Numismatic Museum

The Numismatic Museum houses one of the world's largest and most comprehensive coin collections inside Heinrich Schliemann's former mansion, the Iliou Melathron. You'll see 600,000 coins spanning from 1400 BC to today, including ancient Greek pieces that depict Alexander the Great and Byzantine emperors. The mansion itself is worth admiring: Pompeian style frescoes cover the ceilings, intricate mosaics cover the floors, and every room reflects Schliemann's obsession with Troy and classical antiquity.

You start in the ground floor galleries where ancient Greek coins are displayed chronologically, then move upstairs through Roman, Byzantine, and modern European sections. The mansion's rooms feel like walking through a wealthy 19th century archaeologist's private study, complete with original furniture and decorative elements. The coin displays are engaging, with detailed explanations of how ancient economies worked and what different symbols meant on various currencies.

Most guidebooks suggest visiting this attraction as a must-see in Athens, but it's really for serious history buffs and architecture enthusiasts. The mansion is worth seeing regardless of your interest in coins, making it worth the entry cost of around 4 EUR, which alone gets you a unique insight into the building's historic architecture.