Which museum in Athens?

[maureenk]

With one day in port, we are going to make bee line to the Acropolis to beat the crowds. We would then like to see one of the museums. Which of the two is better? The New Acropolis Museum or the National Archelological Museum? Thanks in advance - Maureen

[cruisemom42]

Here are a couple of past threads on this same topic:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1056375&highlight=which+museum

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1039537&highlight=which+museum

 

They are both very worthwhile. The Acropolis museum is, of course, quite easy to get to if you are visiting the Acropolis, and is new -- but the range of artifacts is more limited. The National Archeological Museum is much larger, so you'd probably need to spend more time there, but it has a great and very comprehensive collection of the best artifacts from all of Greece.

[maureenk]

Thank you cruisemom42! Your posts are so helpful. I have your Athens instructions on taking the Metro printed out to take with us. Thank you for putting so much time into the board. Its really such a great resource for so many people. Thanks - Maureen:)

[cruisemom42]

You're welcome -- enjoy your trip! I hope you have a great time and perfect weather. I'm looking forward to my own upcoming return visit to Athens next month!

[alliebdive]

I would absolutely concur with cruisemom42. The new Acropolis museum is superb and displays sculptures in a modern "take" on the Acropolis as though you were walking around it. BUT, the old Archaeological Museum has treasures from all over Greece including the Mycenae artifacts - the golden mask, etc etc and really can't be missed. Try and fit both in. I would fit them in at the expense of the Plaka if you are going anywhere else in Greece where you will pick up the same sort of vibe ie the islands.

[TLCOhio]

I would absolutely concur with cruisemom42. The new Acropolis museum is superb and displays sculptures in a modern "take" on the Acropolis as though you were walking around it. BUT, the old Archaeological Museum has treasures from all over Greece including the Mycenae artifacts - the golden mask, etc etc and really can't be missed. Try and fit both in. I would fit them in at the expense of the Plaka if you are going anywhere else in Greece where you will pick up the same sort of vibe ie the islands.

 

I want to "second" the agreeing with Cynthia about how wonder is the Archaeological Museum. Its collection really gives you a wider spectrum of history and understanding on what the Greeks created with their art, how it was "borrowed" by the Romans and became what we consider "classic" now. Below are some visual samples for what you can see and experience there.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For more details, great visuals, etc., from our July 1-16 Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle Silver Cloud experiences:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

Here are some examples from the very historic National Archaeological Museum in Athens:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[KirkNC]

We certainly enjoyed our visit to the National Archaeological Museum in 2009. It was pretty extensive.

 

Kirk

[ab0si]

National Archaeological Museum

 

Not going there when in Athens is like going to Mitchell, S.D. and not seeing the Corn Palace. Well, ok, perhaps not the best simile. :)

 

Seriously, the collection is simply the best in world for the subject matter. As a bonus, it is well curated.

[ddonalds]

I've been to both - and would agree with everyone else. I liked the smaller one because it was easy to go through - and very helpful being at the Acropolis. But - the Archeological Museum is just amazing!!! I felt so young being there..... Greece has been around for a VERY long time...:eek:. I'd go to both again, and probably will when we get to Athens in October!!!:D. I would definitely skip the Plaka for these two sites..... and do my shopping on whatever islands you go to.....

[Keith1010]

I would also go to the National Archaeological Museum.

 

Keith

[Hlitner]

Reading the OP gave me a crazy thought. When you go out in your town do you run to a museum? If you had never been to New York City and had only one day to visit would you spend that day inside museums or would you go to Times Square, Statute of Liberty, Rockefeller Center, Macys, etc? I know, its a crazy thought that somebody might want to really get a feeling for a country, its culture, its cuisine, etc. Nah. Just spend the better part of a day inside a museum. Its sure a better place to be.

 

Hank

[cruisemom42]

When you go out in your town do you run to a museum? If you had never been to New York City and had only one day to visit would you spend that day inside museums or would you go to Times Square, Statute of Liberty, Rockefeller Center, Macys, etc?

 

Hank

 

Yes; I absolutely would go to a museum. :D I don't give two shakes about Times Square or the Plaka. Give me a great museum any day!

 

About 18 months ago I had only about an hour in Manhattan following a meeting before I had to head to the airport. I dashed into the Met just to take a quick peek at the new Greek and Roman galleries.

 

My parents had a hard time getting me out of the Uffizi in Florence at age 14.

 

I love museums.

[Susan-M]

Just spend the better part of a day inside a museum. Its sure a better place to be.

 

Hank

 

We really enjoy visiting museums during our travels, but if we visit one on a port day, it's a short visit. Since we're not shoppers, it's easy to find an hour or two for a museum visit and still fit in some of the 'outside highlights'.

[Hlitner]

Yes; I absolutely would go to a museum. :D I don't give two shakes about Times Square or the Plaka. Give me a great museum any day!

 

About 18 months ago I had only about an hour in Manhattan following a meeting before I had to head to the airport. I dashed into the Met just to take a quick peek at the new Greek and Roman galleries.

 

My parents had a hard time getting me out of the Uffizi in Florence at age 14.

 

I love museums.

 

We share your love of museums although they are not normally our first priority. But dashing into the Med for an hour is an expensive dash as I recall the admission fee is $20. :)

 

Hank

[TLCOhio]

Yes; I absolutely would go to a museum. :D I don't give two shakes about Times Square or the Plaka. Give me a great museum any day! My parents had a hard time getting me out of the Uffizi in Florence at age 14. I love museums.

 

I love BOTH wonderful museums AND charming places such as the Plaka. Before our 2006 Greek Isles/Turkish Coast cruise, we had three days in Athens. That allowed time to do Athens best and more in-depth, including lunch and dinner in the Plaka, plus also a day-trip doing Corinth and the Peloponnesian Peninsula. Just five or six "net" hours in Athens can be challenging and very limited given all of the great options there. The more you can experience in Athens and nearby, the better. Love that great, real history there.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For more details, great visuals, etc., from our July 1-16 Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle Silver Cloud experiences:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

Outdoor dining in the Plaka. Lots of music and fun, plus good food:

 

 

 

In Corinth, this is the view of the Temple built by the Romans in this key city on the Peloponnesian Peninsula:

 

[cruisemom42]

We share your love of museums although they are not normally our first priority. But dashing into the Med for an hour is an expensive dash as I recall the admission fee is $20. :)

 

Hank

 

I was lucky enough to be with a member, so no charge. Even so, I would've gladly paid it. The new galleries were fantastic. I look forward to going back on a longer visit to fully enjoy them.

 

P.S. I wonder how many people realize that the Met has a complete Egyptian temple inside, courtesy of the Egyptian government as a thank you for US assistance in saving several temples from the rising waters after the Aswan dam was built?

[Hlitner]

We do really enjoy Egyptian artifacts and the Met is pretty decent although it pales by comparison to the Egyptian Collection at the British Museum. However, none of that prepared us for the real thing when we traveled for 2 weeks in Egypt and even flew all the way south to Abu Simbal. Museums can be fun, but we generally prefer seeing the real thing in the real places. It was not until our third visit to Athens that we finally made it to the Archeological Museum...and part of the reason we went to that place was that it was about 120 degrees outside and the museum was pretty comfortable. We found it more interesting to see the real thing, drive down to Sounion, explore some caves south of Athens, etc. We figure the museums will be there next time., but the real ruins, neighborhoods, markets, etc. might be gone or totally changed. Our favorite art museum in Paris is the Musee d'Orsay, but we would not pass-up a beautiful day walking in one of the various arrondisements or a nice long lunch in a well-located outdoor cafe for a few hours inside a museum. Seeing the impressionists or Whistlers Mother (never did understand how this ended up in the Musee d'Orsay) is nice, but our real reason for going to Paris is to see Paris. Over the years we have managed to save many museum visits for the bad weather days....although we do understand this does not often work when on cruises.

 

Hank

[cruisemom42]

We do really enjoy Egyptian artifacts and the Met is pretty decent although it pales by comparison to the Egyptian Collection at the British Museum. However, none of that prepared us for the real thing when we traveled for 2 weeks in Egypt and even flew all the way south to Abu Simbal. Museums can be fun, but we generally prefer seeing the real thing in the real places. It was not until our third visit to Athens that we finally made it to the Archeological Museum...and part of the reason we went to that place was that it was about 120 degrees outside and the museum was pretty comfortable. We found it more interesting to see the real thing, drive down to Sounion, explore some caves south of Athens, etc. We figure the museums will be there next time., but the real ruins, neighborhoods, markets, etc. might be gone or totally changed. Our favorite art museum in Paris is the Musee d'Orsay, but we would not pass-up a beautiful day walking in one of the various arrondisements or a nice long lunch in a well-located outdoor cafe for a few hours inside a museum. Seeing the impressionists or Whistlers Mother (never did understand how this ended up in the Musee d'Orsay) is nice, but our real reason for going to Paris is to see Paris. Over the years we have managed to save many museum visits for the bad weather days....although we do understand this does not often work when on cruises.

 

Hank

 

I guess you could say that I live with the ancients (I prefer the Louvre to the D'Orsay). I will never pass up an opportunity to see ruins in situ, but the more delicate pieces can usually only be seen in museums.

 

I've visited Egypt on a land tour; as well, I have spent a couple of weeks in Turkey mainly visiting ancient sites and will be doing the same in Israel next spring. I'm greatly looking forward to seeing some of the sites that Syria has to offer, including Palmyra (third on my bucket list after Leptis Magna and Petra, which I'll see next March).

 

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a nice bistro in Paris, but am more likely to spend my time there visiting the few Roman ruins (such as those included in the Cluny museum) than Sacre Coeur.

 

I have visited the British museum and sat in front of the Elgin marbles for a long time on my first visit. I was mad as a hornet when I went straight to the Egyptian galleries on my second visit only to find them closed.

 

I hear people say they'd rather visit "real" places, but what about a museum isn't real? You can't simply leave these wonderful remains of the past laying around on site -- every few months you hear about another scandal (Egypt is frequent) where antiquities are being smuggled out of the country. And I firmly believe that there are few places we can learn more about the lives of the people who came before us than in a good museum.

[numbersix]

Hmm....museums, or 'atmosphere'....museums, or 'atmosphere'? I say BOTH!!!!

 

 

This debate is a great example of what that quintessential cool guy, Robert Palmer, put best:

 

"It takes every kind of people

To make what life's about, yeah

Every kind of people

To make the world go 'round"

Sounds rather Disneyesque, doesn't it?

 

I do tend to be a guerilla-tourist kind of guy (but I do like all aspects of travel), whereas my DW is an 'atmosphere' king of girl....we generally work it out...although, in our case, it seems that the quest for 'atmosphere' usually involves shopping of some sort or other!!:rolleyes:

 

Kevin