September 25, 2015: Statue at the National Library of Greece in Panepistimio.

©Milan Gonda/Shutterstock

National Library of Greece

Athens


In 2018, the National Library shifted more than 720,000 items from its collection to this stunning new building that is part of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center. Come to see the free temporary exhibitions scattered across the library's four floors, and to admire the soaring 'book castle' that forms the main entrance.

Anyone can register to borrow or read books from the general collection but for access to the academic and special collections, which include many precious manuscripts, you need to have a scholarly purpose.

Visit the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center online (www.snfcc.org) to book free guided tours of the library.

Transportation

  • bus: 550 to Onasseio, 10 to Epaminonda

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Athens attractions

2. Stavros Niarchos Park

0.13 MILES

Athens is short on green spaces, so this vast seaside park is a blessing. Covering a man-made slope that incorporates the roof of the Stavros Niarchos…

3. Eugenides Foundation

0.23 MILES

This educational centre devoted to science and technology includes Athens' planetarium, a 950-sq-metre hemispherical dome on which 3D virtual trips to the…

4. Flisvos Park

0.88 MILES

Take the tram to this highly family-friendly park with loads of playground facilities and a summer puppet theatre, plus an open-air cinema. The coast just…

5. Hellenic Cosmos

1.58 MILES

To get a sense of how ancient ruins once looked, take a virtual-reality trip at this multimedia centre. The Tholos virtual-reality theatre takes you on an…

6. Filopappou Hill

2.4 MILES

Also called the Hill of the Muses, Filopappou Hill – along with the hills of the Pnyx and the Nymphs – is a somewhat wild, pine-shaded spot that's good…

7. National Museum of Contemporary Art

2.4 MILES

Set in the former Fix Brewery, this contemporary museum opened in 2015 but was closed for prolonged renovations at the time of research. In the past, it…

8. Shrine of the Muses

2.44 MILES

Just below the crest of Filopappou Hill, the ruined shrine to the goddesses of creative inspiration is carved into the bedrock.

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "greece/athens/attractions/national-library-of-greece/a/poi-sig/1620741/359421",
      "destination": "Athens",
      "continent": "Europe",
      "country": "Greece",
      "city": "Athens",
      "position": "superzone"
    }