The New Acropolis Museum has just opened (after nine years of delay and struggle). It is the new “must see” spot in Athens. Why?

• The spectacular views of the Acropolis from its glass-encased top floor, if nothing else.
• The displays of the Parthenon sculpture on that same floor. Get up close and personal with artifacts that haven’t seen the (public) light of day for decades.
• The stunning selection of statues (korai  and kouroi, Nikes and Athenas) that inhabit the first floor. This collection in the New Acropolis Museum rivals that of the National Archaeological Museum (also in Athens) as the best assortment of Archaic and Classical statuary in the world.
• The Sandalbinder—also on display on the first floor. The quintessential Classical work: natural, un-posed, spontaneous, beautiful.
• You get to stand within inches of the Caryatids—those sturdy maidens who, for the past 25 centuries, have supported part of the roof of the Erechtheon on their heads. No small feat and worthy of honor. Plus, they’re gorgeous!
• The incredible venue. Glass walkways with archaeological remains beneath … spacious galleries … multi-media presentations … dramatic, glass-sheathed top floor.

The old museum, atop the Acropolis and near the Parthenon, was small, dark, and cramped. Soon after it was completed (1886), ongoing excavations of the Acropolis brought to life a wealth of buried statues, pediments, metopes, and frieze reliefs (in 1887!) which simply overwhelmed the old space. All 4000 artifacts discovered on and around the Acropolis have never had a home in which they could be displayed and appreciated together. Now they do. Soon after the new museum opened, I spent 10 days here—writing the script for our audioguide—and could not get enough. Six, eight, ten hours a day and there was always something new to learn, to see, to appreciate.

Next time you’re in Athens, you must make time to see the new museum. It’s guaranteed to knock your socks off!