The Museum of Greek Folk Musical Instruments next to the Roman Agora houses an extensive range of Greek musical instruments.
In this complete guide to the Museum of Greek Folk Musical Instruments in Athens, you'll learn all about the exhibition, history, and helpful information about how to get there and tickets.
What Can I Do at the Museum of Greek Folk Musical Instruments?
One of the outstanding museums in Athens, the Museum of Greek Folk Musical Instruments in the Plaka district offers an exceptional collection of Greek musical instruments.
The museum's inventory includes around 1200 objects dating from the 18th to the 20th century. Around half of the collection is presented in the permanent exhibition.
The exhibits include traditional but also quite unusual instruments from the country, such as instruments made of dried mud, flutes made of goatskin and reed flutes covered with snakeskin.
Not only do you get a glimpse of this important part of Greek culture, you can listen in for yourself. Headphones are provided for the tour of the 3-story museum, with which you can listen to the sounds of different instruments.
The museum also has a research center for ethnomusicology, lecture halls and archives.
The permanent exhibition is divided into the following four categories:
Garden
Musical performances take place in the museum garden, especially during the summer months.
Museum Shop
The Museum of Greek Folk Musical Instruments has a museum shop with a wide range of gift items.
Admission, Tickets and Guided Tours
How Do I Get to the Museum of Greek Folk Musical Instruments?
The Museum of Greek Folk Musical Instruments is located in the Plaka district, next to the Roman Agora. Thanks to its central location, it has excellent public transport connections.
The easiest way to get to the museum is to take Metro 1 or 3 to the “Monastiraki” stop. It is only a three-minute walk from the bus stop. It is just as easy with the Hop on Hop off bus tour, which stops at station A14 “Monastiraki/Thession”.
Visitors arriving from Piraeus cruise port can go to the nearby Piraeus Metro Station and board the M1 line. A single ticket is sufficient for the 16-minute journey to Monastiraki Station.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Regular opening hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily except Tuesdays. The current opening times can be found on the museum 's website.
The Museum of Greek Folk Musical Instruments is located in the center of Athens and can therefore be easily reached. The most convenient way is to take the Metro 1 or 3 to the “Monastiraki” stop. It is only a three-minute walk from the bus stop. It's just as easy with the Hop on Hop off tour, which stops at station A14 "Monastiraki/Thession".
Visitors arriving from the Piraeus cruise port can go to the nearby Piraeus Metro Station and board the M1 line. A single ticket is sufficient for the 16-minute journey to Monastiraki station.
Tickets for the Museum of Greek Folk Musical Instruments are available at the on-site ticket offices.
The Museum of Greek Folk Musical Instruments is located in the Plaka district, west of the Roman Agora. The full address is: 1-3 Diogenous Str., Plaka, Τ.Κ. 10556, Athens
History of the Museum of Greek Folk Musical Instruments
The foundation of the "Museum of Greek Folk Musical Instruments - The Fivos Anoyanakis Collection Center of Ethnomusicology" goes back to the musicologist Fivos Anogianakis.
From 1950 to 1990 he collected around 1,200 musical instruments, half of which are on display in the museum today. The other half are presented in traveling exhibitions and are used for research purposes, because the Museum of Greek Popular Musical Instruments is not only a pure museum, but also a research center for ethnomusicology.
The museum is housed in a manor house from 1842, which was once the home of the scholar Georgios Lassanis.
Contact
By loading the map, you agree to Google's privacy policy.
Learn more