Numismatic Museum of Athens
Specialized museum housed in Heinrich Schliemann’s neoclassical Iliou Melathron mansion, exhibiting ancient Greek, Roman, and Byzantine coinage.
About Numismatic Museum of Athens
The Numismatic Museum of Athens is one of Greece’s oldest state museums. It was founded in 1834, the same year as the National Archaeological Museum. Its collection holds about 500,000 coins, plus lead seals, weights, medals and seal rings, dating from antiquity to the present day. Since 1998 it has been housed in the Iliou Melathron, the Panepistimiou Street mansion that Ernst Ziller designed for the archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann and his family in 1878–1879.
What to see inside
The exhibition follows money through time, room by room, in what was once a private home. That makes it a good fit if you’ve already seen the city’s big archaeology museums and want a more focused stop.
- Hall of the Hesperides: how coins were invented and made, and how they spread through the ancient Greek world once city-states began minting their own in the 6th century BC.
- Classical and Hellenistic coins: the Athenian tetradrachm, plus Alexander the Great’s tetradrachm and gold stater, which circulated so widely that they worked as international currencies.
- Roman, Byzantine and European coinage: the shift from Roman to Byzantine money, medieval Western silver coins, and the large gold and silver coins issued by European trading powers from the 16th century on.
- Modern Greek money: the phoenix coins issued under Ioannis Kapodistrias in 1828, the first national coins of the new Greek state, and the drachma, introduced under King Otto in 1832 and replaced by the euro in 2002.
- The Schliemann rooms: a room about the Iliou Melathron and Schliemann himself, which includes the 166 coins, mostly from Troy, that his wife Sophia donated. The former dining room displays collections from the museum’s major donors.
Numismatic Museum visitor information
| Address | 12 El. Venizelou (Panepistimiou) Street, Athens 106 71 |
|---|---|
| Nearest metro | Panepistimio or Syntagma |
| Opening hours | Wednesday–Monday, 08:30–15:30, all year; closed Tuesdays |
| Last admission | 15:10 (20 minutes before closing) |
| Ticket | €10 general admission; e-tickets available |
| Closed holidays | 1 January, 25 March, Orthodox Easter Sunday, 1 May, 25–26 December |
| Contact | +30 210 363 2057 · [email protected] · official website |
Because the museum closes at 15:30, plan it for the morning and leave your afternoon for sights that stay open later. It sits between Syntagma and Omonia, so it pairs easily with the National Archaeological Museum, about 20 minutes north on foot or one metro ride away. If you’re planning a wider museum day, see our guides to the Benaki Museum and the Museum of Cycladic Art, or our full list of the best things to do in Athens.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Numismatic Museum of Athens worth visiting?
Yes, if you’re interested in ancient history, Heinrich Schliemann or 19th-century Athens. It’s the only museum of its kind in Greece, and the Iliou Melathron mansion is a big part of the visit.
When is the Numismatic Museum free to enter?
Entry is free for everyone on 6 March, 18 April, 18 May, 28 October, the last weekend of September (European Heritage Days), and the first Sunday of each month from November through March.
Is the Numismatic Museum wheelchair accessible?
The Ministry of Culture lists a ramp, a lift and an accessible toilet. The museum also has a shop and a café.
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Amenities & Features
- Cultural Experience
- Indoor Activity
