Prioritizing Museums in Greece ?

[dpappas87]

I am traveling to Greece soon (Athens) and someone in my party loves history. There are A LOT of museums in Athens so I thought that would be a good place to start, but we are also going to Santorini and Mykonos as part of that trip.

In Athens in particular, does anyone have any advice about the priority of the museums? I am thinking definitely to take this person to the Acropolis. We will have time for one other museum/ experience. Advice for the other two places is also welcome.

 

[Deborah]

I would recommend getting an on-line advance combo-ticket to the Acropolis and Acropolis Museum. It requires you to select a specific date, but if you have limited time in Athens…that should be easy to determine. Otherwise you’ll waste time waiting in long lines. Visit the Acropolis first when it opens up at 8am - before the tour buses arrive and the sun isn’t too hot. The second museum I would choose is the National Archaeological Museum.

Particularly since you’re going to Mykonos and Santorini, you might also want to consider visiting the Cycladic Museum in Athens. It’s a small museum and it will give you good insight into the history of the Cycladic islands that you are visiting.

On Mykonos there are some small maritime/folklore type museums, but the real adventure in my mind would be to take the half-day boat trip to the sacred island of Delos. It’s a fun boat ride and for history buffs, an imperative.

Santorini now has the Prehistoric Museum of Thera, so what frescoes, sculpture and pottery you haven’t seen at the Archeological Museum in Athens, you can view there. But whatever you do, don’t miss the Akrotiri Minoan Archeological Digs.

There is also a great boat trip from Fira to the Hot Springs, Therasia, and Oia which will give you a chance to walk up to the volcanic crater and will give you a great perspective of the entire Caldera.

 

[Deborah]

I know that this might sound a bit museum-heavy, but the experiences will be priceless. You can always spend as much time or as little as you wish in each museum and there are plenty of cafes where you can take a break and just enjoy the ambience of Athenian cafe life, while among some of the greatest antiquities of the world.

 

[k_tsoukalas]

I find that just an hour or two in a museum and I am good. I love history, as well, but find I don't want to be in them all day. Maybe you can find a way to have balance each day. That way you can see a lot of museums, but see other things too.