Most visitors to Athens only stay in the city for a limited time, and as such, have to carefully pick and choose what to see. Let me do the hard work for you. Here are the top 5 museums in Athens.
I've spent the last 2 years visiting all the museums in Athens. From these, I have chosen the top 5 museums in Athens you should visit when planning a trip. Even if you only spend 48 hours in Athens, you still have time to see them all.
I have summarised each museum below, and also included how much time I think you should spend in each one.Top 5 Museums in Athens Greece
Here's a list of the 5 best museums in Athens. If visiting Athens for two days or more, you should be able to see most of these Athens museums during your city break.
Acropolis Museum in Athens
Often thought of as the best museum in Greece, the new Acropolis Museum beautifully displays the finds and history of the Acropolis.
Be sure to check out the views of the Acropolis from the cafe area, and the marbles on the top floor!
Museum of the Ancient Agora in Athens
Housed in the reconstructed Stoa of Attalos, this Athens museum not only displays the history of the ancient Agora, but also explains the lives of Ancient Greeks.
I would suggest visiting the museum before walking around the Agora itself, as it will help put everything into perspective.
The National Archaeological Museum of Athens
A huge museum in Athens, displaying exhibits and artefacts dating back thousands of years. Often overlooked by people visiting Athens for just a day, it is in my opinion an essential Athens museum to visit.
One of the best museums in Athens by far, but allow at least 4 hours to visit!
Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens
There is something almost contemporary about the Cycladic Art pieces on display at this museum in Athens. Make your way to the top floor for a wonderful display on the lives of Ancient Athenians.
Museum of Greek Popular Musical Instruments in Athens
Displaying not only the instruments, but also showcasing the sounds and feel of Greek music. It's located in Plaka, and doesn't take long to get around. Allow maybe a half an hour to visit this one.
The New Acropolis Museum
The Acropolis Museum is the ‘flagship' museum for not only Athens, but all of Greece. It is certainly an impressive building, with well laid out displays set out over several floors.
The visitor progresses gradually upward through the building, where on the last floor, the Parthenon Marbles await.
Except, not all of them do, because a lot of them are in the British Museum. Faithful replicas are in their place, and if the originals are returned one day, they will certainly look incredible displayed here.
Time Recommended: 1-1.5 hours
My opinion: Personally, I do not think this is the best museum in Athens, but that may be just me. To get the best value from your time there, I would suggest using the Acropolis audio guide, or even taking a guided tour there.
The Agora Museum in Athens
The Agora Museum is a nicely laid out place, housed in the reconstructed Stoa of Attalos. It is a reasonably compact museum, that exhibits finds from the Ancient Agora in a chronological order.
It is all well labelled, and unlike the Acropolis Museum, there is no need for a guide here. Entrance to the Agora Museum is included with the Ancient Agora entrance ticket.
Time Recommended: 0.5 hours
My opinion: You can clearly see the progression of artefacts through the ages, and interestingly, the deterioration in quality after the ‘golden age' of Greece. Keep your eyes open for the section of text in the museum which describes Ostracism!
The National Archaeological Museum of Greece
The National Archaeological Museum is my absolute favourite in the top 5 museums in Athens list. The one drawback to it, is that it is big. Very big!
You really need 3 or 4 hours to do it some justice, which may put off some people just spending 2 days in Athens. I think it is time well spent though, and you can always just see the bits that interest you the most, and walk by the rest.
Time Recommended: Anything from 1-4 hours.
My opinion: Easily the best museum in Athens, with a complete collection spanning many areas and thousands of years. The bronze statues are my personal favourite.
Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens
The Museum of Cycladic Art displays artefacts from 4000BC to 600AD, and the most notable of these, are the instantly recognisable Cycladic Figurines.
There is something enigmatically beautiful about them, and 6000 years later, they could easily mistaken for modern art sculptures.
The museum also has numerous other exhibits, all of which are superbly laid out, labelled, and described.
Time Recommended: 1-2 hours.
My opinion: I like to visit this museum once every 6 months or so. In addition to spending time looking at the figurines, there is an interesting exhibition on the top floor. This depicts daily Athenian life from the golden age, from birth to death.
Museum of Greek Popular Musical Instruments, Athens
To be honest, I haven't really broken much ground so far with my list of top 5 museums in Athens. The ones I've mentioned above pretty much feature on most people's lists.
The fifth one, the Museum of Greek Popular Musical Instruments breaks that trend though. The museum contains not only examples of the types of musical instruments played throughout Greece, but also examples of the music.
After a while, you can hear the difference between happier island music, and more melancholy music from the north of the country. Drop by and hear for yourself!
Time Recommended: 0.5-1 hours.
My opinion: Get a feel for Greek culture by listening to folk and traditional songs from all over the country. No, you won't hear Zorba the Greek being played here!
If you are planning a trip to Athens, you might want to add the image of the top 5 museums in Athens below to your pinterest board.
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Bronwyn Griffiths says
Great blog! I’m heading to Athens tomorrow and now really want to go see the National Archaeological Museum. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Dave Briggs says
I hope you enjoy your visit to Athens!
Richard Gagnon says
Thank’s for the suggestion of museums.
did you spend some winters in Greece,How is it for the temperature, cold, can we swim in the sea,.. coud it be same weather than Florida USA , or comparable?
I like your news , your giving me the taste to go back in Greece, 45 years later…
Haooy New Year with you can expe t from it.
Riichard
Dave Briggs says
I’m glad you liked the museum suggestions!
In terms of ‘winter sun’ Greece is not an all round destination – many islands had snow this year, even in the south.
In terms of things to see and do though, Greece is a good year round destination, especially to see Athens, Meteora, Delphi, and the sites in the Peloponnese.