Finding accommodation in Copenhagen can be challenging if you’re on a budget. But if you have extra money to spare (and you’ll need it in Copenhagen), then you can easily rent a stylish apartment in an iconic location.
Copenhagen is a wonderful city to stay in for at least a week. Not only is there a lot to see and do, but there’s also great pleasure to be had just being in the city and becoming a temporary Dane.
Rent a bike or take a cycling tour, wander up and down the many pedestrian streets, stop for coffee and watch the world go by, and stroll along the harbor.
On my visit to Copenhagen, I stayed in two places–an apartment for a week and a hotel for one night. Both were great, with the edge going to the apartment, which was hands down one of the nicest and most comfy apartments we’ve ever stayed in during my many years of traveling in Europe.
The map below shows the location of the two places.
I chose to spend our week in Copenhagen in Nyhavn, the lively harbor area full of iconic, colorful houses and tons of outdoor cafes. I loved this location and never got tired of walking up and down the harbor taking pictures of the houses in every light.
Captivating Nyhavn in early evening
I booked an apartment through booking.com that exceeded our expectations. It was a two-bedroom apartment located in one of the colorful houses right on the harbor. To access it, we walked through two courtyards and then rode an elevator to the fifth (top) floor.
Passageway leading from the harbor to our courtyard
Building in which our apartment was located
The apartment was very stylishly decorated and included a full kitchen and a very large dining area. We also had a lovely view over the rooftops of Copenhagen.
Living area
Looking from the living area toward the large dining area; kitchen is on the left
One of the two bedrooms in the apartment
Colorful rooftops of Copenhagen seen from the bedroom
The price was fairly reasonable considering the location. Copenhagen is not a cheap place to stay, so expect to pay in excess of $300 USD a night. I felt that the apartment was well worth the cost and can recommend it whole-heartedly if you’re planning to spend a week in Copenhagen.
Staying at Phoenix Copenhagen
We had an extra night to spend in Copenhagen as a result of a last-minute itinerary change. Our beloved apartment was no longer available, so we moved around the corner to the stylishly upscale Phoenix Copenhagen.
If you’re looking for a hotel in the Nyhavn area, the Phoenix is a fine choice. It’s pretty high end price-wise and the room was a trifle cramped, but the staff were friendly and as mentioned, the location on Bredgade can’t be beat. The marble lobby was gorgeous and the restaurant downstairs served hearty food, particularly welcome on the cold and rainy night we stayed.
Lobby at Phoenix Copenhagen
We particularly liked Phoenix Copenhagen because it was across the street from the gallery in which Gregg was exhibiting the “Color of Dreams.” Here’s a look at the exhibition at Galleri Bredgade 22:
Facade of Galleri Bredgade 22 in Copenhagen
“The Color of Dreams” Exhibition at Galleri Bredgade 22
Paintings in the exhibition
View from the street of the exhibition
Other Accommodation Options in Copenhagen
Here are other options for places to stay in Copenhagen. If possible, choose a location near the center of the city. The Nyhavn area is ideal because it is within walking distance of just about everything you’ll want to see in this lovely, compact city.
Consider alloting time during your stay in Copenhagen for taking day trips. You’ll find plenty to see and do in the city to fill at least three days, but after that, it’s time to venture farther afield.
Your Copenhagen Card (see more below) is your best friend. Use it to take trains all over the greater Capital region and to visit some of Denmark’s premier castles.
The map below shows the locations of the three recommended day trips. You could possibly see all three in one day if you’re traveling by car, but that might be overkill!
I suggest taking just one trip a day so you have time to enjoy the locations and still get back to Copenhagen in time to take in one or two more local sights and then enjoy a leisurely dinner.
On the map below, #1 is the Copenhagen Hovedbanegården, aka the Central Station. You’ll be catching the trains from here.
Trip map created with Wanderlog, the best trip planner app on iOS and Android
Frederiksborg Castle
The largest Renaissance complex in the Nordic region is Frederiksborg Castle (#2 on the map above) in Hillerød, about 30 minutes outside Copenhagen by train.
The castle is one of the must-do day trips from Copenhagen, particularly if the weather is fine. Set in a lake and surrounded by gardens, the castle is extremely photogenic.
Carol arrives at Frederiksborg Castle during her day trip from Copenhagen
Walked over the bridge to the entrance to Frederiksborg Castle
Inside the castle is room after sumptuous room. Wear your walking shoes–it’s a big place!
I toured the castle fairly quickly because I wanted to get outside to view the castle from the lake. However, if you’re interested in Danish history, the castle could easily fill an hour or two of your time.
Here’s a selection of a few of the rooms and displays I wandered through.
One of many sumptuous royal apartments
An 18th-century footman is happy to pose for photos
Outside the castle, you can tour the gardens and then catch the cute little launch that goes from a dock near the castle across the lake to the town of Hillerød. The cost of the launch (along with the castle entrance and all busses and trains) is included with the marvelous Copenhagen Card.
Cost of the ferry across the lake is included with the Copenhagen card
On the launch across the lake at Frederiksborg Castle
As I was crossing the lake, the sun came out with magical results.
Fredericksborg Castle
Hillerød
For your day trip to Frederiksborg Castle, you’ll catch the train from Copenhagen to Hillerød and then from the station, take a bus or walk to the castle.
Many of the people getting off the train are also tourists and heading for the castle, so it’s pretty easy to just follow the crowd to the bus stop. If in doubt, ask someone who looks like a local. I never encountered anyone in Denmark who did not speak excellent English.
After touring the castle, you can either take the bus back to Hillerød or, like I did, catch the launch across the lake. It docks at Hillerød.
Wander through the attractive little town, grab a coffee in the central square, browse a few shops, and then walk to the train station for the journey back to Copenhagen. The entire trip to the castle and Hillerød lasts only a few hours unless you are a super-fan and want to examine every part of the castle open to the public and also walk the miles of pathways in the formal gardens.
The charming town of Hillerød with the castle across the lake
Signposts in Hillerød leading me back to the station
Frederiksborg Castle Practical Information
Frederiksborg Castle is open every day throughout the year from 10:00 to 17:00 April to October and 11:00 to 15:00 November to March. Admission is 90 DKK for adults, but you can use your Copenhagen Card (see below for details). The museum is located in Hillerød, a 40-minute ride on S-train line A from Copenhagen. From Hillerød Station you can walk to the castle (View the route here) or take the local busses 301 (direction: Ullerød) or 302 (direction: Sophienlund) and get off at the stop “Frederiksborg Slot”.
Kronborg Castle
Located on the sound between Sweden and Denmark about 40 minutes north of Copenhagen, Kronborg Castle (#3 on the map above) and the charming town of Helsingor are both great choices for a day trip from Copenhagen.
In fact, if you only have time for one of the three day trips presented in this post, I’d choose Kronborg. While the castle itself is not as large and imposing as Frederiksborg Castle, the town of Helsingor has more to offer.
Also, if you’re a Hamlet fan, then you have to visit Kronborg Castle, which was the setting for Shakespeare’s play. It’s easy to imagine Prince Hamlet wandering through the lofty halls of the castle and looking out to sea, brooding and plotting revenge.
If you have a car, you can even zip across on the ferry to Helsingborg in Sweden and from there carry on north to Gothenburg and even Stockholm.
Touring Kronborg Castle
Kronborg Castle towers above the narrow sound between the coasts of Denmark and Sweden. It’s a Renaissance castle complete with spires and towers, and is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Courtyard instide Kronborg Castle
Inside the castle are rooms full of period furnishings. The prevailing feeling is a bit starker than Frederiksborg Castle. It’s worth touring, but doesn’t require a lot of time.
Bedroom in Kronborg Castle
Costumed guide talks about food at Kronborg Castle
The views from the castle over the sound to Sweden on the far shore are lovely on a clear day. Check out the clouds!
View from Kronborg Castle toward Sweden
Kronborg Castle Practical Information
Kronborg Castle is open daily from 10:00 to 17:00 May to October and from 11:00 to 15:00 November to April. Admission is 125 DKK for adults, but you can use your Copenhagen Card (see below for details). The castle is located in Helsingør, a 40-minute train ride from Copenhagen. From the station, you can walk about ten minutes to the castle.
Helsingør
I enjoyed wandering around Helsingør. It’s not at all touristy; the vast majority of the people out soaking up the sunny September day were locals. The harbor area with its ships and Maritime Museum are worth lingering in during your day trip from Copenhagen.
Lively harbor with tall ships in Helsingør
Also view murals on buildings throughout the town. I particularly enjoyed seeing the one of Hamlet holding Yorick’s skull.
Colorful mural of Helsingør in the 16th century
Close-up of Hamlet in the prow of a ship in a mural
I stopped for lunch on a pedestrian street full of outdoor cafes and enjoyed three scrumptious Smørrebrød – open-faced sandwiches, along with a strong and satisfying Danish beer.
As in many restaurants that serve Smørrebrød, I was invited to go check out a mouth-watering display of the tasty sandwiches and then choose the number and kind I wanted. Each of the three I chose was a winner.
Smørrebrød for lunch in Helsingør
I happened to arrive in Helsingør when locals were celebrating the Golden Jubilee of Queen Margrethe. There were lots of Danish flags and a parade!
Danes celebrating the Golden Jubilee of the Queen
Parade for the Golden Jubilee in Helsingør
A good sightseeing strategy if you want to see both Kronborg Castle and the Louisiana Museum of Art on a day trip from Copenhagen is to do both on the same day. They are quite close together in the same geographical area (north of Copenhagen). In fact, you take the same train from Copenhagen. Go to Kronborg Castle first and then backtrack to the Louisiana Museum or go the other way around. Bear in mind that you’ll find more and cheaper lunch options in Helsignor. At the Louisiana Museum, you only have the fancy restaurant at the museum (excellent food but not cheap!).
Frederiksborg & Kronborg Day Tours
You can choose to take a guided day trip from Copenhagen that includes both Frederiksborg Castle and Kronborg Castle. This tour also goes to Roskilde where you’ll tour the Viking Ship Museum.
The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art (#4 on the map) is about a 30-minute train ride north of Copenhagen and is world-renowned as one of Europe’s best modern art museums.
I’ll confess that I found the exhibitions a tad underwhelming. However, the setting of the museum on the North Sea and the many outdoor sculptures are fabulous and well worth the trip.
Founded by Knud W. Jensen to house Danish modern art, the museum opened in 1958. Within a few years, the focus shifted from featuring predominantly Danish art to becoming an international museum that featured internationally renowned artists.
Check what exhibitions are on, but even if they don’t appeal, visit the museum anyway. It makes for a lovely morning out from Copenhagen. You reach it by train (covered by the Copenhagen Card) followed by a pleasant 20-minute stroll along a suburban road to the museum.
After visiting the exhibitions, head outside where the real stars of the museum are located. Here’s a selection of sculptures dotted all around the large property.
View toward Sweden
Stone spheres in the sculpture garden
Captivating mobile overlooking the Sound
Cool cutout sculpture
Granite sculpture
Is it a Miro?
Louisiana Museum of Modern Art Practical Information
The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art is located in Humlebæk about 30 minutes north of Copenhagen. Catch the train from the main train station and then walk about twenty minutes to the museum. If you have a car, you can drive there. Ample parking is provided. The museum is open Tuesday to Friday from 10:00 to 22:00 and Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 to 18:00 (closed Monday) and covered by the Copenhagen Card.
Purchase the Copenhagen Card
Not all tourist cards are great value, but the Copenhagen Card is definitely worth purchasing. It covers so much of what you’ll want to see in Copenhagen, including all three of the sites and all the transportation options covered in this post, dozens museums (there are a LOT of museums in Copenhagen), and attractions such as Tivoli Gardens (worth a visit to see the lights in the evening). You can use the Copenhagen Card on the local subways. It truly is a bargain and a major time saver.
I almost never buy city cards, but I’m very glad I purchased the Copenhagen Card. Having it saved me loads of time, made sightseeing a pleasure, and took all the stress out of riding public transit. It’s a winner!
Click the image below to purchase the Copenhagen card.
Here are some options for tickets and tours purchased through Tiqets.com:
Where to Stay in Copenhagen
If you’re looking for lots of space in the atmospheric Nyhavn area, you can’t go wrong with this two-bedroom apartment located in one of the colorful houses right on the harbor.
Another good option is the stylishly upscale Phoenix Copenhagen, also in the Nyhavn area. The hotel is pretty high end price-wise, but the staff are friendly, the marble lobby is gorgeous and the restaurant downstairs serves hearty food, particularly welcome on the cold and rainy night I stayed.
Conclusion
Have you taken day trips from Copenhagen? Which ones did you visit and recommend? Please share in the comments below.
Here are more posts about awesome museums to visit in England and Europe:
The best three museums in Copenhagen are all world-class and worth a trip to Denmark’s fabulous capital city just to visit them.
There are several must-sees, but for this post, I focus on my three favorites: the Design Museum, the Danish National Museum, and the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, which is about thirty minutes north of Copenhagen (super easy to get to).
Armed with a Copenhagen Card, I ventured forth into the bustling streets of Copenhagen for three amazing Artsy Traveler experiences.
Highlights at a Glance
Exploring the Magic of Form exhibition at the Design Museum
Viewing the Viking exhibition at the Danish National Museum
Wandering around the outdoor sculptures at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art
The map below shows the location of the three museums described in this post: The Design Museum (#1), the Danish National Museum (#2) and the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art (#3).
Called the Designmuseum Danmark, this museum is absolutely stunning (see #1 on the map above).
Even if you’ve never in your life thought about design, put this museum on your list of must-sees while in Copenhagen. It tells the story of Danish design in room after room of artful displays of everything from furniture to objects to textiles to cutlery to posters, and a lot more.
I never wanted to leave, although after my visit, I did enjoy relaxing in the lovely courtyard and drinking lattes served by an enthusiastic young man. He was so pleased when we raved to him about how much we loved the museum.
Breezy and relaxing outdoor area at the Designmuseum Danmark
Gregg relaxing after touring the Designmuseum Danmark
The many rooms in the Designmuseum Danmark are arranged around themed exhibitions that run for quite a long time. For the most up-to-date information about current exhibitions, check the museum’s website.
Each display is accompanied by informative explanations in both Danish and English. Here’s an overview of the exhibitions I saw at the Designmuseum Danmark.
The Future is Present
The first exhibition we entered explored many of the ways in which designers around the world are finding solutions to challenges such as climate change, refugee flows, pandemics, and more.
How do we live together in communities, relate to each other, and interact with our environments? And what role does design play?
The many displays are both beautiful and thought-provoking. One of my favorites is this display of biodegradable urns. The pendant attached to the urn is planted so that loved ones can enjoy “the growing flowers and a tree in a place for conversation and remembrance.”
Biodegradable urns – a way to remember loved ones long after their passing
Wonder
This exhibition featured objects from some of the Designmuseum’s many collections. The exhibition tells the story of how a thing becomes an object in a private collection or in a museum. Each display is imaginatively presented and accompanied by excellent commentary.
You could spend a lot of time in the Designmuseum Danmark!
Here’s a sampling of some of the objects in the Wonder exhibition.
Gorgeously designed chair from the 19th CenturyArt nouveau necklace
The Magic of Form
Our favorite exhibition was The Magic of Form that took us on a fabulous journey through Danish design history. As anyone who has seen a piece of Danish modern furniture knows, Denmark and design go hand in hand.
The Danes have a knack for creating marvelously designed furniture that is both beautiful and practical.
The exhibition is massive–room after room of objects and pieces of furniture that follow the historical development of Danish design from around 1900 to the present. Every time I entered a new room, I gasped in wonder.
Not only were the objects themselves stunning, but also the way in which they were presented raised my experience of museum display techniques to new heights.
Here’s a selection of a few of the rooms and displays I wandered through.
Danish Modern chairs imaginatively displayed
Vases, a modern light fixture, and an abstract painting
Chock full of color and form
Danish Modern run amok
Ultra modern Danish Modern chic
Colorful sculpture
Other Exhibitions
When I toured the Designmuseum Danmark, I also saw two other exhibitions. The Table, Cover Thyself exhibition of plates and cultlery showed a myriad selection of table settings including plates, cutlery, tureens, figurines, and more. I particularly loved these two jugs.
Two beautifully designed coffee jugs
The Powerful Patterns exhibition explored patterns as an artform and included a wealth of textiles and costumes, including this beautiful dress.
Dress with exquisite embroidery
The Designmuseum Danmark was one of the many highlights of my week in Copenhagen. I can hardly wait to return to see what new exhibitions are being featured.
And to top off my visit, I discovered that even a trip to the ladies room was fraught with design. Here’s what I saw when I look up from where I was, um, sitting:
Chair suspended over a toilet stall at the Designmuseum Danmark
The Danes have a sense of humor for sure!
Design Museum Practical Information
The Designmuseum Danmark is open from 10 am to 6 pm Tuesday to Sunday (closed Monday). Admission is 130 DKK for adults, but you can use your Copenhagen Card (see below for details). The museum is located at Bredgade 68 and makes a great stop on the way to see the Little Mermaid in the Copenhagen harbor.
The National Museum of Denmark
The Nationalmuseet (#2 on the map at the top of this post) is another major museum in which you could get lost for hours. In fact, I ran out of steam after touring the awesome collection of prehistory and Viking artifacts and didn’t see all the museum has to offer.
All the more reason to return!
But even if you, like me, only manage to tour half the museum, make sure it’s the half that includes the Danish prehistory and Viking collections. Each display is cleverly mounted and includes interesting commentary in Danish and English.
Danish Prehistory Collection
I have a soft spot for prehistory museums and monuments, and visit them whenever I can. Check out my post on seven of my fave prehistory spots in Europe. Given my predelictions, I naturally made a beeline for the Danish Prehistory collection.
What a treasure trove!
The exhibition features objects made prior to 1050 AD and extending way, way back into the misty mists of time (like 6000 BCE!) and includes unique archaeological treasures like the Trundholm Chariot of the Sun, the Egtved girl’s grave, the Gundestrup cauldron, the Hoby tomb, and more.
Twenty-four rooms arranged in a large square enclosing the gardens take you from the earliest years up to the Viking era.
I was surprised and enthralled by the age of many of the prehistoric objects in the first several rooms. A highlight is the skeleton of a massive bull elk that perished in a bog over 8500 years ago.
The Tåderup Elk at the Danish National Museum
Here are two of my favorite displays, but there were many more. You could spend a very long time in the Danish prehistory rooms.
Polished figures from prehistoric grave sites
Viksø helmets from the Bronze Age
Viking Exhibition
Eventually, you’ll arrive at the Viking exhibition to be confronted by a model of a full-size Viking ship (and it’s really big!). The ship dominates the large room that includes displays that trace Denmark’s huge contribution to world history.
At one time, Vikings controlled vast swathes of Europe, extending all the way to North America. A wall-size map at the beginning of the exhibition shows how far their influence extended.
Sartorial elegance of the Vikings; a portion of the ship model is in the background
The Danes are very proud of their Viking heritage, as evidenced by the care they’ve taken to mount such a spectacular exhibition.
The Raid Experience
Included in the Viking exhibition is a new multi-media experience called “The Raid” that invites guests to “hop aboard and join the Vikings on an adventurous raid.”
“The Raid” isn’t actually a ride. You walk through a series of rooms, stopping in each to watch a 360-degree projection accompanied by commentary in English. The projections tell the exciting story of Björn Ironside, the legendary Viking who led 62 ships on an ill-fated journey to Rome.
Along the way, they plunder and pillage as Vikings are wont to do, but never actually make it to Rome. They do make it into the Mediterranean, however. Unfortunately, on their way out again, they are almost destroyed by large firebombs raining down upon them from the cliffs above the Strait of Gibraltar.
Poor Bjorn perishes and very few ships make it back to Denmark. So ends Bjorn’s raid, only to be revived 1500-odd years later for tourists to wonder at.
Poster for “The Raid” at the Danish National Museum
What Else to See at the National Museum
The museum includes exhibitions from Denmark’s Middle Ages and Renaissance, the histories of Denmark, an antique collection, the Children’s Museum, Voices from the Colonies, and a Coin and Medal Collection in addition to special exhibitions.
Everything is state-of-the-art, a real testament to recent advances in museumology.
I need to go back!
On the way to the National Museum of Denmark
National Museum of Denmark Practical Information
The National Museum of Denmark is located in the Prince’s Palace at Ny Vestergade 10. It’s within walking distance from Nyhavn where I recommend you stay. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00 (closed Monday) and covered by the Copenhagen Card.
Louisiana Museum of Modern Art
The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art (#3 on the map at the top of this post) is about a 30-minute train ride north of Copenhagen. It’s world-renowned as one of Europe’s best modern art museums, and therefore a must-visit for the Artsy Traveler!
That said, I confess that I found the exhibitions a tad underwhelming. However, the setting of the museum on the North Sea and the many outdoor sculptures are fabulous and well worth the trip.
The food in the restaurant overlooking the water is also excellent!
Founded by Knud W. Jensen to house Danish modern art, the museum opened in 1958. Within a few years, the focus shifted from featuring predominantly Danish art to becoming an international museum that showcased internationally renowned artists.
Check what exhibitions are on, but even if they don’t appeal, visit the museum anyway. It makes for a lovely morning out from Copenhagen. You reach it by train (covered by the Copenhagen Card) followed by a pleasant 20-minute stroll along a suburban road to the museum.
After visiting the exhibitions, head outside where the real stars of the museum are located. Here’s a selection of sculptures dotted all around the large property.
Louisiana Museum of Modern Art Practical Information
The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art is located in Humlebæk about 30 minutes north of Copenhagen. Catch the train from the main train station and then walk about twenty minutes to the museum. If you have a car, you can drive there. Ample parking is provided. The museum is open Tuesday to Friday from 10:00 to 22:00 and Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 to 18:00 (closed Monday) and covered by the Copenhagen Card.
Purchase the Copenhagen Card
Not all tourist cards are great value, but the Copenhagen Card is definitely worth purchasing. It covers so much of what you’ll want to see in Copenhagen, including all three of the museums covered in this post along with dozens more museums (there are a LOT of museums in Copenhagen), attractions such as Tivoli Gardens (worth a visit to see the lights in the evening), and all your transportation in and around Copenhagen.
You can use it on the local subways and on trains that go farther afield to popular destinations such as Frederiksburg Castle, Kronburg Castle, and the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. It truly is a bargain and a major time-saver.
I almost never buy city cards, but I’m very glad I purchased the Copenhagen Card. Having it saved me loads of time, made sightseeing a pleasure, and took all the stress out of riding public transit. It’s a winner!
Click the image below to purchase the Copenhagen card.
Copenhagen Tours & Tickets
Check out more tours and things to do in marvelous Copenhagen with Get Your Guide.
You can also purchase tickets directly through Tiqets.com
Copenhagen Walking Tours
GuruWalk lists pay-what-you-please walking tours that connect tourists with tour guides all around the world. Check out their tours of Copenhagen!
Where to Stay in Copenhagen
If you’re looking for lots of space in the atmospheric Nyhavn area, you can’t go wrong with this two-bedroom apartment located in one of the colorful houses right on the harbor.
Another good option is the stylishly upscale Phoenix Copenhagen, also in the Nyhavn area. The hotel is pretty high end price-wise, but the staff are friendly, the marble lobby is gorgeous and the restaurant downstairs serves hearty food, particularly welcome on the cold and rainy night I stayed.
Conclusion
Have you visited museums in Copenhagen? Which ones did you visit and recommend? Please share in the comments below.
If you love art and you’re London-bound, than you must visit the National Gallery.
I love this place and pop in every chance I get. The National Gallery in London is small enough to enjoy in a few hours without getting exhausted (unlike the Louvre in Paris), and yet big enough to include an astonishing collection of masterpieces from the Middle Ages to the Impressionists.
Also, London’s National Gallery is free, which is amazing considering that every other major art museum in Europe charges at least 20 to 30 Euros.
Five Favorites at a Glance
Here are my top five favorites pieces at the National Gallery (and it was a tough choice)!
On my latest trip to London, I dropped by the National Gallery fairly late in the day and so only had an hour to spend before it closed. An hour is not enough, but if it’s all you have, you won’t be disappointed.
I wandered in a trance from room to room, eyes tearing up as every turn brought so many favorites before me. The National Gallery includes an impressive number of western art’s biggest biggies.
In this post, I showcase what I consider the must-see paintings at the National Gallery–the best of the best if you will.
Note that I’ve downloaded images from the National Gallery’s website, which allows display of its images for personal use, including blogs. I was glad to discover this because my own photographs are sometimes a bit crooked and ill-lit! Thank you, National Gallery.
Medieval Period at the National Gallery
The National Gallery’s medieval collection includes pieces by most of the major painters, including Giotto, Duccio, Lorenzetti, and Lippi.
One of the reasons why I love medieval Italian painting is because of how the artists depicted buildings. While perspective is generally lacking, the artists of this period captured the essence of medieval towns as a hodgepodge of arches and towers built at varying angles and heights.
The arrangements communicate the feeling of a medieval town, rather than just a realistic representation, that still rings true today when you visit places like Siena and San Gimignano in Tuscany.
The Healing of the Man Born Blind by Duccio
I chose this painting because of how Duccio di Buoninsegna depicted the buildings behind the people. I love how the pastel colors of the buildings in the background contrast with the more vibrant robes of the central figures.
This painting is a small panel–one of 54 minutely detailed narrative scenes that was included in Duccio’s Maestà.
A massive work, Maestà is considered one of the most ambitious altarpieces ever created. Most of the rest of the altarpiece is on display in the Museo dell’opera del Duomo in Siena.
Read about it in my post about top cathedrals in Europe in which I include Siena Cathedral adjacent to the Museo. If you’re in Siena, the Museo dell’opera del Duomo (the museum of the cathedral) is a must-see.
When the Maestà was completed in 1311, it was carried through the streets of Siena. One of the characters in my novel The Towers of Tuscany reminiscences about seeing the procession when she was a young girl.
Duccio The Healing of the Man born Blind 1307/8-11 Egg tempera on wood, 45.1 x 46.7 cm Bought, 1883 NG1140 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG1140
A Group of Four Poor Clares by Ambrogio Lorenzetti
Lorenzetti was active in Siena during the 1300s and likely died of the plague that hit Siena in 1348. I really like his work and so was delighted to discover this piece in the National Gallery.
It’s a fragment of a fresco that was discovered under whitewash in 1855. I love the realism of the faces and their pensive expressions.
Ambrogio Lorenzetti A Group of Four Poor Clares possibly about 1336-40 Fresco with areas of secco, 70.4 × 63.4 cm Bought, 1878 NG1147 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG1147
Italian Renaissance at the National Gallery
So many masterpieces, so little time! Take your time when you get to the rooms containing some of the world’s most famous artists from the Italian Renaissance, most notably Leonardo da Vinci and Botticelli. Have a seat and soak up the Renaissance vibe.
The Burlington House Cartoon by Leonardo da Vinci
I remember the first time I saw this piece when I was student at Reading University in the 1970s. Reading was only 40 minutes by train from London so I often went up to enjoy the art museums.
The Burlington House Cartoon is a large drawing made in preparation for a painting and is the only surviving large-scale drawing done by da Vinci.
I like the contrast of rough and finished in the drawing. Some parts, such as the face of Mary, are beautifully detailed and evocative while others, such as the hand of Saint Anne (Mary’s mother) pointing heavenward, are barely sketched in.
Exhibited in a small, dimly lit room, the piece just glows.
Leonardo da Vinci The Burlington House Cartoon about 1499-1500 Charcoal (and wash?) heightened with white chalk on paper, mounted on canvas, 141.5 x 104.6 cm Purchased with a special grant and contributions from the Art Fund, The Pilgrim Trust, and through a public appeal organised by the Art Fund, 1962 NG6337 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG6337
Virgin of the Rocks by Leonardo daVinci
This beautiful painting is one of the most famous in the National Gallery, and a rare example of one of da Vinci’s large-scale paintings.
The techniques he used were ground-breaking at the time, but I think the enduring appeal of the work is because of the expression on the Virgin Mary’s face.
She looks a bit careworn and tired–the image of a mother responsible for the children in her care. Her outstretched hand almost seems to come out of the painting to calm a fretful child.
Leonardo da Vinci, The Virgin of the Rocks, about 1491/2-9 and 1506-8, Oil on poplar, thinned and cradled, 189.5 x 120 cm, Bought, 1880, NG1093, https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG1093
Venus and Mars by Sandro Botticelli
I’ve been a fan of Botticelli’s work since discovering it while taking a first-year History of Art course in 1974.
I’d forgotten that Venus and Mars–one of Botticelli’s most famous paintings–is in the National Gallery, and gasped out loud when I entered the roomful of Botticellis. Fortunately, no one noticed.
There’s so much to love about this painting! The look on Venus’s face as she coolly regards the blissed- out Mars is priceless. She’s clearly not all that impressed!
And then there are the four mischievious nymphs trying to wake up Mars. One of them is even wearing his helmet.
Sandro Botticelli Venus and Mars about 1485 Tempera and oil on poplar, 69.2 x 173.4 cm Bought, 1874 NG915 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG915
Flemish Masterpieces at the National Gallery
The National Gallery is particularly well endowed with masterpieces from the northern Renaissance. You’ll find several pieces by Rembrandt, two gems by Vermeer, and a famous van Dyck, among many others.
The Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck
This portrait of Italian merchant Giovanni di Nicolao di Arnolfini and his wife is one of the most famous paintings in the National Gallery, and is considered one of the most famous and intriguing paintings in the world.
There are so many details to examine, and all have significance. For more information about the painting (which was completed in 1434) and why it’s considered so great, check out this analysis on YouTube.
Jan van Eyck The Arnolfini Portrait 1434 Oil on oak, 82.2 x 60 cm Bought, 1842 NG186 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG186
A Woman Bathing in a Stream by Rembrandt
This is such a tender, beautiful painting by Rembrandt, and a bit of a change from his many portraits and self-portraits.
The woman may be Hendrickje Stoffels, who came into Rembrandt’s household to look after his infant son after his first wife, Saskia, died. Hendrickje and Rembrandt became lovers but were unable to marry.
There is a universality about the intimate moment caught in the painting that resonates with anyone who has ever taken off their shoes on a hot day to wade in a cool stream.
Rembrandt A Woman bathing in a Stream (Hendrickje Stoffels?) 1654 Oil on oak, 61.8 x 47 cm Holwell Carr Bequest, 1831 NG54 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG54
A Young Woman Seated at a Virginal by Johannes Vermeer
The word exquisite always come to mind when I look at a painting by Vermeer.
Detailed and delicate, this painting shows us a moment in time. The young girl is just about to play the virginal, but someone or something has distracted her. Whatever it is, she doesn’t look too thrilled.
One of the ways to appreciate just why Vermeer is considered so great is to look at paintings by his contemporaries. Most depict similar subjects, but you can tell right away that there’s something different about the Vermeers.
The brushwork is finer, the light more skillfully depicted, the backgrounds more perfectly rendered. Vermeer didn’t paint many pieces during his lifetime, but what he did paint was pretty amazing.
Johannes Vermeer A Young Woman seated at a Virginal about 1670-2 Oil on canvas, 51.5 x 45.5 cm Salting Bequest, 1910 NG2568 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG2568
ABoy and A Girl with a Cat and an Eel by Judith Leyster
I was super excited to come across this painting by Judith Leyster, who has been getting more recognition in recent years. The boy and the girl are definitely up to no good!
Judith Leyster A Boy and a Girl with a Cat and an Eel about 1635 Oil on oak, 59.4 × 48.8 cm Bequeathed by C.F. Leach, 1943 NG5417 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG5417
The Four Elements: Air, Earth, Fire, Water by Joachim Beuckelaer
I had never seen these paintings before. They are not particularly famous, but they are interesting. I couldn’t stop looking at them.
Each painting depicts food according to its relationship to one of the four elements.
In the Air painting, birds are being plucked and sold. Some impressive-looking vegetables are on display in the Earth painting. The Fire painting depicts game being butchered and roasted, and finally many different varieties of fish are ready for market in the Water painting.
The expressions on the faces of the people in the paintings are blank and dour. No one looks like they are enjoying themselves!
But the colors and textures of the foods are so incredibly real. They almost look like they are about to spill out of the paintings onto the floor of the gallery.
Joachim Beuckelaer The Four Elements: Air 1570 Oil on canvas, 158 × 216 cm Bought, 2001 NG6587 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG6587Joachim Beuckelaer The Four Elements: Earth 1569 Oil on canvas, 158 × 215.4 cm Bought, 2001 NG6585 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG6585Joachim Beuckelaer The Four Elements: Fire 1570 Oil on canvas, 158.2 × 215.4 cm Bought, 2001 NG6588 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG6588Joachim Beuckelaer The Four Elements: Water 1569 Oil on canvas, 158.1 × 214.9 cm Bought, 2001 NG6586 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG6586
Baroque Paintings at the National Gallery
Boy Bitten by a Lizard by Caravaggio
In a room full of great paintings, I was instantly drawn to this small painting by Caravaggio of a boy being bitten by a lizard.
The expression on his face is so real and so relatable. The painting was completed in Rome in the mid-1590s and was considered innovative for the time. Apparently, it was unusual for a late-16th-century painting to show such a moment of action.
Caravaggio, however, wasn’t worried about following artistic conventions. He painted directly on the canvas from live models
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio Boy bitten by a Lizard about 1594-5 Oil on canvas, 66 x 49.5 cm Bought with the aid of a contribution from the J. Paul Getty Jr Endowment Fund, 1986 NG6504 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG6504
British Painting at the National Gallery
Room 34 at the National Gallery contains some of the most beloved paintings by British artists, including William Turner and John Constable (two of my faves).
The Fighting Temeraire by William Turner
My father bought a print of this painting when he first visited London in the 1960s. It was probably the first real painting I’d ever seen, and I remember loving to look at it when I was a child.
When I saw it again in the National Gallery, I couldn’t help feeling emotional since my father has been gone for several years now and my mother passed quite recently.
Turner’s painting shows the final journey of the Temeraire, a warship that had played a distinguished role in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, but by 1838 was ready for the scrap heap.
It’s a poignant scene in its depiction of the age of sail giving way to the age of steam. Turner, of course, was most famous for his depiction of light, which is on full display in the magnificent sunset depicted in the painting.
The painting is one of Turner’s most famous and duly celebrated, but for me it will always remind me of my childhood home.
Joseph Mallord William Turner The Fighting Temeraire 1839 Oil on canvas, 90.7 x 121.6 cm Turner Bequest, 1856 NG524 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG524
The Hay Wain by John Constable
This bucolic painting by John Constable is one of the most famous British painting. It depicts the millpond at Flatford on the River Stour about about a mile from Constable’s birthplace at East Bergholt, Suffolk.
it really is quintessentially English–an idealized view of the countryside and a time long past. And look at the sky! Constable was a master of clouds.
John Constable, The Hay Wain, 1821, Oil on canvas, 130.2 x 185.4 cm, Presented by Henry Vaughan, 1886, NG1207, https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG1207
Impressionists and Post-Impressionists at the National Gallery
The rooms displaying paintings by the Impressionists and post-Impressionists are generally mobbed at the National Gallery. So many famous pieces are included!
Stand in the middle of one of the rooms and rotate slowly. If you’re a fan of this era and style of art, you’ll likely recognize just about every piece in the room, from the iconic Sunflowers by van Gogh to the massive painting of The Bathers by Seurat and the sublime waterlilies by Monet.
I’d forgotten just how rich the National Gallery’s collection of French Impressionists is and spent my first few minutes in the rooms exclaiming (to myself), they have that? and that one? oh, my, and that one too?This is incredible!
I had to sit down a few times just to collect myself. I’ve picked out four of my favorites (but it was a tough choice).
Waterlilies by Monet
This luscious painting dominates one entire wall and is hard to get a full-on look at thanks to the throngs of like-minded visitors standing in front of it.
This piece is one that was not included in the collection of large waterlily paintings in Musėe de l’Orangerie in Paris (check out my round-up of Nine of the Best Small Museums in Paris for more about the Monets in the Orangerie).
The waterlily paintings in the Orangerie include details of trees and foliage that anchor the viewer and give them a sense of location. But this painting in the National Gallery is completely free-flowing.
You have no idea where in the pond you are; you’re immersed in a shimmering world of greens and pinks and purples. No photograph can do it justice; you need to stand in front of the real thing and just drink it in.
Claude Monet Water-Lilies after 1916 Oil on canvas, 200.7 x 426.7 cm Bought, 1963 NG6343 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG6343
Sunflowers by Vincent van Gogh
This cheerful painting of sunflowers exuberantly clumped together in a plain vase signed by “Vincent” is probably the most famous of van Gogh’s works. It appears on a dizzying array of merchandise in the gift shop, from mugs to cards to t-shirts to umbrellas.
Why is this painting so famous? I think because it looks like sunshine on canvas. The varying shades of yellow and gold that van Gogh uses perfectly capture the feeling of a hot day in late summer when some sunflowers are still in bloom, others have just passed their peak and are starting to wilt, and still others have lost their petals completely.
This version of Sunflowers is one of five, the other four being on display in art museums around the world including the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam (always worth a visit!).
Apparently, van Gogh made the paintings to decorate his house in Arles in preparation for a visit from fellow artist Paul Gauguin.
Vincent van Gogh Sunflowers 1888 Oil on canvas, 92.1 x 73 cm Bought, Courtauld Fund, 1924 NG3863 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG3863
Bathers at Asnières by Georges Seurat
The painting depicts regular people enjoying a day off on the banks of the Seine, the factories they work in visible in the distance, their focus on the feel of warm grass and cool water.
It’s a snapshot in time. Each person is immersed in his own thoughts; each is alone, the exhaustion of a week at work still heavy on their shoulders even on their day off.
This massive painting is famous for its use of pointillism and was Seurat’s first major composition. He painted it at the age of 24 to make his mark at the official Salon in the spring of 1884. Unfortunately, the painting was rejected!
Georges Seurat Bathers at Asnières 1884 Oil on canvas, 201 × 300 cm Bought, Courtauld Fund, 1924 NG3908 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG3908
Surprised! by Rousseau
This painting by Rousseau was new to me, and I just loved it!
Look at the expression on the tiger’s face! Has he been frightened by the flashes of lightning and the sudden wind blowing the jungle foliage all over the place? Who knows? But it’s such a wonderfully lush moment.
Surprised! was the first of about 20 jungle paintings that Rousseau produced. His jungles are entirely imaginary; Rousseau never left France.
He was an amateur artist who faced a fair bit of ridicule from the art establishment, but now Rousseau is considered a pioneer of “naïve art.”
Henri Rousseau Surprised! 1891 Oil on canvas, 129.8 x 161.9 cm Bought, with the aid of a substantial donation from the Hon. Walter H. Annenberg, 1972 NG6421 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG6421
Visiting the National Gallery
The National Gallery is open daily from 10 am to 6 pm and on Fridays until 9 pm. It’s located on Trafalgar Square in central London and entry is free, although donations are welcomed.
To get to the National Gallery, hop on the tube and get off at either Charing Cross or Leicester Square.
Eating at the National Gallery
The eateries at the National Gallery include. Ochre is an upscale cocktail bar open for lunch through dinner where you can also partake of the Ochre Afternoon Tea (served daily from 3 to 4:30 pm). For a quick bite, check out Muriel’s Kitchen, a self-serve café offering a casual menu.
Shopping at the National Gallery
You’ll find two shops full of all the postcards, art souvenirs, and high quality prints you could want. Every purchase made at the gift shop raises money to maintain the National Gallery.
Tours of the National Gallery
Every so often, I spring for a guided tour of an art museum and I’m never disappointed. Here’s a guided National Gallery highlights tour that includes afternoon tea (how very British!).
Staying in London
Although London is not very budget-friendly, I’ve usually managed to find good places to stay right in the center of the action.
On my latest trip to London, I stayed at the Park Plaza Victoria London Hotel, a well-located and excellent deal for a modern, four-star hotel in the heart of London.
The Wilde ApartHotel just off the Strand is within walking distance of the National Gallery and also most of the West End theaters.
Conclusion
Have you visited the National Gallery? What are some of your favorites? Share in the Comments below. Want more posts about art museums? Here are some posts about great art museums in Europe that I’ve visited and recommend:
While planning a solo trip to England, I put Birmingham on my list for one reason only. I wanted to visit a National Trust property called Birmingham Back to Backs.
It’s not a grand country house like the vast majority of National Trust properties, but rather a nondescript collection of cramped houses built around a courtyard in the style known as back-to-back.
For over two centuries, millions of Britons (including some of my ancestors) lived and worked in this type of housing.
I was writing a novel set in a mill town in Yorkshire in the 1890s and wanted to know how regular people lived. Since the Birmingham Back to Backs property is the only one of its kind left in England, I booked two nights in Birmingham to see it.
But I had zero expectations of what else I’d see and do while in Birmingham.
Birmingham Map
The map below includes all the locations mentioned in this post. I suggest staying in the Gas Street Basin area (see below). You can walk pretty much everywhere from there or grab an Uber.
I arrived by train from Stratford-upon-Avon to Birmingham New Street Train Station (#5 on the map above) at 7 pm after a wonderful day tootling around the Cotswolds on a Go Cotswolds tour and took a taxi to the AC Marriott hotel located on the edge of the Gas Street Basin (#3 on the map above) in Birmingham’s bustling and refurbished city center.
The AC Marriott is located in Gas Street Basin in the building called The Mailbox
The second largest city in England, Birmingham appears to be booming.
After checking in to the hotel, I emerged quayside to the Gas Street Basin to survey a plethora of modern architecture, colorful boats cruising along canals lined with posh restaurants and bustling pubs, and throngs of people out having a good time.
Birmingham apparently has more miles of canals than Venice. Who knew?
The city planners got things right with this area of Birmingham. It’s incredibly people-friendly with its canal-side walkways and aura of peaceful prosperity.
Revitalized Birmingham
A Full Day in Birmingham
While enjoying my first coffee of the day at a coffee shop on the main floor of the hotel, I tried to listen in on the conversation between two men sitting next to me.
They were speaking English—I think. The famous Brummie accent really is just about incomprehensible, at least to me.
I needed to listen very, very carefully to hear more than a series of rumbles and mumbles with swallowed consonants and vowels and glottal stops. Clipped words emerged from throats that sounded like they’d been stuffed with cotton. I worried the men were choking, but no, they were just having a regular conversation. I’ve eavesdropped on French conversations and understood more!
So far, I’ve had to ask anyone I’ve interacted with to repeat themselves several times. Even a phrase like Anything else? asked by the coffee person comes out as noise.
And I thought the Scots accent was hard to understand! The Birmingham accent has it beat, hands down.
Birmingham Back to Backs
As mentioned, I decided to spend a full day in Birmingham to tour the Birmingham Back to Backs (#1 on the map above), a National Trust property that promises to let visitors experience 200 years of working people’s lives in the heart of Birmingham.
A hundred years ago, the Midlands and North of England were full of these brick structures built to accommodate the millions of factory workers needed to keep the industrial revolution ticking over.
I purchased my ticket a month prior (pre-booking is essential) and arrived at 10:30 am for the first tour of the day.
Entrance to Birmingham Back to Backs National Trust Property
For almost two hours, I enjoyed one of the most comprehensive and interesting tours I’ve ever experienced.
The National Trust is known for its stewardship of massive stately homes—domains of the 1%. I’ve visited many of these homes over the years and marveled at the art and architecture.
The Birmingham Back to Backs are at the opposite end of the wealth spectrum. That the National Trust also recognized the need to preserve the type of building in which a great majority of the population lived right up until the early 2000s is to its credit.
What are Back to Backs?
The Back to Backs are houses built, as the name suggests, back-to-back, with half the houses facing the street and the other half facing an inner courtyard.
A collection of these houses is known as a court. Some courts included dozens of houses.
The National Trust has preserved Court 15, a community of eleven houses thought to have housed over 500 different families over its 200-year lifespan.
The courtyard at the Birmingham Back to Backs
A very knowledgeable guide took our group into four homes and related the stories of the occupants from four time periods between 1840 and 1977. In our group of 9, everyone except me hailed from England.
One of the men, who was about my age, told us that his mum had been born in a Back to Back. I’m pretty sure my grandmother and certainly my great-grandmother would have lived in similar housing up in Yorkshire.
House 1: 1851
Each of the four houses we visit was decorated in the style of a different time period.
The first was from 1851 and was occupied by the Levys, a Jewish family who migrated to Birmingham from London. The house was surprisingly comfortable, even spacious, although certainly not luxurious. Lawrence Levy had been a watchmaker and had his workshop on the top floor.
We climbed up and down tiny twisting stairways numerous times during the tour.
Handrails and grips were provided for safety, but the guide informed us that back in the day, none of the staircases would have had handrails.
She asked us to imagine how agile a woman would have needed to be to mount the stairs while wearing long skirts and carrying a candle in one hand and probably a baby in the other. Apparently, accidents were common, and no wonder.
Even hanging on with both hands, I could barely make it up some of the almost vertical stairways!
House 2: 1860s
The next house we entered belonged to the Oldfield family who lived in one of the back houses in the 1860s.
Eleven people lived in the house at that time—two parents, seven children, and two lodgers all crammed into three floors consisting of one room per floor that also included space for Herbert Oldfield’s workshop. He was a glassworker who made glass eyes for dolls and stuffed toys.
One of the double beds had four pillows—two at each end. Four children would have slept top to tail in the bed, with likely one more in the middle! The guide also showed us a bureau drawer in which the baby slept.
A curtain divided the children’s bed from another double bed slept in by two lodgers.
A man and a woman (unmarried) shared the bed but apparently not at the same time. One worked the day shift and the other the night shift so they were two ships passing in the night.
Their space was bare of everything except a bed and a high shelf on which was stacked a small collection of books. The entire room was maybe 12’ x 12’.
The overcrowding must have been horrendous—and yet very common. My great-grandmother with her twelve brothers and sisters would have lived in a similar place when she was young.
She eloped in 1903 and emigrated to Canada in 1911 when my grandmother was five years old. The log cabin she inhabited in British Columbia with her four children and no running water must have seemed like paradise compared to the housing of her youth.
Entrance to the communal wash house at the Birmingham Back to Backs
House 3: 1830s-1935
Three generations of the third family—the Mitchells—lived at Court 15 from the 1830s, when water had to be brought from the well a few blocks away, until 1935 when the houses had basic plumbing and electricity.
The prevailing feeling in the small rooms was how cramped, dark, and uncomfortable they must have been to live in. The upper floors had no heat, and damp was a constant problem.
House 4: 1960s-2002
The final house was lived in by George Saunders who migrated to Birmingham in 1958 from St. Kitts in the Caribbean.
By that time, the ground floor of Court 15 had been converted to shops with some people still living in the floors above. George was a tailor and the last person who worked in Court 15 before its closure in 2002.
Special Exhibition at Birmingham Back to Backs
After enjoying the tour (highly recommended), I toured the special exhibitions.
The most interesting documented the Child’s Emigration Homes founded by John T. Milldemore in 1873. The Homes sent 5000 orphans and desperately poor children from Birmingham to Ontario, Nova Scotia, and British Columbia in Canada. Between 1922 and 1955, they sent another 259 children to Australia.
While some children thrived in their new homes, others did not and suffered terrible abuse. The pictures and commentary are both heartbreaking and compelling.
Photograph of Mary S., living in poverty in Birmingham in 1896 and allegedly better off in Canada in 1897George Before and After
Birmingham Back to Backs Practical Information
Operated by the National Trust, the Birmingham Back to Backs are accessible only by a guided tour that you must book in advance. Here’s the link. Tours are offered from 10:00 to 15:00 daily (closed Monday). Admission is free to National Trust members. Non-member prices are £9.50 for adults and £4.75 for children.
The Barber Institute of Fine Arts
After a lunch of leftover chicken wings from my dinner the night before, I set off for the Barber Institute of Fine Arts (#2).
I had wanted to visit the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery (#6) which is said to be world-class and have an excellent collection of paintings by the pre-Raphaelites. However, it was undergoing renovations, with almost all the galleries were closed.
Housed in an imposing building on the campus of the University of Birmingham, the Barber Institute of Fine Arts was also reputed to have a fine collection so off I went.
I took my first Birmingham Uber with a young man originally from Haiti who was very interested in learning all about Canada.
We had a great chat as he drove me through the posh area of Birmingham with large houses and leafy avenues on our way to the university.
The Barber Institute Collection
The collection at the Barber Institute of Fine Arts was small but quite exquisite. I spent a happy hour wandering past works from the 14th to the 19th centuries. Here are a few highlights.
Dürer Special Exhibition
One room was dedicated to a special exhibition of etchings by Albrecht Dürer. I’ve had a soft spot for Dürer even since touring his house in Nuremberg.
Etching of a greyhound by Albrecht Dürer
Medieval Art
One of the first rooms included a good collection of medieval art (always my favorite).
Here’s a piece by Simone Martini (1284-1344) of Saint John the Evangelist. Painted in Siena in 1320, the piece originally formed the right-hand panel of a triptych. Although there is no signature on the piece to prove it was painted by Martini, the refined use of color, the elegant borders to the drapery, and the decoration in the gilding are characteristic of Martini’s style, which was very innovative for the time.
Flemish Art
I am fascinated by the still life paintings common in Flanders during the 16th and 17th centuries. The Barber had several interesting examples, including the two shown below.
A Still Life with a Nautilus Cup by Jan Davidsz de Heem
I love how the objects have been arranged in this painting to demonstrate how well the artist is able to show the play of light on different materials–shell, pewter, leaves, fruit, etc., using only a few colors.
Jan Davidsz de Heem (1606-1683/4) lived in Leiden, Holland.
A Still Life with a Nautilus Cup by Jan Davidsz de Heem
Still Life with a Garland of Fruit by Maria Tassaert
A woman artist! You don’t see many of them, although I’m noticing in recent trips to Europe that changes are afoot. In most galleries, I found a least a few paintings by female old masters as more and more of them are being rediscovered and given their due.
Maria Tassaert (about 1642-1668) lived and worked in Antwerp in Flanders.
The painting is a celebration of Nature’s bounty and the artist’s technical skills in depicting a cluster of fruit that includes cherries, white peaches, white and black grapes, nectarines, raspberries, blackberries, and gooseberries in addition to ivy and fruit-tree leaves.
Still Life with a Garland of Fruit by Maria Tassaert
Impressionists
The Barber Institute includes a few beautiful paintings from the 19th century, including a very fine Renoir.
A Young Woman Seated by Pierre-Auguste Renoir
This work became know as La Pensée or Thought and was painted around 1876. The soft oranges, reds, greens, and blues are typical of the Impressionist pallette during that period.
A Young Woman Seated by Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Pre-Raphaelites
The Last of England by Ford Madox Brown
One of the Barber Institutes major works is The Last of England by pre-Raphaelite artist Ford Madox Brown. It’s one of the masterworks of Victorian painting and one of the very few pieces in the collection that I was not allowed to photograph. Thank goodness for Wikipedia Commons (see picture below).
The painting depicts a young family huddled together on an open boat on their way to a ship that will take them from England to a new life in the colonies. The resigned expressions on their faces as they leave behind their home is caught with painstaking detail.
Ford Madox Brown, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Barber Institute of Fine Arts Practical Information
The Barber Institute of Fine Arts is located on the campus of the University of Birmingham and is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00. Admission is free.
Strolling Around the Canals
I took an Uber back to my hotel and went for a stroll along the canals in the area immediately adjacent to Gas Street Basin (#3) where I was staying.
Restaurants and upscale pubs line the canals which were teeming with people enjoying the Bank Holiday Sunday.
The prevailing atmosphere was prosperous, cheerful, and incredibly diverse. Everyone seemed to be under forty, many pushing strollers. People from all over the world have made Birmingham their home, which rivals London for the diversity of its population.
Birmingham CanalsBrummies at play in a Birmingham plaza
What Else to See and Do in Birmingham
With only a day to spare, I didn’t have time to enjoy all the delights of Birmingham. Here are some suggestions if you have some extra hours. I particularly recommend the walking tours.
Where to Stay in Birmingham
I recommend staying in the vicinity of the Gas Street Basin, preferably overlooking one of the canals.
I stayed in the AC Hotel by Marriott and can recommend it. The room was spacious, the staff friendly and helpful, and the large bar very comfortable.
Also, the location overlooking the Gas Street Basin can’t be beat. Right outside your door are plenty of restaurants and cafes.
Every so often when traveling, serendipity rears its delightful head. The plans you’ve made go awry, but instead of facing disaster, you step into something even more wonderful.
That happened to us while traveling a few kilometers out of the fabled town of Montepulciano in Tuscany.
Read about our day leading up to finding Sant’Antonio Country Resort or cut to the chase and scroll down to my review!
Lead-Up to Montepulciano
In Rome, we woke up to the first rainy day of our time in Italy (we’d been in the country two weeks). The clanging at the building site next door to our apartment was slightly muted, much to our relief.
After nine nights, it was time to leave the Eternal City. We were all packed and waiting at the door for our 10:30 Uber. Horrendous Rome traffic delayed him over half an hour, but when he finally arrived, Roberto was cheerful and helpful.
Thirty minutes later, he dropped us at the garage where we found the same smiling attendant and our car already out of its slot and waiting for us to drive it away. What a wonderful service. Shout-out to Parclick!
Arrival in Montepulciano
We made it out of Rome without even one wrong turn—perhaps a record for us! Soon, we were back on the Autostrade speeding north to Tuscany. Ah, Tuscany! It’s one of my favorite places in Europe which is why I set my first novel, The Towers of Tuscany, there. I’m working on two more novels set in Tuscany; perhaps on this trip I’d find more inspiration to finish them.
The beauty of the Tuscany landscape never gets old
After a smooth two-hour drive, we pulled up in front of our hotel for two nights—a lovely Albergo about five minutes outside Montepulciano. Neither of us had ever visited Montepulciano and so decided that on this trip we’d skip our usual visits to San Gimignano and Siena and see something new. Good call!
No Room at the Inn
Except we had a few more hoops to go through before the full Tuscan experience would wash over us.
The proprietor of the hotel looked puzzled when I give him my name. He searched his list, frowned, shook his head.
No, Signora.
Oh dear. I pulled out my phone and showed him my booking on booking.com and said in a somewhat aggrieved tone, We’ve definitely booked! See – October 13 to 15! A little shiver of doubt ran through me as I said this. Wasn’t today October 13?
He peered at my phone. Ah. That’s next year, Signora.
Oh.
And of course the place was full.
Plan B
We piled back into the car and started driving toward a place he suggested. Within three minutes–Google Maps notwithstanding–we were lost. We’ve found that Google Maps doesn’t always work well in the Italian countryside, or in the cities for that matter.
Gregg pulled over and I consulted my phone to see what booking.com had to offer. Fortunately, several options popped up around Montepulciano. We wanted something outside the town in a country setting. Over the years, we’ve had our share of disasters when we’ve booked places within the medieval walls of an ancient town. If you’ve ever done so, you’ll know what I mean. And if you haven’t, trust me.
If you’re driving, never book a place inside the walls of a medieval city. Ever.
Success
After a few searches, I selected Sant’Antonio Country Resort. It ticked all the boxes–countryside, looked pretty, nice big rooms, mid-range price, and best of all, available. I booked it, paid for it, and entered the address in Google Maps. The suggested route took us around Montepulciano where a band of red showed traffic congestion. Another route that was supposed to be slower but seemingly more direct took us across country in a straight line.
Throwing caution to the wind, I decided to ignore Google Maps and the nice GPS lady and directed Gregg along the other route.
On Our Way Again
Soon, we were bumping along dirt roads cleaving through vine-studded fields punctuated by deep green cypresses. In the distance, a row of pale blue Tuscan mountains floated in a smoky autumnal haze.
It was the Tuscany of our dreams. And fortunately, the road, although unpaved, was not undrivable. So, at a leisurely and extremely scenic pace, we eventually arrived at a massive iron gate—the entrance to the grandly named Sant’Antonio Country Resort.
I wasn’t sure what to expect.
I pressed the intercom and a voice told us to drive in as the gates slowly opened. The owners were incredibly welcoming and friendly. They informed us that never in the history of their working with booking.com had anyone ever booked on the website on the same day they wanted to stay. Apparently, the system is designed to reject such bookings.
But for some unexplainable reason, a glitch in the system let us through. How fortuitous!
Heaven at Sant’Antonio Country Resort: My Review
Sant’Antonio Country Resort is everything we love about Tuscany. Here’s why:
Located out in the country but still within a short drive of an iconic hilltown, in this case, Montepulciano
Plenty of free parking and easy to drive to
Gorgeous self-contained units in a renovated medieval convent
Most units with terraces
A swimming pool and many outdoor areas on the grounds
Plenty of country walks and scenic drives nearby
Stunning vistas of olive trees and cypresses at every turn
Excellent reviews
Friendly and accommodating owners who speak English and genuinely love sharing their little piece of heaven with their guests
And at the Sant’Antonio Country Resort, there is even a friendly fox that likes to steal shoes. We were warned not to leave our shoes outside our door because the fox would take them. What the fox does with the shoes is a mystery, but we agreed not to find out.
Our Accommodation at Sant’Antonio Country Resort
The owners very kindly upgraded us to a two-bedroom apartment complete with very comfortable living room, a big dining room, a large bed in the master bedroom, a second smaller bedroom where we stashed the luggage, and two bathrooms.
Oh, and two terraces.
Here are a few photographs of the place.
Our two-bedroom apartment is on the ground floor
Comfortable living room and dining area
On a walk on the grounds of the resort
Beautiful spots for relaxing all over the property
Memorable Dinners in Montepulciano
After a few hours reveling in our good luck, we left around 5 pm for a drive up to Montepulciano which we discovered is a lovely, calm town, much less frenetic than other Tuscan towns such as San Gimignano.
The deal here is food and wine—lots of wine, particularly the vino nobile of Montepulciano. We stopped at a little bar and I sampled my first glass while Gregg had a cappuccino. With about an hour to kill before our dinner reservation (kindly made by our hosts at Sant’Antonio Country Resort), we climbed the cobbled streets to reach the piazza. It was nearly empty in the early evening. I imagine that during the day, the place is mobbed.
Carol in the Grande Piazza in Montepulciano
Sunset over Tuscany from MontepulcianoDarkness falls over Montepulciano
Dinner at Porta di Bacco was served in an ancient room replete with a column (is it Roman?) and brick arches. The wine and food were predictably excellent. I ordered gnocchi with a duck ragout—hearty and tasty. The food here is different from Rome – more country-style and a nice change from the usual fare offered in Roman trattorias, which can get a bit repetitive.
After a moonlit stroll back to the car, we faced the challenging drive in the dark back to Sant’Antonio Country Resort. A drive that in daylight is quick and easy took on a different tenor at night. We made a few wrong turns but eventually got back on track and were soon pulling into our temporary home.
The next night we dined at Ristorante La Grotta, outside the city walls. Located in a 16th-century building, the restaurant was directly opposite the Church of San Biagio, a noted example of Tuscan Renaissance architecture.
Getting settled at the Ristorante La Grotta
My dessert
Church of San Biagio with Montepulciano perched on the hill above
I highly recommend Ristorante La Grotta for a Tuscan splurge. The service was impeccable and the food excellent. It was the most expensive meal we had in nine weeks, but at 110 Euros for three gourmet courses and excellent wine, it was an amazing bargain!
Enjoying Sant’Antonio Country Resort
While at Sant’Antonio Country Resort, we met some fellow Canadians who shared that they’ve visited before, and love returning. I can’t say I blame them!
We spent our day “off” from traveling by taking walks around the property (it stretches for several hectares), enjoying a drive along small country roads in the area, and generally chilling out. We even saw the fox!
Gregg working on one of our two terraces
Swimming pool (too cold in October!)
Walkway to our suite
An outdoor dining area for guests
Beautiful vista of Tuscan countryside near Sant’Antonio Country Resort
Should You Visit Sant’Antonio Country Resort?
If you’re looking for a Tuscan retreat that is reasonably priced (albeit slightly on the high side, but worth it), set in a glorious landscape, and owned by very helpful and friendly hosts, then I can’t recommend Sant’Antonio Country Resort highly enough.
For other places in and around Montepulciano, click the map below.
Many years ago, I took a wine tour of Tuscany that included a visit to a vineyard near Montepulciano. If you have a day to spare while visiting Tuscany, I highly recommend booking a wine tour. Here are a few suggestions.
Other Posts about Tuscany
Over the past three decades, I’ve visited Tuscany at least a dozen times, and every time I discover new wonders to enjoy and fabulous places to stay. For more suggestions about Tuscany, check out these posts:
Artsy traveling means being on the lookout for interesting encounters with artists, artisans, musicians, writers—the whole pantheon of creative people.
In Arezzo, a delightful town in Tuscany known as the city of gold and high fashion, I met with visual artist Silvia Salvadori.
Silvia works out of her studio, the Bottega d’Arte Toscana, on a tiny side street steps from the Piazza Grande in Arezzo (see the map below).
If you are in Arezzo, stop by to meet her and see her marvelous work.
Silvia is one of the very few artists in Italy who creates art using the same painting techniques as those used by the great masters of medieval Tuscany. I’m talking about such luminaries as Giotto, Duccio, and Lorenzetti—all artists I love and who inspired my debut novel The Towers of Tuscany.
Who is Silvia Salvadori?
Silvia’s ambition as an artist is to preserve and promote the ancient painting techniques described by Cennino Cennini in his work Il Libro dell’Arte (1370-1440) and by Giorgio Vasari in the Lives of the most excellent painters, sculptors, and architects (1550-1568).
Using these techniques, Silvia draws her inspiration from the art created by artists in Florence and Siena during medieval, Gothic, and early Renaissance times.
Silvia’s workshop–the Bottega d’Arte Toscana–is a treasure trove of beautiful paintings. One of the more prominent pieces is A Window in Time that hangs on the back wall of the Bottega and immediately captured my attention.
This arresting painting is a tribute to the city of Arezzo and the work of Piero della Francesca. The painting is a good example of how Silvia uses medieval painting techniques to put her own spin on a medieval subject.
Interview with Silvia Salvadori
I interviewed Silvia in the Bottega d’Arte Toscana in Arezzo in October 2022. Here’s an excerpt from our lively conversation conducted with the aid of a translation app.
Silvia’s Inspiration
Artsy Traveler: Why have you chosen to create works inspired by medieval art and using medieval techniques?
Silvia Salvadori: Twenty years ago, I began to study these painting techniques while at school in Siena. From there, a real adventure began. I decided I wanted to rediscover and use the painting techniques described by Cennini, a painter who lived in the 14th century and was a pupil of Giotto.
Art materials being used in Silvia’s workshop
Silvia’s Goal as an Artist
Artsy Traveler: What is your goal?
SilviaSalvadori: My goal is to preserve these techniques from medieval art and pass them on to future generations. These techniques are typically Tuscan. They were born in Siena and then also applied later by artists living in Florence and Arezzo where other schools of painting were born.
There have been other artists who have taken up these techniques but only to make reproductions or copies. I started by making copies, but now I am creating a style that is Renaissance but that also looks to the future.
It is a cultural project. These medieval art techniques are important and should not be lost.
How Silvia Creates a Painting
Artsy Traveler: How do you create a painting?
Silvia Salvadori: As described in Cennini’s book Il Libro dell’Arte, I start with wooden boards from poplar, lime, willow or pear trees that have been aged at least thirty years. I then prepare them using layers and layers (eight to twelve coats) of rabbit skin glue mixed with chalk. The chalk I use is the same kind that Cennini used in the 14th century. I also use the same pigments that Cennini describes.
The second phase is gilding performed with thin leaves of pure 23 carat gold stretched on a thin layer of red clay. I also use precious gems. These gems all had special meaning in medieval times. For example, amber, which I use a lot, symbolizes eternity.
For a detailed description of all the steps involved in creating a painting, check this page on Silvia’s website.
Silvia demonstrates how she uses a small punch to make designs in the gold leaf.
Landscapes in Silvia’s Work
Artsy Traveler: I see that you also often include landscapes in your paintings.
SilviaSalvadori: Yes, since I live in Arezzo and every day see the Tuscany landscape, I like to include it in my paintings.
An example of one of Silvia Salvadori’s landscape paintings
Looking to the Future
Artsy Traveler: Will you one day teach your techniques?
Silvia: I would very much like to teach young people how to paint using these techniques so that the techniques are not lost. But as Cennino said, technique is not enough. To create art, you must have a kind soul.
Silvia’s Artwork
As soon as you see one of Silvia’s pieces, you know you are looking at work inspired by medieval and Renaissance art. And while most of her subjects are directly related to their medieval and Renaissance counterparts, some subjects are contemporary and from pop culture.
Silvia’s work glows with the rich colors she creates from pigments she mixes with egg tempera, just like Cennini describes in his handbook. Her skill is awe-inspiring. Following are examples of the many gorgeous paintings hanging in Bottega d’Arte.
Paintings of Madonna and Child
Go to any art gallery in Italy that features medieval art and you’ll see scores of depictions of the Madonna and Child. Silvia’s versions, while heavily inspired by medieval works, are fresh and vibrant. The colors glow in the soft light of her workshop.
Here are four of the Madonna and Child paintings displayed in the Bottega d’Arte.
Paintings of Medieval Scenes
I love how medieval artists depicted buildings and towns. Silvia does the same when she includes buildings in her paintings. I particularly loved these two pieces.
Paintings with Contemporary Subjects
Silvia doesn’t confine herself to creating works in the medieval style. Many of the paintings in her workshop depict contemporary subjects—from Marilyn Monroe to a dachshund (one of my favorites).
My Connection to Silvia’s Work
I was thrilled to discover Silvia and her beautiful artwork for two reasons. First, as you’ve already seen from the examples included in this post, her work is stunning. And second, her work has a direct connection with my first novel The Towers of Tuscany about a female painter in 14th-century Tuscany.
When I was researching early Renaissance painting techniques in order to write the novel, I read and re-read Il Libro dell’Arte by Cennino de Cennini many times. Imagine my delight to discover that Silvia is intimately familiar with Cennini’s book, credited as the first manual designed to teach painting techniques to artists.
I felt honored to spend time with someone totally dedicated to her art. Silvia clearly loves what she does. As I watched her paint with tiny brushes that she uses to meticulously layer on stroke after stroke, I felt like the centuries had melted away and I was watching Sofia Barducci, my fictional heroine in The Towers of Tuscany, at work.
I have every confidence that Silvia will be able to realize her ambition to one day share her knowledge with other artists so that the ancient techniques are kept alive.
Visit Silvia Salvadori
Visit Silvia in the Bottega d’Arte Toscana in Arezzo and tell her the Artsy Traveler sent you! And after you’ve enjoyed meeting Silvia, consider purchasing one of her pieces. She has a wide variety of sizes and subjects to choose from. And considering the hours and hours of work Silvia dedicates to each of her pieces, the prices are very reasonable.
I love the small piece I purchased of a stylized Tuscan town painted in Silvia’s unique style. I have hung it next to my writing desk so I can look at it every day and remember the wonderful hour I spent getting to know Silvia and admiring her work.
The small painting I purchased from Silvia Salvadori
Visit Arezzo
After meeting Silvia in the Bottega d’Arte, take time to wander around Arezzo. It’s a charming town with plenty to delight the Artsy Traveler. With its inclined trapezoidal shape, the Piazza Grande is one of the most beautiful in Tuscany (which is saying something!).
Here are some pictures of the Piazza Grande.
And like so many towns in Tuscany, a big attraction is the food. We passed numerous stores and cafes featuring local cuisine. The specialty in Arezzo is Pappardelle all’Aretina (a ribbon-shaped pasta served with a sauce made from rabbit or duck), Zuppa di Cavolo (a cabbage soup), and the Pappa al Pomodoro (a tomato soup).
While in Arezzo, you can also visit the Vasari House Museum, which is a rare example of an artist’s house from the late Renaissance.
Conclusion
Have you visited Arezzo? Share your experience and suggestions with other Artsy Travelers in the Comments below.
I first visited Yorkshire in 1974 at the age of eighteen during my epic around-England-by-train journey with two friends (read about that trip!).
The wonderful town of York quickly became our favorite because there was so much to see and do, even back in the 1970s.
It’s a tourist town with several noteworthy sites including the incomparable York Minster, the York Castle Museum, and the Jorvick Viking Centre.
York also makes an excellent home base from which to explore Yorkshire. As England’s largest county (by far), Yorkshire is otherwise known as God’s Country by the locals. I have a special affinity to Yorkshire. My grandmother was born in Masham in Yorkshire and often talked fondly of her early years there, and I’ve set my fifth novel there.
In this post, I detail what to see in York and describe two full-day, small-group tours I took in 2022. As I’ve mentioned elsewhere on Artsy Traveler, I’m a big fan of small-group day tours. The two I took from York were first-rate.
York
York Minster dominates the walled city of York. A tourist mecca with plenty of shops and services for visitors, it’s also small enough to walk around easily. I recommend staying for at least two nights (and preferably three).
While in York, I visited the Yorkshire Museum, York Minster, the York Castle Museum, and Jorvick Viking Centre. In addition, I took a shamble through the Shambles and enjoyed three excellent meals.
Here are a few other tours in York offered by Get Your Guide, a company I’ve taken tours with and can recommend.
Yorkshire Museum
The Yorkshire Museum is located in the Museum Gardens, which is about a 10-minute walk from the York Railway station next to the river and from the Bootham Gate leading into the ancient center of York where York Minster is located.
The museum itself is small and probably only worth a visit if the special exhibition interests you. When I visited, an informative exhibition about the Ryedale Hoard was featured. The Ryedale Hoard is a collection of bronze Roman objects discovered by detectorists in North Yorkshire in 2020. A small bronze bust of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius is the centerpiece of the collection.
The small bronze bust of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, part of the Ryedale Hoard
The exhibition also includes other Roman objects and interesting descriptions of who might have buried the hoard—A priest? A landowner? A metalworker? And why? That’s the Ryedale Hoard mystery.
As well, the museum features a Jurassic exhibition and plenty of medieval and Roman objects. It’s definitely worth a quick visit if you’re into history, archaeology, and geology (and who isn’t?).
Yorkshire Museum Practical Information
The Yorkshire Museum is open Tuesday – Sunday from 11 am to 5 pm. Admission is £8 online / £8.75 walk-up price for Adults and Seniors; £4 online / £4.40 walk-up price for children ages 5-16; and £7.20 / £7.90 walk-up price for Students/Young People. The website advises booking online prior to visiting the museum.
York Minster
The headliner in York is York Minster, and no wonder! The magnificent cathedral dominates the skyline of York for miles around. I’ve visited York several times, and I still got a thrill every time I turned a corner and saw the Minster’s towers poking the sky between the buildings.
You’ll pay an admission fee to enter the Minster, but it’s money well spent. A big reason for the entrance fee is that it apparently costs £22,000 a day to keep the Minster open and operating. If you have time, visit around 5 pm to enjoy Evensong during which the choir sings accompanied by the organ–guaranteed to give you chills!
One of the coolest things about York Minster is how the facade changes with the light. I took a lot of pictures during my three-day stay. Every time I was in the vicinity of York Minster, it looked different! Here are two views.
York Minster is open Monday to Saturday from 9:30 am to 4 pm and on Sunday from 12:45 pm to 3:15 pm. Online ticket prices are Adult/Senior – £12.50; Students (not studying in York) – £9.50; Child (16 and under)* – free with a paying adult; York resident/York student – free with proof of address. Check the York Minster website to buy tickets online and also to check times for Evensong.
York Castle Museum
York Castle Museum is one of my favorite all-round cool museums in Britain. You can spend hours here prowling through the many exhibits designed to bring history to life.
I particularly enjoyed the re-creations of rooms from past eras. Here are two of them.
17th Century
19th Century
Another favorite room features costumes dating from the early 19th century to the present day. I got a kick out of this coat from the early 1970s, which is very similar to one I owned in 1974 when I was a student at Reading University!
Throwback time!
I spent quite a bit of time watching videos that bring to life the differences between work in the “olden” days and now. Two people–one from modern times and one from the early 1900s–spoke about their jobs. A maid in a country house talked with a cashier in a modern supermarket; a bank clerk from 1900 talked with a modern office worker, and so on. I was fascinated and had to watch all of the variations! The nature and quantity of work certainly has changed over the centuries.
One area of the museum is devoted to displaying full-size recreated streets from the early 20th century. Costumed guides happy to share their knowledge staff many of the shops.
View of a late-19th-century street, a reconstruction in the York Castle Museum in York
York Castle Museum Practical Information
The York Castle Museum is open Monday from 11 am to 5 pm and Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm. Admission is £13 online / £14 walk-up price for Adults and Seniors; £6.50 online / £7 walk-up price for children ages 5-16; and £11.70 / £12.60 walk-up price for Students/Young People. The website advises booking online prior to visiting the museum.
Jorvik Viking Centre
The Jorvik Viking Centre is touted as a major attraction in York and for good reason. It’s kind of cheesy, to be honest, but it’s still worth visiting to get a sense of what life was like back in the 800s when York was a Viking town.
After arriving at the Jorvik Viking Centre, I boarded a slow-moving, Disney-style ride (think It’s a Small World) and was whisked (slowly) away on a journey through a Viking town. Commentary is available in multiple languages. The dioramas and figures are life-like and give a pretty good sense of how the world might have looked back in the day. All that’s missing are the smells!
A viking with his dog
A viking making things out of antlers
I enjoyed the ride and the displays afterwards. Good-humored, costumed guides occasionally give demonstrations of various Viking crafts. A real Viking village was probably not quite so jolly.
Viking mum and child with vegetables
Jorvik Viking Centre Practical Information
The Jorvik Viking Centre is usually open from 10 am to 6 pm. Check the website for varying hours depending on the time of year. The Centre is a very popular tourist destination. Book your visit a few days in advance to select the time you want to visit and also avoid disappointment. Popular time slots sell out quickly. Admission is £13.50 for Adults; £9.50 for children ages 5-16 accompanied by an adult; £11.50 for students with valid student ID, and £11.50 for seniors 60+. Visit the website to book online.
The Shambles
The Shambles is a touristy but still fun street in York. Although only a block long, the street is one of the few remaining in Britain that retains its medieval character. Buildings jut out over the narrow street which is more like an alleyway.
Capitalizing on the Harry Potter franchise, the street contains several “magic” stores. The area is worth a quick walk through, preferably in the evening after the crowds of tourists have somewhat dissipated.
The Shambles in York
Harry Potter spin-off shop
Tours of York with Tiqets.com
Here are some tours offered through Tiqets.com
Yorkshire Moors Tour
I signed up for a full-day tour of the moors with Grand Yorkshire Tours. Called “Steam Trains, Whitby & the Moors”, the tour promises a full day with no more than seven people in a small minivan. Hotel pickup and steam train tickets are included.
At exactly 9 am, as promised, the driver pulls up in front of Jorvik House Hotel and I jump into the minivan where my six companions are already settled: a couple from Florida, a man from Colorado Springs, another couple from Cheltenham in the UK, and a woman from Tunisia who has lived for many years in the US.
And me, as usual the lone Canadian.
Our driver, Peter, is a Yorkshire native who takes us on a comprehensive tour through several of Yorkshire’s scenic hot spots. Yorkshire is so large that I book another tour for the following day that features the Yorkshire Dales because the itineraries are completely different.
Helmsley
Our first stop is the idyllic little town of Helmsley on the edge of the North York Moors National Park where our driver is from. He advises us to take the iconic shot of the church (see below), which I of course do.
Iconic shot of Helmsley in Yorkshire
With my touristic duty done, I take stock of Helmsley’s many scrummy-looking bakeries and tea shops. I try to resist the siren call of the scones, but in vain. I buy two. One is chock-a-block with candied fruit and the other packed full of cheese.
Both are achingly fresh and fluffy and buttery.
Yorkshire Moors
We drive up into the Yorkshire moors and learn about the history of the area—from Romans to Vikings to the Middle Ages and then the reformation which certainly caused a lot of damage to local monasteries and churches. The views are stunning.
I’m lucky to be visiting at the tail end of heather season. Clumps of vivid purple carpet large swathes of the brown moors. Every so often, a sheep wanders by. As Peter says, we are driving through their home since most sheep live on the moors year round.
Carol Cram on the Yorkshire Moors
I learn that heather moorland is rare compared to other types of land. One of the world’s largest continuous expanses of upland heather moorland is in the North York Moors.
Peter, the guide on Grand Yorkshire Tours, talk about moorland and heather
I also learn that the moors are actually man-made. The landscape looks so wild that it’s hard to believe it hasn’t always looked that way. But nope. As early as the Iron Age 4,000 years ago, people were wanting to farm crops and pasture animals.
They cut down the vast forests that had covered the area to make clearings for farms. As the population grew, the forests diminished until by the Middle Ages, most of the woodland had disappeared.
Here’s a video shot atop the Yorkshire moors. Spectacular!
Whitby
The seaside town of Whitby is a revelation. The only thing I know about Whitby is that it’s on the sea. As a result, I’m pleasantly surprised to discover a fabulous abbey perched high on cliffs overlooking the sparkling blue North Sea, a charming old town, the best fish and chips in the UK (their claim and it seems valid), a Captain Cook Museum, and a major connection to Dracula.
The seaside town of Whitby
Goths Rule in Whitby
Wander the streets of Whitby and you’ll eventually come across young women (and sometimes men) dressed head to toe in artfully tattered black clothes and wearing heavy black make-up and an earnest expression. You’ll be right to presume they are visiting Whitby because of the Dracula connection.
Twice I pass a family that makes me smile. Mum and Dad are typical middle-class English folks—the kind of conservatively dressed, comfortable-looking people you see every day. Their daughter, however, wears a long black gown (tattered, of course), carries a black parasol, and is wearing the most outlandish black eye make-up I’ve ever seen. The three of them wander around the Abbey ruins and then later I see them in the town enjoying fish and chips. The daughter’s appearance barely merits the occasional glance from passersby.
Bram Stoker & Whitby
Bram Stoker arrived in Whitby in July of 1890. The windswept headland and spooky abbey ruins combined with the atmospheric old town and North Sea views were ripe for exploiting by an over-active imagination (which Stoker had in spades).
Bram Stoker – Wikipedia
He hung around the town for a few weeks presumably enjoying the sea air before fate stepped in. Stoker visited the local library and discovered a book published in 1820 that recorded the experiences of William Wilkinson, a British consul in Bucharest. While traveling in Wallachia and Moldavia (now in Romania), Wilkinson learned about Vlad Tepes, a charming fellow known as Dracula, aka “son of the dragon.” He had a not-so-charming habit of impaling his enemies on wooden stakes.
Anyway, Bram Stoker’s imagination went into overdrive and 130 years later, heavily gothed-up young people take day trips to Whitby to wander the Abbey ruins, presumably with vampiric intentions, and then descend the 199 steps to the old town to enjoy fish and chips followed by teeth-breaking encounters with pieces of Whitby rock (an iconic hard candy with a vivid pink coating).
Whitby Abbey
Peter drops us off at the Abbey and advises us to walk down the 199 steps to the town and meet him two hours later at the train station. The weather obliges with brilliant blue skies against which the Abbey ruins photograph beautifully. I wander around the ruins for a while, dodging the occasional Goth girl, and have a quick look in the museum.
Whitby Abbey in Yorkshire
A stunning location for Whitby Abbey in Yorkshire
I read that on May 26, 2022, which is the 125th anniversary of Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula, 1,369 vampires showed up to celebrate. The event was billed as the largest gathering of people dressed as vampires in the world. Now that’s an event to really get your teeth into.
The first Whitby Abbey was a 7th-century Christian monastery that later became a Benedictine abbey. It was a major center of learning for about 800 years until it was confiscated and then destroyed by Henry VIII during the dissolution of the monasteries (1536-1545). Henry certainly was busy in the area.
Descending 199 Steps to the Old Town of Whitby
I am glad to be descending the steps rather than ascending. Many more people are climbing up and I’m a bit alarmed by the look of some them as, red-faced and panting, they struggle up the stairs.
Every few feet, I pause to snap yet another gorgeous photo until finally I’m walking along the narrow, twisty streets of the old town.
Looking out over a graveyard in Whitby
The Captain Cook Memorial Museum is nearby but, cognizant of the need to have lunch and then be on time for the bus, I reluctantly pass on it. I head across the bridge to the new town and buy a take-away of fish and chips.
Eating in Whitby
I’ve never seen so many fish and chips shops, ice cream parlors, and candy stores in one place in my life. And business is brisk. Although it’s the day after the Monday bank holiday, the streets are packed with holiday makers.
For just £8.50 (including a can of pop), my lunch is an amazing bargain. The piece of haddock is huge and absolutely the best I’ve ever tasted. Crunchy light batter coats a thick piece of meaty white haddock that tastes light and of the sea. Marvelous!
I settle on to a bench alongside the harbor and watch the world go by as I enjoy my fish and chips. Judging from the conversations I overhear, pretty much everyone is local. And almost everyone has a dog—from whippets and dachshunds to spaniels and labs and everything in between.
A medium portion of fish and chips in Whitby
Taking the Steam Train
After Whitby, our next stop is tiny Goathland station, made famous in the Harry Potter movies as the location of Hogsmeade station. Part of the tour includes a one-hour ride on the steam train that journeys along the North Yorkshire Moors Railway to the town of Pickering.
Unfortunately, an exceedingly dry summer has resulted in a ban on steam engines. Apparently, they pose a fire hazard. As a result, the carriages are drawn by a common-or-garden diesel engine which is a bit of a disappointment but can’t be helped.
Here is the train pulling into the station–a video that would be a bit more dramatic if the train was the regular steam train, but you get the idea.
The journey takes us through dark forests and across wide expanses to purple heather and dry yellow grasses. I marvel at the quantity of wild land in such a crowded country.
Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Pickering
Our last stop before driving back to York is the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, a typical small parish church with a not-so-typical interior. The original Norman church was built around 1140 and then in 1450 a series of colorful medieval wall murals were painted.
Back in the day, the walls of most churches were filled with colorful paintings depicting Biblical scenes for the vast majority of parishioners who could not read. Come the Reformation and then the Civil War, religious types with different views whitewashed the paintings.
In 1852, the paintings were revealed; however, the vicar at the time apparently did not want the paintings shown, saying that “As a work of art [they are] fairly ridiculous, would excite feelings of curiosity, and distract the congregation.”
I’ll bet he wasn’t a lot of fun at a party.
He ordered the paintings be re-covered with a thick yellow wash that was finally removed in the 1880s and 1890s. The resulting paintings, while extensively damaged, are a fabulous example of how most church interiors originally looked. Unfortunately, only about five churches in the country still have their original murals, with the ones in St. Peter and St. Paul being of particularly fine quality.
A Hidden Gem
For the wandering Artsy Traveler, the paintings are a hidden gem. Peter tells us that almost no one knows about the paintings. One of the many benefits of taking small-group tours is the chance to explore such off-the-beaten-path sites.
Return to York
We drive back to York and I enjoy a first-rate pub meal at The House of the Trembling Madness. I love this place! The upstairs room in the medieval building dates from the 12st century and has all the heavy wooden beams and stuffed critters on the walls to prove it. I order the Yorkshire Platter and am in heaven.
A walls of heads in the House of the Trembling Madness pub
An amazing Yorkshire Platter
Yorkshire Dales Tour
I choose a different company for my second tour of Yorkshire—this time of the Yorkshire Dales with Mountain Goat Tours. Like the Go Cotswolds tour, the Mountain Goat tours use 16-seater minibusses which are small enough to navigate the tiny mountain roads we’ll traverse during the course of the day.
Mountain Goat Tours 16-seater bus
Matt, our guide and driver, is friendly, knowledgeable, and very enthusiastic about responsible tourism. He tells us that he’s doing his master’s degree in tourism management and has been conducting tours with Mountain Goat for several years. The company provides day tours in scenic areas all over the north including the Lake District, North Wales, and, of course, Yorkshire.
A Short History of Yorkshire
As we head out of York, Matt gives us a short history of the area, explaining how it was first settled by the Romans and then the Anglo Saxons, the Vikings, and the Normans in 1066. He tells us about the Harrying of the North, which I’d never heard of even though I lived in Durham, which is pretty close to York, for a year in the 1970s.
After conquering southern England, William the Conqueror turned his attention to subjugating the North. The people of the North were none too pleased and had the nerve to rebel against William. He retaliated with swift brutality by using scorched earth tactics to destroy the northern shires, particularly in the city of York. Even for the time, William’s viciousness was breathtaking.
Harrying of the North
After the tour, I go online to learn more about the Harrying of the North and read this account by Orderic Vitalis, a contemporary chronicler. In 1069, he wrote:
“Nowhere else had William shown so much cruelty. Shamefully he succumbed to this vice, for he made no effort to restrain his fury and punished the innocent with the guilty. In his anger he commanded that all crops and herds, chattels and food of every kind should be brought together and burned to ashes with consuming fire, so that the whole region north of the Humber might be stripped of all means of sustenance. In consequence so serious a scarcity was felt in England, and so terrible a famine fell upon the humble and defenceless populace, that more than 100,000 Christian folk of both sexes, young and old alike, perished of hunger.”
No wonder that to this day people in the north are often not terribly keen on southerners!
Masham
Our first stop is the town of Masham, a market town where the smell of beer brewing in the local breweries hangs in the air and the attractive town square is lined with stone buildings that look unchanged for a century or two.
Town of Masham
Typical housing in Masham
My grandmother was born in Masham in 1906 so visiting it has a special significance. Her family left soon after she was born (they moved a lot) so my grandmother likely never knew much about the place.
I stand in the middle of the market square and try to imagine my great-grandmother holding my grannie in one arm while she held the hand of my great-aunt. The town now is marketed as a good home base for touring the Yorkshire dales, but back in my granny’s time I think it must have been quite bleak.
Jervaulx Abbey
Matt takes us to lovely Jervaulx Abbey, a hauntingly beautiful place privately owned and maintained by the Burdon family. The Abbey, like all the abbeys in the area, was plundered and pillaged during the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century.
The ruins are charmingly untouched, with wild flowers, shrubs and trees growing freely in a peaceful country setting.
Jervaulx Abbey
Bolton Castle
Another quick stop at Bolton Castle gives me just enough time to make the acquaintance of some wild boars who don’t look very wild. As I approach their enclosure, they barely twitch a whisker. And then I take out a bag of crisps and the sound wakes up several of them. They charge towards the wire fence, ears perked. I have to tell them no. After staring at me hopefully for a few minutes, they amble back to find the patch of dirt they’d vacated and resume their recumbent positions.
Boars at Bolton Castle
Bolton Castle
Mary, Queen of Scots was imprisoned in Bolton Castle along with a large entourage of servants (so she couldn’t have been too deprived) between 1568 and 1579. But her life went from bad to worse following her Bolton Castle stint until finally she was beheaded by order of her cousin Elizabeth I in 1587.
Aysgarth Falls
Next stop is a quick one to view Aysgarth Falls on the River Ure. It’s a spectacular triple flight of waterfalls made famous as the place where Kevin Costner as Robin Hood duels with Little John in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.
Hawes
We drive up hill and down dale to the village of Hawes in Wensleydale, home of Wensleydale cheese. Matt drops us at the Wensleydale Creamery where I sample several varieties of cheese and purchase a hunk of Wensleydale along with a package of oatcakes. After cheesing out, I walk down to the village and have lunch at a pub.
There’s not a whole lot to see in Hawes, but it is extremely charming, with the added bonus of being the target of the Hawes Yarn Bombers. The fruits of the crochet labors are all over the town and include a large tableau of crocheted characters from Shrek. I text pictures to my daughter Julia who is also a crochet artist.
Yarn bombing in Hawes
Butter Tubs Pass
Matt drives us up very narrow roads to enjoy stunning vistas of the Yorkshire countryside. What a place! We stop briefly at Butter Tubs Pass that crosses high moorland between Wensleydale and Swaledale. The limestone potholes known as the butter tubs are so named because farmers on their way to market would stop on hot days at the top of the climb and lower their tubs of butter into the limestone potholes to keep the butter cool.
Here’s a video taken at the top of the pass showing both the Yorkshire moors and the Yorkshire dales. Pretty darned spectacular!
Leeth
The picture-perfect little town of Leeth is our final stop. Matt advises us to get ice cream made at a local creamery. My cone of honeycomb and ginger ice cream tastes as good as it sounds.
I shoot this video while standing on the village green (and holding my ice cream cone):
Recommended Yorkshire Tours
I wholeheartedly recommend the tours I took with these two companies:
Both companies provided good value for money, excellent guides, scenic drives, and well-planned stops.
Conclusion
My two full days and three nights in York come to a close as I board the train for a quick trip north to Durham where I will spend three nights. Have you visited York and Yorkshire? What suggestions do you have for enjoying this glorious area of England? Please share in the the Comments below.
Culinary tourism is definitely a thing, and nowhere more so than in Italy.
Food tours and cooking classes abound and for good reason. Italy and food go together like, well, Italy and food.
The popularity of Stanley Tucci’s series Searching for Italy about food in Italy is proof that eating and cooking continue to be two of the many artsy reasons to travel in Italy.
Is cooking an art? Absolutely!
And so, while spending a week in Rome, I decided to take a cooking class. I’d taken a cooking class in Paris, and one of my guest posters, Liz Reding, has written a post about her cooking class experiences in France and Spain.
It was time for Italy to take a turn.
Choosing InRome Cooking
I chose a 3-hour cooking class with InRome Cooking. Here’s the link to register if, after reading this post, you’re interested in taking the class.
Full disclosure – the link takes you to the Tiqets.com website, which is one of my affiliates. That means I get a small percentage of the ticket price if you register.
Cut to the chase–I highly recommend taking a 3-hour class with InRome Cooking. The time flew by and not only did I learn a lot, but I also enjoyed a fabulous meal that I’d cooked myself with some help from my new friends and chef Marco.
About InRome Cooking
InRome Cooking operates out of three locations:
Flagship school on Corso del Rinascimento in a converted 17th-century palace very close to the Piazza Navona and overlooking the Italian parliament. This is the location for the Hands-on Pasta Making Class & Tiramisù class I took.
A sleek and stylish terraced building near the Pantheon on Via Giustiniani.
A cooking school located in the Pope’s organic farm at his private estate in Castel Gandolfo outside Rome.
My Experience with InRome Cooking
In this post, I write about my experience taking a 3-hour class at the Corso del Rinascimento location.
InRome Cooking offers several classes–either shared or private.
I chose the Hands-on Pasta Making Class & Tiramisù for two reasons. First, my husband, Gregg Simpson, had recently discovered the delectable delights of Tiramisù and so I thought it would be good to learn how to make it at home. And second, I have a pasta maker gathering dust in my cupboard, and felt it was high time I learned how to use it correctly.
Both goals were met during the course of the evening.
Registering for a Class with InRome Cooking
I registered for the class about three days in advance, in October 2022. The registration process through Tiqets.com was quick and efficient. Within seconds, I had my ticket downloaded and ready to show. It’s advisable to register well in advance. I was probably lucky to get a spot because the class of just twelve participants was full.
Arriving at InRome Cooking
Promptly at 5:20, I arrived at InRome Cooking located at Corso del Rinascimento, 65 after passing it and then doubling back. You have to look closely to see the rather small InRome Cooking sign on the door.
InRome Cooking next to the buzzer at Corso del Rinascimento, 65
For a few moments, I was flummoxed, but soon figured out that I needed to ring the buzzer to be let in. A voice answered (phew!), the buzzer buzzed, and I climbed two flights of marble stairs in the converted 17th-century palazzo. I do like a nice palazzo.
I was met at the top of the stairs by Chef Marco holding a clipboard and smiling broadly. He ushered me into a gorgeous, light-filled kitchen and introduced me to my companions for the evening: a mother and son from Arizona; a mother and son from Sweden, a mom and dad and son from San Francisco, and two couples from Toronto.
The InRome Cooking kitchen with ingredients set out to make Tiramisù
The evening began promptly at 5:30 with a welcome glass of prosecco. We were then placed around the large table already laden with the ingredients and utensils we’d need to make Tiramisù.
Prosecco!
Me with chef Marco
Making Tiramisù
We started by making dessert so it would have time to set before enjoying it at the end of the evening.
Chef Marco paired us up and told us to get cracking (literally!). We each separated an egg to get two yolks. The whites were whisked away to be beaten by the sous chefs for later folding into the Tiramisù. We then set to work beating the gorgeous yellow yolks.
Marco told us that fresh eggs are essential for Tiramisù (or indeed any cooking). They shouldn’t be much older than a few weeks and preferably from local hens. I’m lucky that I live on an island where fresh eggs are readily available.
Throughout the evening, Marco emphasized that great cooking starts with the very freshest of ingredients. You don’t need many ingredients to create a wonderful dish when each ingredient is top quality.
Tiramisù Ingredients
For the Tiramisù, we used only six ingredients: fresh eggs, sugar, mascarpone cheese, ladyfingers (called savoiardi), cold coffee, and cocoa powder (unsweetened) for the topping. Tiramisù translates literally as “pick me up,” a direct result of the espresso used in the recipe.
Tiramisù Method
Under Marco’s expert tutelage, we beat sugar into the egg yolks until the color was a rich and creamy light yellow. The more we beat, the creamier the eggs became. I’d say we beat for at least five minutes. Fortunately, Marco supplied links to recipes at the end of the class so I didn’t need to make notes.
After beating the eggs and sugar, we stirred in very generous dollops of mascarpone cheese. Marco emphasized that precise measuring is not necessary in Italian cooking. A generous tablespoon looked to me more like two or three level tablespoons. But then is there such a thing as too much marscapone?
Next step was folding in generous spoonfuls of whipped egg yolks.
Layering the Tiramisù
With our creamy, eggy, cheesy concoction all mixed and ready to go, we were ready to build our Tiramisù. Marco handed each of us a lovely big tea cup (I suppose coffee cup would be more accurate!) and demonstrated the next steps.
First, I took a ladyfinger biscuit and dipped it quickly into the bowl of cold espresso. Down and up, no lingering. The ladyfinger should absorb the coffee but not be dissolved by it. I then broke the ladyfinger in two and placed it at the bottom of the cup.
Next, I spooned in half of the creamy, eggy, cheesy mixture and then dipped and broke another ladyfinger. Finally, I slathered on the rest of the creamy stuff.
One more step! We were given shakers of pure, unsweetened cocoa to sprinkle on top of the Tiramisù and directed to carve something meaningful into the cocoa so we’d know which one is ours.
Here’s my first (and extremely delicious) attempt at Tiramisù with my initials etched in with a toothpick:
Tiramisù made at InRome Cooking
Making Pasta
The Tiramisùs were whisked away and the large workspace cleaned by the staff while I mingled for a while with the other guests and enjoyed another glass of prosecco. Two of the people from Toronto had been to Bowen Island where I live, and one has a friend who has just written her first historical novel. Coincidentally, it’s about a subject that intrigued me after visiting the Back to Backs National Trust property in Birmingham. Small world.
We were to make two kinds of pasta: cacio e pepe and amatriciana. It turned out we wouldn’t be making the sauces; Marco demonstrated that. Our job was to make the pasta.
Marco showed us how to mix the two flours and then to knead in the olive oil to make a beautiful, yellow dough. Next step was to pass the dough through the rollers of the pasta maker several times to flatten it and then through the cutters.
The pasta makers were equipped with two cutters–one to make spaghetti which we later ate with the cacio e pepe sauce and one to make fettucine, which we ate with the amatriciana sauce.
Carol flattening the pasta
Making the Sauces
As he had all evening, Marco emphasized the importance of using just a few, top quality ingredients.
Amatriciana Sauce
The amatriciana sauce contains only three ingredients: Mutti tomato sauce (it only contains tomatoes grown in Italy, of course), small pieces of pork cheek that have been very slowly cooked to release the fat and flavor, and romano cheese.
Marco cooked the fettucine we’d just made for a very few minutes and then showed us how to combine the pasta with the three-ingredient sauce. The smell was amazing!
Cacio e pepeSauce
This sauce is a Roman specialty and is the simplest of all. Only two ingredients are used–romano cheese and freshly ground pepper. That’s it! Marco demonstrated how he makes the sauce by stirring the starchy water from the boiled pasta into the cheese to make a rich, creamy sauce. He then added the fresh pepper. The result was to die for!
Making Amatriciana
Making Cacio e pepe
Eating the Results
Following the demonstrations of how the pasta is combined with the two sauces to make Amatriciana and Cacio e pepe, we were invited into the adjacent dining room, complete with coffered, Renaissance style ceiling. I joined the table of Canadians and enjoyed pleasant conversation about travel and food while enjoying the fruits of the evening’s labors.
Amatriciana
Cacio e pepe
Rome Walking Tours
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Conclusion
The three-hour cooking class (more like three and half by the time we finished eating) at InRome Cooking is a bargain at only €75 (price varies depending on which class you choose). Considering I enjoyed three delectable courses, learned a lot of valuable cooking tips and even got plenty of hands-on practice, I consider the fee very reasonable indeed.
Have you taken a cooking class in Rome? Share your experience in the comments below.
Love Shakespeare? Then make the pilgrimage to Stratford-upon-Avon. It’s about a two-hour train journey from London and a perfect first stop after visiting the capital.
Stay at least one night (preferably two) and be sure to get tickets for a performance by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC).
On a recent trip, I stayed one night in Stratford-upon-Avon, saw a performance of Richard III (more on this in a minute!) and then the next day took a full-day, small-group tour of the Cotswolds with Go Cotswolds before hopping on the train to Birmingham for two nights.
Read about my wonderful day out with Go Cotswolds.
Stratford at a Glance
Take a guided tour of the town with Shakespeare from Tudor World
In this post, I share my almost-50-year love affair with Stratford-upon-Avon along with tips about what to see and do based on my recent visit.
Getting to Stratford-upon-Avon
I rose early and took a taxi from Wilde Aparthotels to Marylebone Station. I had to change trains at Solihul, which turned out to be a small station surrounded by countryside. The minute I stepped off the train to wait on the platform for the train to Stratford-upon-Avon, I was subsumed by a massive dose of nostalgia.
The smell and sound of the English countryside took me back to 1974. I was 18 again, inhaling the earthy odors of a deciduous forest as I walked through on the campus of the University of Reading on my way to lectures, hearing the same bird song, excited and a little nervous—a stranger in a new land.
England, pleasant England.
Pleasant English countryside – the River Avon in Stratford-upon-Avon
I felt like all the years in between had disappeared because inside I felt exactly the same now as I was then. All that’d changed was an accumulation of memories and people like my husband who hadn’t existed for me in 1974 and my daughter who hadn’t existed at all.
I decided that my 18-year-old self should feel good about how her life is turning out. Sure, I haven’t won an Oscar for a movie based on one of my novels (a girl can dream!), but I’m totally okay with that.
If my 18-year-old self knew what I know now, she would be too.
My First Visit to Stratford-upon-Avon
I boarded the train to Stratford-upon-Avon and more memories flooded in. On each of my last three trips to the UK, I’ve included a night in Stratford-upon-Avon because, well, Shakespeare.
Attending a performance at the Royal Shakespeare Company is a must.
I first visited Stratford-upon-Avon in 1970 when I was 14 and traveling with my mom. We went to a performance at the Royal Shakespeare Company theatre. As an English teacher, Mom was determined to expand my horizons, for which I am eternally grateful.
In front of the RSC theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon
We saw Two Gentlemen of Verona which is one of Shakespeare’s least memorable plays. The only thing I remembered all these years later was the small swimming pool set into the stage. I’d never see anything like it!
Every so often, an actor would slip into the pool and splash about.
Unfortunately, Mom and I visited Stratford-upon-Avon only a few days after landing in the UK and jet lag prevailed. I remember a lot of head bobbing as I tried to stay awake to see the next time someone got wet.
RSC Performances at Stratford-upon-Avon
Since that first performance, I’ve been to Stratford-on-Avon quite a few times.
For three years, from 1974 to 1977, I attended the University of Reading where I studied English Literature. Stratford-on-Avon is about a two-hour drive from Reading, so my friends and I frequently drove up to catch a performance.
I remember seeing Henry V, King Lear (fabulous storm scene!), and A Winter’s Tale. I’m sure there were others, but they are lost to memory now.
In 1999, my daughter Julia (aged 14 at the time) and I went to see Romeo and Juliet starring David Tennant of Doctor Who fame (among many other memorable roles) as Romeo.
We didn’t know who he was at the time, but I do remember the production being wonderful. Listening to actors from the RSC doing Shakespeare is like watching cut glass sparkle in the air. Every word, every gesture, every raised eyebrow is precise and perfect.
Hamlet in 2008
Another memorable visit was in 2008 when Julia and I saw Hamlet starring David Tennant, who was by then famous. Julia even got his autograph following the performance.
And so I returned to Stratford-upon-Avon in 2022, this time to see Richard III. I can’t say it’s my favorite play, being rather too full of dead bodies for my taste.
But it was the only play being performed on the only date I could be in Stratford-upon-Avon.
Also, I knew it would be well done.
Touring Stratford-upon-Avon with the Bard
But first, I needed to spend an afternoon with the Bard himself. I signed up for a two-hour tour of Stratford-upon-Avon led by Shakespeare (well, a guy dressed like Shakespeare!).
At 2 pm, I joined four other people outside Tudor World on Sheep Street and met our guide. Here’s the link to the tour (highly recommended).
He was crude, lewd, and a lot of fun. He also had a wealth of knowledge about his life back in the day, particularly the portion spent in Stratford-upon-Avon.
As the son of a tanner who was also the mayor, young Will received an excellent education. His is not a rags to riches story.
Shakespeare in front of “Dad’s House” – his birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon
“Dad’s House” and Others in Stratford-upon-Avon
Over the next two hours, Shakespeare took us to various sites around town including “Dad’s house” as he called it (his birthplace) and the houses of his two grown daughters, one of whom married a nice guy and the other who didn’t.
We also saw his grammar school and the site of the house he built after retiring to Stratford-upon-Avon an exceedingly rich man.
Shakespeare in front of one of his daughter’s houses in Stratford-upon-Avon
Along the way, Shakespeare kept up a constant commentary full of tidbits of knowledge about Elizabethan life (a smelly time indeed) and about Shakespeare’s life.
Shakespeare’s Final Resting Place
We ended the tour in the churchyard where Shakespeare (minus his head apparently) is buried. The church was closed, but we wandered around the tombstones, several of which are fake.
Shakespeare told us that back in the Victorian era, some enterprising busy bodies decided that the churchyard needed more gravestones for the mist to swirl around on spooky winter nights. So they had a bunch made and stuck them in willy nilly (some almost on top of real graves) all over the churchyard.
Apparently, they are easy to spot since everyone commemorates either William or Elizabeth. Bit of a giveaway.
Churchyard at the Stratford-upon-Avon church where Shakespeare is buried
At the end of the tour, I chatted with the guide and told him about my third novel, The Muse of Fire. Since it’s about the theater and includes a lot of Shakespeare, I figured he might enjoy it.
He promised to download it on his Kindle. I wonder if he did!
Enjoying Stratford-upon-Avon
There’s really not a whole lot to see in Stratford-upon-Avon. You can tour Shakespeare’s birthplace and go to Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, but both feel a tad on the touristy side. I prefer taking the Tudor World tour which yes, is also touristy, but you’ll learn a lot and get a good feel for the town.
I suggest spending time just wandering around the town, which is not large.
Stop in at Romeo & Gelato for an ice cream and, if the market is on, browse the stalls to buy knickknacks and gourmet food. I bought a large chocolate cookie that took me two days to eat.
Take a walk alongside the River Avon to enjoy the views. The place really is postcard-perfect.
Yes, it’s a real shop window in Stratford-upon-Avon
Each row boat is named after a different Shakespeare heroine
A good stop for photo ops is the collection of statues near locks in the middle of Stratford-upon-Avon. On an early morning walk, I snapped these photos.
Statue of Shakespeare in Stratford-upon-Avon
Statue of the ill-fated Lady Macbeth in Stratford-upon-Avon
Attending an RSC Performance
At just after 7 pm, I arrived at the RSC theater for the 7:30 performance. The first thing I saw upon entering the narrow lobby was a massive poster of David Tennant decked out as Richard II. I texted a photo to Julia who was just starting her workday back in Vancouver and learned that yes, she’d seen the production streamed.
Poster of David Tennant as Richard II in the lobby at the RSC Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon
I found my seat, took a picture of the stage, and got to know my neighbor, a lady from Cheltenham who used to be a teacher. After retiring at the age of 50, she lived for 25 years in the Dordogne area of France. As fellow teachers (I trained in England in 1979) and lovers of France, we had lots to talk about.
Richard III
The production of Richard III was predictably amazing. The sumptuous costumes, stark set, skillful blocking and, of course, superb acting all added up to a masterful production.
Of particular note was the actor playing Richard III, surely one of the most difficult roles to make relatable. Arthur Hughes managed it, first by being very funny.
It’s hard to completely hate someone who makes us laugh. Hughes found comic moments throughout the play. Even at his most vile (and Richard gets pretty vile), Hughes was utterly compelling. Every time he strode on stage, he commanded attention.
Set of Richard III at the RSC theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon
And the second reason why the performance was so memorable was that Arthur Hughes was the first disabled actor the RSC has cast as Richard III.
He describes himself as “limb different” as a result of a rare condition known as radial dysplasia. He has no thumb or radius bone in his right arm. Hughes’s lived experience of disability brought an immediacy to his portrayal of Richard that I’d never seen before.
He was not pretending like so many actors; he knows. Here’s an interview with Arthur Hughes on the BBC website.
All in all, the production was a tour de force.
And if you are lucky enough to take in an RSC performance, get the ginger ice cream at the interval. It is to die for!
Visiting Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon is a tourist town and as such is well-endowed with restaurants and places to stay. If you can, stay the night.
Strolling along the canal after an RSC performance that has just blown your mind is a stellar artsy traveler experience!
Eating in Stratford-upon-Avon
Both meals I enjoyed in Stratford-upon-Avon wee first rate! The first was a lunch consisting of two appetizers–a paté and chicken tenders. Both were superb, particularly when accompanied by a lager and eaten in a lovely old pub overlooking the canal.
Duck pate with confit onions
Chili chicken tenders
Stratford-upon-Avon has several pubs and restaurants; you won’t have trouble finding a good meal. I can also recommend the Dirty Duck where many years ago I ate dinner while visiting Stratford-upon-Avon with my brother. Passing it on an early morning walk brought back many memories of our visit and attending a performance of A Winter’s Tale way in 1975.
The Dirty Duck in Stratford-upon-Avon
Welcome to the Dirty Duck
I enjoyed dinner at the Pen & Parchment Inn where I also stayed. The fish and chips (but with salad instead of chips!) were fresh and flavorful. The Inn itself retained just enough of a hint of stale cigarette smoke in the air to remind me of my misspent youth.
Fish and chips in Stratford-upon-Avon
Staying in Stratford-upon-Avon
I stayed at the Pen & Parchment Inn which is also a pub (and where I ate dinner). It’s very conveniently located on the canal and within sight of the Royal Shakespeare Company theatre.
You can walk to the theatre in about five minutes. My room was small but comfortable and the people were very helpful. I’d recommend the place for a one-night stop. It’s quite reasonably priced (for Stratford-upon-Avon).
Pen & Parchment Inn in Stratford-upon-Avon
For other accommodation options in Stratford-upon-Avon, click the map below:
A visit to Stratford-upon-Avon, particularly if you can attend a performance at the RSC, is artsy traveling at its finest! You get to enjoy Shakespeare performed by the best of the best and you get to stroll around one of England’s most attractive towns with plenty of excellent places to eat and stay. It’s a win-win!
Have you visited Stratford-upon-Avon? Share your suggestions and experiences in the Comments below.
