Museums to Visit in Athens

Museums to Visit in Athens

Yesterday, I just got back from Athens. Even though it was just a short business trip, I had a little time to enjoy some walks around the city remembering that Athens is loaded with museums. Below I will list some of them that, in my opinion, shouldn’t be missed if you stay in the city for a couple of days.

The Acropolis Museum. The Acropolis Museum is an archaeological museum focused on the findings of the archaeological site of the Acropolis of Athens. The museum was built to house every artifact found on the rock and on its feet, from the Greek Bronze Age to Roman and Byzantine Greece. It also lies on the archaeological site of Makrygianni and the ruins of a part of Roman and early Byzantine Athens.

The Benaki Museum. The museum houses Greek works of art from the prehistorical to the modern times, an extensive collection of Asian art, hosts periodic exhibitions and maintains a state-of-the-art restoration and conservation workshop. Although the museum initially housed a collection that included Islamic art, Chinese porcelain and exhibits on toys, its 2000 re-opening led to the creation of satellite museums that focused on specific collections, allowing the main museum to focus on Greek culture over the span of the country's history.

National Archaeological Museum. The National Archaeological Museum houses some of the most important artifacts from a variety of archaeological locations around Greece from prehistory to late antiquity. It is considered one of the great museums in the world and contains the richest collection of artifacts from Greek antiquity worldwide.

Kerameikos Museum. In the ancient cemetery of Athens at the bottom of Ermou past the Monastiraki market it is a nice, but little museum. The Museum houses valuable collection of steles, sculpture, beautiful vases and terracotta figurines unearthed from the site.

Museum of Popular Musical Instruments. This museum located in Athens’ Plaka district is dedicated to Greek Popular Music. You feel happy the minute you walk in and probably you will dance and sing your way through.

National Gallery. The National Art Gallery and Alexander Soutzos Museum is an art museum devoted to Greek and European art from the 14th century to the 20th century.