You are in Greece, the country that gave birth to civilisation. Visit world-famous archaeological museums. Explore the arks of human art and creativity. Get up close and personal with priceless exhibits. Admire the representations of gods and people. Discover the everyday items of the ancients’ private and public lives. Immerse yourself in the beauty and enchantment of small and large treasures of human art. Wander through the museums of Greece and experience the incredible wealth and breadth of their exhibits. Here you will find some of the most important museums in Greece, famous worldwide for their exhibits. Explore them!
Archaeological museums in Greece
- New Acropolis Museum: One of the most important museums in Greece. Impressive and spacious, it houses every object found on the holy rock of the Acropolis, from the Mycenaean to Early Christian era.
- National Archaeological Museum: The country’s largest, it has one of the most important collections of Greek antiquities in the world, more than 11,000 finds gathered from every place where Greek civilisation flourished.
- Archaeological Museum of Delphi: Laid out according to modern exhibition principles, this building contains finds from the Oracle, temples and treasuries. The famous bronze Charioteer is the star attraction.
- Archaeological Museum of Olympia: Priceless finds from the prehistoric to Early Christian era. The sculpture collection is unparalleled, with Praxiteles’ Hermes and the frieze from the temple of Zeus taking pride of place.
- Museum of The Royal Tombs At Aigai (Vergina): A subterranean museum-cemetery, where the tombs and finds are protected, this unique structure houses treasures of Macedonian civilisation, among them gold wreaths, ivory statuettes and rare frescoes.
- Archaeological Museum of Heraklion: One of Europe’s finest, this museum contains objects covering 5,500 years of history, from the Neolithic era to Roman times. The Minoan collection is unsurpassed, with its frescoes from Knossos, superbly crafted pottery and the mysterious Phaistos disk.
- Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki: The building is a listed monument, considered a characteristic example of Modernist design. It contains exhibits from sites throughout Macedonia.
- Archaeological Museum of Dion: The entrance contains an astonishing collection of sculptures, while the first floor holds a prize – a rare musical instrument, a water-operated pipe organ or hydrauli.
- Archaeological Museum of Rhodes/Old City of Rhodes: Finds from the Mycenaean era to the Middle Ages, from Rhodes and the surrounding islands.
- Palace Of The Grand Masters/Old City Of Rhodes: Perhaps the most important monument left by the Knights of St John, it contains mosaic floors, columns, mediaeval furniture and other objects from their rule on the island.
- Museum Of Prehistory, Thera, Santorini: Finds and frescoes from the Minoan era settlement at Akrotiri, including rare examples of furniture and the famous wall paintings, representing, for example, Spring with the swallows and the Blue Monkeys.
- Museum Of Byzantine Civilisation, Thessaloniki: An award-winning contemporary building, with a superb collection of early Christian, Byzantine and post-Byzantine art.
