Best Museums in Greece in 2024

A must-see for anyone interested in delving into the farthest depths of Greek history and art, the museum boasts more than 20,000 artefacts documenting Greek civilisation from the earliest times to the end of Antiquity. It covers 8,000 square meters of exhibition space and is housed in a late 19th-century neoclassical building with five main collections: Prehistory, Sculpture, Vases and Small Objects, Metallurgy and Egyptian and Near Eastern Antiquities. Highlights include Mycenaean antiquities with treasures from the 15th century BC and restored Santorini frescoes, as well as significant Geometric, Archaic and Classical art.

The museum, which is wheelchair accessible, presents educational programs and services for individuals with total or partial loss of vision via tactile thematic tours and workshops.

Patission 44, Exarcheia

The new Acropolis Museum houses a dazzling array of ancient artefacts in a sleek, ultra-modern setting flooded with natural light. Its spacious design accommodates a vast collection, ranging from the “Acropolis Slopes” exhibit to the detailed Archaic period displays. This area presents artifacts from the Acropolis area, featuring theatrical masks and vases dedicated to Nymphe, a marital deity. An entire floor showcases the Archaic era (650 BC–480 BC), including a wide array of statues. This section also houses artifacts from the Hekatompedon, possibly an earlier structure than the renowned Parthenon, like the famous lion and bull sculpture from 570 BC. Additionally, the museum honors the iconic Caryatids, the female sculptures from the Erectheion, by leaving an empty spot for the one located in the British Museum in London.

The museum’s most impressive area, the Parthenon Gallery, aligns perfectly with the Parthenon itself, offering a unique perspective of the ancient temple. This gallery poignantly highlights the absence of the original Parthenon Marbles, emphasising Greece’s stance on their return. Visitors can witness a blend of the nation’s archaic grandeur and contemporary architectural ingenuity, walking along glass floors and almost always with views of the majestic Acropolis looming right above. Kids can enjoy treasure hunts and drawing materials to make their visit – and yours, a lot more enjoyable. The museum is fully accessible for people with physical disabilities.

As of the summer of 2024, a new exhibition space at the museum showcases over 1,100 artifacts, including statues, toys, and household items, from an ancient Athens neighborhood. Unearthed at the museum’s site, these objects offer insight into daily life over 4,500 years. The Museum Under the Museum reveals homes, workshops, and streets, enhancing visitors’ understanding of ancient life.

Dionysiou Areopagitou 15, Makriyianni

Originally the neoclassical residence of the Benaki family, since 1926 the museum offers a titillating visual journey through history and art, with Greece at its centre. The museum’s 36 rooms travel visitors through different eras, showcasing everything from ancient gold bowls and Byzantine icons to Lord Byron’s pistols, and brilliantly illustrating the many facets of Greece’s rich past. Its elegant interiors contain a fascinating collection ranging from prehistoric, ancient Greek and Roman art and post-Byzantine and Neo-Hellenic art to Chinese, Korean, Coptic and Islamic art, as well as modern pieces that reflect the breadth of Greek civilisation as well as influences from abroad.

This may be the original museum, but it is not the only Benaki Museum in Athens; there are also an avant-garde annex on 138 Pireos Street, the Museum of Islamic Art in Kerameikos, and the Toy Museum in Faliron.

Koumbari 1, Kolonaki

Founded in 1914, the museum stands as a key cultural institution in Greece, dedicated to preserving and exhibiting the region’s Byzantine and post-Byzantine heritage from the Early Christian, Byzantine, Medieval, post-Byzantine and later periods. It houses an impressive collection of some 25,000 artefacts, including portable icons, sculptures, ecclesiastical textiles, ceramics and a range of artistic and architectural pieces, from murals to mosaics.

The vast permanent collection is divided into two sections: the first, covering the Byzantine period (4th to 15th centuries), contains around 1,200 objects, while the second, entitled ‘From Byzantium to the Modern Era’, contains 1,500 objects from the 15th to 20th centuries. The museum hosts temporary exhibitions and its cafe has a loyal clientele who enjoy its coziness in winter and a scenic garden setting in summer.

Vas. Sofias Ave 22, Kolonaki

A rich fabric of ancient Aegean and Cypriot heritage is housed at this museum, which centres on Cycladic art of the third millennium BC. Visitors can walk through a diverse collection of over 3,000 artefacts, including 350 from the Cycladic Bronze Age, known for its famously shaped marble figurines. The museum also offers fascinating insights from the 4th millennium BC to the 6th century AD, with special exhibits on Cypriot art and ancient daily life. At the Stathatos Mansion, visitors can see the museum’s temporary exhibitions.

The venue also offers a multitude of educational programs for kids and adults, special exhibits for the visually impaired, a lovely cafe in a Cycladic-style courtyard with a skylight and a shop selling art replicas and original Greek design pieces. Individuals with physical disabilities can enter the Main Building 4 Neophytou Douka via a wheelchair ramp and access the floors by using the lift.

Neophytou Douka 4, Kolonaki

Opened in October 2019, the Basil and Elise Goulandris Foundation in Athens, near the Panathenaic Stadium, showcases a prized collection worth $3 billion, including Impressionist, Modernist, and post-war avant garde art. The permanent collection features works by foreign artists like Cezanne, Van Gogh, Picasso, Gauguin, Monet, Degas, Rodin, Toulouse-Lautrec and Monet as well as Greek artists such as Hadjikyriakos-Ghika, Tetsis, Tsarouchis and Moralis.

Developed over 30 years, the museum’s collection is presented on floors dedicated to Western art from the 19th and 20th centuries and Greek art from the last century. Highlights include Van Gogh’s “Olive Picking,” Picasso’s “Woman Nude with Raised Arms,” and Monet’s Rouen Cathedral series. The facility also includes a café, gift shop, and a library housing about 4,500 art books. Wheelchair access to the Foundation is easy and the building has spacious lifts, which allow access to all areas.

Eratosthenous 13, Pangrati

This one-of-a-kind museum highlights the Ancient Greeks often overlooked technological achievements – of which there are a mind-boggling number, as one can discover here. It features around 300 working replicas of their inventions. The period covered is from 2000 BC to the end of the Ancient Greek era. The collection includes replicas of groundbreaking devices such as early automation, proto-cinematic equipment, intricate timekeeping devices and the ingenious Antikythera mechanism.

The impressive inventions have been painstakingly recreated by Kostas Kotsanas, who spent 22 years studying ancient texts and rare archaeological finds in order to create these pieces, many of which have travelled around Greece and abroad. The exhibition is remarkable for its authenticity and detail, with interactive exhibits and extensive audio-visual aids, including descriptive labels, intricate diagrams and informative videos, providing a deep insight into the technological heritage of ancient Greece.

Pindarou 6 & Akadimias, Kolonaki

In 2021, the new National Gallery of Athens Alexandros Soutsos Museum, reopened after a €60 million renovation – and a long wait for art-loving Athenians – in a state-of-the-art building, now occupying 20,760 square meters – almost twice its previous size. An essential stop for culture vultures, the three-storey space not only showcases an awe-inspiring collection of western European art but also more than 20,000 works of Greek paintings, sculptures, engravings and other forms of art from the post-Byzantine times until today. The collection includes over 1,000 artworks by modern Greek painters, presented in a minimalist setting with wonderful lighting. Exhibitions include Post-Byzantine Art, the Painting of the Independent Greek State, the Bourgeois Class and its Painters and Around 1900 to Modernism and Tradition, Greek Interwar Printmaking and Modern Greek Art.

The gallery also features an auditorium, educational spaces, a museum shop, a cafe, and a courtyard. The museum hosts temporary exhibitions, educational activities and other events throughout the year. The museum is fully accessible to people with physical disabilities.

Vas. Konstantinou 50, Ilisia

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Archaeological Museum of Ancient Corinth

Located within the archaeological site of Corinth, the museum, which was founded in 1932, displays artefacts from Corinth and the surrounding area and following its expansion in 1950 and subsequent renovations, is divided into two main sections. One part presents the findings from the twin cemeteries of Kouroi and Tenea, and the other highlights the cultural, commercial and military history of Corinth through contemporary audiovisual displays.

The collections span from the Geometric Period until the destruction of Corinth by the Romans in 146 BC, with exhibition spaces dedicated to Prehistoric Corinth, Corinth, the Powerful City State, the Asklepieion Healing Sanctuary and the Famous Kouroi of Kleneia, as well as audiovisual presentations. The museum is accessible to people with physical disabilities.

Ancient Corinth Archaeological Site

Starting in the late 19th century, excavations at Delphi uncovered significant historical treasures, leading to the establishment of the Delphi Museum, one of the most important in Greece. Showcasing items from the period spanning from the second millennium BC, prior to the establishment of the Sanctuary, through to Late Antiquity, marked by the formation of a small Christian community in Delphi.

Across 14 rooms, visitors can learn about ancient Greek religion, art and mysticism in a modern, immersive and sophisticated way. Most notable among its many impressive exhibits are the imposing (2.22 meters) marble Sphinx of Naxos and the renowned statue of the life-size (1.8 meter) Charioteer, also known as Heniokhos. The museum has a ramp and a wheelchair-friendly WC.

Archaeological Site of Delphi, Fokida

Often described as deeply atmospheric, transportive and unique in its near-mystical ambience, the museum’s design remarkably enhances the experience of the displayed artefacts, offering a journey through ancient Macedonia’s thunderous past. Among its notable exhibits are King Phillip II’s shield and armour, and the exquisite Golden Larnax, with its finely crafted golden wreath of oak leaves and acorns, accompanied by diminutive, yet intricately carved ivory figures. Also on show are a diverse array of items from everyday life to royal regalia, giving insight into the domestic and ceremonial aspects of ancient Macedonian culture.

The carefully arranged exhibits pay homage to the era’s artistic and cultural achievements; while also serving as a tribute to Professor Manolis Andronikos, whose archaeological work brought these treasures to light and contributed significantly to their preservation and understanding.

Aigai Archaeological Site, Vergina, Imathia

The museum is renowned for its impressive collection, housed in a modern glass and marble building near the historic site. Notable displays include sculptures from the Temple of Zeus and the famous Hermes of Praxiteles Carrying the Infant Dionysus, discovered in the Temple of Hera.

The museum’s central gallery features the pedimental sculptures and metopes from the Temple of Zeus, illustrating Hercules’s Twelve Labors. Also exhibited is the celebrated Nike of Paionios, alongside significant terra-cotta figures, the head of Hera’s cult statue, works related to Herodes Atticus’s family, and various bronzes like votive figures, cauldrons, and armor. Among the many historically significant items is a helmet offered by Miltiades, victor at Marathon, and a cup from the workshop of the sculptor Pheidias, found on the Olympia site. The museum has a ramp at its entrance and can provide a wheelchair upon appointment.

Ancient Olympia

Enriched by the northern capital’s rich ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine heritage, the museum offers an array of exhibits. Following a complete renovation in 2003, the museum now presents six permanent thematic units. It contains a vast collection ranging from Neolithic artefacts to Archaic, Classical and Roman sculptures, as well as objects from the Archaic temple at Thermi.

Among its most famous pieces is the Derveni Crater, which has attracted worldwide interest, and the small Arch of Galerius, depicting the emperor. The museum is housed in a modest single-storey building. The displays trace the history of Thessaloniki and present early urban settlements in the region, making it an accessible and enlightening destination for all visitors. The museum, which is accessible to people with disabilities and has a cafe and shop, also hosts numerous temporary exhibitions in collaboration with the world’s leading museums. The museum is accessible to people with disabilities and for blind or partially sighted visitors, a “Touch tour” can be arranged.

Manoli Andronikou 6, Thessaloniki

Located near Ioannina, the museum is a renowned wax museum established by sculptor Paul Vrellis in 1983. Housing 150 lifelike wax models across 37 displays, it focuses mainly on Greek history, especially the 1821 War of Independence, offering visitors the chance to time travel through history in a memorable way.

The wax figures, made predominantly from natural materials and dressed in authentic costumes from the represented time periods, as well as being in settings that include antique furnishings, bring pivotal moments in Greek history to life in a unique way. Key ‘moments’ in history include the Krifo Scholio (the Clandestine School), Filiki Eteria (the Friendly Brotherhood, a Greek revolutionary secret society created ahead of the Greek War of Independence), the Slaughter of Ali-Pasha, the Battle of Crete, and various scenes from WWII, offering visitors an immersive journey through Greece’s past. The museum is accessible to disabled persons or persons with special needs. However, due to the unique complexity of the interior space, it is required that such visitors be escorted.

12th Km on Ioannina – Arta National Road, Ioannina

Located in the historical centre of Kalamata,the museum occupies the site of the former bustling Municipal Market, rebuilt after the catastrophic 1986 earthquake. The space, provided by the Municipality of Kalamata to the Ministry of Culture, houses an exhibition designed to illustrate the cultural evolution of Messinia from prehistoric times to the Byzantine period.

The museum is organised into four geographical sections – Kalamata, Messina, Pylia, and Trifyllia – each displaying significant archaeological finds from the region, whether unearthed through systematic excavations, surface research, or accidental discoveries by locals. A central pathway, symbolizing the Pamisos river, links these sections, while ten thematic areas use visual aids to elucidate the historical context of the artifacts and their regions. The museum is accessible to people with physical disabilities.

Benaki 3 & Agios Ioannis, Kalamata

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Heraklion Archaeological Museum, Crete

This museum houses an extensive collection of Minoan artifacts, mainly from the Palace of Knossos and other Minoan sites. These pieces, some dating back 3,000 years, were unearthed by Sir Arthur Evans. Notable among them are the mysterious Phaistos Disk and Linear B script-inscribed seal stones. The museum’s frescoes from Knossos, including the famous “Des Parisiennes,” depict Minoan life and mythological scenes.

Minoan artistry is showcased in metalwork, stone carving, and pottery, such as the delicate Kamares ware. The zenith of their craftsmanship is evident in the later palace period (1700–1450 BC), with masterpieces like the serpentine bull’s head rhyton and ivory acrobat figures. Bull-leaping, a central theme, reflects either a religious ritual or a sport. Also remarkable are vases from Ayia Triada and a rock crystal rhyton from Zakro, illustrating various aspects of Minoan culture. The museum is best visited early morning or late afternoon to avoid crowds. The museum is accessible to people with physical disabilities.

Sapoutie 2, Heraklion

Centrally located in Fira, Santorini, the museum is a key Greek cultural institution that opened in 2000. Primarily featuring artefacts from the Akrotiri excavations, along with finds from various sites on the island, it provides a comprehensive overview of the island’s early history. The museum was an initiative of archaeologist Spyridon Marinatos, responsible for the Akrotiri site, which was engulfed in ash following a 16th-century BC volcanic eruption. This natural preservation led to the excellent condition of many frescoes, objects, and artworks.

Spread across four sections, the museum chronicles Thera’s history from the Late Neolithic to the 17th century BC, focusing on Akrotiri’s golden age. The chronological display includes Neolithic pottery, Early and Middle Cycladic artefacts, bird jugs, metal objects, and remarkable wall paintings depicting various scenes and motifs from the Minoan period. The collection also features pre-human fossils from Thera, offering a window into the island’s ancient environment. The museum provides accessibility features for people with physical disabilities.

Fira, Thira

The Archaeological Museum of Rhodes, previously the Hospital of the Knights, dating back to 1489, encloses a historic Byzantine courtyard. This erstwhile hospital, which catered to knights and townsfolk, now exhibits relics from Rhodes’ ancient cities of Ialysos, Kameiros, and Lindos, as well as neighboring islands. Its collection boasts a splendid array of ceramic amphoras and oenochoe, evidencing the island’s affluent trade history.

The museum sequentially presents the evolution of Attic pottery, ranging from early geometric patterns to the distinguished red-on-black figures from the 5th century BC. Amongst its treasures are two famed representations of Aphrodite, including the “Aphrodite of Rhodes” and “Aphrodite Thalassia,” and two 6th-century BC kouros statues from Kameiros.

Old Town, Museum Square

The largest museum in Corfu, this two-storey building has a courtyard garden and balconies on the south and east sides. Most of the exhibits are on the first floor, in four rooms and a corridor. One of the most outstanding pieces is the massive pediment of the Temple of Artemis, dating from 580 BC. It is 17 metres wide and 3 metres high and depicts the myth of the Gorgon.

Key exhibits at the museum include the archaic Funerary Lion of Menekratis from the late 7th century BC, an archaic pediment depicting a Dionysian banquet scene, a bronze statuette of a running “komastos” from 570 BC, a 6th century B.C. kouros head unearthed at Paleopolis in Mon Repos, a 490 BC clay statuette of Artemis found at Kanoni, the 530 B.C. Parian marble kouros of Corfu and the 630-600 BC arniada discovered near Garitsa. The museum also houses artefacts from the Palaeolithic, Early Bronze Age, Hellenistic and Roman periods.

1 Armeni Vraila, Corfu

Visiting this museum, you’re transported into a noble family’s life in Corfu during the early to mid-19th century under British rule. This setting, different from typical museums, offers an intimate exploration of history, ensuring a memorable visit.

Casa Parlante, or the “speaking house,” uses animated figures to portray a noble household from that era. The house is filled with authentic 1800s furnishings and art, showcasing Corfu’s unique history shaped by Venetian, French, and British influences. Centrally located, it’s an ideal educational experience for all ages, delving into the island’s architecture, traditions, and lifestyle.

Νikiforou Theotoki 16, Corfu