Benaki Museum - Museum of Greek Culture
Benaki Museum - Museum of Greek Culture
4.5
Monday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 11:30 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
The Benaki Museum is among the most extensive and innovative cultural organizations in Europa. Diverse cultures from all historical periods and geographical areas meet contemporary art across a network of venues all over Athens – and beyond. The Benaki Museum of Greek Culture presents the history and art of the Greek world from prehistory to the 20th century, through 6.000 objects arranged over four floors. Antonis Benakis (1873-1954) was a passionate art collector. He belonged to a cosmopolitan circle of connoisseurs and intellectuals in Alexandria, Egypt. Following his return to Athens and the death of his benefactor father Emmanuel, Antonis bequeathed to Greece his collections and parental home, which opened in April 1931 as the Benaki Museum. After a comprehensive refurbishment, the building reopened on 7 June 2000 as the Benaki Museum of Greek Culture while the remaining diverse collections have since been housed in new buildings (see Benaki Museum of Islamic Art).
Duration: 1-2 hours
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingAdmission tickets
from £10.45
All you need to step foot in the door.
Full view
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Top ways to experience Benaki Museum - Museum of Greek Culture and nearby attractions
The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Kolonaki / Lykavittos
By far the ritziest neighbourhood in town, Kolonaki is home to most of the chic boutiques and designer label stores. Here, the wealthy say no to austerity by dressing in their finest and spending hours in the trendy cafés around Kolonaki Square, sipping the most expensive coffee in Europe. The area also contains a couple of notable museums and cultural institutions, which add to the air of nobility. The leafy upper reaches of Kolonaki transition into Lykavittos Hill, the highest point in central Athens. Climb the paths through its wooded slopes to the tiny chapel at the top, from where you are rewarded with stunning views across the Acropolis to the sea and even the mountains of the Peloponnese on a clear day. The wooden amphitheater up here hosts regular concerts during the summer.
How to get there
- Syntagma • 6 min walk
- Nomismatokopio • 6 min walk
Reach out directly
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
3,488 within 3 miles
Attractions
597 within 6 miles
See what travellers are saying
- ProcacciaNess Ziona, Israel392 contributionsA pleasant museum with a very rich collectionThis is a lovely museum that is not too big, full of interesting and high quality antiquities, art and folklore. Very strong is the section of icons, a pleasure to behold. Starting with late byzantine 14th century and ending three-four centuries later, the icon collection is one of the best to be seen anywhere in the world. The Greek antiquities are also good, but the National museum has more. The Greek folk dresses, textiles and utensils is also rich and worthwhile for those who are interested in this, On the whole, highly recommended.Visited July 2023Travelled with familyWritten 22 July 2023
- advisorj393 contributionsSmall Museum covering a lot of HistoryMuseum has an interesting collection covering all areas of Athens history from prehistoric to modern. Well worth a visit and not too busy on a Monday. Cafe is on the top level and has a great turkey sandwich.Visited September 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 29 September 2023
- Joan CReserve, New Mexico874 contributionsGigantic Fascinating CollectionIf you have any interest at all in any aspect of Greek culture, go here. The collection is housed in the Benaki mansion, which is a thing to see in and of itself. The collection includes neolithic objects, ceramics, paintings, sculpture, jewelry, costumes, textiles, farm implements, icons, and several reconstructed entire rooms. I spent four hours here and skimmed about half of it simply from being overwhelmed. Highly recommend!Visited October 2023Travelled soloWritten 9 October 2023
- ssstevegHaifa, Israel1,743 contributionsGreat small museum in Athens!We’ve been to quite a few museums in Athens. This is one of the best. It’s small and intimate with a wonderful collection of Greek art, from ancient times almost to modern times. All the exhibits had clear descriptions in Greek and English. It’s a short walk from Syntagma.Visited October 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 15 October 2023
- knowsnyc327 contributionsBeautiful BuildingGo straight to the second floor to see entire rooms saved from the 1700s and amazing costumes. The first floor has pots and religious art. The cafe is not as expensive as US museum restaurants and has a beautiful terrace, perhaps covered.Visited February 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 14 February 2024
- becklambert149 contributionsA really great museum.A really well laid out museum covering Egyptian, Greek and Roman. I liked this museum a great deal. The Byzantium mosaics were particularly beautiful, the costumes interesting to see and some great art as well. It has a very nice restaurant and enjoyed taking a break to sit outside on the terrace with a coffee. Highly recommend this museum.Visited March 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 17 March 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
1,584 reviews
Excellent
1,083
Very good
362
Average
110
Poor
20
Terrible
9
becklambert
Brighton149 contributions
Mar 2024 • Couples
A really well laid out museum covering Egyptian, Greek and Roman. I liked this museum a great deal. The Byzantium mosaics were particularly beautiful, the costumes interesting to see and some great art as well. It has a very nice restaurant and enjoyed taking a break to sit outside on the terrace with a coffee. Highly recommend this museum.
Written 17 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Pete S
L1,765 contributions
Mar 2024 • Couples
What a super museum- reduced admission for over 65s; friendly helpful staff and several floors of such a wide variety of artefacts.
An El Greco, statues, mosaics, icons, clothing. Unfortunately the Greek history section was closed for renovation. The restaurant is stunning on the rooftop and very reasonably priced
An El Greco, statues, mosaics, icons, clothing. Unfortunately the Greek history section was closed for renovation. The restaurant is stunning on the rooftop and very reasonably priced
Written 7 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
knowsnyc
327 contributions
Feb 2024 • Couples
Go straight to the second floor to see entire rooms saved from the 1700s and amazing costumes.
The first floor has pots and religious art.
The cafe is not as expensive as US museum restaurants and has a beautiful terrace, perhaps covered.
The first floor has pots and religious art.
The cafe is not as expensive as US museum restaurants and has a beautiful terrace, perhaps covered.
Written 14 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Martin C
Hluboka nad Vltavou, Czech Republic12 contributions
Feb 2024 • Family
Better than National Archeological Museum. You get a more complex picture of Greek history and development of culture.
Written 8 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
maryam d
2 contributions
Dec 2023 • Solo
This musuem was really interesting for me, all type of dressings from many cities in greece and many arts, i really enjoyed.
Written 2 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Loretta A
Toronto, Canada3 contributions
Nov 2023 • Couples
A must see when in Athens.
So much to learn beyond ancient greece. It offers a wonderful caffe too overlooking the national garden.
So much to learn beyond ancient greece. It offers a wonderful caffe too overlooking the national garden.
Written 18 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TravelbugVietnam
Vietnam1,697 contributions
Oct 2023 • Solo
In 1930 after decades of collecting, Antonis Benaki turned the family home into a museum. Now it is many rooms larger and presents all facets of
Greek culture through the ages. There are seven satellite museums devoted to Islamic art, porcelain and even toys. It is a brilliant collection but was spoilt for me by the lack of readable signs. The signs in Greek were in bold black font. However, the English signs underneath were in a washed out grey that was impossible to read. I was disappointed I could not learn what each exhibit was. I spoke to a staff member about this , but he just shrugged his shoulders.
Greek culture through the ages. There are seven satellite museums devoted to Islamic art, porcelain and even toys. It is a brilliant collection but was spoilt for me by the lack of readable signs. The signs in Greek were in bold black font. However, the English signs underneath were in a washed out grey that was impossible to read. I was disappointed I could not learn what each exhibit was. I spoke to a staff member about this , but he just shrugged his shoulders.
Written 28 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
screennamenotallowed
Berlin, Germany28 contributions
Nov 2023 • Couples
Overview of Greek history and culture in a sophisticated villa in the embassy district. The exhibition is well structured and not too overloaded. If you want, you can find out more about the exhibits with the audio guide, but you can also get a lot of information without it. Unfortunately, the staff is not very helpful and rather arrogant, which detracts from the impression. Free admission on Thursdays from 6pm (open until 11:30pm).
Written 23 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Joanna R
2 contributions
Jul 2023 • Friends
A lot to see and good insight into Greek art. Very broad ranch of art pieces. The museum itself is a treasure in a posh neighborhood
Written 6 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sssteveg
Haifa, Israel1,743 contributions
Oct 2023 • Couples
We’ve been to quite a few museums in Athens. This is one of the best. It’s small and intimate with a wonderful collection of Greek art, from ancient times almost to modern times. All the exhibits had clear descriptions in Greek and English. It’s a short walk from Syntagma.
Written 16 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ChardonnayRevisited
London, UK24 contributions
Is there a cloakroom at the museum?
mihaescuvlad
Timisoara, Romania250 contributions
Yes, you can find a cloakroom after the entrance, in the vestibule, on the right.
Cristin antonio F
Milan, Italy3 contributions
Bgiorno.Purtroppo al museo sono stata vittima di uno stranissimo furto,che la polizia italia ha chiamato.furto.con destrezza...Dal museo non una parola su scuse,ne una risposta alle mie dimande...Mi spiace davvero,il piano basso deluseo e straordinario,ma sconsiglio a tutti di recarvisi...
KatkaW2018
Frydek-Mistek, Czech Republic
Please is true that on thuersday is entrance free free?
bypass
Brampton, Canada197 contributions
According to the web site, I only have time for one of the four museums. Which one should I go for?
Liz
London, UK189 contributions
Thank you so much for your question. You can go to the Museum of Greek Culture which is the best one concerning Greece. The other ones are composed of collections of specific art. Wishing you to enjoy a fabulous day ahead over there!
GuarnaPina
Trento, Italy476 contributions
Buongiorno, vi risulta che l'ingresso il giovedì sia gratis? Grazie mille a chi risponderà
GuarnaPina
Trento, Italy476 contributions
Grazie mille alla fine sono entrata gratis perché giovedì l'ingresso è gratuito.stupenda visita.
greekcampbell
Minneapolis, MN
Hi, I will be staying in Glynfada for two weeks. I would like to see this museum. Is there public transportation from Glynfada to the museum? What bus number would I take to and from Glynfada? Where would I get off?
mike c
London, UK228 contributions
There is an express bus from Glyfada to the city centre. Get of near syntagma and walk. I can't remember the bus number , I think it is x23 but there is only one express bus so a local will be able to tell you. Do not take the local buses as they are hot, crowded and slow.
breizh22160
La Louviere, Belgium200 contributions
Bonjour, quel est le prix d'entrée et les heures d'ouverture
Merci
Patricio33
Punta del Este, Uruguay221 contributions
Hola Juan! Es posible que este museo al igual que la mayor parte de los museos de Atenas (menos el de la Acropolis) cierre a las 14 o 15hs aprox?
Gracias
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listingBENAKI MUSEUM - MUSEUM OF GREEK CULTURE: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)
Frequently Asked Questions about Benaki Museum - Museum of Greek Culture
- Benaki Museum - Museum of Greek Culture admission prices can vary. Entrance tickets currently cost £10.37, while a popular guided tour starts around £19.87 per person.
- According to Tripadvisor travellers, these are the best ways to experience Benaki Museum - Museum of Greek Culture:
- Skip the Line: Benaki Museum of Greek Culture Entrance Ticket (From £10.37)
- Private Walking Tour: Benaki Museum (From £216.01)
- Private Half Day Athens Best Museums Tour (From £207.37)
- Athens Private Tour with Hotel or Port Pick up (From £344.75)
- Athens Shore Excursion: Athens and Piraeus Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour (From £19.87)
- Hotels near Benaki Museum - Museum of Greek Culture:
- (0.09 mi) Kolonaki 8 - Design Suites & Lofts
- (0.15 mi) COCO-MAT Athens Jumelle
- (0.09 mi) Kolonaki 8 Design Suites & Lofts |Designer's Superior Suite with Filopappou view
- (0.08 mi) Kolonaki 8 Design Suites & Lofts |Designer's Suite with Lykavitos view in Athens
- (0.09 mi) Κolonaki 8 Design Suites & Lofts | Superior Suite Apartment in Αthens
- Restaurants near Benaki Museum - Museum of Greek Culture:
- (0.04 mi) Dry Caffe & Spuntino
- (0.06 mi) Mayor
- (0.05 mi) TGI Fridays
- (0.12 mi) Zinglee
- (0.08 mi) Kolonaki top's