National Archaeological Museum

Greece'S Largest Archaeological Museum And One Of The World'S Great Collections Of Ancient Greek Art: The Mask Of Agamemnon, The Antikythera Mechanism, The Artemision Bronze · Athens, Attica

The National Archaeological Museum in Athens is Greece's largest archaeological museum and one of the great collections of ancient art anywhere. Founded in 1829 and housed since the late 19th century in a neoclassical building on Patission street in Exarchia, it gathers finds from the whole country rather than one site: the gold of Mycenae with the so-called Mask of Agamemnon, marble Cycladic figurines, archaic kouroi, the bronze Zeus or Poseidon from Cape Artemision, the galloping Jockey of Artemision, the Marathon Boy, the Antikythera Mechanism - the corroded bronze gearwork often called the first analog computer - wall paintings from prehistoric Akrotiri on Santorini, and a large Egyptian collection. People come because many of the objects in school textbooks are here, and because it is far quieter than the Acropolis. The caveats: it is huge, so pick your rooms, and a major expansion is planned to close the museum for at least five years from about the end of 2027 - see it before then and confirm it is open on your dates.

28is Oktovriou (Patission) 44, Exarchia, Athens 106 82; about 10 minutes' walk from Omonia or Victoria metro, Athens, Attica, Greece

Open daily for most of the year. In the summer season (roughly April to October) hours typically run about 08:00 to 20:00, with one weekday - historically Tuesday - opening only around midday; in winter closing is much earlier, often mid to late afternoon. Closed on 1 January, 25 March, 1 May, Easter Sunday and 25-26 December, with shorter hours on some other holidays; short closures for building works have already happened, and a long closure for the expansion is scheduled from about the end of 2027. Confirm hours before you go. Getting there: about 10 minutes on foot from Victoria (line 1) or Omonia (lines 1 and 2) metro stations, or trolleybuses along Patission. No advance booking is required outside free days; buying from the official Hellenic Heritage e-ticket system skips the ticket line.

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