Acropolis Museum

In front of you is one of the world's great archaeological museums, opened on 20 June 2009. It was designed by the Swiss-American architect Bernard Tschumi with the Greek architect Michael Photiadis, and its central idea is visible from outside: the building doesn't touch the ancient ground, it floats above it.

1Walking over a neighbourhood

During construction, the remains of an Athenian neighbourhood inhabited for centuries came to light, with houses, streets, workshops and baths. Instead of covering them up, the museum was raised on pillars and given glass floors so you can see the excavation beneath your feet, just as you can now in the forecourt.

2The Parthenon, waiting

The top floor is rotated to line up exactly with the Parthenon, which you can see through the windows. There the frieze reliefs are displayed in the same order they had on the temple. The originals kept in Athens alternate with white plaster casts of the pieces held in London, so the gaps are plain to see: a very eloquent way of asking for their return.

Five of the six Caryatids from the Erechtheion are here; the sixth is still in the British Museum.

Inside you'll also find the archaic korai, which still bear traces of their original paint.

3What to look for

• The glass floor at the entrance and the ancient houses below it.
• The top floor, slightly rotated in relation to the rest of the building.
• The view of the Acropolis from the forecourt, with the Parthenon above.