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Photo: C messier, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Holds the second largest collection of Cypriot antiquities in the world outside Cyprus, after the Metropolitan Museum in New York. Some of the most popular exhibits include the Cycladic figurines, the idols from Early Bronze Age Cyclades, whose style greatly influenced modernist work in the 20th century, and Cypriot pottery and Ancient Greek artifacts, especially the ‘Scenes of Daily Life in Ancient Greece’ display, which is popular with families. They also sell great souvenirs, and lunch is available at the elegant Aethrion Café. If you are lucky, there may be a quirky temporary exhibition too (with no extra entry fee), as they hold archaeological, modern and contemporary art exhibitions.
The Nikolaos P. Goulandris Foundation - Museum of Cycladic Art is a museum in Athens that houses a notable collection of artifacts of Cycladic art.
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Visit the beautiful Neoclassical main building which houses collections of Greek art, from ancient times through the Byzantine period and the modern state. Open late and for free on Thursday evenings. The museum shop is a good place to buy souvenirs. There is a small selection at high prices but the quality is excellent.
Λύκειο, Lýkeio
An ancient temple here hosted lectures by Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, and early meetings of the Athenian Assembly. Aristotle made the temple the home of his school, the Lyceum. It hosted the world's first zoo and botanical garden, as well as a library which preserved classical Greek works for centuries afterwards. Rediscovered in 1996, the site can now be viewed outdoors. Entrance is from the north, from the same entrance as for the Byzantine and Christian museum.
The National War Museum is the only significant surviving public project of the military dictatorship which ruled Greece 1967 - 1974. The museum's displays are old fashioned and biased towards the more successful periods of Greek military history. The tanks, artillery guns and aircraft on display outside the museum form the most interesting part of its collection, and can be visited for free. Perhaps the only internationally famous object in the collection is the portrait of Lord Byron in hellenic dress.
Now the base of a summertime outdoor cinema, you can view the remains of the reservoir that was the terminus of an aqueduct that transported water for Roman-era Athenians from Parnitha to the base of Mount Lycabettus. You can only peer through windows and are not able to descend into the reservoir.
This building is on the eastern side of the square. It was the former royal palace before Greece became a republic. At its base, facing the square, is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
A Peaceful and beautiful park in the centre of Athens, easily the coolest place to hide from the summer sun. Wander around, check out the quirky art that seems to sprout up every now and again, look on in disbelief at the "zoo", sit on one of the benches, enjoy the luxuriant flowers and vegetation, marvel at the turtle and duck ponds, have a frappe in the cafe, and spot one of the resident tortoises exploring... it's a fun place to hang out.