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Best European city breaks for art galleries / museums?

44 replies

bigbandofwif · 26/09/2025 12:48

What would you say are the best European cities for art galleries and museums?

If it makes any difference, I'd be more interested in modern and / or contemporary art than classical stuff.

Thanks in advance!

OP posts:
BlueEyedBogWitch · 26/09/2025 22:36

Florence
Amsterdam
London

stickybear · 26/09/2025 23:07

I came here to say Madrid, absolutely loved the Prado and spent all day there. Also took a train to Toledo and saw some fantastic art in the cathedral there, there's also the El Greco house. Vienna is also great, and Amsterdam. What I liked about the Prado was that there was very little queuing and it all felt quite calm, which isn't always the case. E.g I never made it into the Uffizi when I was in Florence as the queues were about two hours long!

BestIsWest · 26/09/2025 23:29

Amsterdam for the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and the Stedlijk. Straat is great for street art and you can hop on the train to The Hague for the Mauritshuis which is a gem of a gallery.

BestIsWest · 26/09/2025 23:30

I liked the Gulbenkian in Lisbon too.

bloominoreilly · 26/09/2025 23:31

I LOVE the Musee D'Orsay in Paris

FrodoBiggins · 26/09/2025 23:49

BestIsWest · 26/09/2025 23:29

Amsterdam for the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and the Stedlijk. Straat is great for street art and you can hop on the train to The Hague for the Mauritshuis which is a gem of a gallery.

Or the train to Utrecht, loads of cool art and design museums (and it's a lovely place)

InveterateWineDrinker · 27/09/2025 11:52

BestIsWest · 26/09/2025 23:30

I liked the Gulbenkian in Lisbon too.

I came on to say Lisbon too. The Gulbenkian is rightly famous, but the contemporary art scene has undergone a rapid transformation in the last few years and some of the best is found outside traditional galleries, for example in hotel lobbies.

JaninaDuszejko · 27/09/2025 12:04

If you go to Florence go at the beginning of the month so you can get free entry on the first Sunday of the month. Queues are long so prebook or get there early (when we took the DC we were there at 9 am and got through the museum to the cafe at lunchtime so worked well. DS (just 7 at the time) was obsessed with greek myths at the time so got a lot out of it, YMMV.

BestIsWest · 27/09/2025 15:06

I’ve just looked up the Gulbenkian and it’s closed until next year. There was a great modern art museum in Belem though.

EleanorSidgwick · 27/09/2025 15:08

Vienna

MonaChopsis · 27/09/2025 15:12

Went to Oslo recently and had a great time, so there's an option that hasn't been recommended yet. Small enough to be easily walkable and the museum pass is great value.

Cinaferna · 27/09/2025 15:15

London is brilliant - Tate, White Cube, Heyward, Saatchi and all the private galleries around Mayfair.
Vienna, definitely
Amsterdam
Paris

I want to go to Munich - supposed to have great Expressionist and Jugendstiel art if you like that.

New York is amazing for modern art - especially if you love US painters like Rothko, Ed Ruscha, Pollock, Hopper etc. I could spend a week in the galleries there.

SuperLoudPoppingAction · 27/09/2025 15:16

Seconding oslo
I loved helsinki as well.
I'm about to go to gothenburg for the bienalle but I'm not sure there will be many pictures - more concepts maybe

EBearhug · 27/09/2025 15:19

Cinaferna · 27/09/2025 15:15

London is brilliant - Tate, White Cube, Heyward, Saatchi and all the private galleries around Mayfair.
Vienna, definitely
Amsterdam
Paris

I want to go to Munich - supposed to have great Expressionist and Jugendstiel art if you like that.

New York is amazing for modern art - especially if you love US painters like Rothko, Ed Ruscha, Pollock, Hopper etc. I could spend a week in the galleries there.

New York does not vount as Europe, though.

SuperLoudPoppingAction · 27/09/2025 15:21

I really had a brilliant time in Cambridge. There's a college (it was New Hall) that has a brilliant art collection. And loads of galleries

sciaticafanatica · 27/09/2025 15:22

Bilbao
paris
london

EBearhug · 27/09/2025 19:22

SuperLoudPoppingAction · 27/09/2025 15:21

I really had a brilliant time in Cambridge. There's a college (it was New Hall) that has a brilliant art collection. And loads of galleries

New Hall is Murray Edwards now, and it's the Women's Art Collection.

There's also Kettle's Yard and the Fitzwilliam.

SuperLoudPoppingAction · 27/09/2025 19:40

That's the one!
When I was there, the Fitzwilliam had some brilliant paintings and embroideries - definitely lots of modern art.

AIthenamesaregone · 27/09/2025 19:46

Another vote for glasgow, kelvingrove, GOMA, burrell, modern institute, tramway all free!

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