What are YOUR favorite European museums?

My guess is that most people will respond to this with bricks and mortar museums containing art, history, or some combination thereof. These museums are of course interesting for what they contain and what you can see, but I really prefer a more experiential type of museum, or an interpretive museum. For this my favorite museums are in no particular order, the Open Air Museum at Ballenberg, Switzerland, and the Netherlands Open Air Museum at Arnhem. Additionally, I really love machinary of all types, especially transportation. The Verkershaus, or Swiss Transport Museum, in Luzern is great for this. For an interesting look at an old style artisan at work there is the Glasiwerk and museum in Hergiswil, just outside of Luzern. But if I must name a more traditional museum, I love bicycling into and then enjoying the Kroller-Muller Museum in the Hoge Veluwe near Arnhem in the Netherlands.

Unfortunately, I have yet to get to Italy, or I am sure something DaVinci would be on my list.

I really enjoyed the British Museum in London. I was impressed with the Egyptian artifacts and seeing real mummies! I think it was pretty amazing.

I live in NYC where there are wonderful museums but the Musee d'Orsay is my favorite by far. I can spend hours in there. It also helps that it is located in my favorite city!

I'll see your British Museum and raise you the British Library.

I'm not sure anything is better than the British Museum but the British Library should be a part of any visit to London.

The treasure room at the library is amazing. Original manuscripts from Handel to the Beatles, Codexes and Magna Cartas, The handwritten Alice in Wonderland. When I was there, there were only five people in the place which made it that much more special.

hands down for me is the louvre. it doesn't even matter that if i looked at each piece of art for 1 min each, it would take me 6 months to see the whole museum. i could spend forever looking at the art inside AND the beautiful building on the outside. i love all the commotion going on outside. for me, the louvre is just amazing. truly amazing.

I can't imagine not checking into the Louvre on any trip to Paris, as I did a few weeks ago. Saw all the French painting covering almost an entire floor. I've seen a lot there but have much more to see, which I'm looking forward to. The D'Orsay is spectacular too, and a managable size. I was able to see the re-opened Orangerie in Paris a few weeks ago, and it is a lovely museum in a great setting. I loved every painting in it.

There are so many, but the three that immediately pop into mind are:

For sculpture, the Borghese Gallery in Rome. I just love how manageable this museum is and the way you can walk right up to the fantastic Bernini sculptures.

For paintings, the Musee d'Orsay. I love the building itself as well as all those great, recognizable paintings.

For non-art, the Vasa Museum in Stockholm. The Vasa was a ship from the 1600s that was poorly designed and tipped over and sunk in the Stockholm harbor 20 minutes into its maiden voyage. The ship is beautifully restored. Not only do I find the ship itself fascinating, but I think the story of how they raised it from the harbor in the 1960s and restored it is also truly amazing.

Two of my favorite museums are the Alte Pinakothek in Munich and the Dutch Resistance Museum in Amsterdam.

In England, north of London, a non-paintings museum that I liked is the Castle Museum in York. It has unique wooden toys made in the 1800s, and I liked seeing the black cast iron stove made in the 1800s. It has fully furnished dining rooms from people's homes.
It is a big museum, and some people would like walking through the room of old clothing.

In Athens in Greece : I think the "must see" places are the National Archaeological Museum, and the Benaki Museum. I put a higher priority on visiting either of those museums than on walking on the top of the Acropolis. Greece has two other archaeological museums that are very good : the archaeological museum located at old Rhodes town on the island Rhodes. And the archaeological museum located on the island Chios (north eastern Agean Sea). Being in Athens can be unpleasant. If a traveler can visit one of those museums : on Rhodes, or on Chios, being in the big city Athens may not be a high priority. (in my opinion).

Hey Kent, great topic! I too loved the Borghese Gallery in Rome (relaxing location, great sculpture). Ditto to prior comments on Musee d'Orsay and British Library. I also loved the Picasso Museum in Paris (I liked how the place progresses chronologically through his life). For quirky, I liked the Science Museum in Florence which has a Galileo telescope and his middle finger (really). While technically not a “museum” the Cripta dei Cappuccini in Rome has the bones of monks to die for (sorry). And of course, the Accademia in Florence, for the sole purpose of seeing Michelangelo’s David (you need not bother with the rest).

The Louvre, been 5 or 6 times, plan on going another 20 or 30 times. Paintings the size of houses, oh my, I love to find a bench and just gaze...
Also, in same vein, the painting collection at Chantilly is second only to Louvre in what I have seen.. worth the day trip folks.

The British Museum, well of course, I love seeing the ancient glass work , metal work etc.

And, not strictly a museum, but, I loved the Portrait Gallery in London. Spemt hours in there, with the audio guide, wanted to know all about the persons whose features were caught for a moment in time.

Best museum for me hands down is the British Museum. It has a little of everything (things you just can't find other places) and is put together in a very logical fashion. An amazing walk through history, and the building itself is amazing.

For art you will all think I'm crazy, but my favorite is the National Gallery in London. It's not overwhelming like the Louve, or the
Uffizzi, and the few times I've been it has not been too crowded. The only exception I would give to this is seeing the David at the Accademia.

We set aside an entire day to visit the Duetches Museum in Munich on our last trip and were somewhat disappointed.

I have old and new fovorites. The Musee d'Orsay in Paris was when I discovered that I truly loved scuptures. After that, Rhodin's home in Paris was exceptional. Then recently, just last week, I visited the Borghese Galleria in Rome - this was breathtaking to me. More so than seeing the "David" in Florence. Uffizi was great - but very overwhelming to me.

The British Museum did it for us as a family with two teenagers, followed closely by the Science Museum in Paris.

I, too, am going to have to go with some of the obvious choices. The Louvre to me is the greatest museum in (perhaps) the world. This has to do with the sheer scope of its collections, its layout and, of course, it’s allure in a historical context. Just the mention of it conjures up images of French Kings directing the additions of great halls and wings to fit the overflowing collection. The star of the show for me is Gericault’s The Raft of Medusa. I believe I have spent a good 48 hours of my life in all of my visits to Paris exploring that painting.

Galleria Borghese would be my second choice. Again, the location is magnificent and the building itself drips with history and wealth and a time I secretly yearn to be a part of. Bernini’s Apollo and Daphne is heart stopping. It’s almost imperative to walk through the park after viewing that sculpture, simply to catch your breath.

Cont...

...Lastly, Père Lachaise Cemetery. While it may not be a museum of art it is most certainly a museum of souls, and it gives me the same solace and awe that I get when standing in front of a Delacroix.

The Victoria & Albert Museum in London is my very favorite. I stop by every time I'm in London. It also has a great gift shop.

British Museum is the best for antiquities and the British Library is great. I love "turning the pages" and reading daVinci's notebooks.

Louvre is wonderful, but overwhelming. I didn't give it enough time to truly do it justice. And I really, really want to go to the d'Orsay as I've heard nothing but good things about it.

Gwen, I love that painting too!

I'm going to hijack this thread just a little to mention two very worthwhile out-of-the-way gems. I wouldn't call them favorites--they are not in that league--but I'd see them again.

1) The Peace Museum (about D-Day) in Caen

2) The Resistance Museum, in Fountain du Vacluse (in Provence)

The Peace Museum is the larger of the two, with impressive multi media exhibits that do a good job explaining and organizing historical material about the Nazi occupation of France and the D-Day invasion. It would make a good introduction, or rainy-day alternative, to the nearby beaches and cemeteries.

The Resistance Museum gives a peak into the pro-Nazi Vichy Regime that held power in unoccupied France during the war. Lots of anti-Allied propaganda: picture a poster of Winston Churchill as an evil octopus, his limbs hacked off by muscular French farmers. And, it is in a brilliant setting.

My new all-time favorite is the Deutsches Museum in Munich. It is Europes answer to the Smithsonian. I love art, but the science and technology is just too cool! 10 miles of exhibits! It is said that it would take four days just to glance at everything once!

I also love the Borghese Gallery in Rome and the Orsay Museum in Paris but was pleasantly surprised by the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid. Rick describes it as "minor works by major artists"--it's a fun collection.

Probably my favorite was the Russian museum in St. Petersburg (not the more well-known Hermitage, although I liked that as well). Why did I find this museum so fascinating? Most of us are accustomed to certain styles matching with certain subject matter- ie, Italian Renaissance with contemporary Italian buildings and dress, Neoclassical with ancient Greek or Roman subjects, Impressionist with 19th century France. What I found unique about this museum was the Russian subject matter, but painted in the typical European styles. You don't often see such works in the West.

I agree with the poster who liked the Castle Museum in York. That was one of the best museums my husband and I have ever been too, we probably spent 4 hours there. It's also a great place to take children. We took my best friend and her daughter who was six at the time, 2006, and had a blast! The two different "living" streets with store fronts, the Queen Victoria items, the different skeleton type keys, weapons, rooms set up from different time periods, hands on exhibits that are great for kids, etc. It was a great place. We never made it to the museums in London earlier this year but plan to very soon. Can't wait to see museums in Germany in March.

Kent - great question. Although I have not been to it in 15+ years I really loved the deutsches-museum in Muncih; the D'Orsay in Paris and the Imperial War Museum in London - the WWI Exhibit is wonderful. Although maybe not a 'museum' I really like the War Cabinet Rooms as well. I do not list the Louvre because it is too overwhelming, the Accademia in Florence as the other poster said is only good for David, the rest there is forgettable. But those would be my top 3. Based on the other answers I have more reasons to go back - more museums to see. Thanks for the thought provoking question

While neither famous nor large, I vote for the Teylers museum in Haarlem. It's so old, it's like a museum of a museum. It has the science-geek gadgets for my husband and the artsy-fartsy galleries for me.

Second place in the small museum category goes to the Danish resistance museum in Copenhagen.

And in the free category, just look at the amazing artwork in the churches!

Seems to me that was what I was trying to write. I'm afraid Kent but even the Met is but a pale shadow compared to the Lourve. And I have been there many, many times throughout my life.

While it is difficult to leave the Louvre off of a list of great museums, I agree with Kevin that it is a bit overwhelming (as well as sometimes crushingly crowded). I can't believe nobody has mentioned the Prado in Madrid. That is probably number one on my list followed by the D'Orsay then the Rodin Museum.

The Lourve is by far my favorite. It is definitely overwhelming because of the crowds and volume of spectacular works of art. After visiting the usual popular pieces, ie., Venus de Milo and Mona Lisa, I went to the top flr since I have a slight museum crowd phobia. The Rubens room was wonderful, the objets d'arts was exquisite, and the wall-sized Renaissance paintings were incredible. I spent 2 hrs on that flr w/no crowds and I still didn't see everything there was to see. I guess I have to pay a few more visits to examine the other flrs of its magnificient treasures. Oh, pity me!

I want to add a vote for the Peace Museum in Caen (Normandy). My wife is not into military history and she couldn't find a way to leave until she read every letter and saw every display. Also, the Unterlinden in Colmar, FR. and, of course, the Uffizi in Florence deserve mentions as well. George, Pittsburgh, PA

The Mercedes-Benz museum in Stuttgart is geil!

Great topic, Kent. Keep those messages coming! Mine, too, is in Caen, Normandy, but am biased with an uncle buried nearby and a voracious interest in WW2 history. The Churchill War Rooms in London are #2 on a must see list for me followed, very closely, by the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam.

My favorites are:

Imperial War Museum, London--wonderful museum for anyone. Lots of interesting interactive displays.

Tate Modern and Tate Britain, London--great classic and modern art museums. Both free when I was there, too!

Musee D'Orsay, Paris--the building in itself is reason enough to go here. Love this type of art.

I've almost never met a museum I didn't like, but there is something special about the visitor's center at Newgrange in Ireland. Newgrange is a 5,000 passage tomb located in the beautiful Irish countryside. The visitor's center is an ultra-modern space that tells the story of this & other passage tombs in the area and somehow compliments the ancient burial sites.

On my list of museums that I'm not so enamored with is "The House at Check-Point Charlie" in Berlin. It has many great stories, but they're buried in a poor layout and overwhelming amount of information. I understand it's privately owned--perhaps the government could take it over and make some improvements. What do others think?

I won't be able to do Newgrange justice, so others feel free to pipe in....
Basically, it was made of stone (no mortar) in approximately 3200 BC, and is circular in shape with the final resting place of two people in the center. You enter through a small passage into the center of the tomb (in a small group, following a tour guide). On the winter solstice, the sun shines down this passage and illuminates the center tomb area for a short time.
I believe the pyramids in Egypt can also be considered passage tombs.

I have vivid memories of La Fondation Maeght in Saint-Paul, France. It was about an hour bus ride from Nice to St Paul du Vence to visit, what I call, an indoor/outdoor museum. I was pleasantly surprised with works by Miro, Chagall and Giacametti literally embedded in the outdoor garden of the museum. It is a small museum, but a wonderful surprise.

Only two places you need to see. One, Vatican City. They have it all; from museums to famous works of art and a churh that is breaktaking. And then the Paris museum, the Louve. That's it.

How did I miss this question? My favorites are the Uffizi, the Bargello, the Vatican Museums, the British Museum, the Orsay, the Rijksmuseum(Amsterdam).

Carole: Great picks! Those are my favorites too, 6 of the best art museums in Europe (yes, I realize each person has her/his favorites).

British Museum and Library, without a doubt.

Louvre is wonderful, but I was frustrated with the lack of English translation. (Audioguides can be so cumbersome.)

We thought the Memorial at the American Cemetery above Omaha beach was excellently done.

We also thought the National Museum near the Termini Station in Rome was wonderful.

Musee D'Orsay, Paris; no contest. I always require two days there. Salle 51 is worth the 11 hour flight. Other favorites: Louvre, Uffuzi, British, Caen Peace Memorial.

My all time favorite is the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. The Deutsches Museum in Munich and the Caen War Museum is also among my favorites.

I'll join the party at the Orsay... Victoria & Albert is incredible. For anyone who sews and is looking for textile art/history, the V&A has a marvelous collection of everything! The Tower of London's collection of royal garments is mind-boggling.
In Portsmouth visit the D-Day museum - and the tapestry within. A work of art that invites close inspection. Then cross to France and head for Bayeux - the concept of the D-Day tapestry comes from the Bayeux Tapestry, which details the entire Battle of Hastings. Don't plan on popping in and out in a jif to see either - they need time to be closely examined!

The Louvre of course, followed by the Anthropology museum in Mexico City and the Victoria & Albert in London. I love museums :-)

I don't think I've yet seen a mention of the Cluny Museum, an absolute gem in Paris! On the site of Roman baths, in a 15th century mansion, this is the medieval arts museum of Paris. Highlights for me included the beautifully displayed "Lady and the Unicorn" tapestries and a collection of original sculptures from the facade of Notre Dame.

Also love the Victoria and Albert in London...how lucky for us that the British seemed to have saved absolutely everything...it is like a treasure hunt in your grandmother's attic.

I can easily second some of the museums mentioned here:

Paris:
- Musee d'Orsay (my personal preference of 19/20 century art over what's presented at the Louvre)
- Musee Rodin (beautiful setting on top of the art)

Munich:
- Deutsches Museum

Switzerland:
- Verkehrshaus Luzern (and I'm anything but a traffic/technology junky!)
- Freilichtmuseum Ballenberg (I love open air museums and this is one of the best ones I've ever seen)

I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned the Tapestry Museum in Bayeux, yet. It just blew me away, the actual tapestry AND the exhibits explaining the historical background.

The British Museum is one of my favorite museums of all time. Additonally, at a smaller level, I've always been kind-of fond of the little crime and punishment museum in Rothenburg!

Larry's post from this current thread http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/helpline/index.cfm/rurl/topic/31675/best-cathedral-best-cruise-best-castle-best-museum.html was: "Kent, you ran a form of this question some time back. I believe that it was for museums only. Tons of responses." (Larry)Larry mentioned this prior post and I thought it would be helpful, to those here, to see the long list of favorite museums that was generated in this topic thread.

A year later, now that I have been, I can also add the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. It is fantastic!

I have been to many, many museums and the one I enjoyed the most was the National Museum in Reggio, Calabria. It is the home of the Riace Bronzes, and it is truely a wonderful experience. Other favorites are the Rijks Museum in Amsterdam, and the Picasso Museum in Barcelona(because I like his early works much better than the later ones). By the way, good thread, I have added several must sees to my Bucket List!

Sorry, forgot the British Library, went on a whim one day as I am a retired librarian, and fell in love with it!

The Royal Observatory, Greenwich, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, The Cluny, Paris.

But really, I love them all....

There are several "unique" museums that I have enjoyed. At the Tower Of London, off to one side, there is a small military museum. It gives the history of one of the British units. The first time we toured the Tower, my husband and I decided to stop in. It cost all of 50pence (about 30 cents US at that time). As we got about half-way through I realized that this was what we would refer to as the Red Coats! It was amazing to see "their" point of view of the American Revolution!

I also love the Jorvic museum in York. Yes, it is a bit like a Disney ride, but it is very good and differnt! The whisky museum in Edinburgh is also like this and makes a nice change of pace (I like the free "wee dram" at the end!)!

The best holocaust museum that I have seen is in Denmark. Accurate, yet respectful. Not horrific, but truthful. It moved me deeply.

Normally I'd pick art museums, and my favorites are among those that have been named. But one museum that has not been named, one that had a powerful emotional effect on me, is the ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross/Crescent) Museum in Geneva. The room of shelf after shelf after shelf of WW I prisoner-of-war ID cards stunned me. The multimedia exhibit in itself is worth seeing. The museum offers a powerful history lesson as well as a lesson in the disastrous effects natural catastrophes and human calamities (war) have had on humankind.

The Picasso Museum in Paris and in Barcelona. Between the two you have a great overview of an artistic genius who kept reinventing himself like Cher! It's amazing to see the paintings is Barcelona and realize that they a teenager executed them. I have visited both museums several times and don't get tired of seing these works!

Whilst it is not really a museum I have to speak up for Dennis Severs house in London. I really don't understand why every London guidebook does not urge people to visit. It's the most bizarre place as you have to walk around in complete silence and there are strange little notes stuck all over the house. The motto of the house is "You either see/get it or you don't". I went with a friend and at the end of the visit we were ushered out of the house and we both immediately burst into tears so I assume we got it!

http://www.dennissevershouse.co.uk/#

The Orangerie is my very favorite, followed closely by the D'Orsay. I love impressionism and those are fantastic. Last year, I spent one entire morning viewing the Monet's at Orangerie. I would sit and stare for a while, walk up to view more cloely, then change seats. It was a GREAT morning!

I also got to the D'Orsay last year as it opened. I walked right to the back and went to the Impressionist galery. There was hardly anyne in there. It was fantastic.

Great topic!

Sculpture: Borghese in Rome. Rodin in Paris.

Paintings: Orsay in Paris. Uffizi in Florence. Prado in Madrid.

Modern art: Tate Modern in London. Pompidou in Paris. (But NYC MoMa is the best!)

History: Jewish Museum in Berlin.

For the architecture: Louvre (Cour Marly in the Richelieu wing takes my breath away!). Guggenheim in Bilbao.

But almost every museum has at least one piece that makes me stop in my tracks or that I remember years later...

I'm glad to see this topic continues to inspire forum members to share with us their favorite European museums. Europe has hundreds of extra years of history that we don't have in North America; and had kings, Popes, and wealthy families with the resources to collect the best art, before North Americans had the money to start buying art in the late 19th century (which were eventually donated to art museums here, an example being the Metropolian Museum of Art in NYC got going in the late 19th century but by then the Mona Lisa was not for sale).

I have spent many happy hours at the Rijk in Amsterdam and the Prado in Madrid. The Topaki in Istanbul is also very interesting.

My three favorites are the British Musuem, Borghese Gallery and the Bargello in Florence. We had the Bargello practically to ourselves, no lines what so ever. I have not done justice to the Louvre yet, but hope to next year.

Jesse: Re your "I have not done justice to the Louvre yet, but hope to next year." What is your estimate of the time it would take to do justice to the Louvre? It's obviously big but is even bigger than most people realize. I have not yet figured out how much time it would take to do justice to it. Way more time than I have?! :)

I have enjoyed all the big museums, but some of the lesser know museums that I have really enjoyed include:

Dutch Resistance Museum in Amsterdam

Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris

Dick Bruna Huis in Utrecht

Well of course the Louvre, but please add the Orangerie and the Rodin in Paris, which are fabulous. One of my favorites, anywhere, is the Prado in Madrid.

My favorite is the British Library. For the sheer WOW factor of seeing, in very close proximity, Henry VIII's actual writing, Darwin's, Elizabeth I's...etc etc etc.................it's just amazing! And you can see it all in an hour...or linger for hours

Kent,
I am not sure how long it would take to do the Louvre justice but I know it is more than the couple of hours I spent there. We spent most of our time in line waiting to see the Mona Lisa. Can't wait to go back and spend all day there.

All my favorites have been mentioned, except the Carnavalet in Paris (though not my very favorite in Paris) and the Pitti Palace in Florence, which I enjoyed much more than the Uffizi, the Bargello, or the Academia, though there were works in each that were awesome, especially Michelangelo's David and Slaves in the Academia. Oh, gosh, I almost forgot the Doge's Palace in Venice - definitely a WOW. I guess St. Mark's next door doesn't count as a museum, but it should.

Musee d'Orsay is my all time favorite (don't miss room 51!); I spend two days there each time I visit Paris. Other favorites are the Uffizi, l'Orangerie, and the British museum.

I'll throw a few more "open-air" museums into the mix - the Weald and Downland museum in England, and the Vogtsbauernhof in the Black Forest [which we saw as part of the RS GAS tour]. They are both collections of buildings built over several centuries, which have been carefully reassembled in one spot. I really enjoy learning about how people lived in times past [my favorite US "museum" is Colonial Williamsburg].

I don't think it's been mentioned yet. But one of my favorite German museums is the Mining Museum in Bochum. The presentation of the exhibits may be a bit dusty and could use some updating but it is the largest such collection in the world. And going underground to tour a sample mining operation is really cool ;-)