NEW YORK: If you’re heading to Paris, you’ll stop in at the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa, in Washington the Smithsonian is a must-see, and the Vatican in Rome should be on every museum-lover’s bucket list.
Online travel adviser Cheapflights (www.cheapflights.com) offers its top 10 museum destinations:1. Washington, D.C., United StatesIf you’re interested in history, architecture, art, religion, aerospace, or even wax, Washington D.C. has a museum that will pique your interest. The 19 Smithsonian museums, including the National Museum of Natural History, the National Museum of American History and the National Air and Space Museum, may appear to eclipse other institutions in the city, but other niche museums do just fine holding their own. Spend a day at Ford’s Theatre – where Lincoln was shot – before strolling the National Mall and the spectacular National Arboretum.
2. Cairo, Egypt
It goes without saying that if you’re heading to museums in Cairo, you’re into history. And you’ll get plenty of it at the renowned Egyptian Antiquities Museum, which properly holds the world’s largest collection of Egyptian antiquities. The most popular exhibit is the Tutankhamen collection, but be sure to make time for the Mummy Room. Other museums are lesser known, but stand out nonetheless. The Egyptian Ethnological Museum beautifully details daily Cairo life through the city’s long history.
3. Barcelona, Spain
It’s almost unfair how much amazing art is housed in Barcelona’s museums – the works of Picasso and Miro, not to mention the largest collection of Catalan art in Spain. Any trip to Barcelona requires paying homage to the strange architectural genius of Antoni Gaudi. Start with La Pedrera. One part apartment building, one part Gaudi museum, La Pedrera is a good primer on the naturalistic forms he preferred. Finish with La Sagrada Familia. The unfinished masterpiece church, under construction since 1882, resembles a drizzled sand castle and embodies the brilliant eye of the great Gaudi.
4. New York, United States
Along Fifth Avenue and Central Park’s east side, ten museums are densely packed into 22 city blocks, creating the infamous Museum Mile, home to powerhouses like the Frick, the Guggenheim, and grandfather to them all, the Met. The Metropolitan Museum of Art contains more than 2 million works of art, from ancient sculptures to 19th century portraits like Washington Crossing the Delaware.
5. Vatican City, Italy
Italy’s holiest of cities houses wonderfully extensive collections of the Catholic Church in some of the greatest museums in the world – the Vatican Museums. The museums feature works by prolific Italian artists like Raphael, Botticelli, Caravaggio and Michelangelo. Spend time admiring papal thrones, sculptures, and paintings as well as the grandeur of the Sistine Chapel.
6. Paris, France
The Musée du Louvre is the world’s most visited art museum. Visitors to Paris’s paragon, which houses nearly 35,000 works of art, including Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, can spend hours, days – even weeks – exploring the beloved trove. After the Louvre, cross the Seine to the Musée d’Orsay, which boasts 19th and 20th century art by impressionist masters like Monet, Van Gogh and Cezanne.
7. Toronto, Canada
Begin a weekend in Toronto by finding half-priced inspiration at the Royal Ontario Museum, a fabulous hodgepodge of thousands of artifacts featured in more than 20 exhibits. Friday nights are half off, and the museum welcomes visitors, from students to seniors, to admire its dinosaur, Indian and textile exhibits – and, of course, the magnificent Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, designed by architect Daniel Libeskind, a spectacular entrance constructed of glass and aluminum to resemble an intricate crystal.
8. Berlin, Germany
Berlin’s dynamic history and the preserved monuments to wars and political strife leads visitors to sometimes feel like they’re walking through a museum just by strolling the capital’s streets. Twenty-seven museums have opened in the past decade, helping to establish the city’s Museum Island as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and pave the way for international artistic respect. The Anti-Kriegs-Museum is the world’s first anti-war museum and re-opened proudly in 1982.
9. London, England
Start with the Museum of London and learn about the city itself from prehistoric times through Roman conquests, medieval London and present day. Or, if you want another type of look at the city’s evolution, head over to the London Transport Museum where you’ll find vehicles and artwork representative of 200 years’ worth of London commuting – including the world’s first underground steam-powered train. But if it’s the cutting edge of modernity that you want, look no further than the Design Museum. Located on the River Thames, the world-class exhibits here illustrate the bravura of 20th and 21st century designers of all mediums.
10. Vienna, Austria
The Habsburgs single-handedly positioned Vienna as an art mecca for eternity after ruling over Austria – and its art production for more than 600 years. Visit Wien’s Museum of Fine Arts and admire the vast majority of the ruling family’s collections. For a more contemporary vibe, pay admission to the Kunsthalle Wien, which features contemporary international art and works by both Klee and Picasso.
4. New York, United States
Along Fifth Avenue and Central Park’s east side, ten museums are densely packed into 22 city blocks, creating the infamous Museum Mile, home to powerhouses like the Frick, the Guggenheim, and grandfather to them all, the Met. The Metropolitan Museum of Art contains more than 2 million works of art, from ancient sculptures to 19th century portraits like Washington Crossing the Delaware.
5. Vatican City, Italy
Italy’s holiest of cities houses wonderfully extensive collections of the Catholic Church in some of the greatest museums in the world – the Vatican Museums. The museums feature works by prolific Italian artists like Raphael, Botticelli, Caravaggio and Michelangelo. Spend time admiring papal thrones, sculptures, and paintings as well as the grandeur of the Sistine Chapel.
6. Paris, France
The Musée du Louvre is the world’s most visited art museum. Visitors to Paris’s paragon, which houses nearly 35,000 works of art, including Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, can spend hours, days – even weeks – exploring the beloved trove. After the Louvre, cross the Seine to the Musée d’Orsay, which boasts 19th and 20th century art by impressionist masters like Monet, Van Gogh and Cezanne.
7. Toronto, Canada
Begin a weekend in Toronto by finding half-priced inspiration at the Royal Ontario Museum, a fabulous hodgepodge of thousands of artifacts featured in more than 20 exhibits. Friday nights are half off, and the museum welcomes visitors, from students to seniors, to admire its dinosaur, Indian and textile exhibits – and, of course, the magnificent Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, designed by architect Daniel Libeskind, a spectacular entrance constructed of glass and aluminum to resemble an intricate crystal.
8. Berlin, Germany
Berlin’s dynamic history and the preserved monuments to wars and political strife leads visitors to sometimes feel like they’re walking through a museum just by strolling the capital’s streets. Twenty-seven museums have opened in the past decade, helping to establish the city’s Museum Island as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and pave the way for international artistic respect. The Anti-Kriegs-Museum is the world’s first anti-war museum and re-opened proudly in 1982.
9. London, England
Start with the Museum of London and learn about the city itself from prehistoric times through Roman conquests, medieval London and present day. Or, if you want another type of look at the city’s evolution, head over to the London Transport Museum where you’ll find vehicles and artwork representative of 200 years’ worth of London commuting – including the world’s first underground steam-powered train. But if it’s the cutting edge of modernity that you want, look no further than the Design Museum. Located on the River Thames, the world-class exhibits here illustrate the bravura of 20th and 21st century designers of all mediums.
10. Vienna, Austria
The Habsburgs single-handedly positioned Vienna as an art mecca for eternity after ruling over Austria – and its art production for more than 600 years. Visit Wien’s Museum of Fine Arts and admire the vast majority of the ruling family’s collections. For a more contemporary vibe, pay admission to the Kunsthalle Wien, which features contemporary international art and works by both Klee and Picasso.
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