The National Archaeological Museum in Athens is easily one of the best museums in the world, with a stunning large collection of ancient Greek artefacts and works of art, including the golden treasures from Mycenae and the breathtakingly beautiful frescoes found on Santorini (Thira) in the Greek islands.
Athens has many other fine museums, though, and some of the smaller or more specialist collections are perhaps easier to enjoy because there is less risk of museum fatigue setting in. There are museums devoted to ceramics, musical instruments, the theatre, the history of the city of Athens, to warfare, to Byzantine Athens, to Cycladic art, to folk art and much else besides.
Here is a personal selection of the Top Five Athens Museums, to choose from if your time in the city is limited.
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The National Archaeological Museum
To see everything in the world's finest collection of ancient Greek artefacts will take at least half a day, probably longer depending on your level of interest. You can book a guided tour ahead, in any of several languages, and this would allow you to see the highlights if time is restricted. On no account miss the golden treasures found at Mycenae by archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann, the colorful frescoes from Akrotiri on Santorini that have been beautifully preserved and the immense statue of Poseidon from the 5th century BC.
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The Museum of Greek Popular Musical Instruments
This is a good choice if either you are even remotely interested in music, or for a family visit as many of the displays are interactive. It's a fine collection of musical instruments housed in a neo-classical mansion in the historic Plaka district. There are some beautiful items on display, and many of the cases have earphones attached so you can hear the sound of the instruments. Some of them are historic recordings, made all over Greece.
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The Goulandris Museum of Cycladic and Ancient Greek Art
Just a few minutes walk from Syntagma Square is this wonderful private museum which focuses on the beautiful sculptures made by the Cycladic civilisation in, naturally, the Cycladic islands in the third millennium BC. They must be among the most stunning and graceful sculptures ever carved, and the excellent lighting and display brings out every bit of their beauty.
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The Benaki Museum
The Benaki Museum is down the road from the Goulandris Museum. Antonis Benakis was a wealthy cotton merchant who amassed a stunning array of objects from all over the world, and he gave his collection to the Greek state in the 1950s. There are over 20,000 items on several floors of this handsome building, which was recently renovated. The collection includes jewellery from Mycenae, traditional Greek folk costumes, embroidery, ceramics, religious items from the Byzantine period and a great deal more. There is also a terrific rooftop cafe.
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The War Museum
Also close to the previous two museums is the unusual and thought-provoking War Museum. From the outside it might seem as if you are in for a visit to a collection of old tanks and airplanes, but inside is a fascinating study on several floors of warfare over the centuries. There are lots of swords, guns and uniforms, but there is also a serious historical side, with a study of warfare and its effects on Greek communities, going back to ancient times. There are intriguing models of Greek cities with their defensive walls, still visible today, and a visit here could take up an absorbing few hours.
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