Athens, Greece museums: A guide to the city's collections

The Acropolis Museum

The Acropolis Museum is worth experiencing before you even reach the galleries. Built above the excavated remains of an ancient Athenian neighborhood, the museum incorporates the archaeological site into its design through glass floors at the entrance, where streets, homes and workshops are visible below. Before you see a single sculpture or artifact, you've already walked over an excavated ancient neighborhood — one of the museum's best exhibits, and you haven't reached the galleries yet.

Inside, the collection unfolds chronologically as you move upward through the building, tracing the development of ancient Athens from the Archaic period to the height of the Classical era. The journey culminates in the Parthenon Gallery, a light-filled space aligned with the Parthenon itself, where visitors can view the surviving sculptures while looking directly toward the temple they once adorned.

Among the museum's most celebrated works are five of the six original Caryatid sculptures from the Erechtheion. (The sixth remains in the British Museum, a history the Acropolis Museum addresses within the gallery.) Other highlights include the Moschophoros (Calf-Bearer), one of the earliest surviving marble statues from the Acropolis, and the Peplos Kore, whose traces of original paint offer a reminder that ancient Greek sculpture was once vividly colored.

The museum is especially rewarding after visiting the Acropolis. Seeing these sculptures and architectural details at eye level adds another layer of understanding to the temples and monuments you've just explored. Guests joining the Best of Athens or Acropolis, Plaka and Temple of Poseidon shore excursions may have the opportunity to visit the museum afterward, depending on their schedule.

Practical details

• Location: Dionysiou Areopagitou 15, about a five-minute walk from the Acropolis entrance
• Time to allow: 1.5–2 hours for a thorough visit or 45–60 minutes for the highlights
• Don't miss: The Parthenon Gallery, where the sculptures are displayed in alignment with the temple overlooking the city

The National Archaeological Museum

The National Archaeological Museum is the largest museum in Greece and home to the world's largest collection of ancient Greek antiquities. Its more than 11,000 objects span thousands of years, from prehistoric civilizations to the end of antiquity, filling a stately neoclassical building in Athens' Exarcheia neighborhood.

The collection offers a broad view of ancient Greece through some of its most celebrated discoveries. Highlights include the gold Mask of Agamemnon from Mycenae, the monumental Artemision Bronze, elegant Cycladic marble figurines and remarkably lifelike Roman portrait sculptures. The museum also houses treasures recovered from the Antikythera shipwreck, including the famous Antikythera Mechanism — the world's oldest known analog computer. Displayed alongside a working reconstruction, it reveals the extraordinary scientific and engineering knowledge of the ancient Greeks more than 2,000 years ago.

Many guests begin their day at the Acropolis before continuing to the Acropolis Museum. The National Archaeological Museum provides a natural next stop that expands the story beyond Athens' monuments to the wider civilizations that shaped ancient Greece. Guests joining Athens shore excursions may also visit the museum as part of their day.

Practical details

• Location: 44 28th of October (Patission) Street, Athens 106 82 (also known as 28is Oktovriou 44, Athina 106 82, Greece), about a 20-minute walk or a short taxi ride from the Acropolis Museum
• Time to allow: Plan for 2–3 hours, with at least an hour for the prehistoric and Mycenaean galleries
• Helpful tip: Audio guides are available in multiple languages and provide valuable context for exhibits such as the Antikythera Mechanism and the Mycenaean gold collection.

Other collections worth knowing

Athens is home to dozens of museums, and while most cruise guests will prioritize the Acropolis Museum and the National Archaeological Museum, a few smaller collections are worth considering if you're spending extra time in the city before or after your cruise.

Numismatic Museum

The Numismatic Museum is housed in the former home of Heinrich Schliemann, the archaeologist whose excavations at Troy and Mycenae transformed the study of the ancient Greek world. The mansion is almost as much of an attraction as the museum itself, with many of its original interiors still intact. Inside, roughly 500,000 to 600,000 coins trace the history of currency from antiquity through the modern era — a perfect stop for guests interested in archaeology, economic history or Schliemann's legacy. Most visitors can comfortably explore the museum in 45 to 60 minutes.

National Museum of Contemporary Art (EMST)

For guests looking beyond Athens' ancient collections, the National Museum of Contemporary Art (EMST) offers a very different perspective. Located inside the converted Fix Brewery in the Koukaki neighborhood, the museum showcases Greek and international contemporary art from the 1960s to the present. The building itself is one of Athens' best-known examples of adaptive reuse, and the surrounding neighborhood is filled with cafés and restaurants that make it an enjoyable area to explore before or after your visit.

Planning your museum visits ashore

The Acropolis and the Acropolis Museum complement one another naturally, while the National Archaeological Museum broadens the scope to places throughout ancient Greece. Depending on your time in port, you can focus on one museum or build a full day around two.

Major museums typically open between 8 and 9 a.m., though hours can change throughout the year, so it's worth confirming schedules before your visit. Arriving near opening generally offers quieter galleries and the best natural light, particularly in the Acropolis Museum. 

Princess shore excursions provide guided access to the Acropolis and other landmarks, and some guests may have time to visit the Acropolis Museum afterward, depending on their excursion schedule. If you're spending additional time in Athens before or after your cruise, Athens by hop-on hop-off bus provides a practical introduction to the city's neighborhoods before deciding which museums to explore in greater depth.

Beyond Athens: The Archaeological Museum of Ancient Corinth

The Acropolis, Ancient Corinth and Canal excursion extends the museum experience beyond Athens with visits to the ancient city of Corinth, the Corinth Canal and the Archaeological Museum of Ancient Corinth. Inside, artifacts from the prehistoric, Greek, Roman and Byzantine periods — including Roman portrait sculptures and architectural fragments from the Temple of Apollo — provide another perspective on the ancient Greek world beyond Attica.

A suggested sequence for a full day ashore

If your schedule allows independent sightseeing, the following is one way to organize a museum-focused day. Exact port times and excursion schedules vary by sailing.

• Morning: Visit the Acropolis, then continue to the Acropolis Museum. Allow about 90 minutes to explore the galleries, including the Parthenon Gallery.
• Midday: Enjoy lunch in Plaka or Monastiraki before heading to your next museum.
• Afternoon: Spend a couple of hours at the National Archaeological Museum, focusing on highlights such as the Mycenaean galleries and the Antikythera Mechanism.

Prefer a guided day? Best of Athens covers the Acropolis before you continue on your own

Complete your visit to Athens

Time spent in Athens doesn't have to end at the archaeological sites. The city's museums preserve the sculptures, artwork and everyday objects that deepen your understanding of what you've seen throughout the day. 

Explore cruises to Athens and browse European cruises to include one of the world's most influential historic cities in your next voyage.

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