Greece › Santorini › Museums › Archaeological Museum in Fira
Updated: June 17, 2021
By Santorini Dave
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Though it is new and small, the Archaeological Museum in Fira has interesting exhibits of art, sculptures, pottery, and artifacts.
Archaeological Museum in Fira
The new Archaeological Museum opened its doors in 2018 and is located in central Fira, close to the cable car, bus station, and Catholic Cathedral. The original building, built in 1902 by a French archeologist who spent much of his professional career exploring Santorini’s Cycladic culture and its Ancient Minoan civilization, was destroyed in the 1956 earthquake and reconstructed in 1960 by the Ministry of Public Works.
This museum features sculptures and inscriptions from the Archaic to the Roman Periods, vases and clay figurines from the Geometric to the Hellenistic Periods, and some Minoan and Byzantine art, with descriptions written in Greek and French only. The majority of the exhibits come from excavations carried out on Mesa Vouno Mountain and from a cemetery in Ancient Thera; many objects from these excavations are also displayed at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. Though not as impressive as the exhibits in the Museum of Prehistoric Thera nearby, this small museum is still worth a visit.
Archaeological Museum Hours and Information
- Season: Open through the year except on Tuesdays.
- Hours: Open daily 8:30am to 3:30pm.
- Website: odysseus.culture.gr
- Location: Fira, Santorini 847 00
- Telephone: +30 228 602 2217
- Admission Fee: €3
- Free Entry: 6 March (in memory of Melina Mercouri) • 18 April (International Monuments Day) • 18 May (International Museums Day) • The last weekend of September (European Heritage Days) • National Holidays
- Parking: 2 free parking lots are 5 minutes away.
- Bus: 6-minute walk (500m) from the main bus station in Fira.
- Cable Car: 2-minute walk (100m) from the Fira cable car station.
Archaeological Museum
The entrance of the museum with parking for bikes.
There is a nice sitting area outside the museum.
A few small cafes and shops are opposite the museum entrance.
The simple lobby and ticket counter just inside.
The exhibits are displayed neatly along with pictures and descriptions in Greek and French.
The beautiful vases on display are well-preserved.
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