The National Archaeological Museum of Athens (NAM) is the largest archaeological museum in Greece and one of the world’s great repositories of ancient art. Over 11,000 objects spanning from the Neolithic 7,000 BC through Late Antiquity 6th century AD are displayed across 80+ galleries in a vast neoclassical building on Patision Street. The Mycenaean gold from Heinrich Schliemann’s excavations, the bronze Antikythera Youth, the Jockey of Artemision, the Cycladic figurines, and the Akrotiri frescoes from Bronze Age Thera are among the most important works of art surviving from the ancient Mediterranean. This is the complete National Archaeological Museum Athens guide for 2026 with tickets, opening hours, the must-see objects, and a suggested 3-hour route through the highlights.
All information was verified for the 2026 season against the official namuseum.gr ticketing portal.
What Is the National Archaeological Museum?
The National Archaeological Museum is the central state-run archaeological museum of Greece. Founded in 1829 immediately after Greek independence to house antiquities being unearthed across the country, it moved into its current neoclassical building on Patision Street in 1889. The collection includes the most important finds from every major Greek archaeological site (except those displayed at site-specific museums like the Acropolis Museum and the Heraklion Museum on Crete), making it the essential first stop for anyone seriously interested in Greek antiquity.
For broader context, see our Athens Historical Sites pillar, our Acropolis Museum guide, and our top attractions guide.
National Archaeological Museum 2026 Tickets & Prices
Standard Ticket
€12 full price summer (April-October), €6 winter (November-March). Reduced rate half the standard. EU citizens under 25 free year-round with ID. Children under 6 free.
Combined Tickets
The National Archaeological Museum is a separate institution from the major archaeological sites; the €36 combined Acropolis ticket does NOT include the NAM. Plan for a separate €12 ticket.
Free Admission Days for 2026
March 6, April 18, May 18, September 26-27, October 28, and the first Sunday of every month from November through March.
Opening Hours for 2026
Summer (April-October): Monday 1:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Tuesday-Sunday 8:30 AM to 8:00 PM. Winter (November-March): Monday 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Tuesday-Sunday 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM.
Closed: January 1, March 25, May 1, Easter Sunday (April 12, 2026), December 25-26.
How to Get There
By metro: Victoria station (Line 1, green), 5-minute walk south on Patision Street. Omonia station (Line 2, red) is also walking distance, 10 minutes north on Patision. By bus or trolleybus: multiple routes stop on Patision Street directly outside the museum. By taxi: €6-10 from any central Athens hotel. Address: 44 Patision Street.
The Must-See Highlights
1. The Mask of Agamemnon (Room 4)
The 16th-century-BC gold funeral mask discovered by Heinrich Schliemann at Mycenae in 1876, immediately attributed (wrongly, as we now know) to the legendary king Agamemnon. The most famous single artefact in the museum. The Mycenaean Antiquities room (Room 4) also displays the full gold inventory from the royal shaft graves of Mycenae: cups, daggers, jewellery, swords, and additional masks.
2. The Antikythera Youth (Room 28)
A 1.94-metre bronze statue of a young athlete from the 4th century BC, recovered from a Roman shipwreck off the island of Antikythera in 1901. One of the few surviving large-scale Greek bronze originals; comparable in importance to the Riace Warriors in Italy. The youth’s hands originally held an object (perhaps a victory wreath, or the head of Medusa) that is now lost.
3. The Jockey of Artemision (Room 21)
A 2.1-metre bronze sculpture of a child jockey riding a galloping horse, recovered from the same Antikythera-area shipwreck. Hellenistic, c. 140 BC. Among the most dynamic ancient bronzes anywhere.
4. The Artemision Bronze (Zeus or Poseidon) (Room 15)
A 2.09-metre bronze statue of a male god from c. 460 BC, recovered from the same area. The figure is shown about to throw a thunderbolt (suggesting Zeus) or a trident (suggesting Poseidon); scholarship is divided. One of the great works of the Severe Style transitional period.
5. The Cycladic Figurines (Room 6)
The dozen+ marble figurines from the Cycladic Bronze Age (3000-2000 BC) are some of the most influential pre-classical sculptures in the world. Pablo Picasso, Amedeo Modigliani, Constantin Brâncuși and Henry Moore were all openly influenced by their minimalist abstraction.
6. The Thera (Akrotiri) Frescoes (Upper Floor)
Preserved by the volcanic eruption of Thera (modern Santorini) around 1620 BC, the Bronze Age frescoes from the buried city of Akrotiri are among the most important pre-classical paintings in the world. The “Boxing Boys”, “Spring Fresco”, and “Antelopes” are the most-photographed examples. Some Akrotiri frescoes are at the Museum of Prehistoric Thera on Santorini; the NAM holds the largest concentration.
7. The Stele of Hegeso (Room 21)
A 5th-century-BC grave stele depicting a woman named Hegeso choosing jewellery from a casket held by her servant. The pose, drapery, and quiet emotional gravity make it one of the most-praised Classical Greek funerary sculptures.
8. The Diadoumenos (Room 28)
The Roman marble copy of Polykleitos’s 5th-century-BC bronze original showing a young athlete tying a victory ribbon around his head. The original bronze is lost; this Roman copy is one of the most important records of Polykleitos’s work.
9. The Ephebe of Marathon (Room 28)
A 4th-century-BC bronze statue of a youth, possibly the work of Praxiteles, found in the sea off Marathon. Hellenistic in date but executed with classical refinement.
10. The Antikythera Mechanism (Room 38)
The 2nd-century-BC bronze geared device recovered from the Antikythera shipwreck, the world’s first known analogue computer, used to predict astronomical positions and eclipses. Displayed in its original corroded fragments alongside modern reconstructions showing the original mechanism.
Museum Layout: The Major Galleries
Ground Floor: the prehistoric collection (Neolithic, Cycladic, Mycenaean) including the Mask of Agamemnon (Room 4). Then the Classical sculpture galleries with the Kouroi (Room 7-14), the Artemision Zeus/Poseidon (Room 15), and the Classical-era stelai (Room 21). First Floor: the Roman period sculptures, the Antikythera bronzes (Rooms 28-29), the Antikythera Mechanism (Room 38), and the spectacular Akrotiri Thera frescoes. Mezzanine: the small but important Egyptian, Cypriot, and Stathatos jewellery collections.
Best Time to Visit
Tuesday-Friday 8:30-10:30 AM is the quietest time. Avoid weekends and the Monday late-opening rush. The museum is dramatically less crowded than the Acropolis Museum and rarely sees long entrance queues even at peak summer.
How Long to Spend
Most visitors spend 2.5 to 3 hours. Highlights-only takes 90 minutes. Serious enthusiasts can easily spend a full day; the museum’s 80+ galleries reward slow exploration. Allow a coffee break at the on-site café in the central courtyard.
Practical Tips
Photography is permitted everywhere with NO flash. Tripods are prohibited; small monopods permitted with notification. The museum has a cloakroom for bags; mandatory for backpacks larger than 30 litres. The on-site café and small restaurant in the central courtyard are open during museum hours and serve good coffee and basic Mediterranean food. The museum shop (ground floor) has an excellent selection of archaeology books and reproductions.
Accessibility
The museum is fully wheelchair-accessible with a separate accessible entrance, elevators to all floors, accessible toilets, and complimentary wheelchair loan at the entrance (ID required). The museum also offers tactile tours for visually-impaired visitors with replica objects designed for touch, and audio guides in multiple languages with hearing-impaired adaptations.
Photography Rules
Hand-held photography for personal use is permitted in all galleries with no flash. Tripods are prohibited (small monopods OK with notification). Commercial photography requires a permit. Selfie sticks are forbidden in the galleries but permitted in the central courtyard.
Suggested 3-Hour Route
Start ground floor: Mycenaean Antiquities (Room 4) for 20 minutes including the Mask of Agamemnon. Cycladic Figurines (Room 6) for 15 minutes. Classical Sculpture (Rooms 7-14, 28) for 45 minutes, focusing on the Kouroi, the Diadoumenos, and the Artemision Zeus. The Stelai (Room 21) for 15 minutes. Up to the first floor: Antikythera Bronzes (Rooms 28-29) for 20 minutes. Antikythera Mechanism (Room 38) for 10 minutes. The Akrotiri Thera Frescoes for 30 minutes. Coffee break in the courtyard café for 15 minutes. Total: about 3 hours including the café break.
Combining with Other Athens Sights
The NAM is a 25-minute walk or 5-minute metro ride from Syntagma. Combine with: the Acropolis-and-Acropolis-Museum half-day in the morning, then the NAM in the afternoon for a full classical Athens day. Or combine the NAM (morning) with a Plaka or Monastiraki lunch and afternoon shopping. For families, the NAM works well with the Hellenic Cosmos VR centre (15 minutes by metro) for a science-meets-art day.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the National Archaeological Museum?
The National Archaeological Museum of Athens is the largest archaeological museum in Greece, housing over 11,000 objects spanning from the Neolithic 7,000 BC through Late Antiquity 6th century AD. It contains the richest collection of Greek antiquities in the world and is one of the great archaeological museums of any nation.
How much does the National Archaeological Museum cost?
€12 standard summer ticket; €6 winter; reduced rates half the standard. EU citizens under 25 free year-round with ID. Free for everyone on the five annual free admission days.
What are the National Archaeological Museum opening hours?
Summer (April-October): Tuesday-Sunday 8:30 AM to 8:00 PM; Monday 1:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Winter (November-March): Tuesday-Sunday 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM; Monday 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Closed January 1, March 25, May 1, Easter Sunday, December 25-26.
What is the most famous artefact at the National Archaeological Museum?
The 16th-century-BC gold Mask of Agamemnon discovered by Heinrich Schliemann at Mycenae in 1876 is the museum’s most famous object. The bronze Antikythera Youth, the Antikythera Mechanism (world’s first known analogue computer), the Cycladic figurines, and the Thera (Akrotiri) frescoes are also among the most important.
How long do you need at the National Archaeological Museum?
Most visitors spend 2.5 to 3 hours. Highlights-only takes 90 minutes. Serious enthusiasts can spend a full day.
Is the National Archaeological Museum walkable from the Acropolis?
Yes, 25 minutes’ walk via central Athens, or 5 minutes’ metro ride (Akropoli to Victoria via Syntagma). The two museums make a natural classical Athens day; do the Acropolis-and-Acropolis-Museum in the morning and the NAM in the afternoon.
Is the National Archaeological Museum wheelchair accessible?
Yes, fully. Separate accessible entrance with ramp, elevators to all floors, accessible toilets, and complimentary wheelchair loan at the entrance. Also offers tactile tours for visually-impaired visitors and audio guides with hearing-impaired adaptations.
Plan the Rest of Your Athens Trip
For more historical sites, see our pillar guide to Athens historical sites and museums, our complete Acropolis guide, our Acropolis Museum guide, our Ancient Agora guide, our top 25 attractions, and our transport guide.