The Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum in the heart of Athens is dedicated to Greece's decorative arts and jewelry with an impressive collection.
In this complete guide to the Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum in Athens, you'll learn all about the exhibition, history, and helpful information about how to get there, tickets, and tours.
What Can I Do at the Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum?
Located in Ilias Lalaounis' former studio, the Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum has an impressive collection of around 4,000 unique pieces of jewelry and small sculptures.
The majority of the collection was created by the Greek goldsmith and museum founder Ilias Lalaounis, who was inspired by numerous art styles from different cultures, as well as by nature and astronomy.
The exhibition focuses on the gold and silversmith's art, which comes from the more than 50 collections that Ilias Lalaounis designed between 1957 and 2002. It therefore offers a good overview of the artist's work, which is generally regarded as art rather than craft.
Contemporary works by international and Greek artists are also on display. In addition, you can learn interesting facts about the production of jewelry and the history of the Lalaounis company.
You can also gain more knowledge about the world of decorative arts with a guided tour or in a workshop.
Temporary Exhibitions
Temporary exhibitions are presented twice a year, offering an insight into the art of goldsmithing and the world of decorative arts. You can find an up-to-date overview of the upcoming temporary exhibitions here.
Museum Shop
On the ground floor of the museum is the Ilias Lalaounis Shop, which offers a wide range of jewelry, books, postcards, sundry items and souvenirs for sale. The shop also accepts orders for self-made jewelry.
Private Events
The Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum can be booked for your own events. Spaces such as the atrium and the roof terrace, with a view of the Acropolis, are suitable as unique venues for a gala dinner, performance, meeting, seminar or lecture. You can find out more here.
Admission, Tickets and Guided Tours
How Do I Get to the Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum?
The Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum is located in the center of Athens, in close proximity to the Acropolis Museum and the Dionysou Areopagitou pedestrian street.
The "Acropoli" metro station is only a 5-minute walk from the museum. For this reason, the easiest way to reach it is by metro line 2 or by taking the hop-on hop-off bus tour to station A3 “Acropolis Museum”.
Cruise passengers 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 14-minute journey to the "Thiseio" station. From there it is a 16-minute walk to the jewelry museum. It's even easier with the hop-on hop-off bus tour, which has stops right at Passenger Terminal A (P1) and B (P2), and goes to stop P5 “Acropolis Museum”, which is very close to the Jewelry Museum.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
The current opening hours of the Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum can be found on the museum's official website.
The Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum is located at the foot of the Acropolis and on a side street off the Dionysou Areopagitou pedestrian street. The museum in central Athens is housed in the old studio and home of founder Ilias Lalaounis. The address is: Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum, Kariatidon & Kallisperi Athina 117 42
Due to its location in the city center of Athens, the Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum has excellent transport links. The "Acropoli" metro station is only about a 5-minute walk from the museum. For this reason, the easiest way to reach it is by metro line 2 or by taking the hop-on hop-off bus tour to station A3 “Acropolis Museum”.
Cruise passengers 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 14-minute journey to the "Thiseio" station. From there it is a 16-minute walk to the Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum. It's even easier with the hop-on hop-off bus tour, which has stops right at Passenger Terminal A (P1) and B (P2), and goes to stop P5 “Acropolis Museum”, which is very close to the Jewelry Museum.
Tickets for the Ilias Lalaounis Jewelery Museum are available at the on-site ticket offices and online.
History of the Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum
The Greek jeweler and goldsmith Ilias Lalaounis founded the Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum in his former jewelry workshop in 1993 to present works from his more than 50 collections.
It is one of the few of its kind in the world and the first museum in the country dedicated to the art of jewelry in Greece, which makes it stand out among the museums in Athens.
Since the former home of the Lalaounis family was completely renovated and remodeled in 1992, it has also functioned as part of the museum.
Since 2001, the museum has been collecting contemporary art jewelry by Greek and foreign artists and also exhibiting them in its permanent exhibition.