Athens’ Benaki Museum
Athens’ Benaki Museum is one of the city’s top museums with an
outstanding collection, especially of Greek and Egyptian artefacts, in a
beautiful mansion.
The Benaki Museum in Athens
Photo by Dimboukas
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.
The Benaki Museum in Athens is housed in a neo-classical
mansion built in 1867, but extended and refurbished several times over the
years. It contains a remarkable collection of Greek and Egyptian items. The
exhibits, and the house in which they are displayed, belonged to an Alexandrian
Greek cotton trader, Antonis
Benakis (1873–1954).
Gold Bracelet Showing the Owl of Athens
Over a period of 35 years he amassed a splendid selection of
artefacts, which he eventually gave to the Greek state for display in a museum.
He continued to help curate the collection, and to ensure the museum’s
financial security, until he died.
Our Pick of the Athens Guides
The mansion was thoroughly renovated in the late 1990s to
create a fine backdrop for the collection. Thirty thousand pieces illustrate
the daily life in Greece from ancient times to the 20th century.
El Greco's Adoration of the Magi
On Display in Athens' Benaki Museum
The collection incorporates paintings (including two by El
Greco), jewellery from Mycenae, ceramics, icons, clothing and Greek folk art,
such as bridal cushions, traditional clothing and decorative items.
Lord Byron's writing desk is one of the many items from the
War of Independence, along with other historical objects.
The Death of Markos Botsaris in the Greek War of Independence
The Egyptian collection is also fascinating. Early Coptic
textiles and jewellery give an impression of the wealth of artistic talent
found within this still-thriving community. A major attraction is a highly
unusual piece: a complete Egyptian reception room from a palace of the 17th
century.
Another showcase item from Egypt, where Benakis grew up in Alexandria and made his great fortune, is a wonderfully sensitive portrait of a man, painted on linen in the 3rd century AD.
Don't miss the café-restaurant at the top, with a terrace
that offers fine views and the perfect place to take a break after the time you
will no doubt spend walking round this wonderful collection.
Some other Athens pages
Piraeus is the port of Athens from where many ferries to the Greek islands depart, and it also has an Archaeological Museum and the Hellenic Maritime Museum.
Greece Travel Secrets picks the best time to visit Athens with a month-by-month account of the weather, hotel prices and any special events that are happening.
This beginner's guide to Greek architecture explains how to tell your Ionic from your Doric columns, and what to look for in temples and Byzantine churches.
Athens Airport car rentals include Alamo/National Car Rental, Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz and Sixt, all with offices at the airport.
The Athens War Museum is a fascinating look at Greek history through the lens of warfare from ancient battles to the Greek War of Independence and World War II.
Two of the best cocktail bars in Athens, MoMix Kerameikos and The Clumsies, are making creative cocktails using that most Greek of Greek spirits, Metaxa.
This extract of Artistic Athens in the Lonely Planet book Culture Trails takes visitors on a journey through the artistic side of Athens..
This Athens dining guide doesn't list restaurants but gives practical advice on types of eating places, tipping, hotel breakfasts and picnics.
The National Archaeological Museum is one of the best things to see in Athens, and the best museum in the world for seeing Greece's archaeological treasures.
Mount Lykabettos is the highest hill in Athens and provides some of the best views of the city, with a funicular cable car the easiest way to get to the top.
The Athens Museum of Cycladic Art houses a remarkable collection of Cycladic figurines and other items and is one of the best museums in Athens.
Ten Fun Things to Do in Athens include eating in the Central Market, watching the sun set over the Acropolis and seeing one of the world's oldest theatres.
If you're wondering where to eat in Athens and Piraeus we have a few suggestions including some favorites around the Acropolis, Omonia Square, and Syntagma.
The beach resorts of Athens are easily reached from the city and also close are Cape Sounion with the Temple of Poseidon, ancient Marathon and Rafina's port.
There's all kinds of entertainment in Athens whether you're interested in theatre, dance, classical music, jazz, Greek music, rock music, disco, opera or movies.
This drive around Attica offers visitors high hills, beach resorts, small villages and classical sites like Marathon and the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion.
The Athens Byzantine and Christian Museum is housed in a beautiful villa with an underground wing and lovely gardens too.
Amusing children in Athens is easy as there is lots to do including a children’s museum, planetarium, beaches, and easy excursions to the nearest islands.
The best things to do in Athens, Greece, include top archaeological sites like the Acropolis and must-see attractions such as the National Archaeological Museum
The best views in Athens include views from the Acropolis and of the Acropolis from the top of some of the city’s several hills and from hotels and restaurants.
The Greece Travel Secrets website looks at the Athens weather, the chance of rain, the climate in summer and winter and the best time to visit Athens.
There are lots of flights from Athens to Santorini as well as a ferry service from Piraeus, with flights to Santorini leaving from Athens International Airport.
Athens International Airport is east of Athens city centre with its own Metro train station, buses to Athens and Piraeus, taxis and car rental offices.
The Changing of the Guard in Athens takes place outside the Parliament building at the top of Syntagma Square and is a must-see for visitors.
In My Athens on Greece Travel Secrets travel writer Mike Gerrard describes what he loves about Athens including the Acropolis and eating!
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