Museums in Europe will astound you when you see some of the world’s most famous art from just inches away. Imagine Winged Victory at Paris’ Louvre (France); Egyptian, Greek, and Roman archeological treasures at London’s British Museum (United Kingdom); Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence (Italy); works by El Greco, Goya, Bosch, and Van Dyck at the Prado in Madrid (Spain); the Albertina’s Albrecht Dürer’s collection in Vienna (Austria); The Night Watch in Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum (Holland), or incomparable treasures at Berlin Museum Island (Germany).

These high-profile European museums are just the beginning - there are equally amazing collections in smaller museums dedicated to a particular artist or period. As you seek out these jewels, you’ll enjoy the added benefit of exploring different neighborhoods and discovering what may become your favorite hidden corners of Europe!

Contemporary Art
Is contemporary artistic expression more your speed? Europe is bursting with modern art. In Spain, visit the Guggenheim in Bilbao, in an eye-popping modern structure, and the Picasso Museum in Barcelona. In Austria, Vienna’s Museum of Modern Art is as famous for its collection as for its architecture. In the United Kingdom, the Tate Modern in London, housed in a former power station, must be on your agenda. Paris’ (France) Centre Georges Pompidou has ever-changing installations of the most avant-garde art, as well as one of the world’s largest collections of contemporary art.

Museums for Every Interest
What are some of the more unusual collections you can enjoy?

Belgium proudly offers, among others, the Musical Instrument Museum, where you hear the instruments being played as you walk by! Delight your eyes with Art Nouveau architecture at the Belgian Center of Comic Strip Art.

The Kobarid Museum in Slovenia displays World War I from the Soška fronta (Isonzo Front). The events described are related to the adventures and memories of celebrities, among whom are Ernest Hemingway and Erwin Rommel. Kobarid Museum was roclaimed Best European Museum and won the Council of Europe Museum Prize in 1993.

Norway’s Fram Museum chronicles the adventures of intrepid North Pole explorers. You can board the Fram, the ship used to reach the top of the world. The Ski Museum is inside the Holmenkollen Ski Jump! Investigate 4,000 years of skiing history while enjoying a superb view of Oslo. Follow the daily life of the Vikings at Iceland’s Sagamuseum.

At Swarovski Crystal Worlds in Wattens, Austria, people from all over the word enjoy the wondrous beauty of Swarovski’s multi-faceted creations.

If antique clothing and textiles intrigue you, enjoy the Victoria and Albert Museum in London (United Kingdom), the National Museum of Clothing and Fashion in Portugal, and the lovely Sadberk Hanim Museum in Istanbul (Turkey).

Greece, an archeology lover’s dream, has dozens of antiquities museums throughout the country. The Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archeology (Turkey), one of the world’s foremost in this field, is located in a 15th century castle. It holds an extensive amphorae collection and an underwater exhibit showing how archeologists recover items from the deep.

Germany pays tribute to items from daily life at the Toy Museum in Nuremburg, the Wallpaper Museum in Kassel, and the Museum Jeans and Kult in Buttenheim, the birthplace of Levi Strauss, inventor of blue jeans!

The cutting edge Design Museum in Helsinki (Finland) dazzles with its innovative exhibits.

Lisbon’s (Portugal) Museu Nacional dos Coches houses a superb collection of richly adorned, 17th--19th century royal vehicles used by various European courts up until the advent of the motor car.

Finding Museums
Europe’s thousands of museum are listed on National Tourist Office websites, but here are more tools to help your search:

Kids may roll their eyes at art that’s “good for them”, so check out Hands On Europe!. This international association is dedicated to the development of the children’s museum concept, and includes museums from 21 European countries. For child-friendly exhibits in the United Kingdom, visit Show Me; many of Europe’s larger museums have special programming and exhibits for children – be sure to ask what’s on.

Arts in Europe is your gateway to art and architecture in Belgium, Germany, Holland, Hungary, Romania, Spain, and Switzerland, and publishes an electronic monthly newsletter. The European Museum Guide is helpful for finding temporary exhibitions in 27 European countries. ArtCyclopedia lists museums from all over the world, searchable by different variables so you can pinpoint those of interest to you.

International Museum Day takes place around May 18th—although in Britain, where many museums have no admission fee, it lasts for the entire month! Originally conceived by the International Council of Museums and now in its 20th year, scores of countries participate with special events and exhibits. The theme for 2008 is "Museums as agents of social change and development".


Tips for Visiting Museums
• Museum cards, often available at Tourist Offices and at museums, entitle you to reduced entrance fees for multiple attractions and sometimes permit you to use a special pass-holder’s entrance.

• Book tickets ahead online when possible for popular museums and exhibits; you’ll avoid long lines and insure that you can visit what you want, when you want.

• Invest in audio guides, and about children’s versions. Go at your own pace and keep your eyes on the art while your ears take in the narration!