Athens, Greece

Benaki Museum of Greek Culture

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Last updated on July 28, 2024.

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.

Benaki Museum of Greek Culture in Athens, Greece — Benaki Museum of Greek Culture

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Visiting the Benaki Museum

The Benaki Museum is easily one of the best museums in Greece. I was very impressed with the quality of the collection and the way the museum is organized. The best time to visit is on a Thursday evening, when admission is free from 6pm until midnight for the permanent collection. Otherwise, full admission is €12 or €8 for temporary exhibitions (as of July 2024). Admission is always free for anyone under age 22. Seniors over 65 pay a reduced admission of €9 or €6 for temporary exhibitions (as of July 2024). The Benaki Museum, which is located in the Kolonaki neighborhood, is closed on Tuesdays.

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.

Antiquities Gallery at the Benaki Museum of Greek Culture in Athens, Greece — Antiquities Gallery

Fayum portrait at the Benaki Museum of Greek Culture in Athens, Greece — Fayum portrait

Ethnographic Section

Next was an ethnographic section of the museum. Several traditional Greek costumes from Greece, Cyprus, and Asia Minor were on display.

Traditional Cretan costumes at the Benaki Museum of Greek Culture in Athens, Greece — Traditional Cretan costumes

Traditional dress from Pyrgi (left) and Kalamoti (right) in Chios at the Benaki Museum of Greek Culture in Athens, Greece — Traditional dress from Pyrgi (left) and Kalamoti (right) in Chios

Traditional dress from Samsun in Asia Minor at the Benaki Museum of Greek Culture in Athens, Greece — Traditional dress from Samsun in Asia Minor

A room from a traditional Greek mansion in the town of Kozani in northern Greece concluded the exhibit.

Room from a mansion in Kozani at the Benaki Museum of Greek Culture in Athens, Greece — Room from a mansion in Kozani

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.

Painting of Athens in 1820 at the Benaki Museum of Greek Culture in Athens, Greece — Painting of Athens in 1820

Decorative serving tray of Hagia Sophia at the Benaki Museum of Greek Culture in Athens, Greece — Decorative serving tray of Hagia Sophia

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.

Lord Byron’s pistols at the Benaki Museum of Greek Culture in Athens, Greece — Lord Byron’s pistols

A flag belonging to Theodoros Kolokotronis at the Benaki Museum of Greek Culture in Athens, Greece — A flag belonging to Theodoros Kolokotronis

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.

Traditional clothing used by the royal family

Chairs used at a reception for King Otto at the Benaki Museum of Greek Culture in Athens, Greece — Chairs used at a reception for King Otto

Map of Kolonaki with the Benaki Museum

Author nomadicniko

Owner of Paisadventure. World traveler. Chicago sports lover. Living in Colombia.