Athens with Kids: Museum of Illusions
If your kids are tired from visiting all the ancient monuments in Athens, take a break and spend a fun afternoon in the Museum of Illusions. Newly opened in 2018, it boasts 2 floors of optical illusions and photo opportunities for a laugh.
Museum is open until 10pm, so if you dont want to spend time inside when it is sunny, you can always come after sunset. It is an equally good option if it is raining or too hot outside.
To comply with Covid measures, the museum put a limit to the number of visitors during busy times. I suggest to check museum’s website for the latest updates on the situation.
Each of the exhibits has a side note, which explains the science behind the illusion and how to operate the exhibit. Museum staff are always on hand to provide further explanations or help with taking photos if it is just two of you.
There were plenty of interesting illusions, it is hard to select which one was our favourite. My daughter went to some of the exhibits twice as she just loved the effects and the fun she had with reflections and weird sights.
There is also quite a bit of science behind each of the exhibits, so a great opportunity to engage your kids’ creative and scientific interest. In fact, some of the material on light composition and reflections was related to what my daughter studied at school this year, so it was great for her to see things in action rather than just hearing about them.
And the museum is a photographer’s dream, as there are so many opportunities to take cool pictures. The exhibits have photo points – they tell you exactly where to stand to get the best snaps. We took so many weird and wonderful pictures, and sometimes it is not even possible to guess what is on the picture or how it was taken.
I loved the kaleidoscope machine as photo opportunities are limitless. We had so much fun making silly faces and gestures to get the best angle for pictures and results were hilarious!
My daughter Letitia loved the upside down room and the room where one person appears as a giant and another one as a tiny human.
Museum is located on two floors, I thought that the amount of exhibits was just enough for the kids to get their imagination going and not get too tired or exhausted at the end of the visit.
Disclaimer: Our visit was hosted by This is Athens but all opinions are my own.
