About Athens

Museums

The New Acropolis Museum: 

The Acropolis Museum is an archaeological site-specific museum, housing the most famous works of classical antiquity. These works are artistic  expressions of a deep political change that transformed the ancient city of Athens during the 5th century BC, subsequently marking entire eras  from antiquity to modernity. The exhibition program aims to  provide visitors with all the key information gleaned from the  archaeological finds from the Acropolis. Exhibits are presented not  solely as works of art, but also as evidence of the historical and social context of the period from which they developed.  The exhibition is organized with topographic, chronological and thematic  clustering of the collections. The sculptural adornments and various votives enable visitors to become familiar with the sanctuaries and  monuments of the Athenian Acropolis, and assisted by the Museum narrative they have the opportunity to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the entire history of the Acropolis in antiquity.

Extensive archaeological excavations conducted during preparations for the Museum’s construction revealed private houses, bathhouses, shops, workshops, and roads. When the archaeological excavation opens to the public, portable finds will be exhibited on the same level as the excavation in a specially designed  exhibition area. Visitors will also be able to walk at close proximity to the excavation, over a network of metal ramps.

Benaki Museum

Benaki boasts one of the most extensive collections in Greece, covering several periods ranging from the prehistoric, ancient and roman periods to the Byzantine and the neo-Hellenic period. Among its particularly interesting collections are those of Toys, Games, Chinese and Islamic art. 

Museum of Cycladic Art

Devoted to the study and promotion of ancient Greek art, the Museum of  Cycladic Art hosts two permanent collections. The Cycladic Collection, with marble statuettes and ceramic pots from the prehistoric period of the Cycladic islands (3200-2000 B.C.), and the Ancient Greek Collection, which exhibits objects of art from the 15th century BC to the 4th century AD. The museum also hosts several temporary collections in its new wing, which is housed in the magnificent neo-classical Stathatos Mansion. 

The National Archaeological Museum of Athens with its numerous exhibits allows you to monitor the history of Ancient Greek art, which dates between the Neolithic period and the Roman period.

National Gallery of Athens: 

The National Gallery showcases Greek paintings and sculptures from the 19th century to the present. There are also 16th-century artworks and contemporary pieces painted by European masters, including paintings by Picasso, Marquet, Utrillo as well as four El Greco paintings.

Byzantine Museum

The Byzantine Museum is dedicated exclusively to the art style, which flourished since the founding of the city of Constantinople (330 AC), the capital of the Byzantine Empire, until its fall in 1453. The museum has been recently restored and almost tripled in size.

Archaeological sites

The Acropolis - The Parthenon

A monument that constitutes the symbol of  Greece worldwide, towns the “sacred rock” of Athens, the Acropolis. The Parthenon, a marble temple dedicated to Goddess Athena, along with the other monuments of the Acropolis, are all excellent pieces of art, reflecting the Classical period and the Golden Age of ancient Athens in the 5th and 4th centuries BC. Near this archaeological site one can also visit the Museum of the Acropolis. 

Herodeion (Odeion of Herodes Atticus)

Built in 161 AD by Tiberius Claudius Atticus Herodes, the Odeon was built in the memory of his late wife. Today, concerts, plays and ballets are still performed in it. You can either admire its beauty and architecture in the morning or treat yourself with the lifetime experience of attending a concert. Herodeion’s natural setting of the Arcades in front, the Parthenon in the back and the moon up in the sky will certainly fascinate you! 

Panathinaikon Stadium

Originally built in the 4th century BC for the athletic competitions of the Great Panathinaia (ancient Greek festivities), the Panathinaikon Stadium took its final form during its most recent restoration at the end of the 19th century. It is made of marble and the Greeks also call it “Kallimarmaron” (meaning “made of beautiful marble”). It was the venue for the first modern Olympic Games, in 1896.