Tour Details
- Duration
- 2.5 hours
- Product Type
- Tour
- Venues
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- National Archaeological Museum of Athens
- Mask of Agamemnon
- Poseidon of Cape Artemision
- Collection of Kouros and Kore
- Jockey of Artemision
Photos & Highlights
- Visits the National Archaeological Museum
- Led by expert guides who will bring history alive for your children
Select a date
Tour Description
Visiting Athens makes the imagination come alive. The city of Athena is full of stories of Greek Gods and ancient mythology, and there’s no better place to explore this than on this tour of the National Archaeological Museum of Athens for kids. During this 2.5-hour visit designed for children, we’ll explore Greece through the lens of the gods and heroes of Greek Mythology and encounter the most important statues, pottery and other artifacts uncovered on the Acropolis.
Athens for Kids
We’ll begin our conversation just outside the Athens Archaeological Museum, and together we’ll plunge into one of the most exciting museums in Europe. Using the vast collection of visual stimuli available, together we’ll make Greek mythological stories come to life.
The Greek Gods
We will explore statues of the Greek gods in the sculpture section of the museum, perhaps learning the story of Zeus, the father of the gods, or other deities and myths. We can discuss literary evidence and the connections between Greece and the ancient Middle East. Our discussion will be very question-based and interactive: What do you know about the Greek gods? What do you see in this statue? What does this hero seem to be thinking?
From there, we’ll dig deeper and investigate statues of other gods (Dionysus, Hermes, Poseidon, etc.) and talk about their mythological lives. Among them, we will see the famous statue of the frivolous god Pan making advances to Aphrodite, while she is threatening him with her sandal and is defended by her son Eros. Perhaps we’ll talk about Demeter, her daughter Persephone, the Eleusinian mysteries, and Greek concepts of the Underworld.
Ancient Heroes
After the gods, we will talk about heroes, including Heracles and Theseus. We can discuss such stories as Theseus’ expedition to Crete to kill the Minotaur, and his success thanks to the help of Ariadne. If the group prefers, we can move to the Mycenaean section of the museum and see the famous ‘mask of Agamemnon’ and other exhibits from the Mycenaean period. At this point, we will talk about the Greek expedition to Troy led by Agamemnon, the battle's aftermath, and the return of the heroes to mainland Greece, as well as the fate of the leader himself.
By the end of our time together we’ll have a very rich understanding of how Greek statuary, pottery, and other artifacts reflect the living culture of the ancient Greeks.
Please note:
Starting February 2024, the galleries of the Vases, Metalwork and Minor Arts Collections will not be accessible to visitors due to renovation works.
FAQ
Is this walk appropriate for teens?
Our family tours are primarily designed for children under the age of 12, and this one in particular is ideal for young kids. For teens we would recommend our private adult Bronze, Marble and Gold: Paragons of Ancient Greece tour, the content for which can be adapted to an age-appropriate level.
Is this tour suitable for visitors with mobility issues?
Yes. The museum is wheelchair accessible and it has wheelchairs available to loan.
Experts
Where You'll Start
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21 Reviews
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Georgia was incredibly knowledgeable and was able to share her expertise in a very intelligible and enjoyable way. Very clear, very insightful explanations of Greek myths.
She gave us a very good understanding of the chronological periods of Ancient Greece which proved to be the best foundation for the rest of our Greece travel.
She is joyful and extremely pleasant.
Thierry
Oct 28, 2012
Kelly did an excellent job and it was very educational. However, structure was not what we were expecting. The program was outlined for kids with a mythology focus. We expected it to be a journey of the Odessey or something. It was very educational, but lost the kids interest at several points. I'd still recommend it to others, but not as a kids oriented tour.
Katherine
Aug 20, 2012
Kelly Bourni gave us an outstanding tour of the National Archeological Museum. My husband and I had been there before but just wandered around without any context. It is a very large museum and Kelly took us through period by period highlighting objects and the geographical and historical evolution of Greek Archeology. She even got us into two rooms which were off limits for regular tourists. When we ended the tour all 4 of us felt we really gained a great deal of knowledge comfortably without being overwhelmed.
Kelly also seemed to be well acquainted with everyone in the museum. For example, one of the guards let her know that there might be a strike by the guards on New years eve which would affect the public museums. Sure enough there was a strike and we had planned to go elsewhere.
Kathleen
Jan 2, 2012
