The Acropolis Museum (15 Dionysiou Areopagitou Street, Athens 11742)

The new Acropolis Museum in Dionysiou  Areopagitou Street, Athens, opened in July 2009 and was constructed as a replacement for the old Acropolis Museum, which had stood on the site of the Acropolis since the late 1800s. The new museum has more than 14,000 square metres of exhibition space and was designed by Bernard Tschumi.  

The museum’s permanent collection includes: The Gallery of the Slopes of the Acropolis, which houses a range of artifacts discovered during excavations of the Acropolis hill;  the Archaic Gallery, which houses artifacts dating from the 7th century B.C. until the end of the Persian Wars, including sculptures from the pediment of the Temple of Athena Polias; and the Parthenon Gallery, where you can see sections of the frieze and sculptures from the Parthenon.

The Acropolis Museum also holds temporary exhibitions, and you’ll find a cafe, a restaurant and a shop there.

Image: Tilemahos Efthimiadis

The National Gallery – Alexandros Soutzos Museum (50 Vassileos Konstantinou, Athens)

First opened to the public in 1900, the National Gallery – Alexandros Soutzos Museum houses a large collection of Greek and Western European art works dating from the Post-Byzantine period to the present day. The collection is housed in two buildings. Works showing the history of Greek sculpture are displayed in the National Glyptotheque (Army Park, Goudi, Athens), whilst the rest of the collection is housed in the main museum building (50 Vassileos Konstantinou).

The Railway Museum of Athens (4 Siokou Street, Athens)

The Railway Museum of Athens opened in 1979 and is the only museum of its kind in Greece. It houses a small collection of rolling stock, including a number of steam locomotives, as well as other railway-related exhibits, such as photos, tickets and railway workers’ uniforms. Admission to the museum is free of charge.

The National Museum of Contemporary Art (Vassileos Georgiou B 17 – 19 & Rigillis Street, Athens)

The National Museum of Contemporary Art is currently being housed in the Athens Conservatory while its own building is being renovated. It’s due to move back to its original location in 2011.

The museum’s permanent collection includes a wide range of works by both Greek and international artists. Works include paintings, 3D objects, installations, photographs and video art. The museum also holds regular temporary exhibitions.  

The National Archaeological Museum of Athens (44 Patission Street, Athens 10682)

Originally designed to house items found during excavations in and near Athens during the nineteenth century, the National Archaeological Museum of Athens now houses artefacts discovered throughout Greece, and is the largest museum in the country.

Its permanent collection is divided into five main sections: the Prehistoric Collection; the Sculptures Collection; the Vase and Minor Objects Collection; the Metallurgy Collection; and the Egyptian and Near Eastern Antiquities Collection.

The museum also holds regular temporary exhibitions, and there is a cafe and a shop on site.

Image: Lucretius

The Times Online has got together with the Royal Academy of Arts to offer readers the chance to win a two night archaeological trip to Athens. The competition is being organised in order to promote the Royal Academy of Arts’ new exhibition, Byzantium 330-1453.

The prize includes return flights for two with Olympic Airlines from either London’s Heathrow airport or Manchester Airport, two nights’ accommodation in a 4-star hotel in Athens and tickets for two archaeological sites.

You can enter the competition via the Times Online website. Entries must be received before midnight on 22 March 2009. The winner must take the prize before 31 October 2009 and the following dates are excluded: 3 March 2009 – 12 April 2009 and 1 July 2009 – 8 August 2009.

Image courtesy of: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Thermos

The Guardian is currently offering readers the chance to win a holiday in Greece. The prize consists of two return flights from London Stanstead airport to Athens with Aegean Airlines, return flights from Athens to any destination in Greece which is served by Aegean Airlines, and three nights luxury accommodation in one of the Myconian Collection hotels on Mykonos or one of the Maris hotels on Crete.

You can enter the competition on the Guardian’s website and entries must be received by 23:59 on Friday 23 January 2009. The holiday must be taken before 30 November 2009 and some dates are not available, so check the competition’s terms and conditions before entering.

Image courtesy of: © Lars Christensen | Dreamstime.com