An Art Lover’s Guide to Athens

No Athens art tour would be complete without mentioning the National Gallery of Greece. As its name suggests, this Athens institution is the country’s preeminent art gallery, with more than 20,000 works in its collection of post-Byzantine Greek and European art. Spanning the 14th to the 20th centuries, an afternoon of art at the National Gallery can take in artists as diverse as El Greco, Picasso, Matisse, and Nikolaos Gyzis.

The museum reopened in 2021 after an 8-year renovation, with the sleek, glass-clad building matching the splendor of the collection within its walls. While you’re touring the Athens area, don’t miss the imposing glass sculpture The Runner—one of the most memorable artistic landmarks in Athens.

When it comes to exploring contemporary art in Athens, the National Museum of Contemporary Art should be the first port of call. Housed in a former brewery, the museum boasts a rich collection of works by Greek and international artists, from Nan Goldin to Chryssa and Marina Abramović, as well as a calendar of thought-provoking temporary exhibitions. Follow up your deep thinking on Greece’s most impressive selection of conceptual art by heading to the building’s roof terrace and taking in some of the best views in Athens, looking across to the Parthenon and the sea.

Insider tip: Visit in summer to see the rooftop transformed into an open-air cinema.

If you’re more of an urban explorer than a gallery hopper but don’t want to miss out on the city’s creative offerings, fear not: Athens is, in itself, an open-air gallery. Hot spots for outdoor art include Exarcheia, a neighborhood famed for its alternative culture and anarchist spirit; bohemian Psyrri; and cool Kerameikos, where you’ll also find the Technopolis, an arts and culture space set in a former gas factory.

Though you’re bound to encounter vibrant murals as you wander, any Athens street art tour should be sure to take in Bille Gee, Alex Marinez, and N_Grams’ tribute to canine folk hero Loukanikos, who gained fame during the city’s anti-austerity demonstrations; Pavlos Tsakonas’ praying hands; and the zen-inducing At the River by Taxis.

A relative newcomer, yet already among the top museums for art lovers in Athens, the Basil and Elise Goulandris Foundation opened its doors to the Athenian public in 2019. This modern art museum owes its name to shipowner Basil Goulandris and his wife Elise Karadontis, whose jaw-dropping collection (we’re talking around $3 billion worth of art) now fills the museum’s galleries.

Beyond the big names on display—think Pablo Picasso, Roy Lichtenstein, and Claude Monet, to name just a few—the museum’s setting in a 1920s neoclassical mansion offers the chance to indulge your inner architecture nerd.

A one-stop shop for learning about all things Greek culture, the Benaki Museum is home to a treasure trove of more than 100,000 artifacts spanning the country’s history. Although not solely dedicated to art (other highlights include displays of Greek regional costumes and complete sitting rooms from mansions in northern Greece), the art offering through the ages is also exceptional, especially the selection of ecclesiastical art that includes ornate, well-preserved Byzantine icons.

Though the main museum centers on Greece, the Benaki Museum has a number of satellite branches with different focuses, such as the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art, one of the top hidden art gems in Athens. While you’re visiting the main museum, be sure to take a walk in the National Garden, which is just opposite.

Exploring Athens' artistic heritage means journeying back to antiquity (or even further, to prehistory). Once you’ve ascended the Acropolis itself and stood in awe of the Parthenon, head back down to get the lowdown on the site’s history and artistic bounty at the Acropolis Museum. Here, you’ll find sculptures and statues that once adorned the ancient site, which variously served as a ruler’s residence, citadel, mythical home of the gods, and religious center.

Insider tip: Packed as it is with multimedia displays and interactive features, the Acropolis Museum is best experienced on a tour.

Ultra-modern yet full of nods to the area’s ancient past, architect Renzo Piano’s Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre has become something of an Athens architectural icon. Beyond the aesthetics of the striking building, this multifaceted cultural space houses the National Library of Greece and the Greek National Opera. In addition to opera, dance, and theater performances, the center hosts exhibitions, from photography documenting the history of the site to kinetic sculptures by renowned Greek contemporary artists.

Feeling peckish? Head to the on-site Delta restaurant to sample elegant and creative takes on food from all over Greece before walking it off with a stroll in the surrounding Stavros Niarchos Park.

If you’re on the hunt for bold, offbeat Athenian art exhibitions, a visit to Onassis Stegi is a must-do. Named after wealthy Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis, this flagship cultural center is the late magnate’s charitable foundation, recognizable for the hallmark neon sign that adorns one side of its building, with writing that says, “All We Have Is Words, All We Have Is Worlds.” Inside, seven stories host imaginative exhibitions—from painting to pop culture and interdisciplinary works that blur the lines between art and science—as well as world-class music and theater performances.

If you’re combining your Athens city break with a beach escape in the Cyclades, get a head start at the Museum of Cycladic Art. No list of must-visit art galleries in Athens would be complete without a visit to this museum, which features the world’s most extensive collection of ancient Cycladic figurines.

For the uninitiated, as well as the name of a popular island group, the Cyclades refers to an ancient culture of the Aegean dating to the 3rd millennium BC (making the Parthenon seem positively recent!). Among the 3,000 artifacts of Cycladic, ancient Greek, and Cypriot art, the biggest draw is the collection of remarkable early Cycladic sculptures (often nude female figures sculpted from marble).

Insider tip: After immersing yourself in the extraordinary collection, treat yourself to a coffee or something stronger in the tree-filled café, where you can enjoy wine from a range of boutique Greek vineyards.