No Athens art tour would be complete without mentioning the National Gallery of Greece. As its name suggests, this Athens institution is the country’s preeminent art gallery, with more than 20,000 works in its collection of post-Byzantine Greek and European art. Spanning the 14th to the 20th centuries, an afternoon of art at the National Gallery can include works by artists as diverse as El Greco, Picasso, Matisse, and Nikolaos Gyzis.

When it comes to exploring contemporary art in Athens, the National Museum of Contemporary Art should be the first port of call. Housed in a former brewery, the museum boasts a rich collection of works by Greek and international artists, from Nan Goldin to Chryssa and Marina Abramović, as well as a calendar of thought-provoking temporary exhibitions. Follow up your time with this impressive selection of conceptual art by heading to the building’s rooftop for some of the best views in Athens.

If you’re more of an urban explorer than a gallery hopper but don’t want to miss out on the city’s creative offerings, fear not: Athens is, in itself, an open-air gallery. Hot spots for outdoor art include Exarcheia, a neighborhood famed for its alternative culture; bohemian Psyrri; and cool Kerameikos, where you’ll also find the Technopolis, an arts and culture space set in a former gas factory. Take in Pavlos Tsakonas’ praying hands, the zen-inducing At the River by Taxis, and more.

A relative newcomer, yet already among the top museums for art lovers in Athens, the Basil and Elise Goulandris Foundation opened its doors to the Athenian public in 2019. This modern art museum owes its name to shipowner Basil Goulandris and his wife Elise Karadontis, whose jaw-dropping collection (we’re talking around $3 billion worth of art) now fills the museum’s galleries with work by big-name artists—think Pablo Picasso, Roy Lichtenstein, and Claude Monet, to name just a few.

A one-stop shop for learning about all things Greek culture, the Benaki Museum is home to a treasure trove of more than 100,000 artifacts spanning the country’s history. Although not solely dedicated to art (other highlights include displays of Greek regional costumes and complete sitting rooms from mansions in northern Greece), the art offering through the ages is also exceptional, especially the selection of ecclesiastical art that includes ornate, well-preserved Byzantine icons.

Exploring Athens' artistic heritage means journeying back to antiquity (or even further, to prehistory). Once you’ve ascended the Acropolis itself and stood in awe of the Parthenon, head back down to get the lowdown on the site’s history and artistic bounty at the Acropolis Museum. Here, you’ll find sculptures and statues that once adorned the ancient site, which variously served as a ruler’s residence, citadel, mythical home of the gods, and religious center.

Ultra-modern yet full of nods to the area’s ancient past, architect Renzo Piano’s Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre has become something of an Athens architectural icon. Beyond the striking building, this multifaceted cultural space houses the National Library of Greece and the Greek National Opera. In addition to opera, dance, and theater performances, the center hosts exhibitions, from photography documenting the history of the site to kinetic sculptures by renowned Greek artists.

If you’re on the hunt for bold, offbeat Athenian art exhibitions, a visit to Onassis Stegi is a must-do. Named after wealthy Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis, this flagship cultural center is the late magnate’s charitable foundation, recognizable for the hallmark neon sign that adorns one side of its building. Inside, seven stories host imaginative exhibitions—from painting to pop culture and interdisciplinary works—as well as world-class music and theater performances.

If you’re combining your Athens city break with a beach escape in the Cyclades, get a head start at the Museum of Cycladic Art. For the uninitiated, as well as the name of a popular island group, the Cyclades refers to an ancient culture of the Aegean dating to the 3rd millennium BC (making the Parthenon seem positively recent!). Among the 3,000 artifacts of Cycladic, ancient Greek, and Cypriot art, the biggest draw is the collection of remarkable early Cycladic sculptures.