National Archaeological Museum

What it is

Greece's national archaeological collection, in a nineteenth-century neoclassical building in Exarcheia, covering prehistoric, Mycenaean, Cycladic, sculpture, bronze, pottery and Egyptian collections.

Why travelers go

For the Mycenaean gold, the Artemision bronzes and the Antikythera Mechanism. These are the objects that other museums borrow, and they are all in one building.

What is genuinely good

The finest ancient Greek collection anywhere, at 20 euros, with far fewer people than the Acropolis sites. The bronzes in particular are displayed with enough space to walk around them, which is rarely true elsewhere.

Downsides and tourist traps

Outside the tourist quarter, so it takes a deliberate trip. Uneven labelling means significant objects can go unnoticed. Its scale is tiring and there is nothing else nearby to build a day around.

Best for

Anyone with a real interest in the ancient world, repeat visitors to Athens, and travellers who prefer a quiet museum to a crowded monument.

Consider skipping if

You have one day in Athens. The Acropolis and its museum come first. This is the second-day museum, and it deserves to be treated as one rather than squeezed in.

Practical advice

Give it a half-day and go straight to the Mycenaean room and the bronzes before fatigue sets in. It is about twenty-five minutes on foot from Syntagma, or take the metro to Omonia and walk. Exarcheia is fine by day and has good, cheap places to eat.

Tickets and reservations

A visit to the National Archaeological Museum is 20,00 euros through the official Hellenic Heritage ticket store, with timed entry required. Reduced and free tickets require valid ID or documentation at entry.

Getting there

Victoria station on Metro line 1 or Omonia on lines 1 and 2, both about ten minutes on foot. Roughly twenty-five minutes walking from Syntagma.

Where it sits

Patission Street on the edge of Exarcheia, north of Omonia, in a working district well away from Plaka and the Acropolis. It is an ordinary Athenian neighbourhood rather than a visitor quarter.

How long to allow

Three hours to do it justice. Ninety minutes if you go only for the Mycenaean gold and the bronzes.

Accessibility

The museum is served by lifts and ramps, and is considerably easier to visit than the Acropolis site for anyone with limited mobility.

The RuinMyTrip verdict

The most underrated major museum in Europe and the best value in Athens. Go on your second day, head for the bronzes and the Mycenaean gold first, and allow more time than you planned.

Sources

Every figure above was checked against these before publication. If one has since changed, tell us and we will correct it.

• A ticket to visit the National Archaeological Museum is 20,00 euros through the official Hellenic Heritage ticket store. source
• Entry is timed and reduced or free tickets require valid ID or documentation at entry. source

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