Museums - Are Certain Sized Bags Prohibited?

It varies by museum. Sometimes a big pocketbook is too much. Give us a couple of clues.

Many places forbid backpacks of any sort or size,, mostly because they are afraid people wear them on their backs and will brush up against works of art with them ( or so i have been told) .. i have never had a problem carrying my over the shoulder bag,, its about 1 foot squared and when full about 8 inches thick, not including the 2 outside pockets which stick out a bit.

If you are talking about a personal day bag, it's not even so much the museum as it is the security guard you may happen to be dealing with on that particular day. I've been in museums where I've been able to walk around with a small daypack (similar to a kid's school book bag) that holds my water bottle, sweater, guidebook, etc. And at other museums I have been told I need to check the bag in the cloak room. I've seen some women stopped for carrying a really big leather purse and others who walk right in. Just be prepared to have your bag ready for inspection in the larger museums (no matter if it is small or large) and if it's on the larger side, know that you may be asked to check it so think ahead about what you plan to carry inside it. If you are thinking you will keep a camera, cell phone or iPod in the bag, you may want to get a bag with zippers that can be locked together before you check the bag in the cloak room. If it is luggage you are talking about (big duffel bag or large backpack), then you are going to be asked to check it.

Some European museums will not allow full-size suitcases or backpacks even as checked luggage, partly to save space and partly because they think tourists are abusing their facilities by leaving luggage for the whole day while not actually visiting the museum.

Russia is the only country I have visited that has a universal policy. No bags and no coats in any state museums. You have to check everything. If there's ever any question elsewhere, most larger museums have lockers... and unlike storage lockers in the US, you get your deposit back. Off the top of my head, I can't remember a single museum that didn't have either lockers, coat check or both.

The bag I'm considering is Rick Steves' Veloce shoulder bag which measures 15"X11"X15". Thanks for all the advice!

As Ed says, it varies by museum. You gave the size of the bag, but not the museum(s) you plan to visit. Looking back at the last 10+ years, I have only had this problem once. (1) I am usually spending time in the town and leave my bag in my room. (2) If I have my bag with me, I try to put it in a locker at the station. I had this problem once when I stopped in Bad Mergentheim, on the way from Weikersheim to Wuerzburg to see the DeutschOrdensMuseum (castle of the Teutonic Knights). I don't know if they didn't want me to take my regulation carry on sized bag in, or I didn't want to carry it, but they had Garderoben (pl of Garderobe), lockers which give you your deposit back, and I used one. I do know that you cannot take a "backpack" through the castles at Hohenschwangau. They have Garderoben at the castles, but if visiting Neuschwanstein that would mean taking your carry on bag up the hill. There are no Garderoben at the ticket kiosk, but the tourist office, next to the bus stop, will watch your bags while you are visiting the castles. There are also lockers at Fuessen Bahnhof. At worst, I think you could use the Garderoben at Hohenschwangau castle and go on to Neuschwanstein. I have never had trouble taking my netbook in it's very small case into any museum.

Museums in Europe got more security-conscious after the Uffizi was bombed.

I have gone to Europe every summer for the last 10 years and have taken 9 RS tours while there. I have been in more museums that I could possibly remember and have experienced restrictions for "No Bags At All" to some that did not even look as us as we entered. In general, including last Aug & Sept, I have been able to take in my RS shoulder day bag, but not always. So, always be prepared to check whatever you are carrying.

I will add this, if you have to check your bag,, I would take out anything of great value in it and carry it in my pocket,, ipod or camera etc.. which thereagain is why I would hesitate to carry much of any value!

The rule of thumb for many museums is that if your bag is larger in dimensions than a sheet of A-4 paper then it is too big and you will need to check it. Back-packs especially will almost always be too big, though messenger bags will come under the wire as acceptable a lot more often. Do they look bulky or do they lay flat up against your body? Coats are another item that often needs to be checked, as they won't let you take it off and just carry it. For those who don't know, Garderobe is the German word used for coat-check. Think of it as a way to take a break from carrying your stuff around all day. I pop my wallet and my phone in my pocket and am off enjoying my museum of choice.

Jennifer, It would be easier to provide more specific information if you could provide some idea on the Museums that you plan on visiting. As the others have mentioned, the rules tend to vary according to the individual Museum and in some cases on the whims of the security staff.

In our experience, it does vary by museum. We just returned from Paris and the only museum really challenging our small day pack was l'Orangerie. We did not have to give up our bag anywhere. As mentioned above, if you do have to give up your backpack, take out the valuables. Even in museums that prohibit photography, you are allowed to walk around with your camera. Don't leave valuables in the backpack.

The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam has a mandatory bag check policy, so I had to leave my day bag with $2900 worth of camera equipment inside it. Of course everything was there when I retrieved it. The British Museum, National Gallery and V&A Museum in London have people stationed at the door who will do random bag checks. They never stopped me with my day bag.