Central Greece & Attica – Greek Diaspora Travel
Acropolis Museum
Acropolis Museum in Athens, Greece
The new Acropolis Museum opened in 2009, and is consistently rated as one of the best museums in the world. Most recently, the museum was named the 6th best museum in the world and 4th best in Europe, in TripAdvisor’s 2018 Travellers’ Choice Awards. As its name suggests, the Acropolis Museum predominantly houses artefacts from the site of the Acropolis in Athens, Greece.
Old Acropolis Museums
Shortly after Greece’s independence from the Ottoman Empire was internationally recognised in 1830, discussions about the construction of an Acropolis Museum began. In 1863, it was decided that a museum would be constructed on the Acropolis, next to the Parthenon and construction began in 1865. This would prove to be too small and in 1888, a second museum was decided on. In 1946, the second museum was demolished and the original was extended. With Athenian tourism growing substantially in the 1970’s, it was clear that the museum could not cope.
New Acropolis Museum
In 1976, the idea of a new Acropolis Museum in Athens was identified by Constantinos Karamanlis, who also selected the site for the new museum. Various competitions were conducted for the design of the museum over the next two decades, but when ruins of a Roman and early Byzantine site were discovered at the location, the competitions were abandoned. Bernard Tschumi and Michael Photiadis would eventually be awarded the design and construction which was completed in 2007.
Today, the award winning new Acropolis Museum of Athens dazzles well over 1.5 million visitors annually. The museum has successfully incorporated the historic land that it sits on. Ruins are visible through the museum floor upon entering the building. Then, while gazing at Parthenon sculptures and freezes on the museum’s walls, turn around to view the monument that they once adorned through floor-to-ceiling windows. The collection covers the Archaic period to the Roman one, with an emphasis on the 5th century BC, the Golden Age of Athens and the height of Greece’s artistic achievements. Another key feature of the museum is that it has purposely left empty spaces for the Parthenon marbles that were stolen by Lord Elgin and sold to the British government in 1816.
Hot tip: The Acropolis Museum restaurant has superb views of the Acropolis and Parthenon, for a fraction of the price of other local restaurants and cafes with similar views. The museum store is also worth a visit, although if you’re looking for a traditional Greek souvenir, you’re better off going to the nearby Flea Market (Monastiraki).
Ticket Cost: €5
Summer Opening Hours (1 April – 31 October)
Mon: 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
Tue-Sun: 8:00 am – 8:00 pm
Fri: 8:00 am – 10:00 pm
Winter Opening Hours (1 November – 31 March)
Mon- Thur: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Fri: 9:00 am – 10:00 pm
Sat- Sun: 9:00 am – 8:00 pm
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