Actually it’s a shame and actually it’s not. During city trips we often skip museums when the weather is good. Everyone sets his own priorities and some might call us fools.
We rather take a power nap in a park near the Colosseum than queuing at the Vatican Museums. We prefer sitting outside on a sunny December day in the Jardin du Luxembourg with a glass of wine than letting us shoo in the Louvre. Of course, these museums are really interesting but in general we’re more interested in the outside than in the inside. And because we’re not that huge art enthusiasts.
This doesn’t mean the Weather Gods were always good to us and that we’d never visited a museum. There were quite a few. This is list of the museums we loved the most and we hope, you’ll find something for you.
MoMA, New York, USA
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is one of the great museums in the world. Exhibitions mainly show modern and contemporary arts. It’s located in Midtown Manhattan and is very well visited.
The building itself is gigantic. The foyer extends over a whole block and the building has six floors. The ‘Sculpture Garden’ is free and can be visited before the museum opens.
You’ll find a huge collection of great artists. But also sculptures, design objects, prints, photos, movies and video games. There are more than 100.000 works to discover.
Fridays, entrance is free from 4 to 8 p.m.. As we wanted to save the 25€ each, we decided to join the madness.
Tip: Don’t take a backpack with you. We had to wait half an hour to leave our stuff at the wardrobe. Don’t think you can bargain. If your backpack is too big for the supervisors, it is and they’re strict with their rules. Without one we wouldn’t have to wait at all.
ARos in Aarhus, Denmark
The ARoS Museum is one of the largest in Northern Europe, the first Art Museum outside of Copenhagen and has its focus on contemporary arts. You can see the colourful roof from a distance and the building itself has six floors which you can reach by using the spiral stairs or the glass lift.
While you can walk along the ‘Your rainbow panorama’ at the top and enjoy the great view, the ‘Boy’ is waiting for you downstairs. The big boy seems a little bit shy.
Especially the special exhibition (we forgot the name) was amazing. The room was flushed with colourful vapour. We barely couldn’t see anything and some people might have rumpled against each other.
Entrance fee is 16€ for adults, but worth every cent.
Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain
The Museo del Prado belongs to the largest and most important Museums in the world, too.
The exhibition shows works of great Spanish artists, but also the Old Masters like Dürer, Rembrandt and Bosch.
The neo-classical building is gigantic and the rooms really large.
Entrance fees start with 15€ for adults. You should book the tickets in advance. Or you come on Saturdays at 6 p.m. – that’s when you can visit it for free.
The Icelandic Phallological Museum, Reykjavik, Iceland
It’s definitely not the building attracting people and definitely the kind most people usually avoid as they think it’s foolish. A friend of mine told me about it and I knew we have to visit this place.
And we didn’t become disappointed. The Phallological Museums shows phalluses of all mammals of Iceland. It was professional and the conservation of the genitals is for sure extensive. It’s bizarre and made it on our list for a reason. And yeah, it was funny!
It’s a small exhibition – it takes around 30 to 45 minutes to see it all. Entrance fee is 6€ and is well invested.
Städel Museum, Frankfurt, Germany
Wouldn’t it be weird to live in Frankfurt and not visit one of the most important museums in Germany? It’s located at the Schaumainkai and it can really compete with the big museums in this world.
The collections are from the Middle Ages to Modern and Contemporary Art. The building was built in neorenaissance style while the rooms are restrained.
There are thematically exhibitions as well as permanently shown artists like Dürer and Monet. You can find the most modern pieces in the underground floor.
Entrance fee is 14€ for adults. For special exhibitions you should book the tickets in advance.
What museums would you recommend and why?