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One of the highlights of my visit to Athens was the Benaki Museum of Greek Culture, a private museum with collections covering Greek history from antiquity to 1922.
Visiting the Benaki Museum
The Benaki Museum, which is located in the Kolonaki neighborhood, is easily one of the best museums in Greece. I was very impressed with the quality of the collection and the way the entire museum is organized. It’s open daily except Tuesdays. Admission prices are current as of July 2025:
- Full admission is €12 for adults, €9 for students with a valid ID and seniors age 65+, and free for all visitors under 22.
- Admission to temporary exhibitions is €8-10 for adults, €6-8 for students with a valid ID and seniors age 65+, and free for all visitors under 22.
The best time to visit is on a Thursday evening, when admission is free from 6pm to midnight for the permanent collection.
Greek Antiquities
I started my visit on the ground floor in the Greek antiquities section. It started out with the typical statues, vases, and funerary items, but especially interesting were the Fayum Portraits from Egypt. They were used to cover bodies prepared for mummification during Roman occupation of Egypt. Before heading upstairs, there were a number of Byzantine icons on display.
Ethnographic Section
Next was an ethnographic section of the museum. Several traditional Greek costumes from Greece, Cyprus, and Asia Minor were on display.
A room from a traditional Greek mansion in the town of Kozani in northern Greece concluded the exhibit.
Paintings
Before checking out a temporary exhibition of serving trays, I viewed some paintings of Greece in the 19th century. It was incredible to see how small the city was just before Greece won its independence from the Ottoman Empire.
Greek Revolution
Finally, I got to see several items from Greece’s war for independence and the period after the war. On display were items such as Lord Byron’s pistols, Bouboulina’s telescope, a flag belonging to Theodoros Kolokotronis, and a painting of the launching of the Greek Revolution at Agia Lavra.
The rest of the gallery focused on post-war Greece and the new Greek kingdom. Traditional clothing worn by the royal family and chairs used at a reception for King Otto were among the items on display.
