Make a pilgrimage to the world's finest collection of Greek antiquities. Housed in an enormous 19th-century neoclassical building, the National Archaeological Museum's 11,0000 treasures date from prehistoric times to Classical periods – a comprehensive view of historic Greek art.
It's impossible to appreciate all the exquisite sculptures, pottery, jewelry and frescoes in one go – whatever you see will be a treat.
Mycenean Antiquities
Start with the fabulous collection of Mycenaean antiquities in halls 3 and 4. Here you'll find the celebrated gold Mask of Agamemnon, unearthed at Mycenae. It may be of the king who, according to legend, attacked Troy in the 12th century BCE. The exquisite Vaphio gold cups, showing scenes of men taming wild bulls, are regarded as among the finest surviving examples of Mycenaean art.
Cycladic Collection
Don't miss the Cycladic collection (hall 6) with its superb (and mysterious) white-marble figures from the 3rd and 2nd millennia BCE, which inspired modern artists such as Picasso and Modigliani.
Sounion Kouros
The galleries to the left of the entrance house the oldest and most significant pieces of the sculpture collection. The most dazzling by far is the colossal 600 BCE Sounion Kouros (hall 8), carved from Naxian marble, which stood before the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion. Its style marks a transition in art history, developing beyond the rigid lines of older Egyptian carving to more lifelike qualities – including the so-called "Archaic smile" – that the Greeks would come to build on in later centuries.
Artemision Bronze
Head to hall 15 for the incredibly precise, larger-than-life 460 BCE bronze statue of Zeus or Poseidon (no one knows which), excavated from the sea off Evia in 1928. The muscled figure holds his arms outstretched, his right arm raised to throw what was once a lightning bolt (if Zeus) or trident (if Poseidon).
Varvakeion Athena
In hall 20, admire the details on this statue of Athena, made in 200 CE: the helmet topped with a sphinx and griffins, a Gorgon shield and the hand holding a small figure of winged Nike (missing its head). Now imagine it all more than 10 times larger and covered in gold – that was the legendary, now-lost colossal figure of Athena (11.5m tall) that the master sculptor Pheidias erected in front of the Parthenon in the 5th century BCE. This daintier version is thought to be the best extant replica of that colossus.
Jockey of Artemision
In hall 21, find the dynamic statue of horse and young rider (2nd century BCE) standing opposite exquisite works such as a statue of Aphrodite.
Antikythera Youth
Continue along to hall 28 to find the striking bronze Antikythera Youth, forged in the 4th century BCE. His hand once held some spherical object, now lost. The statue was discovered in a shipwreck off Antikythera.
Akrotiri Frescoes
Upstairs, hall 48 is devoted to the spectacular and incredibly old Minoan frescoes from a prehistoric settlement on Santorini (Thira). They were preserved by being buried by a volcanic eruption in the late 16th century BCE. The frescoes include Boxing Children and Spring, depicting red lilies and a pair of swallows kissing in midair. Watch videos showing the 1926 eruption and the Akrotiri excavation. Also upstairs you'll find a superb pottery collection, from the Bronze Age through Attic red-figured pottery (late 5th to early 4th centuries BCE).
