The Museum of Illusions in Athens Greece is a fun place for everyone. Here’s what I thought when I visited with my teenage nephews!
Museums in Athens Greece
Without a doubt, the Athens Museum of Illusions isn’t the first museum in Athens that will come to mind as a place to visit. Our city has a ton of museums. Some of them are world-famous, some others are relatively unknown, even to Athenians!
To begin with, there are several Archaeology and History museums. The most famous ones are the Acropolis Museum, the National Archaeological Museum and the Cycladic Art Museum.
But that’s not all. Here are 20 of the best museums in Athens, and some free museums in Athens. I love the museum of musical instruments – there’s a small entrance fee now, but I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s worth it.
The quaint area of Plaka is home to several museums. Most of them are quite small, but you could easily spend a couple of days just checking them out. Here is some more information about the museums in Plaka.
Apart from these, there are many other museums in our city. The Illusions Museum in Athens is one of them. Here’s what to expect.
Museum of Illusions in Athens Greece
When the Museum of Illusions in Athens opened in September 2018, I thought it would be a fun thing to do in Athens. For one reason or another, it took me a couple of years to visit. I suppose that when you live somewhere, you tend to postpone things for “next week”!
I visited the Museum of Illusions in Athens in summer 2020, with some of my family. It was well worth the wait, as going with my teenage nephews was a lot of fun!
Apparently, there is a term to describe this museum, and it’s called “experiential entertainment”. Based on what we saw, this seems like a fairly accurate description. Unlike other museums, the whole purpose is to interact with the displays. In addition, laughing and shouting is not frowned upon!
There were not too many people on the day we visited. This was great, as we could take our time around the various exhibits and installations, and we didn’t have to queue for any of them.
We spent about an hour and a half in the museum, but I could actually have spent longer. I suppose the child in me is very much alive!
What to see in the Illusion Museum in Athens
The Athens Museum of Illusions is spread across two floors. There are 35 exhibits, constructions and installations in total. Some of them are just objects on display, while others are more interactive.
For each one of the 35 points of interest, there are detailed instructions in both Greek and English. In addition, there are several very helpful employees to guide you around the museum. They will help you understand the illusions if you can’t see them in the first place.
While some of the items are easy to understand immediately, you may need to spend longer for others. There were a couple that we didn’t manage to see at all… who knows why!
Having fun at the Athens Illusion Museum
The main point of visiting this museum is to have fun. While we thought that a few of the exhibits were not so interesting, the majority caught our attention.
There were some images that you will have previously seen online. Dots appearing in the middle of nowhere, circles that look like spirals, this sort of thing.
The highlight of the museum are all the installations that are playing with dimensions. This was probably my favourite. My nephews are close to being 1.80 now, and I’m about 1.56 – so we had lots of laughs taking these!
Who’s laughing now?
For some of the installations, taking a photo is important. In fact, you won’t be able to understand the installation unless you actually take a snapshot. I couldn’t see Einstein before I took this one. {Tip – you need to be far away from the screen}.
As you realize, this museum would never have been successful 10 or 20 years ago! I’m sure that a lot of its success comes from the fact that people share their photos. But, it’s good fun for the whole family.
Personally, I would recommend the Museum of Illusions in Athens for people of any age. Teenagers might be bored in other museums, but they will definitely love it here. In fact, they’ll be looking forward to sharing their photos.
Very young kids will probably not appreciate many of the exhibits, but they should enjoy at least a few. We saw a couple of families visiting with young children on the day we were there, and they definitely seemed to be having fun.
Information and tips about the Museum of Illusions Athens
The closest metro station to the Museum of Illusions is Monastiraki metro. Entrance is on Astiggos 12 street, to the other side of Psiri area. Tickets cost 9 euro for adults, and 6 euro for children aged 5-17. For more information, visit their website.
Bonus illusion here – Mickey Mouse head taken from Pixabay!
Various discounts are available. If you live in Greece, check the Cosmote Whatsup SIM card discount, offering two tickets for the price of one.
Tip no 1: We were told that the museum is very popular with school groups, which makes sense. If you are visiting from abroad, it might be best to visit the museum after school hours, to avoid it being crowded.
Tip no 2: I suggest wearing comfy shoes, as a couple of the exhibits might make you feel dizzy. Also, I wouldn’t recommend wearing a short skirt, as you may want to sit down or jump around for some of the photos. Think about this one…
Tip no 3: Make sure that your phone or camera is fully charged, as you are bound to take a lot of photos! This is one of the few museums I’ve visited where taking photos, even with flash, is strongly encouraged.
Conclusion – Looking for a fun, family-friendly activity to try when in Athens Greece? Check out the Illusions Museum in Athens!
Have you been to the Museum of Illusions?
Have you been to this museum? Did you enjoy it? Please leave a comment with your thoughts down below!
Hi! I am Vanessa from Athens, and I love exploring my city’s museums. I can’t recommend this museum enough, especially if you are visiting Athens with teenagers! It will offer a break from all that wonderful Greek history – and it’s a lot of fun!