GREECE: MUSEUMS AROUND THE WORLD

A complete catalogue of museums that own Greek archaeological collections would be quite thick ! Beside purely archaeological museums, most of those which are devoted to history or art make a point of displaying examples of Greek art as a must.

It is thus difficult to identify all the collections that are worth a visit, considering also numerous private collections, and items which can be seen at auction houses, where they are are exhibited for a few hours but are sometimes amazing!


 As for the museums of Greece

There is an archaeological museum in most of the Greek cities: you’ll find more than 130 of them on our interactive map of archaeological sites.

Among these museums, site museums, very big museums like in Athens and Thessaloniki, and others in smaller towns, sometimes in villages – which are hard to find without GPS, but our map will help you. The main museums are generally open all day, those of the smaller cities open generally only in the morning. In any case, check the opening hours before going there!


 For France

You’ll find a directory of French archaeological museums in our section "museums and sites" (interactive map and alphabetical list by city name). The list below is an extract of it, mentionning only museums displaying collections of Greek antiquities

Agde (34300)

 Musée de l'Ephèbe

Angers (49100)

 Musée Pincé

Antibes (06600)

 Musée d'Archéologie

Arles (13635)

 Musée Départemental Arles Antique

Avignon (84000)

 Musée lapidaire

Beaulieu-sur-Mer (06310)

 Villa Kérylos

Bordeaux (33000)

 Musée d'Aquitaine

Boulogne-Sur-Mer (62200)

 Chateau-musée

Cambrai (59400)

 Musée Municipal

Cannes (06400)

 Musée de La Castre

Châtillon-sur-Seine (21400)

 Musée du Pays Châtillonnais - Trésor de Vix

Compiègne (60200)

 Musée d’art et d’archéologie Antoine Vivenel

Gray (70100)

 Musée Baron Martin

Grenoble (38000)

 Musée de Grenoble

Hyères (83412)

 Musée des cultures et du paysage (re-opening in 2019)

Laon (02000)

 Musée d'Art et d'Archéologie

Le Puy-en-Velay (43000)

 Musée Crozatier

Lille (59000)

 Musée des Beaux-Arts

Louviers (27400)

 Musée de Louviers

Lyon (69001)

 Musée des Beaux-Arts

Marseille (13002)

 Musée d'Archéologie Méditerranéenne

Marseille (13002)

 Musée des Docks Romains

Montargis (45200)

 Musée du Gâtinais

Montpellier (34000)

 Musée Languedocien

Moulins (03000)

 Musée Anne de Beaujeu

Nevers (58000)

 Musée Archéologique de la Porte du Croux

Nîmes (30000)

 Musée Archéologique

Paris (75001)

 Musée du Louvre

Paris (75008)

 Musée du Petit Palais de Paris - Palais des Beaux-Arts

Paris (75084)

 Musée du Cabinet des Médailles de la Bibliothèque Nationale de France

Paris (75116)

 Musée des Arts Asiatiques Guimet

Péronne (80201)

 Musée Alfred Danicourt

Rennes (35000)

 Musée de Bretagne

Rouen (76000)

 Musée des Antiquités

Saint-Omer (62500)

 Musée de l'Hôtel Sandelin

Sigean (11130)

 Musée des Corbières

 And for others countries

The website Agalma lists the major greek collections over the world. This directory, though a little outdated, may be considered as a reference. Southern Italy, as the ancient "Magna Graecia" occupies there a prominent place.

And finally, let’s add a few museums omitted from lists above...

• in Athens, the Benaki museum and the beautiful Kanellopoulos museum, recently completely restored.
• In Croatia, the archaeological museums of Zagreb and of the island of Vis.
• In the U.S.A., the Glencairn Museum in Bryn Athyn (Pennsylvania) and the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth (Texas)

... but no doubt there are much more to mention! Thanks to everyone who let us know!