Acropolis Museum
Μουσείο Ακρόπολης
A modern museum opened in 2009. Ancient streets lie beneath its glass floors, and the top-floor Parthenon Gallery displays the frieze at its original orientation. The originals of the Caryatids are housed here.
The Acropolis Museum stands at the foot of the Acropolis's southern slope. It was designed by Swiss architect Bernard Tschumi and opened in 2009. It houses roughly 4,000 artefacts excavated from the Acropolis, replacing the cramped old museum on the summit. The building is raised on pillars above the remains of Byzantine and Classical-era houses. Through the glass floors of the entrance ramp and the main hall you can see ancient streets, baths and workshops. Since 2019, the excavated site itself has also been open for walking tours.
The exhibits follow a timeline that rises from the ground floor up. The ground-floor Gallery of the Acropolis Slope displays shrines and everyday objects from the hillside. The second-floor Archaic Gallery is a forest of statues, including the famous Korai maidens, the Calf-Bearer and fragments of early painted sculpture. Among them, the five original Caryatids from the Erechtheion are a must-see; the sixth is in the British Museum. The top-floor Parthenon Gallery is the museum's highlight. Its floor plan matches the Parthenon's dimensions exactly, and it is oriented the same way as the temple on the hill. The 160-metre Frieze, depicting the Panathenaic procession, is displayed in its original positions. Greece's original pieces sit alongside plaster casts of the sections held by the British Museum. Through the full-height glass wall you can see the Parthenon itself, 300 metres away. This design is a key argument in Greece's campaign for the return of the “Elgin Marbles.”
Tickets cost about 20 euros (10 euros in winter), separate from the Acropolis ticket, and can be bought in advance at theacropolismuseum.gr. The café-restaurant terrace on the second floor overlooks the Acropolis and opens for evening visits and dining on Friday nights. Photography is allowed in the galleries, except the Archaic Gallery, and flash is prohibited. Getting there: metro line 2 to Acropoli station, right at the exit. Visiting the museum before the Acropolis is recommended, or you can come afterwards to escape the midday heat and see the originals. Allow about 2 hours.
Opening hours
Apr–Oct: Mon 9:00 am–5:00 pm; Tue–Sun 9:00 am–8:00 pm, Fri until 10:00 pm. Nov–Mar 9:00 am–5:00 pm (Fri until 10:00 pm)
Nearby sights
- Anafiotika
- Acropolis of Athens & Parthenon
- Plaka
- Temple of Olympian Zeus & Hadrian's Arch
- Odeon of Herodes Atticus
- Areopagus Hill
- Roman Agora & Tower of the Winds
- Philopappos Hill