4 of the best museum cafes in Athens you should visit for a unique experience.
There are several important and top-notch museums in Athens. Some of them, like the Acropolis Museum and the National Archaeological Museum, are among the most significant in the world. You can visit great cafes at the majority of these museums while you’re there. A few of them are even worth visiting without going to the museum. In this post, we highlight four such cafes, each with a distinct personality and a variety of reasons to visit.
Since the Acropolis Museum is the most well-known museum in Athens, it is inevitable that every visitor will see and possibly even visit its stunning cafe, which is why we have not included it in this article.
The four cafes are open during museum opening hours, and you do not need a ticket to visit them.
National Archaeological Museum
One of the most important museums in the city is the National Archaeological Museum of Athens. Some of the best and most internationally renowned pieces of ancient Greek art are on display here. Among its well-known displays are the bronze statue of Zeus, the mechanism of Antikythera, the golden treasure of Mycenae, and the frescoes of Santorini. The collection generally spans from the prehistoric age to the Roman era. Every minute you spend at the museum is valuable as you take an amazing trip through time.
The museum’s cafe is situated on a lower level from the entrance and is surrounded by a lovely patio and a small garden. The garden has been renovated with 700 new plant species, and museum exhibits like statues and other sculptures can be found there. The museum’s beautiful interior features temporary art exhibitions, providing visual stimuli to the public in an effort to give artists and visual groups from Greece and abroad a platform for expression and dialogue.
Coffee, drinks, and great proposals for snacks and desserts are available at the cafe. We should also mention that the cafe hosts musical events that are integrated into the Ministry of Culture and Sports’s activities (Museum Day, August Full Moon, etc.). This is a special location that provides calm and peace in the middle of a stunning building and is a welcome respite following the impressive but exhausting tour of the museum’s collections. namuseum.gr
Byzantine and Christian Museum
The Byzantine and Christian Museum is one of the most significant museums for Byzantine culture worldwide. More than 25,000 objects cover the period between the third and the twentieth centuries. They are mostly from the greater Greek, Asia Minor, and Balkan countries and are organised in themed collections. The exhibition’s creativity and application of modern methods excite the visitor and make the tour of the museum a unique experience.
The Byzantine and Christian Museum’s cafe-restaurant “Ilissia” is situated in the garden, beneath the Palace of the Duchess of Plaisance, which houses the museum. You can enjoy coffee, dessert, or a small meal in a comfortable and tranquil setting. The cafe’s decor provides a pleasant and welcoming feel. But the museum’s garden with its numerous tables is undoubtedly more interesting.
The museum’s garden is a haven in the middle of a busy area of the city. It provides guests with places to relax amidst fruit trees and fragrant flora. Three exhibition stations are located in the garden: River Ilissos, which deals with the development of the Athenian river’s landscape from antiquity to the present; Paradise, which deals with Byzantine conceptions of earthly and afterlife existence; and the Well-Cistern, which deals with Athens’ water supply from antiquity to the present. A visit to the museum’s cafe and garden offers a delightful little getaway to the heart of the city. byzantinemuseum.gr
Maria Callas Museum
Despite its recent opening, the Maria Callas Museum is a truly valuable addition to the city. It is located in a stunning neoclassical building in the city centre. The one floor of the museum has three rooms that depict scenes from the most famous operas that Callas sang while the corresponding arias are heard from speakers. The other floor houses personal belongings, clothing, and librettos of the well-known singer. The exhibits’ interactive presentation style demands the visitor’s engagement and guides you through the life and the work of Callas.
The beautiful cafe “La Divina” is located next to the museum store on the ground floor of the Maria Callas Museum. The cafe offers moments of leisure throughout the day in its bright and comfortable decor, which features huge windows overlooking Mitropoleos Square. On the other hand, there are also outside tables on Petraki’s lively and well-travelled pedestrian strip where you may sip coffee while taking in the city’s rhythm and the steady flow of passersby.
You can begin your day with a coffee or beverage and a snack, enjoy a delectable lunch break, or end the day with a drink that is inspired by Maria Callas’ favourite beverages. You may also purchase intriguing gifts, records, and CDs featuring the well-known diva’s recordings at the same time. The cafe is a perfect way to wrap up your visit to the museum, but you can also go there regardless of a visit to the museum and spend some time surrounded by the great artist’s aura. mariacallasmuseum.gr
Vasilis and Marina Theocharakis Foundation
The Vasilis and Marina Theocharakis Foundation for Visual Arts and Music was established in 2004. It is a non-profit public benefit foundation and opened its doors to the public in December 2007. The Foundation focuses on visual arts and music in Greece and worldwide. However, its main focus is on the emergence and development of modernism in the 20th and 21st centuries. The building that houses the Foundation was built in the late 1920s, in the eclectic style of the interwar period. It combines morphological characteristics from several European styles. The Foundation is not a museum in the classical sense, but a space that presents exhibitions throughout the year dedicated to Greek and foreign artists.
“Cafe Merlin”, located on the building’s first floor, is a superb addition to the exhibitions experience. Its interior design blends modern and classic elements in a subtle yet hospitable manner. The cafe has all the conveniences of a contemporary eating establishment while yet having the atmosphere of an early 20th-century Athenian neoclassical residence.
Its expansive windows provide a view of the surrounding neoclassical buildings and the National Garden. It serves coffee, breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner. Equal to a fine dining establishment, the meal recommendations are many and quite worthwhile. Cafe Merlin has been successful in establishing itself as a point of reference for locals and tourists alike. thf.gr
A relaxing escape
When paired with a delightful culinary experience, a visit to a quality museum is an unforgettable experience. These four cafes make great recommendations for a relaxing escape from the city’s bustle.
You can find all our “4 of the best…” guides for Athens on this link.
