The Acropolis Museum

The Acropolis Museum is the best possible companion to the rock above it, and one of the great museums of Europe. Opened in 2009 to a design by Bernard Tschumi, it stands a few hundred metres from the Parthenon on the edge of the Makrygianni district, and the building itself tells a story. You enter over glass floors that look down into an excavated ancient neighbourhood of houses, streets and workshops, discovered when the foundations were dug and left open to view. A gently rising ramp, echoing the climb to the sanctuary, leads into the galleries of the slopes, and then into the luminous Archaic Gallery, where the korai — marble maidens dedicated to Athena, many still showing traces of paint — stand in the daylight as if at a reception. On the first floor, the five original Caryatids from the Erechtheion porch, rescued from the city's pollution, are displayed on a balcony where you can walk all the way around them; the sixth is in the British Museum. The climax is the top floor: the glass-walled Parthenon Gallery, rotated to align exactly with the temple you can see through the windows, where the frieze, metopes and pediment sculptures are installed in their original order. The originals held in Athens are shown in warm marble; the sections held in London and elsewhere are represented by white plaster casts, a deliberate and eloquent gap. The museum charges its own ticket, separate from the Acropolis, and it is open daily with a late opening on Friday evenings. The restaurant and terrace look straight up at the Parthenon and are among the best value views in the city.

Order of visit: most people do the museum after the Acropolis, which works well, because you will recognise the Caryatids, the Nike parapet and the frieze from the places you have just stood. On a very hot day, though, it makes sense to climb the rock at opening and retreat to the museum's cool galleries for the middle of the day, or to come back on a Friday evening, when the late opening, softer crowds and the floodlit Parthenon outside the top-floor windows make for a memorable visit. Allow two hours for the highlights and more if you want to linger in the Archaic Gallery or the excavation, which can also be explored on a lower level with its own access.

Tickets and practicalities: the standard ticket is moderately priced by European standards, with reduced and free tickets for eligible visitors that must be collected at the museum's ticket desk with documents. Fast-track tickets and guided tours are sold by resellers such as Tiqets, useful in high season when the entrance queue can stretch along the forecourt. The museum is fully accessible, with lifts throughout, and has a free audio guide. Photography is generally allowed without flash in most galleries, though rules can be stricter in the Archaic Gallery. Large bags go to the cloakroom. Check the museum's calendar for the handful of public holidays when it is closed.

Beyond the marbles: the shop is excellent for books and good-quality replicas, the ground-floor cafe is useful for a break, and the upper-floor restaurant terrace has one of the finest Acropolis views in Athens at fair prices; book or arrive early around sunset. Outside, the museum sits on the pedestrian Dionysiou Areopagitou promenade, so you can walk from here to Thissio and Monastiraki along the foot of the hill, or cross into Makrygianni and Koukaki for dinner. For families, the museum runs activity backpacks and trails for children, and the excavation floors are a hit with kids who like seeing what lies beneath their feet.