Museum Day: free excursions on May 18

May 18, 2026 Greece will unfastened escaped admittance to state museums and archaeological sites. A fig of museums will big excursions, lectures and concerts.

National Archaeological Museum of Athens will take portion successful the solemnisation International Museum Day 2026which this year is held under the motto “Museums unite the world”. On Monday May 18, 2026entrance to the depository will beryllium escaped for each visitors, arsenic well arsenic for participants of special thematic excursions.

According to the programme published National Archaeological Museumtwo thematic excursions dedicated to the past cultures of the Aegean world person been prepared for guests. The fig of participants is limited: each radical will beryllium capable to take portion successful up to 25 people.

• The archetypal excursion will take spot from 12:00 to 13:00 and will beryllium called “Cyclades: a single society 5000 years ago”. It will beryllium conducted by an archaeologist Katya ManteliHead of the Department of Collections of Prehistoric, Egyptian, Cypriot and Near Eastern Antiquities.
• The 2nd excursion will take spot from 17:00 to 18:00. Its theme is “From Knossos to Mycenae: Minoan influences connected the aboriginal Mycenaean world and the turbulent result of bilateral relations”. The tour will beryllium led by an archaeologist Kostas Paschalidisemployee of the aforesaid collections department.

To enactment successful thematic excursions, a preliminary telephone assignment is required astatine +30 695 201 1340. The organizers separately clarify that escaped admittance to the depository connected this time applies to some mean visitors and participants of these events.

International Museum Day celebrated annually May 18. In Greece, this day is traditionally included successful the fig of days of escaped admittance to museums and archaeological sites, which is besides reminiscent of Greek Ministry of Culture. So yes, it’s a uncommon lawsuit that authorities taste argumentation does something bully without a currency registry astatine the entrance.

May 18, 2026V International Museum Daypublic museums, archaeological sites and humanities sites of Greece will beryllium unfastened to visitors for free. This year’s theme for the solemnisation is “Museums unite the world”.

According to the rules Greek Ministry of Culture, May 18 is 1 of the days of escaped introduction for each visitors to state museums, archaeological areas, humanities sites and monuments under the jurisdiction of the Ministry. On this day, galore institutions besides clasp special events: themed excursions, lectures, euphony programs and acquisition meetings.

Free entry: main museums and sites

Free introduction applies to nationalist museums and archaeological sites passim the country. Among them:

• Acropolis
• Ancient Agora of Athens
• Roman Agora
• Hadrian’s Library
• Ceramics
• Olympion – Temple of Olympian Zeus
• National Archaeological Museum of Athens
• Epigraphic Museum
• Numismatic Museum
• Byzantine and Christian Museum
• Archaeological Museum of Piraeus
• Archaeological ιστοσελίδα of Sounion – Temple of Poseidon
• Archaeological ιστοσελίδα of Eleusis
• Archaeological ιστοσελίδα of Ramnunt
• Archaeological ιστοσελίδα Bravron
• Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki
• Museum of Byzantine Culture successful Thessaloniki
• White Tower
• Rotunda
• Archaeological ιστοσελίδα of Vergina/Egi
• Archaeological ιστοσελίδα of Pella
• Archaeological ιστοσελίδα of Dion
• Archaeological ιστοσελίδα of Philippi
• Archaeological ιστοσελίδα of Delphi
• Archaeological Museum of Delphi
• Archaeological ιστοσελίδα Ancient Olympia
• Archaeological Museum of Olympia
• Museum of the History of the Ancient Olympic Games
• Archaeological ιστοσελίδα of Mycenae
• Archaeological ιστοσελίδα Epidaurus
• Archaeological ιστοσελίδα of Mystras
• Knossos Palace
• Archaeological Museum of Heraklion
• Archaeological Museum of Chania
• Archaeological Museum of Rethymnon
• Archaeological Museum of Rhodes
• Palace of the Grand Masters successful Rhodes
• Asklepion connected Kos
• Archaeological ιστοσελίδα of Delos
• Archaeological Museum of Corfu

This is not a implicit list: connected May 18, escaped introduction is valid for each applicable authorities facilities of the Ministry of Culture. Before visiting, it is worth checking the opening hours of a peculiar depository oregon archaeological site, due to the fact that the docket of Greek institutions sometimes lives with its ain past drama.

Events May 18

In summation to escaped admission, a fig of museums person prepared special programs.

• National Archaeological Museum of Athens: two escaped thematic excursions. WITH 12:00 to 13:00 — “Cyclades: a single society 5000 years ago”the tour will beryllium led by an archaeologist Katya Manteli. WITH 17:00 to 18:00 — “From Knossos to Mycenae: Minoan influences connected the aboriginal Mycenaean world and the turbulent result of bilateral relations”the tour will beryllium led by an archaeologist Kostas Paschalidis. Participation is constricted 25 visitors successful each group, telephone registration required: +30 695 201 1340. Information published connected the ιστότοπος National Archaeological Museum.
• Acropolis Museum: On May 18 the depository will beryllium unfastened from 09:00 to 17:00admission to each accumulation spaces will beryllium free. On the aforesaid day, mini-piano concerts by the pianist will beryllium held Manos Kitsikopoulos within International Piano City Athens Festival. Performances are scheduled for 11:00, 12:00 And 13:00the duration of each is astir 30 minutesreports Acropolis Museum.
• Epigraphic Museum: V 11:00 Museum archaeologists will behaviour a special thematic tour of selected inscriptions. This is reported by Days of Art.
• National and Kapodistrian University of Athens: V 18:00 there will beryllium an lawsuit “EKΚΠΑ University Museums link subject with society”. It will take spot successful Museum of Archeology and History of Art, Faculty of Philosophy successful the university town of Zografou, reports ΕΚΠΑ.
• Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki: programme includes lecture “Costumeography. From location to travel” With 18:30 to 19:00 and a philharmonic lawsuit with 20:30 to 22:00. Information published connected the ιστότοπος Ministry of Culture.
• Museum of Byzantine Culture successful Thessaloniki And White Tower: On May 18th admittance will beryllium free. The Museum of Byzantine Culture is besides preparing thematic activities aimed astatine the progressive information of visitors and the transportation of the past with the contiguous done memory, reports Museum of Byzantine Culture.
• ΙΜΜΑ: May 18 astatine 11:00 And 12:00 There will beryllium escaped tours of the museum’s imperishable collection. This is reported by ERTnews.
• Vasilis and Eliza Goulandris Foundation: With 18:30 to 20:30 a escaped thematic maestro people will beryllium held “Museums Uniting a Divided World”. Participation is free, but beforehand online registration is required; the fig of participants is constricted 24reports B&E Goulandris Foundation.
• Rethymno: May 18 escaped introduction announced for Archaeological Museum of Rethymnon, Museum of Contemporary Art of Crete And Museum of Ancient Elefthernaaccording to the tourism portal Rethymno Guide.

What is important for visitors to know

Even with escaped entry, idiosyncratic events whitethorn necessitate pre-registrationespecially when it comes to excursions and maestro classes with a constricted fig of participants. Therefore, earlier visiting, it is amended to cheque the ιστότοπος of a peculiar depository oregon telephone the organizers.

International Museum Day – a uncommon accidental to spot the largest archaeological and depository collections successful Greece for free. And if you are fortunate with the recording, you tin besides get into special excursions, lectures oregon concerts. In a state where sometimes adjacent the queue astatine the summons bureau looks similar an archaeological layer, a escaped taste time is an lawsuit worth taking vantage of.

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