Did you know that Athens has 76 museums? This number keeps on growing and with new museums and exhibitions getting added every year, be sure to check them all out while here in Athens. This article lists 14 of our favorite lesser known museums around Athens from the new Toy Museum and Jewelry Museum to the Contemporary Art Museum, be sure to check them all out!

Hours and exhibitions often change so I suggest checking out their website or calling ahead to confirm that they are open. Additionally, all museums will take your ICOM cards, allowing you free entry, but if you go with others or your program did not provide ICOM Cards, costs are listed below. Many places also offer reduced student tickets so be sure to have your Student ID on you.

Benaki Toy Museum

One of the newest features in the Athens museum scene, the Benaki Toy Museum opened in 2017. Its collection includes toys, books, clothing, and other items connected to childhood in Greece and beyond.

Address: Posidonos 14 & Tritonos 1, Paleo Faliro 175 61
Phone Number: +30 212 6875280
Hours: Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday 10:00 – 6:00 PM
Closed: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday; Also closed in August
Cost: General: €9; Reduced: €7

Numismatic Museum of Athens

Do you like money? If you answered “yes” the numismatic museum may be the place for you. Numismatics is the study of currency, so you guessed it, this museum is full of coins, metals, gems, and other forms of currency ranging in date from the 14th Century BC until today.

Here’s a tip from Tina Voulgari on the CYA MediaLab Team, “There’s a hidden garden and cafe [within the museum] and it’s great in the summer!”

Address: Eleftheriou Venizelou 12, Athina 106 71
Phone Number: +30 210-3632057
Hours: Tuesday-Sunday 8:30-3:30 PM
Cost: General: €6; Reduced: €3

Byzantine and Christian Museum

Interested in Greek History beyond the Classics? This museum’s collection includes religious artifacts from the Christian, Byzantine, Medieval, and later periods. Covering a large part of Greece’s later history, this museum is a great addition for anyone looking to learn the full picture of Greek history.

Address: 22 Vas. Sofias Ave., 106 75 Athens
Phone Number: +30 213 213 9517
Hours: Monday: 08:00-20:00
Tuesday: 12:30-20:00
Wednesday-Sunday: 08:00-20:00
Cost: General: €8; Reduced: €4

Jewish Museum

Founded in 1977, the Jewish Museum of Greece shows Jewish life over the past 2,300 years. The museum shows different aspects of daily life including religious and domestic life, which provides a clear image into the culture of the Greek Jews.

Address: Nikis 39, Athina 105 57
Phone Number: +30 210 32 25 582
Hours: Monday-Friday: 09:00-2:30 PM
Sunday:10:00-2:00 PM
Closed: Saturdays
Cost: General: €6; Reduced: €3

Museum of the City of Athens

Offering a glimpse into the home of Greece’s first royal couple, Otto and Amalia, the Museum of the City of Athens is a quick, yet interesting museum to visit while in Athens. This museum displays what their home would have looked like and offers some insight into the life of Otto and Amalia. One of the highlights of this museum is the giant painting displaying early Athens and is one of the only works showing a Minaret on the Acropolis.

Here’s a tip from Rose Hatem (CYA’19, Smiths College) who currently interns at the museum: “Make sure to check the temporary exhibitions too, including modern-day photography, painting and more”.

Address: Parnassou 2, Athina 105 61
Phone Number: +30 210 323 1387
Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday: 9:00-4:00 PM
Saturday, Sunday: 10:00-3:00 PM
Closed on Tuesdays
Cost: General: €5; Reduced: €3

National Historical Museum

Located in the Old Parliament Building, the National Historical Museum’s display shows the history of Modern Greece from the periods of Ottoman and Latin rule, through Greek Independence, up until today. Their collection features painting, sculptures, weapons, furniture, maps, and more.

Address: Old Parliament Building, 13 Stadiou Street, 10561 Athens
Phone Number: +30 210 3237617
Hours: Tuesday-Sunday 8:30-2:20 PM
Closed: Mondays
Cost: General:  €3; Reduced: €1.5

Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum in Athens

With galleries devoted to Greek Jewelry, the Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum has an emphasis on jewelry and crafts, especially focusing on silver and goldsmithing. They also feature two temporary exhibitions a year and students should be sure to visit when these are on display!

Address: Kallisperi 12 & Karyatidon Str., Acropolis 11742, Athens, Greece
Phone Number: +30 210 922 1044
Hours: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 9:00-3:00 PM
Wednesday & Saturday: 9:00-9:00 PM
Closed on Sunday and Monday
Cost: General:  €5; Reduced: €4

Frissiras Museum – Museum for Contemporary European Painting

The Frissiras Museum offers viewers the chance to see Contemporary European Painting with their permanent and rotating exhibitions. With each exhibition lasting about 6 months, CYAers should have the opportunity to see an installation while in Athens. Past exhibitions have included New Horizons I, II, and III, Studios in Time: Ten Women Visual Artists, and Elles. Located in Plaka, it is nearby the academic center and worth the visit.

Address: 3 & 7, Monis Asteriou, Plaka, Athens, Greece 10558
Phone number: +30 210 3234678, +30 210 3316027
Hours: Wednesday to Friday: 11:00 – 18:00
Saturday and Sunday: 11:00 – 17:00
Monday and Tuesday: closed
Cost: General: €6; Reduced: €3

Athens War Museum

Highlighting Greece’s struggle for freedom, the Athens War Museum features a large collection of war memorabilia. Outside, the museum even has a few flight jets on display for viewers! The collection includes weaponry, uniforms, flags, photographs, paintings, sculptures and more. If you’re at all interested in wars or simply learning more about Greece’s history, this museum is a must visit.

Address: Rizari 2, Athina 106 75
Phone Number: +30 210 725 2974
Hours: April-October 9:00-7:00 PM
November-March: 9:00-5:00
Closed: Mondays
Cost: General:  €4; Reduced: €2

Hellenic Motor Museum

Do you like seeing cars, or learning about the advancements of the automotive industry? If you answered yes, then this is the perfect museum for you! This museum shows antique, vintage, classic, and modern cars and its collection is vast making it interesting for everyone.

Address: Ioulianou 33, Athina 104 33
Phone Number: +30 210 8816187
Hours: Monday to Friday 10:00 – 14:00
Saturday 11:00 – 18:00
Sunday 11:00 – 18:00
Cost: General: €10; Reduced: €8

Benaki Museum of Islamic Art in Athens

Located in a Neo-Classical building in the Kerameikos district, the Museum Islamic Art includes works from regions such as India, Persia, Asia Minor, the Middle East, Egypt and more! For students looking to supplement their studies with art from the Islamic civilizations, this museum is a great choice. Step into this museum and you will be transported to other regions of the world, as there are only a few Greek pieces in this collection.

Address: 22 Ag. Asomaton & 12 Dipilou St., 105 53 Athens
Phone Number: +30 210 325 1311
Hours: Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday 10:00 – 6:00 PM
Closed: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
Cost: General: €9; Reduced: €7

Basil & Elise (B&E) Goulandris Modern Art Museum

Set to open October 1^st, 2019, the B&E Goulandris Modern Art Museum will be opening up right here in Pangrati, just a two-minute walk from the CYA Academic Center. Inside this brand new, state of the art museum will be works by Picasso, Bonnard, Cézanne, Van Gogh, and Monet, just to name a few. When it officially opens, it will be a must see museum and CYA students are lucky to be so close to this new museum.

Address: Eratosthenous 13, Athina 116 35

*Museum hours have not yet been released so be sure to check their website before visiting.

National Museum of Contemporary Art

Currently under renovation, the National Museum of Contemporary Art has a large collection of works by Greek and International Artists. When reopened the museum will feature a permanent collection as well as spaces for temporary collections. A cool fact about the building itself is that is located in an old FIX Beer brewery.

Address: Kallirrois avenue & Amvr. Frantzi street, 11743 Athens – Greece

*At this time, no opening times or costs are known but check on their website for more details before visiting.

Alekos Kondopoulos Museum

Alekos Kondopoulos was a famous Greek painter who painted about the Greek Resistance. His house was donated to the Municipality of Agia Paraskevi by his wife and, since 1999, it operates as the Alekos Kondopoulos Municipal Library and Museum. CYA librarian Georgia Katsarou tells us that this is one of her favorite lesser-known museums in Athens: “His studio is even left in the same status as it was when he died”.

Address: Alekou Kodopoulou 13, Athina 153 42
Phone Number: +30 210 601 0121
Hours: Tuesday-Thursday: 10:00 – 14:00
Saturday: 10:00-14:00: only the first Saturday of each month
Wednesday: 10:00-14:00 & 17:00-20:00
Closed: Mondays & Sundays
Cost: Free of charge