Visiting Athens Archaeological Museum
 

Hi all:
I am finalizing our itinerary to Greece, and would like advice on how much time to budget for a visit to the Athens Archaeological Museum. Unfortunately we only have about 1.25 days in Athens since we are primarily visiting areas outside of Athens and Santorini... I was trying to split a day between a visit to the Acropolis and the museum, but thought that was cutting it too tight and that I might need more than just 4 hours to really get through the collections.
I know that is a terribly subjective/relative question, but I just want your thoughts, feedback (e.g. is it a large or small museum; what is the typical length of a visit?).
Thanks in advance!

Depends how much you want to read, while you are touring the museum. There are many interesting exhibits, but I would allocate about 2-3 hours, since it is more time-consuming going to the Acropolis (which is a MUST see). The Acropolis also has a mini-museum, but nothing to the level of the Archaeological Museum. If you really want to see a lot of interesting Greek artifacts, the British Museum has it all (much to the Greeks' chagrin)!

Yes, we spent almost two full days at the British Museum... that is why I was thinking half a day might not be enough time here... but then again, we really don't want to cut short the Acropolis !~

You need days to see everything in the National Archaelogical Museum in Athens. Just pick certain exhibits that interest you--jewellery collection, classical sculpture, Thira frescoes--and skip the rest. Allocate 2 hours for yourself. Anything beyond that will only lead "museum overload."

But, really, sweetie darling, just how many Attic vases can you look at???

A fabulous alternative is the Benaki Collection in Kolanaki. Check it out. 2 hours and you are in and out, then walk around the block to Kolonaki Sq. to have a drink with the beautiful people.

The Great and Powerful Thingorjus

I agree with jkirkmd, you could be there for a very long time if you read everything as you go. We started out reading and taking everything in and by the time we decided to leave, we were walking in a room, glancing around and leaving. I love the acropolis and plaka area and would allocate more time there - personal preference.