8 Must Visit Museum In Greece

Greece is a unique destination. Too many places to visit, too many things to see, impossible to cover all in a lifetime, even for those of us who live here. Its geography is such that, though comparatively small in land area (131,957 square km/50,949 square miles), it is difficult to even think of visiting all of it. The Greek State includes 6,000 islands and islets scattered in the Aegean and Ionian Seas, of which only 227 islands are inhabited, a unique phenomenon for the European continent and of course an impossible task for any visitor.

# The Open Museum Of Urban Street Art

When in Athens, a good starting point for any visitor is to walk the streets around the city centre area, the same streets that for over 3,000 years have guided the steps of humankind through the notions of philosophy, politics, and democracy—all Greek words, by the way.

Feel the urban vibes of modern Athens through the eyes of the many street artists who have created an "open museum" of art. For street art lovers, Athens is the "new Berlin." What is amazing is the abundance of art available to see, because it is everywhere you look. Walking the districts of the most popular areas, Metaxourgeio, Gazi, Exarchia and some streets of Psyrri where you will come across graffiti murals that indeed justify the open museum concept. A short trailer produced by alternativeathens.com will introduce you to the scene.

# The National Archaeological Museum Of Athens

If you chose one museum to visit in Athens, among its multitude of Museums, then make it the National Archaeological Museum. It is the first and oldest museum in the city, founded in 1829. In 1889, it opened its gates to the public.

It is the largest museum in Greece and ranks as one of the most important in the world. It was initially built to display all the 19th-century excavations, mainly from the Attica Region and other parts of the country, but it eventually developed into a national museum with exhibits from all parts of the Greek world. More than 11,000 exhibits present the visitor with a comprehensive view of ancient Greek culture from prehistoric times to late antiquity.

# The National Museum Of Contemporary Art, Athens

If contemporary art is included in your interests, then plan to visit the "youngest" museum in Athens that opened fully operational to the public this year, in February 2020.

The National Museum of Contemporary Art Athens (EMST) is housed in a renovated old brewery building, the old FIX brewery, an Athens landmark on its own merit near the centre of Athens and is spread over 18.142 square m.

The Museum’s constantly growing collection is formed around a particularly important nucleus of works by Greek and international artists, and in its permanent exhibition, many art forms are exhibited.

# The Museum Of Cycladic Art, Athens

Now, this is a museum close to the heart! It takes us back to the dawn of human presence, the first culture that emerged and claimed notoriety as an "art-producing" society in Greek history, and depicts a universal concept of humanity.

The Museum of Cycladic Art is known worldwide for the displays of one of the most comprehensive collections of Cycladic art, with characteristic examples of statuettes and figurines, vases, tools, weapons, and pottery from all phases of the unique Cycladic island culture that flourished in the central Aegean during the third millennium BCE, referred to as the Early Bronze Age.

# The Archaeological Museum Of Delphi, Delphi

Travelling north of Athens, at about 120 km (75 miles), lies the ancient sanctuary of Delphi, dedicated to god Apollo, a place of reverence for all ancient Greeks set in an awe-inspiring landscape. It is situated on the base of the gigantic rocks of Parnassus, the Phaedriades (the shining rocks). The rocks are split, forming an awesome chasm. Its clefts emitted the vapours in which the ancients saw the spirit of Apollo and gave way to the flow of purifying water from the sacred spring of Castalia; all visitors had to wash and purify themselves at the spring before entering the sacred grounds.

The place is indeed magical, carrying the aura of collective human energy and the power of the surrounding nature that can be felt by the visitor. The ancients called it the "navel" of the earth, the centre of all primeval powers, a venerated place of worship and oracle-seeking wisdom.

# The Museum Of Byzantine Culture, Thessaloniki

The northern city of Thessaloniki is the second-largest city in Greece, the capital of the north as it is often referred to. It is a vibrant city with a long and rich history through the Roman and Byzantine era with a large seafront promenade that adds to its architectural beauty. The city is an open Byzantine era museum, and 15 of its early Christian churches have been declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites and it can take a visitor hours and even days to wander through all those landmarks.

Once in the city, a must-visit to the Museum of Byzantine Culture will take you through centuries of Christian art and tradition.

# The Silversmithing Museum Of Ioannina

In the northwest part of Greece lies the city of Ioannina, capital of the Region of Epirus. This picturesque city built on a lake surrounded by impressive mountains used to be a centre for the region through Byzantine and Ottoman times. Ioannina is one of the most enchanting cities in Greece, beautiful and brimming with history, built on the shores of Pamvotida Lake which features a gorgeous promenade running by the water’s edge and an island at its center, complete with historic monasteries.

# The Museum Of The International Hippocratic Foundation Of Kos, Kos Island

In the southeast Aegean Sea lies a large complex of twelve large islands and several smaller ones, known as the Dodecanese Region, in which lies the island of Kos, a popular tourist destination along with its neighboring island of Rhodes.

Kos is known for its lovely sunny weather, and with only an average of 93 rainy days in a year, it is an excellent destination for over 9 months (you may want to avoid December, January and February) to enjoy its warm Mediterranean climate.