National Archaeological Museum

The National Archaeological Museum is the largest archaeological museum in Greece and the deepest single collection of ancient Greek art anywhere - the place where the civilisation's greatest hits actually live. The Mycenaean hall holds the gold that Schliemann lifted from the shaft graves in 1876, including the funerary mask he too eagerly named Agamemnon; the bronze halls stage the Artemision god - Zeus or Poseidon, forever mid-throw - and the desperate little Jockey of Artemision at full gallop. In its own gallery sits the Antikythera Mechanism, the corroded geared device from a Roman-era shipwreck that turned out to be an astronomical computer two millennia ahead of schedule. Add the Akrotiri frescoes from prehistoric Santorini, serene Cycladic figurines and room after room of sculpture, and the Acropolis suddenly has a rival for the title of Athens' essential visit.

What you actually see

• The Mycenaean gold - the Mask of Agamemnon and the shaft-grave treasure.
• The Artemision Bronze - the god poised to hurl bolt or trident.
• The Antikythera Mechanism - the ancient geared astronomical computer.
• The Akrotiri frescoes - Santorini's Bronze Age walls in colour.

When to go

Year-round and blessedly cool in summer - it makes the perfect midday heat escape. Late afternoons are quietest; allow at least three hours or ruthlessly pick your halls.

Honest expectations

The collection is enormous and gallery fatigue is real - decide on your must-sees before entering. Occasional room closures happen, and the surrounding neighbourhood is workaday central Athens rather than postcard Plaka; the metro delivers you close enough.

Nearby

Exarchia's murals and bookshops, Omonia square and the walk down to Syntagma.