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Benaki Museum

Museums ·Athens ·Closed
4.79.7K
#2Museums in Athens#4Museums in GreeceTravelers' Choice 2025
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About

Benaki Museum is an art and history museum in Athens, opposite the National Garden, with Greek art from prehistory to modern times.

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Benaki Museum

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Why go

  • Byzantine icons and everyday objects in rooms 9 to 12.

Opening hours

Today10:00 – 18:00Show all
Monday10:00 – 18:00
TuesdayClosed
Wednesday10:00 – 18:00
Thursday10:00 – 23:30
Friday10:00 – 18:00
Saturday10:00 – 18:00
Sunday10:00 – 16:00

Don't miss

  • Saint Luke Painting the VirginA painting by Greco depicts Saint Luke painting the Virgin.Benaki Museum main building

Know before you go

  • Open Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 10:00–18:00; Thursday 10:00–23:30; Sunday 10:00–16:00.

What's inside

  • Rooms 1–8 contain the antiquities collection.
  • Rooms 9–12 house the Byzantine collection.
  • Rooms 13–36 display the modern-era collection, including religious and secular subjects from the 15th to the 19th century.
  • A gallery displays ceramics from different parts of the Greek world.
  • The main building also houses a library.

With kids

  • The museum runs art and history education programmes for schools.

Tips for your visit

  • Start in room 1 to follow the original collection in chronological order through room 36.
  • For daily life before the 1821 revolution, head to rooms 29 to 32.
  • Rooms 33 to 36 cover the revolution and the Greek state in the 19th century.

Interesting facts3

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  1. The museum occupies the former family mansion of its founder, Antonis Benakis.

    Benaki Museum - Wikipedia

  2. The museum has seven workshops for conserving artworks.

    Μουσείο Μπενάκη - Wikipedia
  3. 300,000 negatives

    Its photographic archives hold 300,000 negatives and 25,000 photographs.

    Musée Benaki - Wikipedia

Shorts

History

  1. 1867–1868Construction began on the mansion for a merchant.
  2. 1910Emmanouil Benakis acquired the building and commissioned Anastásios Metaxás to enlarge it.
  3. 1930Antonis Benakis founded the museum in memory of his father, Emmanouil.
  4. 1931The museum opened after Benakis donated his family home and collection to the state.
  5. 2000The enlarged and restored building reopened after earthquake damage. The main museum refocused on Greece as the Islamic art and Chinese porcelain collections moved elsewhere.

Sources: Benaki Museum - Wikipedia · Benaki-Museum - Wikipedia · Μουσείο Μπενάκη - Wikipedia · Musée Benaki - Wikipedia · checked 28 Oct 2026

Where
1 Koumbari Street, Athens

Plan from here: A day out →

Questions and answers

Where is the Benaki Museum in Athens?

The museum is at 1 Koumbari Street, on the corner of Vasilissis Sofias Avenue, opposite the National Garden.

Does the Benaki Museum have programmes for children?

The museum runs art and history education programmes for schools.

Does the Benaki Museum have temporary exhibitions?

Yes, the main building hosts temporary exhibitions.

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