Benaki Museum

Athens, Greece

The Benaki Museum, established and endowed in 1930 by Antonis Benakis, houses Greek works of art from the prehistorical to the modern times, an extensive collection of Asian art, hosts periodic exhibitions and maintains a state-of-the-art restoration and conservation workshop. Although the museum initially housed a collection that included Islamic art, Chinese porcelain and exhibits on toys, its 2000 re-opening led to the creation of satellite museums that focused on specific collections, allowing the main museum to focus on Greek culture over the span of the country's history.

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Address

Koumpari 1, Athens, Greece
See all sites in Athens

Details

Founded: 1930
Category: Museums in Greece

Rating

4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

XoXo Pottery (4 months ago)
One of my all time favourite museums to visit. I visit every single time I am in Athens. A beautifully curated selection of artefacts. Paintings, sculptures, jewellery, costumes, icons and so much more. A must visit.
Etheria H (4 months ago)
This is one of the best museums in Athens you must never miss it. The location is right in the city center, the architecture is beautiful, and the staff is very friendly. The bottom floors are mostly for vases, pots, decors, etc, and the top floors have more oil paintings, clothing, instruments, furniture, and other larger and rarer items. I like the top floors more than the bottom floors. My favorites are the traditional bed settings, pillowcases with embroidery, vases, and plates with colorful paintings on them, and a bit of oriental style of folk dress. What surprised me the most was the wooden interior design which is stunning. The intricate wood carving is so impressive to look at up close. The top floor objects are mostly from the Macedonia period or in Balkan style. I recommend the tourists spare a bit more time for the top floors, especially for the clothing and the interior design. They are one of the exhibits in Athens for sure. Love this museum. Recommend it to everyone.
Alan YDR (4 months ago)
Impressively large collection of artifacts, pottery, art, dresses, costumes and more. Various galleries inside a beautiful manor. Plan on spending at least a couple hours browsing and learning about Greek history. In addition, they currently (June 2024) have a temporary exhibit with the beautiful costumes from the movie “Poor Things”. The museum offers two gift shops and a beautiful rooftop restaurant.
K R (6 months ago)
A great museum! Shows the culture of Greece and Athens in various ways - from the classic archeological finds to tradition clothing and religious topics. If you can invest time to just one museum to get to know local history, then I would choose this place. The building itself is also very interesting and beautiful.
Mark Ling (6 months ago)
Heated about this private museum in the travel video on my flight to Athens, pretty interesting angel. Unlike other big museum overwhelmed you with tons of different eras of history, they arranged everything from the very beginning, to the early 1900, they even gives you number on each sections, to guide you through the history,You can feel the passion from the owner. The rooftop cafe is a MUST GO beautiful restaurant, to catch a moment. Please remember to keep your ticket, they might check your tickets on the different floor.
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