Blog

There are several amazing museums in Athens. In addition, Athens is renowned for its delectable cuisine. What results from mixing the two? Beautiful museum cafés and restaurants provide much more than just a place to recover your breath after cramming multiple museum trips into one day. But things weren't always this way. In the past, the majority of Athens' museums served only as rest stops for tired visitors in need of a quick snack or cup of coffee. Considering that they now provide mouthwatering finger foods, chic coffee, excellent wine, and live music performances in interesting surroundings, one could argue that they are attractions unto themselves.

Find out more about some of Athens' top museums, eateries, and coffee shops by reading on.

We start our list with the Acropolis Museum, as it should. The newest landmark in Athens is a contemporary space that doubles as a cafe and restaurant on the second level, high above the nearby Koukaki buildings. Visitors can eat here and take in the Parthenon and Acropolis Hill at the same time. The eatery offers inside dining as well as outdoor dining on its rooftop terrace, which has grown to be one of the most picturesque areas in the city. It remains open well into the night. The Acropolis Museum's restaurant is worth a visit even if you have no interest in seeing the museum itself, despite being located downtown in a neighborhood that is crowded with upscale restaurants and other types of eateries. It serves up classic Greek cuisine with a contemporary spin utilizing almost all fresh, local ingredients, and also has a kids' menu.

The Museum of Cycladic Art Café, designed by renowned architect Stelios Kois, is located inside the Goulandris Museum of Cycladic Art in Kolonaki. Kois was given the difficult assignment of modernizing the café area. The neoclassical wings on one side and the more modern addition on the other form a small oasis in the center of the museum. The Museum of Cycladic Art Café's plant-covered walls and glass roof create the impression that you are outside on a terrace even if you are inside. It offers scrumptious breakfast, brunch, coffee, and snacks for on-the-go pit stops.

If you appreciate art or history, the Benaki Museum, which is situated in the posh Kolonaki neighborhood, is quite likely to be on your agenda for Athens. It features a gorgeous rooftop cafe-restaurant in addition to an amazing collection that highlights the nation's stormy history and rich cultural heritage. Despite the menu's limited selection, the basic Greek cuisine it offers is perfect for a quick lunch and a break from exploring the city.

Although while it doesn't typically rank among the top attractions in the city, some people contend that the outdoor café at the Numismatic Museum of Athens can occasionally be more fascinating than the museum itself. Nonetheless, we do suggest going to both. The Ernst Ziller-designed neoclassical building housing the museum can be explored in less than an hour, and the outdoor cafe might make for a relaxing location to rest after a long day in the city. The area's calm ambience, vibrant flower beds, iced drinks, and cold plate appetizers will be more than enough to recharge you before continuing your sightseeing.

Photo: Numismatic Museum.