around ten minutes by subway using the red or green line and disembarking at the Omonia station stop, or approximately a twenty-five minute walk from Plaka or Syntagma Square. Open daily year-round with reduced admissions and hours from November through March. • Full Review
3. Benaki Museum of Greek Culture
Excellent Greek art museum established in 1930 within the neoclassical family mansion of Antonis Benaki, the art collector and benefactor who donated over 35,000 pieces of his own collection. Greek artwork from ancient to modern is showcased in the mansion’s many four beautiful levels, with one devoted to traveling exhibitions. Situated in central Athens near Syntagma Square and the National Garden, the Benaki also has satellite galleries scattered throughout Athens, including the Museum of Islamic Art, The Ghika Gallery, and the Toy Museum. Closed Tuesdays. • Full Review
4. Byzantine & Christian Museum
Established in 1914 and housed inside a Florentine architectural-style building, this museum is home to the most comprehensive range of Byzantine artwork from the 3rd to 21st centuries. Rare artifacts that have been excellently maintained provide insight into the impact and legacy of the Byzantine Empire. On display are scarce 13th century icons (such as a mosaic of the Virgin Mary from Constantinople), manuscripts, frescoes, currency coins, and more. Situated next to the Athens War Museum, about 900 meters east of Syntagma Square, with an on-site cafe/restaurant and gift shop. Closed on Tuesdays. Full Review
5. Museum of Cycladic Art
This museum located near Syntagma Square is an excellent place for kids to learn in a friendly environment. It houses one of the finest holdings of Cycladic and ancient Greek art worldwide that once belonged to the shipping family. The long-term collection displayed over four floors includes Cycladic, ancient Greek, and Cypriot pieces shown beautifully in an 1895 Neoclassical mansion. Video exhibits portray common aspects of life in ancient Greece. Temporary displays are also presented, and a nice gift shop and cafe can be found on site. It is closed on Tuesdays. Click here for a full review
6. National Historical Museum
Originally founded in 1882, the National Historical Museum in Athens displays a continual narrative of Greek culture throughout the eras by means of private belongings and memorabilia from famous historic figures, classical paintings, authentic manuscripts, and an extensive collection of traditional Greek outfits and jewelry from different parts of Greece. Everything is housed within the majestic building that operated as the Greek Parliament from 1875 to 1932, one block northwest of Syntagma Square. Closed on Mondays. • Full Review
7. Athens War Museum
This military-led museum opened to the general public in 1975 and honors all those who fought for Greece and its freedom, a must-see for history, military, and aviation enthusiasts. Organized over two floors, exhibits guide visitors through the history of Greek wars from ancient to modern times, brought alive through personal letters and memorabilia, photographs, whole uniforms, weapons and armor. Informative video documentary films explain the character of the conflicts, and outside the museum, courtyards showcase aircraft and sizable artillery. Situated about 900 meters east of Syntagma Square, a trip to the War Museum would complement viewing the changing of the guard ceremony at the Hellenic Parliament nicely. Closed on Mondays. – Full Review
8. The Paul and Alexandra Canellopoulos Museum
The extensive private grouping of antiques from ancient Greece, provided to the Greek state by notable collectors Paul and Alexandra Canellopoulos, incorporates artifacts from the Prehistoric to Contemporary times: figurines, busts, jewelry, weapons, coins, inscriptions, stone and clay vases and beyond – all dating from 3000-1200 BC to the 18-19th centuries AD. Located in an 1864 neoclassical mansion in Plaka, near the Monastiraki metro station. Closed Tuesdays. • Full Review
9. B & M Theocharakis Foundation for the Fine Arts and Music
This lovely contemporary art museum opened to the public in 2007, with a focus on promoting Greek artists nationally and internationally. The organization hosts rotating temporary exhibitions as well as a permanent collection of works by the renowned modern Greek painter, Spyros Papaloukas. The foundation also hosts concerts, workshops, and educational programs for children and adults at the museum – check the website for a current calendar of activities. There’s a great gift shop on the ground floor, and a Mediterranean restaurant on the first floor with views to the National Garden and the Parliament building. FREE. Open daily 10am-6pm. Thursdays open 10am-8pm except in July and August (10am-6pm). – Full Review
10. Athens City Museum
The museum is comprised of two 19th century mansions that once belonged to aristocratic Greek families. The older mansion, also known as the Old Palace, housed Greece`s first royal family, King Otto and Queen Amalia, from 1836 to 1842 until they moved to the new palace in the current Parliament building. Furnishings, belongings, and digital exhibits depict upper-class life in 1800s Athens after it became the capital following independence. Audio tours are available by request. Located near the National Historical Museum, a 10-minute walk northwest of Syntagma Square, it is closed on Tuesdays. • Full Review
11. Kotsanas Museum of Ancient Greek Technology
Having opened since 2018, this interactive museum tailored for families highlights over 100 recreated Greek creations from the period of 2000 B.C. up to the conclusion of the Ancient Greek world (323 B.C.), including operational models of ancient hydraulic technology, steam engines, medical technology, and additional – even a reproduction of the Antikythera mechanism, believed to be the world’s earliest computer. For an additional payment, visit the museums two other on-site exhibits: ancient musical instruments & toys, and armor and weapons. Museum staff provide excellent guided excursions in English and Greek. Open 10am – 6pm daily June to October, 9am – 5pm daily November to May. • Full Review
12. Museum of Greek Folk Musical Instruments
- For excellent honeymoon lodgings,caldera views,private pools, and infinity pools stay at one of the Finest Santorini Hotels.
13. The Benizelos Mansion
The Benizelos Mansion, constructed during the 16th-17th centuries, is considered the oldest surviving residence in Athens. Originally inhabited by Angelos Benizelos and his wife Syrigi Palaiologina, touring this two-floor home provides insight into the lifestyles and traditions of Athenian aristocrats prior to the Greek revolution. Their daughter, Revoula, was a renowned philanthropist who fought to liberate Greek women held captive in Ottoman harems. She was later sanctified as “Saint Philothei,” and the Benizelos Mansion is at times referred to as the Domicile of Saint Philothei in her honor. Situated in Plaka, the relics of Saint Philothei are entombed in the neighboring Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens. The Benizelos Mansion has restricted viewing hours depending on the website, and entrance is via donation to charities. • Full Review
14. Museum of Modern Greek Culture
The Museum of Modern Greek Culture, which was founded in 1918, has undergone changes to its names and places of residence through the years and is currently awaiting relocation to its new permanent home situated across from the archaeological site of Hadrian`s Library. For now, the museum is temporarily housed (an exquisite two-level historic mansion in Plaka with views of the Acropolis) where it hosts a series of exhibitions showing items from its extensive collection, focused around themes relating to the modern Greek experience. The projected date of completion for the new museum is late 2023, at which point it will house a permanent assortment of over 25,000 objects dating from the mid 18th century to the 1970s Open from Wednesday to Monday 8:30am-3:30pm with Tuesdays being closed. It is free. See the full review
15. Bathhouse of the Winds
Extension of the Museum of Modern Greek Culture, also known as the Hammam of Abid Efendi, this conventional bathhouse was built during the Ottoman Empire (1453-1669) and operational until 1956. It is the only remaining public bathhouse in Athens. Public hammams like this were an integral portion of everyday life in Greece during the Ottoman Era. In addition to cleanliness, bathhouses also offered a place for social gathering as well as meditation, relaxation and an escape from daily routine. These were the only places women were allowed to go outside the family home. Located in Plaka, with an excellent audio guide available on request. • Full Review
16. The House on Panos Street: Man and Tools Museum
A subsection of the Museum of Modern Greek Culture exhibits preindustrial tools and products of conventional labor, depicting Greek working life generally following the war of independence until the mid 1900s. Located in Plaka, this small but informative museum merits a brief visit. Through private collections and interactive displays, visitors gain understanding of what daily life may have entailed previously and how much industrialization has advanced. Closed on Tuesdays. – Full Review
17. Goulandris Natural History Museum
Located in the northeast area of Athens called Kifisia, the Goulandris Museum was the first museum in Greece focused on natural history. Originally beginning as a Botanical Museum to research and examine Greek plants, in 1977 it expanded its scope to include zoology, paleontology and geology as well. Their permanent exhibits feature animals from Africa, North America, and Greece; insects, mammals, birds, reptiles, shells, rocks, and fossils. Temporary exhibits are also presented. Very family-friendly with a gift shop and cafe on site, it is open daily into the afternoon hours. The closest metro station is Kifisia on the green line or line 1, about an 800-meter walk away. – Full Review
