Then stop by the museum shop!
Here you will find gifts, Christmas decorations, and plenty of inspiration. Our carefully curated selection offers something for both children and adults – all inspired by the Glyptotek’s art and collections, history, and current exhibitions.
Join us at the Glyptotek this Christmas – explore events and activites for all ages.
Christmas and New Year once again bring unique experiences to the Glyptotek.
Tickets for our annual Christmas and New Year concerts have quickly sold out, but there are still plenty of opportunities to enjoy exciting and cozy holiday moments at the museum.
Spend a December Saturday or Sunday immersed in creativity and captivating stories, as we invite children and their adults to listen to enchanting myths from antiquity while building Lego sculptures inspired by what they hear.
You can also enjoy a heavenly evening with a guided tour of the museum’s ancient collections, followed by a divine dinner at the Glyptotek café, Picnic.
Throughout December, Picnic is serving festive treats including duck, mulled wine, and spiced Christmas cake. And don’t miss the museum shop, filled with beautiful ornaments and gift ideas that make it hard to leave empty-handed.
Discover this season’s events here:
Thursday 4 and 11 December
Christmas Choir at the Glyptotek
Thursday 18 December
New Year's Concert at the Glyptotek
Thursday 8 January
Christimas weekends at the Glyptotek
Every weekend leading up to Christmas
Take a cozy break at Café Picnic and enjoy lunch with a view of the museum’s Winter Garden.
In December, the menu features duck confit with chestnut purée, a variation of red cabbage, almonds, and fresh chestnuts. Our delicious white mulled wine makes its return, along with spiced Christmas cake with espresso glaze and mascarpone, and a vegan risalamande with cherry sauce.
Every Thursday, the museum is open until 9 pm, and Picnic offers a delightful dinner.
Still searching for the perfect Christmas gift? Treat someone to a year of art, palm trees, and Mediterranean atmosphere with a season ticket to the Glyptotek. It includes unlimited access to the museum’s world-class collection, special exhibitions and breathtaking architecture.
Christmas was unknown in antiquity. If we told the ancient Greeks that we drag a tree into our living rooms, they would probably think it sounded a little odd. On the other hand, many rituals back then would seem strange to us today. Every year, all citizens of Athens joined a procession to the Acropolis to give the statue of Athena a fresh set of clothes. In Babylon, the king was slapped by a priest and had to cry before the great New Year’s celebration could begin.
On weekends leading up to Christmas, the Glyptotek’s family hosts share stories about these fascinating traditions. Meanwhile, you can relax on blankets and build Lego sculptures inspired by what you hear.
You might not notice it right away, but all year you can actually find Christmas and winter-themed motifs among the Glyptotek’s art and architecture.
For example, can you spot the elf with his cat along the staircase leading up to the collection of Danish art?
You can also see a wintry Denmark through the eyes of Paul Gauguin (1848–1903), from the artist’s time in Copenhagen, or go hunting for beautiful ice flowers in the mosaic floors.
If you’d like to hear about traditions that have very little in common with the Christmas we know, you can also join the guided tour included in the event A Divine Christmas Dinner, where we dive into the traditions connected to celebrations and festivities in ancient cultures.
Discover stories about Babylon’s New Year festival, Rome’s “reverse day”, and Athens’ theater festival.
Afterwards, a Christmas dinner is served in Picnic – a well-known menu with modifications.
