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Discover the Best of the Musée d’Orsay in Paris

Arts & Culture, Destinations, Europe, France, Museums Artsy Traveler 2 Comments on Discover the Best of the Musée d’Orsay in Paris

Last updated on March 6th, 2025 at 11:47 pm

What is the “best of the Musée d’Orsay”? That’s a matter of opinion for sure!

What I think are the best pieces, and what others think is pretty subjective!

But I can confidently say that every artsy traveler who visits the Musée d’Orsay in Paris will not be disappointed. 

A visit to the Musée d’Orsay is always a high point for me, no matter how many times I walk through the grand hall on the main floor and ride the escalators to view the outstanding collection of Impressionist and post-Impressionist art on the 5th floor.

An image showing the exterior of the Musée d'Orsay with the text “Musée d’Orsay, Must-See for the Artsy Traveler to Paris” and the website “artsytraveler.com” below.

The Musée d’Orsay is more than a must-see for the artsy traveler. It’s akin to a pilgrimage! It certainly ranks as one of my all-time-favorite European museums. In this post, I share some of what I consider the top  masterpieces.

Musée d’Orsay at a Glance

Location

The map below shows the location of the Musée d’Orsay (#1) in Paris. Also shown is the location of the Louvre for Renaissance, Baroque and 19th-Century art (#2), the Cluny for medieval art (#3), and the Pompidou for modern art (#4).

This map was created with Wanderlog, a trip planner on iOS and Android

Tickets

Always reserve a time to visit the Musée d’Orsay to avoid standing in long lines. You can reserve directly from the museum’s website, or purchase tickets through resellers such as Tiquets.com or GetYourGuide.

Once you’ve entered the museum, consider whether to pick up an audio guide.

Two types of audio guides are available. You can hire one at the museum that will include commentary on the contents of both the permanent collection and the main temporary exhibition on during your visit. Alternatively, you can download an audio guide onto your mobile phone that includes commentary only on the main temporary exhibition.

Touring the Top Masterpieces at the Musée d’Orsay

The Musée d’Orsay’s collection is housed in a converted railway station. As such, part of its attraction is the massive atrium that stretches the length of the museum and is filled with light and sculptures. 

Long galleries run either side of the atrium and contain mostly academic paintings from the 19th century. Some of these rooms are skippable, unless you’re a fan of the overly florid, heroic style popular during the mid-19th century.

However, make sure you pop into the galleries to the left that include several masterpieces by Gustave Courbet and Jean-François Millet.

A photograph of the interior of the Musée d'Orsay, highlighting its grand arched ceiling, sculptures, and visitors walking through the gallery.

Most visitors head for the far end of the atrium and take the escalators to the fifth floor where they find one of the world’s largest collections of impressionist paintings, in addition to an impressive number of paintings by post-impressionists.

A series of rooms includes works by all the late-19th century biggies–Manet, Monet, Renoir, van Gogh, Morisot, and more.

The following highlights of what see is presented according to artist rather than the order in which you’ll encounter them while walking through the museum. All of the works mentioned are in the collection on the fifth floor.

Edouard Manet

The collection includes several iconic pieces by Edouard Manet. I zeroed in on two of them as representative of my favorite aspects of his work. I like the way he flattens the planes and uses a fairly neutral palette.

Even bright colors such as red and blue have gray undertones. Manet’s work always seems much more understated than the work of some of his contemporaries like Monet and especially Renoir.

Sur la Plage by Manet

Manet’s wife and brother sit on the beach—she is reading and he is staring out at the boats sailing along the English Channel. By making the sky take up a very small percentage of the painting, the focus is on the beach itself and the figures.

Manet’s sketchy, fluid brushstrokes makes the scene look like a snapshot in time, as though at any moment the figures will shift position.

A framed painting showing a man and woman sitting on the beach, facing the sea with sailboats in the distance. The woman wears a white bonnet with black ribbons.

Dejeuner sur l’herbe by Manet

If I had to choose the most famous painting in the Musée d’Orsay, I think it would have to be Manet’s Dejeuner sur l’herbe. It’s also one of my favorites.

I’m certainly not alone in loving this piece, which has been reproduced countless times and analyzed within an inch of its life.

Manet painted it in 1863 and included it in the Salon des Refusés along with other artists who were excluded from the Salon (the exhibition of all the accepted painters of the day).

Manet’s large painting shocked critics and the public because it represented such a marked departure from the academic tradition of only depicting mythological figures as nudes.

In this painting, there is a naked woman next to two men wearing modern dress. She looks brazenly out at the viewer as if to dare them to be shocked. The work was deemed to be obscene not only because of its subject matter but because of its loose brushstrokes, contempt for the rules of perspective, and violent contrasts.

Nowadays, we consider it a masterpiece, and it is certainly arresting.

A framed painting depicting a woman sitting nude beside two men in formal attire in a forest clearing, with a picnic spread and another woman in the background.

Paul Gauguin

Gauguin’s paintings always make me smile. He combines bright colors in sometimes startling ways and depicts his figures and his landscapes with a flattened perspective that gives them a pleasing immediacy, as though they could easily step out of the canvas.

Gauguin’s work is exhibited alongside several other painters of the Pont-Aven School.

On a recent trip to Europe, I spent a week in Pont-Aven, mostly because Gregg (husband and usual travel companion and also artist) is fascinated by the work that was done there by painters such as Gauguin, Bernard, and Sérusier, and wanted to be inspired by the same landscape that inspired them.

Paysage de Bretagne by Gauguin

This beautiful landscape of a typical scene in Brittany practically glows. The red and orange bushes on the mid-section contrast intensely with the blue sky and bright green foreground.

A framed landscape painting showcasing a rural scene with houses, autumn foliage, and two figures standing with a dog in a green field.

La Belle Angèle by Gauguin

Gauguin completed this portrait of Marie-Angélique Satre in 1889. He depicts the woman in traditional dress in a composition reminiscent of both Japanese prints and medieval stained-glass windows.

Perhaps as a nod to his Peruvian heritage (his mother was born in Peru), Gauguin includes a Peruvian-inspired piece of pottery next to his model.

A framed portrait of a woman in traditional Breton attire, set against a backdrop with flowers and a gold-colored figurine. The text “La Belle Angèle” is inscribed on the painting.

Émile Bernard

Bernard was another painter in the Pont-Aven School. Called Les Bretonnes aux ombrelles, this striking depiction of Breton women wearing traditional dress shows how Bernard, as a post-impressionist, ignored perspective, instead filling both the foreground and the background with his figures, bringing them into prominence.

I’m reminded of medieval paintings where the figures take precedence over perspective.

A framed artwork featuring women in traditional dress sitting on the ground with umbrellas, while others stand nearby. The background includes greenery and a large building.

Paul Sérusier

Another member of the Pont-Aven School, Sérusier has become one of my faves from this period. His work almost borders on abstraction and I love how he uses color.

Le champ de blé d’or et de sarrasin by Sérusier

This golden field takes up almost the entire painting, with just a bit at the top for the sky. I feel like I could walk straight into it and be instantly enveloped in a riot of flowers.

A vertical painting portraying a field of wildflowers with tall trees in the background. The colors are rich, with warm yellows, reds, and greens dominating the scene.

Tetrahedra by Sérusier

Painted around 1910, this piece showing floating objects in a formless space is part of a cycle of pictures by Sérusier that pushed the boundaries of Symbolism towards abstraction.

Sérusier believed that geometric forms were sacred and in this painting he depicts his thinking on the origins of life and the universe. The chromatic range of colors progresses towards the light, passing from the coldest to the warmest shades.

The painting is just a delight!

A framed abstract painting showing pyramid-like shapes floating in a textured background, transitioning from golden hues at the top to cool green and blue tones at the bottom.

Vincent van Gogh

It’s never difficult to spot a painting by van Gogh in the Musée d’Orsay since there’s always a clutch of people holding cameras aloft in front it.

There are several van Goghs—all fabulous—but I include here just two that I particularly love.

La Salle de danse à Arles by van Gogh

I was surprised to discover a painting by van Gogh that I’d never seen before. At first, I thought it was by Gauguin because the way the figures are depicted and the colors used remind me of his work.

But nope – it’s van Gogh. What an energetic, lively piece this is! Van Gogh really captured the almost frenzied crush of people, the women wearing Arlesian headdresses, their expressions blank.

An intricately framed painting depicting a busy social scene with numerous people, dressed in dark clothing and bonnets, gathered under glowing yellow lights in an indoor venue.

The Starry Night by van Gogh

Van Gogh painted a few versions of Arles on a starry night. This one is not quite as well known, but it’s still fabulous. Van Gogh worked by candlelight to complete a night view of Arles illuminated by gas lamps and the Great Bear constellation glittering in the sky.

A framed painting by Vincent van Gogh depicting a star-filled night sky reflected in the Rhône River, with figures walking on the shore and vibrant blue and yellow tones.

Henri Toulouse-Lautrec

Although Toulouse-Lautrec hailed from a wealthy family in Albi in the southwest of France, he became famous for his gritty depictions of real Parisians, many of whom were down on their luck, lonely, and marginalized. I’m particularly intrigued by two of his pieces depicting prostitutes.

Blonde prostitute, also known as Study for the Medical Inspection by Toulouse-Lautrec

The partially-clothed model is Gabrielle, a prostitute in a Parisian brothel. She’s getting ready to be inspected for venereal disease. Her expression could be interpreted as angry or stoic in the face of what must have been a very demeaning procedure.

A framed sketch by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec of a woman in a pink dress and black stockings, standing with one leg bent, against a brown background.

Woman Pulling Up Her Stocking by Toulouse-Lautrec

Toulouse-Lautrec was a frequent visitor to the brothels and was able to sketch the prostitutes in all manner of poses. This drawing shows an everyday act—pulling on stockings—under the watchful eye of the brothel’s Madame.

A framed painting by Maximilien Luce showing fallen bodies on a cobblestone street, depicting a tragic moment with muted colors and a haunting atmosphere.

If you’re headed to southwest France, drop into Albi and tour the marvelous Musée Toulouse-Lautrec.

Maximilien Luce

This artist may not be as well known as many of the others in the collection, but this piece is a striking depiction of the violence that stalked Paris on and off throughout the 19th century.

This particular scene shows the aftermath of Bloody Week (May 21 to 28, 1871) when the Paris Commune was brutally suppressed and hundreds of people were shot down in the streets.

Painting of dead bodies in the streets by Maximilien Luce at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris

Paul Signac

This gorgeous portrait of Signac’s wife uses very sharp contrasts between complementary colors: yellow with purple, and orange-red with green. It’s a very stylized composition that shares an affinity with Art Nouveau posters.

A framed pointillist painting of a woman in a green dress holding a red parasol, with a yellow background and stylized flowers.

Berthe Morisot

I’ve long been a fan of Impressionist painter Berthe Morisot and am delighted to discover several paintings that I hadn’t seen before on display at the Musée d’Orsay. 

Les Deux Soeurs by Morisot

This painting depicts two dreamy-looking young girls  just emerging from adolescence. The blossoming hydrangea symbolizes their imminent emergence into womanhood.

Morisot is considered by many (myself included) to be one of the most impressionist of the Impressionists. She uses very loose brushstrokes and almost abstract backgrounds to convey a real sense of immediacy.

Her paintings look so fresh and alive. I like them so much more than works by painters such as Renoir that can look too over-worked and florid.

A framed painting by Berthe Morisot featuring a seated young woman in a flowing pink dress with another woman behind her, set against a backdrop of blooming hydrangeas.

Le Berceau by Morisot

This portrait of Morisot’s sister gazing at her newborn child is so tender and domestic. And the way Morisot conveys the sheerness of the fabric draped around the baby’s crib is incredible–again proving just how skilled (and under-appreciated) a painter she was.

A framed painting by Berthe Morisot showing a mother in a dark dress watching over her baby in a white bassinet draped with sheer fabric.

Paul Cézanne

Cézanne’s works are so redolent of the south of France that I can almost feel the heat coming off the canvases. His palette of warm greens and oranges perfectly captures the landscape around Aix-en-Provence.

Montagne Sainte-Victoire by Cézanne

Here’s one of many versions of Mont Sainte-Victoire near Aix-en-Provence. It’s such a bright, cheerful painting that perfectly captures the heat and space of one of France’s most beautiful landscapes.

A framed painting by Paul Cézanne of Mont Sainte-Victoire, featuring a scenic landscape of rolling hills, green foliage, and a prominent mountain in the background.

Rochers près des grottes au-dessus du Château-Noir by Cézanne

This piece perfectly captures the profusion of rocks and dense foliage in the countryside around Aix-en-Provence, where I’ve spent a fair bit of time over the years. No wonder painters who came after Cézanne credit him with being the father of Cubism.

A framed painting by Paul Cézanne depicting large rocks and lush green trees, with abstract brushstrokes of earthy tones.

Gustave Courbet

One of the most controversial paintings in the Musée d’Orsay is L’Origine du Monde by Gustave Courbet, a foremost proponent of realism. This piece was acquired by the museum in 1995, but wasn’t displayed publicly until quite recently.

When you see it, you’ll know why! It’s an amazing painting!

I have a soft spot for this painting because I read an excellent novel called L’Origine by Lilianne Milgrom and interviewed her on the Art In Fiction Podcast (my podcast featuring interviews with authors of arts-inspired novels!).

Lilianne’s novel tells the story of the painting from its commission by the Turkish-Egyptian diplomat Khalil-Bey to its acquisition by the Musée d’Orsay.

Claude Monet

One entire wall is taken up with a series of five paintings showing views of Rouen Cathedral that Monet painted at different times of day. Here are three of them.

Rouen Cathedral 1 by Monet
Rouen Cathedral 2 by Monet
Rouen Cathedral 3 by Monet

Mary Cassatt

Cassatt joined the Impressionist group after moving to Paris from America in the 1870s.

In this painting, she depicts the young girl, using very subtle white tones to stand out against the brightly colored background. While the clothing is almost sketched in, the face and hands are rendered with gorgeous precision.

Painting of a young girl by Mary Cassatt at the Musee d'Orsay in paris

Edgar Degas

Degas is most famous for his paintings of ballet dancers at the Paris Opera, and the Musée d’Orsay has several examples, including this one showing dancers practicing on stage.

The figures are in various attitudes–some dancing, some stretching, one even scratching her back. Degas uses subtle tones and ethereal brushwork to convey filmy tutus and barely hinted-at expressions.

Dancers at the opera by Degas at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris

Auguste Renoir

I’m not a huge fan of most of Renoir’s work. He’s an important painter but I find his figures a little too florid. The exception is, for me, this piece called Danse du Moulin de la Galette, arguably one of the most famous of Renoir’s paintings.

It depicts the famous guinguette–an open-air drinking establishment with food and dancing–that was located at the foot of a former windmill on the Butte de Montmartre in Paris.

The dance is attended by the working class in Paris, such as shop assistants, artists, workers, and just regular folks. The play of light and shadow bring the painting to life, making the viewer feel like they could step in and take a turn around the dance floor.

Dance at the Moulin de la Galette by August Renoir at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris

Gustave Caillebotte

I first saw and was entranced by this painting in the Musée d’Orsay several years ago. Its subject matter is so different from the other paintings in the collection. It’s not a portrait or a landscape, but instead a depiction of three working men (The Floor Scrapers) who are busily scraping a floor in a fine Haussmann-style apartment in Paris.

Critics at the time condemned the painting’s subject matter as vulgar. Few would agree with that assessment nowadays! There is something so compelling about the concentration of the men and the way in which Caillebotte uses such a limited palette to convey so many tones of browns and grays.

And check out how the light spills in from the window!

The Floor Scrapers by Gustave Caillebotte at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris

Love Among the Recipes at the Musée d’Orsay

After touring the Musée d’Orsay, I couldn’t resist taking a shot of Love Among the Recipes, my fourth novel (set in Paris), in front of the great clock.

The museum plays a role in the novel, with one of its most important scenes taking place on the 5th floor in front of a painting by Mary Cassatt!

Love Among the Recipes by Carol M. Cram in front of the clock at the Musees d'Orsay in Paris

Practical Information

The Musée d’Orsay can sell out so buy your tickets online at least a day or two before you plan to travel to Paris (possibly more during the busy summer months).

Tickets for Other Art Museums in Paris

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Where to Stay in Paris

Here are four options to consider for staying in Paris. All are on the Left Bank, which is my preferred location.

The Hotel de l’Université is a reasonably-priced (for Paris) hotel is on a quiet side street in the sixth arrondisement, a few blocks from the lively area around rue Bonaparte and Boulevard Saint-Germain.

In the fourteenth arrondisement, I recommend the Hôtel A La Villa des Artistes, which is stylish and in a great location close to some of Montparnasse’s most famous restaurants.

IIn the fifth arrondisement, I recommend the Hôtel Le Clos Médicis which has a great location about a block from the Luxembourg Gardens near the Boulevard Saint Michel.

If you’re looking for an apartment, this HUGE apartment on rue de Sevres on the Left Bank (#5 on the map at the beginning of this post) is pricey,but excellent value because of its size and central location. Compared to a typical hotel room in Paris, it’s almost a bargain (not that bargain is an appropriate word for any accommodations in the center of Paris).

Conclusion

If you’re an art lover, then I suggest making the Musée d’Orsay the first major art museum you visit in Paris, even more important then the Louvre.

The Musée d’Orsay’s collection is smaller and much more accessible than the vast collection in the Louvre and the crowds are considerably smaller. A visit there is well worth several hours of your time on even the shortest visit to Paris.

Have you visited the Musée D’Orsay? What are some of your favorites? Share in the comments below.

Other Posts About Great Art Museums

Exterior of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam

Best of Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum: Guaranteed Thrills for the Artsy Traveler

Arts & Culture, Destinations, Europe, Museums, Netherlands Artsy Traveler Leave a Comment on Best of Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum: Guaranteed Thrills for the Artsy Traveler

Last updated on January 17th, 2025 at 09:42 pm

Heading to Amsterdam? If you love art, then save time to visit the Rijksmuseum, one of the top museums in the world.

In this post, I share some of my favorite pieces at the Rijksmuseum, a must-visit gallery for Amsterdam-bound artsy travelers. Make sure you reserve well in advance (more on that later).

Refurbished and renovated, the new Rijksmuseum is a total delight. It’s even more amazing than the Van Gogh Museum, although I suppose it’s not fair to compare!

Rijksmuseum at a Glance

Pinterest graphic with the text Rijksmusum Must see for the artsy traveler to amsterdam

In this post, I share my favorite pieces at the Rijksmuseum, a must-visit for Amsterdam-bound artsy travelers. Make sure you reserve well in advance (more on that later).

Overview of the Rijksmuseum

On my first visit to Amsterdam in 1970, I remember the Dutch National Museum (the Rijksmuseum) as a gloomy, rather dingy place.

The famous Night Watch by Rembrandt was so dark as to be virtually invisible, and I don’t recall seeing any of the amazing objets d’art, from porcelain violins to full-size doll houses, that I saw on recent visits.

While most people associate the Rijksmuseum with its awesome collection of paintings by Dutch Old Masters (Rembrant, Vermeer, Frans Hals and the gang), you’ll find so much more to see during your visit. 

Yes, check out the most famous paintings (more below), but also spend time enjoying the hundreds of other objects on display from medieval art to porcelain to model ships to doll houses.

You could spend days exploring the best of the Rijksmuseum!

Location of the Rijksmuseum

The map below shows the location of the Rijksmuseum (#1) in Amsterdam’s Museumplein, easily reached from the Centrum via trams 2 or 12. Also shown is the location of the Van Gogh Museum (#2) next door, and the location of the charming apartment we stayed in on tiny Sint Nicholastraat in the lively Centrum area (#3). Called Here’s Lucy, it’s highly recommended if you’re looking for a private one-bedroom apartment and a much better deal than any hotel I’ve ever stayed at in Amsterdam.

The location, not far from Amsterdam Central Station and the Damrak, is pretty much perfect.

Map courtesy of Wanderlog, a trip planner on iOS and Android

Medieval Art at the Rijksmuseum

The first room I enter features art from the Middle Ages—and wow! I have a soft spot for art from this period that spans from 1100 to about 1500, and the Rijksmuseum has a superb and varied collection. Here are a few of the knockout pieces.

Wood Sculptures

The figures in this wood sculpture were created in 1475 from a hunk of oak and formed part of a large altar. It depicts the adoration of the newborn child by the Virgin, Joseph and the angels. Check out the detail and the expressions on the faces.

Wood sculpture of jesus and apostles in the Riiksmuseum in Amsterdam

This amusing sculpture from around 1380 of a monk who can barely see over the edge of the pulpit is actually a medieval ink pot. The scribe dipped his pen or quill in the sleeves of the monk’s habit.

Medieval wood sculpture of monk in pulpit s in the Riiksmuseum in Amsterdam

And look at this gem of a sculpture that dates from 1520 – closer to Renaissance than medieval. It’s one of three related pieces. This one depicts the celebration of Mass with Christ. Check out the bread Christ holds in his hands and also the impassive look on the servant girl’s face.

Wood sculpture of Jesus with apostles at dinner n the Riiksmuseum in Amsterdam

One of the reasons I like medieval art so much is because it depicts the elaborate gowns worn by both men and women, but particularly women.

This wooden sculpture is one of 24 similar-sized sculptures that ringed the tomb of Isabella of Bourbon, the wife of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. She died in 1465. The figures represented mourning family members and ancestors and were known as “weepers”.

Medieval statue at the Riiksmuseum in Amsterdam

Renaissance Paintings

While most of the paintings in the medieval and Renaissance rooms at the Rijksmuseum were created in the low countries, this depiction of Mary Magdalene comes from Italy and is an example of the International Gothic style.

I’m quite taken by the elaborate coiffure and the beautiful way in which the red gown is rendered.

Gothic painting in the Riiksmuseum in Amsterdam

This landscape depicts an episode in the conquest of America and was painted in 1535 not long after the conquest.

The painting is the first to depict Spanish soldiers subduing the people who lived in the “new world.” Jan Jansz Mostaert, the painter, created a traditional European landscape and then added a few exotic elements—a monkey, a porcupine, and some parrots— to show that the landscape was not in fact European.

Painting of soldiers in the New World at the Riiksmuseum in Amsterdam

Dutch Ships at the Rijksmuseum

Several rooms are devoted to displaying models of Dutch ships. They are remarkable!

This model of a Dutch warship in the late 17th century was made at the same dockyards where real warships were built. It’s about one/twelfth life-size. The real ship would have had 74 guns.

I am particularly taken by the elaborate decoration and the sheer size of the stern area where presumably the captain would have his quarters. I doubt conditions were quite so luxurious for the regular sailors.

Model of a Dutch warship in the Riiksmuseum in Amsterdam
Model ship in the Riiksmuseum in Amsterdam

Here’s another view of the many ship models in the Rijksmuseum.

Room of ship models in the Riiksmuseum in Amsterdam

Masterworks at the Rijksmuseum

Most visitors to the Rijksmuseum make a beeline for the “Gallery of Honour” which includes several paintings by Rembrandt van Rijn and Johannes Vermeer, probably the two most famous Dutch artists.

The Night Watch by Rembrandt

The Night Watch is displayed in a temperature-controlled structure so we can’t get very close. It’s an impressive artwork, for sure, and certainly much better to look at now than it was when I first saw it at the age of 14 when it was almost black.

Here’s my husband Gregg (the guy in black) checking it out.

The Night Watch at the Riiksmuseum in Amsterdam

And here’s a close-up sans viewers.

Night Watch at the Riiksmuseum in Amsterdam

Thanks to glare, it’s almost impossible to get a decent shot, but you get the idea.

Rembrandt’s control of light and shadow in the painting is remarkable. There’s so much life and movement in the painting. Everyone is doing something.

I like the drummer to the right and the little girl to the left of the guy with the red sash.

The Jewish Bride by Rembrandt

In this beautiful portrayal of a newly married couple, Rembrandt used thick, impasto paint and worked it with a palette knife to create a glittering and sculptural relief.

There is a bittersweet quality to this painting. The man looks to be quite a bit older than his bride. While richly dressed, she looks very uncertain about what the future might hold for her.

Rembrandt's Jewish Bride at the Riiksmuseum in Amsterdam

The Milkmaid by Vermeer

The small, intimate paintings by Vermeer are among the Rijksmuseum highlights. You’ll know that because you’ll see knots of people clustered around each Vermeer painting as they listen to tour guides or audio guides. 

I managed to sneak through and get this picture of The Milkmaid, which I’ve always had a soft spot for, perhaps because the subject is so humble and yet so exquisitely rendered.

She is totally intent upon her task, unaware she will be looked at by millions for centuries to come. This painting also shows how Vermeer was a master of light.

You really “get” how great Vermeer was when you compare his paintings to those of most of his contemporaries. While most are competently painted, they don’t glow like Vermeer’s paintings do. He didn’t complete many paintings in his life, but each one was a masterpiece.

The Threatened Swan by Jan Asselijn

This painting by Jan Asselijn is an oil on canvas from 1650. It’s reproduced on bags, mugs, tea towels and other products in the gift shop so obviously it strikes a chord with people.

The painting depicts a swan fiercely defending its nest against a dog. In later centuries, the scuffle was interpreted as a political allegory, with the white swan symbolizing the Dutch statesman Johann de Witt who was assassinated in 1672 while protecting the country from its enemies.

This meaning was attached to the painting when it became the first work to be accepted into the collection of the Nationale Kunstgalerij, the forerunner of the Rijksmuseum, in 1800. I’m guessing that the Dutch liked the image of their nation as a swan furiously defending itself.

Threatened Swan in the Riiksmuseum in Amsterdam

Still Lifes at the Rijksmuseum

I’ve developed a real fondness for still life paintings—of flowers, kitchen scenes, fruit, and the like.

I’m not sure why, but there’s something kind of comforting about super-realistic paintings of everyday things. And the Dutch are masters of the genre.

The Well-Stocked Kitchen by Joachim Beuckelaer

This piece by Joachim Beuckelaer painted in Antwerp in 1566, depicts Christ’s visit to Mary and Martha, although that’s hard to figure out because the action takes place in the background while in the foreground is a profusion of richly painted vegetables, fruit, meat, poultry, and pots and pans.

The contrast between the foreground and the background conceals the message of the painting: do not give in to earthly temptations.

Large still life at the Riiksmuseum in Amsterdam

Still Life of Flowers in a Glass Vase by Rachel Ruysch

I’m thrilled to discover that this stiff life was painted by a female artist I’d not heard of. Her name is Rachel Ruysch and I have discovered that she was big news in her time.

In fact, she was the most famous female artist of the period. Patrons loved her monumental, sumptuous flower still lifes like this one and paid big guilders to own one. Even after marrying and having ten children, Rachel Ruysch continued to not only paint, but also to sign her paintings with her own name. Now she’s an artist I want to know more about.

Rachel Rausch still life in the Riiksmuseum in Amsterdam

Later in the gift shop, I buy a stunningly illustrated book about still lifes from the Dutch Golden Age that includes quite a few of Ruysch’s paintings.

Unfortunately, the text is in Dutch, but I buy it anyway so I can enjoy looking at the paintings and drawings, most of which are by women artists. It appears that still lifes—and flower paintings in particular—were popular subjects for female painters of the period.

Still Life with Gilt Cup by Willem Claesz Heda

This painting includes an astounding array of grey tonalities. Heda’s palette is subtle—pewter, silver, damask, glass, mother-of-pearl, with a few yellow and ochre accents thrown in for good measure. He specialized in near monochromatic still lifes that were known as “tonal banquet pieces.”

Monochromatic still life in the Riiksmuseum in Amsterdam

Still Life with Cheese by Floris Claesz van Dijck

Van Dijck really brings the subjects in his painting to life. Check out the ridges in the slabs of cheese and how the pewter plate extending over the edge of the table seems to come right out of the painting.

Floris van Dijck was considered one of the pioneers of Dutch still-life painting.

Still life with cheese in the Riiksmuseum in Amsterdam

Flower Still Life with a Crown Imperios Fritillary in a Stone Niche by Jacob Woutersz Vosmaer

This impressively named painting is an exceptionally large example of a still life. There’s a tactile quality to the flowers that makes them look like they are moving.

And then there’s the wee mouse and the cracks in the wall—real life intruding on the luscious beauty of the flower arrangement.

Flower still life at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam

Other Notable Artists at the Rijksmuseum

Check out works by other Dutch masters including Frans Hals and Jan Steen. The Merry Drinker by Frans Hals is a perennial favorite.

Porcelain at the Rijksmuseum

The Rijksmuseum collection includes a lot of porcelain and china.

My eye is caught by this tin-glazed earthenware violin. It cannot be played and was made purely as a decorative object. The violin is considered to be an absolute masterpiece of Delft earthenware—and no wonder.

Porcelain violin at the Riiksmuseum in amsterdam

Doll Houses at the Rijksmuseum

One of the rooms in the Rijksmuseum is devoted to showcasing two extraordinary dollhouses. They’re both HUGE! And the detail in the rooms is truly astonishing. Here are just a few of the interiors.

Practical Information About the Rijksmuseum

The Rijksmuseum can sell out so buy your tickets online at least a week before you plan to travel to Amsterdam (possibly more during the busy summer months). Most visitors appear to get the audio guide which probably enhances the viewing experience. We did not get it, preferring to discuss the pieces as we look at them. Click one of the options below to purchase your ticket.

Here’s an option that includes a guided tour:

Powered by GetYourGuide

Here are some options for tours of the Rijksmuseum offered through Tiqets.com

Where to Stay in Amsterdam

I visit Amsterdam frequently and so have stayed in a lot of different areas. My favorite area by far is the Centrum. You’ll pay more for proximity to the canals and the action, but it’s worth it!

Here are three options:

Mokum Suites overlooking the Herengracht canal and near the Rembrandtplein is fabulous. From my window on the 1st floor, I had a view over the canal.

Here’s Lucy is an apartment on a tiny side street very close to the Damrak–a perfect, and yet quiet, location in busy Amsterdam.

Holiday Inn Express – City Hall is a chain hotel but excellent value in a good location. Staff are friendly and you may even get a view of a canal!

Conclusion

The Rijksmuseum is well worth several hours of your time on even the shortest visit to Amsterdam.

I would venture to say that it’s even better than the neighboring Van Gogh Museum simply because it’s a lot bigger and has a lot more to look at.

But at the same time, the Rijksmuseum is not overwhelming. In my opinion, it’s a perfectly sized major museum to keep me entertained for a good two or three hours, with a wee break at some point to sample a coffee and a piece of cake in the airy cafeteria and of course to check out the gift shop.

Have you visited the Rijksmuseum? What are some of your favorites? Share in the comments below.

Other Posts About Great Art Museums

Carol Cram at Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam

Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam: Best Bets for the Artsy Traveler

Arts & Culture, Destinations, Europe, Museums, Netherlands Artsy Traveler Leave a Comment on Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam: Best Bets for the Artsy Traveler

Last updated on January 17th, 2025 at 09:42 pm

I remember the first time I saw the Van Gogh Museum, almost 50 years ago. Compared to the gingerbread façade of its neighbor, the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum is sleek and modern, and when I first saw it in 1974, it was fringed with massively tall sunflowers. I burst out laughing. How appropriate!

The Van Gogh Museum houses the world’s most extensive and lovingly presented collection of work by the Netherlands’s fave artist–Vincent van Gogh.

During his lifetime, van Gogh didn’t get much love from his home country, but that oversight has been more than made up for in recent decades. Vincent van Gogh, who barely sold a painting during his life, is big business now.

Pinerest graphic with the text van gogh museum must see for the artsy traveler to amsterdam over a self-portrait of van gogh by van gogh

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In this post, I share my favorite pieces at the Van Gogh Museum, a must-visit for Amsterdam-bound artsy travelers, although make sure you reserve well in advance (more on that later).

The map below shows the location of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam’s Museumplein, easily reached from the Centrum via trams 2 or 12.

Map thanks to Wanderlog, a trip planner app on iOS and Android

Also shown is the location of the Rijksmuseum next door, and the location of the charming apartment I stayed in on tiny Sint Nicholastraat in the lively Centrum area. Called Here’s Lucy, it’s highly recommended if you’re looking for a private one-bedroom apartment and a much better deal than any hotel I’ve ever stayed at in Amsterdam. It’s situated not far from the Central Station and the Damrak is pretty much perfect.

Overview of the Van Gogh Museum

As the name suggests, the Van Gogh Museum is dedicated to exhibiting and celebrating the work of Vincent van Gogh, one of the world’s most beloved artists.

It opened in 1973, three years after my first visit to Amsterdam and a year before my second visit to Amsterdam at the age of 18. I remember being so excited to tour the museum in 1974 when I was already a firm van Gogh fan.

Message at the entrance to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam

The museum is the most visited museum in the Netherlands, and one of the top most-visited museums in the world. And no wonder! The collection is organized across four floors and includes pieces from several of van Gogh’s contemporaries, including Monet, Gauguin, Pissarro and others.

The intention is to show van Gogh’s work in context and according to various themes, including self-portraits, early work, landscapes, and portraits.

Van Gogh provided hundreds of paintings and drawings over the course of just one decade, from 1880 to 1890. The collection at the Van Gogh Museum shows van Gogh as an artist intent on improving himself and his art while also being deeply engaged with the artistic developments of his day.

View of the Museum

A central atrium extends from the ground floor to the fourth floor and is dominated by a staircase and projections of details from van Gogh’s paintings that change regularly. The exhibition spaces run around three sides of the building.

Interior of the Van Gogh Museum with sunflowers projected

Self-Portraits of Van Gogh

The first room we entered featured a good collection of van Gogh’s self-portraits. I include two of my favorites. I like the contrast in how he handled the brushstrokes in these two works, and the intensity of his stare.

Self portrait of Van Gogh at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam
Self-Portrait, 1887
Self portrait of Van Gogh at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam
Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat

Van Gogh didn’t start painting seriously until he was 27 when he set to work to learn the rudiments of painting, mostly by studying the art of other artists. He was a great admirer of French 19th-century painters such as Jean-Francois Millet and Jules Breton who portrayed peasant life in the countryside.

Early Work

Most of van Gogh’s early work that he completed before he went to Paris and then finally to Provence use a very limited, even dreary palette. They have almost an Old Master feel to them.

Still Life with Open Bible

I particularly enjoyed a painting of his recently deceased father’s bible set next to van Gogh’s copy of La joie de vivre by Emile Zola–a ‘bible’ of modern life. The intention of the painting is to juxtapose the religious and traditional mores of his father with van Gogh’s more modern sensibilities. I was intrigued with how he rendered the open pages of the bible with rough brush strokes.

Bible and Zola painting by Van Gogh featured in The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam

The Potato Eaters

One of van Gogh’s most famous works from his early period is The Potato Eaters. The darkness of the painting and the almost grotesque roughness of the figures exemplifies the harshness, even despair, of peasant life. Van Gogh wrote that a true peasant painting should smell of bacon, smoke, and steaming potatoes.

The Potato Eaters by Van Gogh featured in The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam
The Potato Eaters

Van Gogh in Paris

The gallery devoted to works that van Gogh created while living in Paris also include several works by his contemporaries, including Monet and Degas.

Nude Bathing by Degas

This nude by Degas is executed in numerous shades of pastel crayon and is one of several nudes that Degas exhibited in Paris and which van Gogh saw and greatly admired.

Nude bathing by Degas at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam

View Seen Through a Balcony by Gustave Caillebotte

Another work by one of van Gogh’s contemporaries is the painting of a Paris street seen through a wrought iron balcony by Gustave Caillebotte. I’ve seen several of Caillebotte’s paintings at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris and like his work.

View Seen Through a Balocny by Gustave Caillebotte

Café Table with Absinthe

And here’s a painting that van Gogh did while living in Paris. It depicts a glass of absinthe in a café. Already his palette is starting to lighten up with more pastel colors and looser brushstrokes.

Absinthe in a Paris Cafe by Vincent Van Gogh at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam

Still Lifes – Red Cabbage and Garlic

I don’t associate van Gogh with still life paintings except, of course, for his flower paintings. This painting of red cabbages and onions is a revelation. I love the blue, red, and gold palette and the vibrancy of his brushstrokes. This still life is anything but still. Van Gogh was apparently intent on studying color contrasts in the painting–the complementary colors of yellow and blue reinforcing each other. He was well aware of color theory and how different color combinations work together to produce different effects and even emotions.

Cabbages and onions painting by Van Gogh at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam

Portraits

Several of van Gogh’s most famous paintings are portraits of people he met and interacted with–regular people such as a bar maid, a postman, and his landlord. The Van Gogh Museum includes a few of his portraits, although not any of the super famous ones.

Woman in the Bar

This painting of a solitary woman in a Paris café is a great example of how van Gogh used regular people he encountered every day as his models. The look on her face is so relatable–staring into the middle distance, lost in her own thoughts. Is she annoyed? Pensive? Or just bored?

Woman in a bar painting by Van Gogh in the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam

Van Gogh in the South of France

Van Gogh left bustling Paris for the south of France in late winter, arriving just as the trees were beginning to blossom.

The White Orchard

Here is one of three paintings he did not long after arriving in Arles. I’m entranced by the movement of the trees and the joyous freedom of the brushstrokes. It’s as if van Gogh’s been released from prison and poised on the edge of a whole new adventure, which indeed he was.

The White Orchard painting by Van Gogh at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam

The Harvest

I felt very verklempt when I saw this painting, the very first van Gogh I ever saw and the first painting that launched me into a lifetime of loving art. I saw it at Expo 67 in Montreal when I was 11. A pretty uneventful childhood spent in Vancouver had not prepared me for modern art. I was blown away, first by The Harvest by van Gogh and then in the same exhibition at Expo 67 Lavender Mist by Jackson Pollock. It’s kinda no wonder I’ve ended up spending my life with a painter!

The Harvest makes me feel happy every time I see it. I’m not sure why. Perhaps it’s the bands of color and texture or maybe the balancing of the complementary colors of gold and blue. It just feels totally right. I look at it and I feel glad to be in the world.

The Harvest by Vincent Van Gogh at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam

The Bedroom

How many times have I seen this iconic piece in reproductions and on mugs and mousepads, puzzles and pens? And yet seeing it in “real life” is still a thrill. There’s something so endearing about a man who paints his humble little bedroom and manages to infuse it with such warmth and loneliness. And again, it’s his use of complementary yellows and blues that makes the painting so satisfying to look at.

Sunflowers

And another iconic favorite! Composed of just three shades of yellow, this Sunflowers (he painted several versions) glows like lemons in the sun. The sunflowers are in various stages of dying and yet the painting is beguilingly cheerful.

The Sunflowers by Vincent Van Gogh at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam

The Yellow House

And here’s yet another study in blues and yellows! Gosh, he’s good. Van Gogh manages to capture heat shimmering against the walls of the houses in Arles. He was hoping to turn his yellow house into an artist colony but only Gauguin came, and only stayed two months. Poor Vincent led a rather solitary existence.

The Yellow House by Vincent Van Gogh at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam

Japanese Influence

Van Gogh was a huge fan of Japanese art, as were many of his contemporaries, and several pieces were directly influenced by it.

Almond Blossoms

He painted this gorgeous, Japanese-print-inspired piece depicting almond blossoms against a blue sky to celebrate the birth of his nephew and namesake, Vincent–the son of his beloved brother, Theo. It’s almost abstract in its focus only on the blossoms and the sky with no other landscape elements. Van Gogh himself recognized the piece as one of his best–and he wasn’t wrong!

Almong Blossoms by Vincent Van Gogh at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam

The Sower

And finally, here is The Sower, one of van Gogh’s smallest and yet most well-known paintings. It has so much movement and energy. I can sense the man purposefully planting his seeds, completely trusting that they will come up in the spring. In this painting, the sky is green instead of blue which casts an eerie glow over the scene, giving it an almost foreboding look, although the sower seems oblivious to anything beyond the sowing of his seeds.

The Sower by Vincent Van Gogh at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam

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Practical Information

The Van Gogh Museum sells out many days in advance. Get your tickets online at least two weeks before you plan to travel to Amsterdam (possibly more during the busy summer months). Most visitors appear to get the audioguide which probably enhances the viewing experience. We did not, preferring to discuss the pieces as we looked at them. Every so often, you can discreetly eavesdrop on a guided tour. All of the ones I came across the morning we toured the museum were in English. Click one of the options below to purchase your ticket.

Tour Options

Conclusion

The Van Gogh Museum is well worth several hours of your time on even the shortest visit to Amsterdam. The only downside is that the world holds millions of van Gogh lovers and even with daily limits on visitors, a good chunk of them will be at the museum at the same time you are.

It does get tiring dodging the crowds, particularly if you enjoy taking photos of the pieces like I do and also read all the captions.

Most people are listening to audio guides and sometimes stand immobile for long periods in front of each painting. When several of them are congregated in front of a parituclarlty popular piece such as The Sunflowers, you’ll have to wait awhile to get your viewing turn.

But hey, it’s worth it. These are original paintings by Vincent Van Gogh! Artsy traveling doesn’t get much better. And when you’re done, you can tour no fewer than three gift shops (there may have been more) loaded to the gunnels with van Gogh schlock. On this trip I resisted, but I do own a very nice van Gogh pen that I purchased on a previous visit.

Have you visited the Van Gogh Museum? What are some of your favorites? Share in the comments below.

Other Posts About Great Art Museums

Tanvi Pathare and the Villa Lena in Tuscany

Free Your Inner Floral Artist at Stunning Villa Lena in the Tuscan Countryside

Arts & Culture, Destinations, Interviews, Italy Artsy Traveler Leave a Comment on Free Your Inner Floral Artist at Stunning Villa Lena in the Tuscan Countryside

Last updated on January 17th, 2025 at 09:37 pm

As an Artsy Traveler, one of the most rewarding things I recommend you do is sign up for an artsy retreat in a gorgeous location. You’ll get inspired while learning new techniques and meeting like-minded travelers.

I recently discovered the Villa Lena in Tuscany (and I LOVE Tuscany!) where you can do just that.

Imagine spending four days surrounded by spring flowers in the Tuscan countryside while you learn how to arrange and paint flowers with master artist Tanvi Pathare.

Tanvi Pathare floral painting workshop at Villa Lena in Tuscany

From May 5th to 10th in 2023, Tanvi will be conducting four watercolor master classes that “will focus on an old and healing art form: the slow-paced appreciation of flowers, landscapes, and natural beauty.”

Sounds pretty awesome to me! I hooked up virtually with Tanvi and asked her some questions about her background as an artist and about her upcoming Flower Painting Retreat at the Villa Lena in Tuscany.

Interview with Tanvi Pathare

I interviewed Tanvi virtually (and hope one day to meet and learn with her in person!). Here is our interview.

Who is Tanvi Pathare?

Artsy Traveler: Tell us about your background as an artist–where you studied and some of your influences.

Tanvi Pathare: I was born in Mumbai, India. Since an early age, I was fascinated by the idea that you could create something beautiful with your hands; I enjoyed the craft element of it. I studied at the Sir J. J. School of Art in Mumbai, after which I moved to Florence in the search of more formal training as a realist painter.

I studied in the painting program at the Florence Academy of Art. After graduating from this program, I began teaching, and have been a Principal Instructor for drawing and painting at The Florence Academy ever since.

I look up to painters such as Rembrandt, Titian, Van Dyck, John Singer Sargent, Emil Carlsen, Henri Fantin-Latour, and Isaac Levitan to name a few.

Tanvi’s Inspiration

Artsy Traveler: What is it about floral painting that inspires you?

Tanvi Pathare: I feel my journey as a painter involves the constant delightful pursuit of studying the perfection of nature. Flowers are a wonderful source of inspiration, as they change, move, and grow. I find tracking their beauty through paint highly intriguing.

Tanvi Pathare painting in Tuscany
Tanvi teaching painting in Florence

Tanvi’s Favorite Flowers

Artsy Traveler: Do you have any favorite flowers that you particularly enjoy painting?

Tanvi Pathare: I truly enjoy painting roses and peonies. I think their overall forms are very intricate, and hence a good place to spend a few hours meditating over them.

Painting of peonies by Tanvi Pathare who is hosting a workshop at the Villa Lena in Tuscany
Painting of peonies by Tanvi Pathare

Influences of Location

Artsy Traveler: You grew up in India and now live in Florence. How have these locations inspired you? What changed in your work when you moved to Europe? 

Tanvi Pathare: I think having grown up in India, color (and a lot of it) was always a part of my visual aesthetic. Moving to Florence, I think my palette, became a bit more harmonized, though still having sharp color notes. My formal training in Florence helped me organize my ideas in a more cohesive way. Living in Florence, you are spoilt by the beauty around you. I think Mumbai and Florence will always be an integral part of my language as a painter.

Villa Lena Workshop

Artsy Traveler: As a workshop leader, what do you hope participants will take away from their experience painting with you?

Tanvi Pathare: hope that participants walk away with a new found appreciation of nature and flowers. Painting flowers is a beautiful way of truly appreciating their beauty because you spend much longer looking at them, versus just taking a picture of them and moving along..

White Roses by Tanvi Pathare who is hosting a workshop at the Villa Lena in Tuscany
White Roses by Tanvi Pathare

Tanvi Pathare’s Artwork

Tanvi’s art is truly exquisite. Her website beautifully showcases her work with various subjects: portraits, landscapes, and still lifes (lots of flowers in this category).

Here is a selection of some of her works I particularly liked. I can definitely see how she is influenced by masters such as Titian and Rembrandt and also by 19th century painters such as Henri Fantin-Latour and John Singer Sargent.

Landscapes by Tanvi Pathare

Tanvi’s website includes several paintings of the Tuscan landscape. Artists have been captivated by this landscape for centuries and no wonder. Tanvi captures the light and motion with fluid strokes and an eye for strong composition.

Landscape painting by Tanvi Pathare
The Valley in Lucca by Tanvi Pathare
Painting of the Mediterranean by Tanvi Pathare
The Mediterranean by Tanvi Pathare

Still Lifes by Tanvi Pathare

I often gravitate to still life paintings when I tour art museums. I especially enjoy flower paintings, perhaps because my mother painted flowers almost until she passed at the age of 93. So flower paintings have been a part of my life forever. Also, although I’m not the best of gardeners, I love watching flowers grow! Tanvi’s flower paintings really spoke to me. She captures the exuberance of their colors and the whimsy of their forms spilling out of vases and scattering petals. I feel like I can reach out and pluck a rose just before it falls.

Wine and Roses by Tanvi Pathare who is hosting a workshop at the Villa Lena in Tuscany
Wine and Roses by Tanvi Pathare
Of Peonies and Roses by Tanvi Pathare who is hosting a workshop at the Villa Lena in Tuscany
Of Peonies and Roses by Tanvi Pathare
A Wisteria Dream by Tanvi Pathare who is hosting a workshop at the Villa Lena in Tuscany
A Wisteria Dream by Tanvi Pathare
Still Life with Roses and Cherry Blossoms by Tanvi Pathare who is hosting a workshop at the Villa Lena in Tuscany
Still Life with Roses and Cherry Blossoms by Tanvi Pathare

To see more of Tanvi’s work, check her website.

About the Flower Painting Workshop at Villa Lena

The Flower Painting Workshop at Villa Lena runs from May 5th to May 10th, 2023. You stay at the Villa Lena and can participate in many more activities in addition to flower painting.

When I read the description about what participants in Tanvi’s floral painting workshop at the Villa Lena are going to do during their stay, I wish I could hop on a plane and attend myself. Alas, not this Spring, although I plan to visit the Villa Lena when I’m in Tuscany in the Fall of 2023.

Here’s what you’ll enjoy during your floral painting workshop:

  • 5 nights accommodation on site at Villa Lena 
  • Full board – farm to table feasting. 
  • 4 master classes on painting floral compositions with Tanvi Pathare
  • Wine tasting
  • Afternoon tea & baking lesson with in-house pastry chef 
  • Pasta cooking class
  • Olive oil tasting 
  • Guided tours of the VL orto & flower farm, with flower cutting session
  • Daily Yoga 
  • Access to Villa Lena facilities including 2 pools, 2 bars and beautiful common areas. 

That sounds like an amazing way to spend some time in Tuscany! Interested?

Click here for more information and to book.

Full disclosure: If you follow this link and book a stay at the Villa Lena, I earn a small commission. Thank you!

Flowers at the Villa Lena in Tuscany
Having a meal at the Villa Lena in Tuscany

Visit Villa Lena

Villa Lena is located in the heart of Tuscany between Pisa and Florence. The villa hosts retreats and offers agriturismo accommodation.

Aerial view of the pool at the Villa Lena in Tuscany
Villa Lena in Tuscany
View over the Tuscan countryside
Pool overlooking the Tuscany countryside at Villa Lena

Staying at the Villa Lena

The accommodations at Villa Lena are stylish and comfortable. I’m imagining myself sitting in front of that view doing some writing. I’ve always found Tuscany an incredibly inspiring place to work and can’t wait to get back there in Fall 2023.

view from a room at Villa Lena
View from a room at Vill Lena
A bedroom at the Villa Lena

Villa Lena Foundation

The villa is also affiliated with the Villa Lena Foundation, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting international contemporary artists working in art, music, film, literature, fashion, and other creative disciplines, and fostering opportunities for multi-disciplinary dialogue. If you’re an artist, you can apply to do at residency at the Villa Lena Foundation. Applications open soon for residencies in 2024. Check the Villa Lena Foundation website for details.

Art Studio at the Villa Lena Foundation
Art studio at the Villa Lena Foundation

Conclusion

Are you traveling to Tuscany this spring? Consider spending time at the Villa Lena learning flower painting with Tanvi Pathare. You’ll come away with a renewed appreciation of the beauty of nature and a painting or two that you’ve created.

Have you ever taken an art workshop or gone on a painting retreat? Share your experience and suggestions with other Artsy Travelers in the Comments below.

Here are some more posts about artists and artsy traveling in Tuscany:

Carol Cram on a bike tour in Copenhagen

15 Must-Dos in Copenhagen for the Artsy Traveler

Activities, Arts & Culture, Denmark, Destinations Artsy Traveler Leave a Comment on 15 Must-Dos in Copenhagen for the Artsy Traveler

Last updated on January 23rd, 2025 at 01:15 am

Put Copenhagen on your list of must-see European cities. It’s small enough to tour in a few days and large enough to reward a longer stay.

I recently stayed for eight nights in Copenhagen while my husband and partner-in-travel Gregg Simpson had an exhibition of his paintings at Galleri Bredgade 22 close to the picturesque Nyhavn area of the city.

I could have easily filled another eight days. Even so, I was able to pack a lot into the time I had available.

This post highlights my top fifteen sites and experiences.

Graphic showing a street scene from Copenhagen. The number 15 apears in a circle. Below is the text "Must-Dos in Copenhagen".

Get Your Bearings

Before starting, check the map below. Most of my suggested sites in Copenhagen city itself are within walking distance of each other. The last four sites are outside Copenhagen and easily accessible by train.

#1: Get the Copenhagen Card

The first item on my list isn’t a site but rather the card you’ll need to tour most of the rest of my recommendations. The Copenhagen Card is truly a bargain. With it, you can get into just about every museum and notable site in the city and use it on all the subways, busses, and trains in the Capital Region (a very large swathe of land that includes Copenhagen and most sites within an hour train ride).

You can purchase the Copenhagen Card for varying lengths. I purchased a five-day card which was perfect and allowed me to see almost everything I wanted to explore.

To find out if it’s worth your while to purchase a Copenhagen Card, choose the sites and museums you want to visit, check their prices online, and then compare them with the cost of the card. I pretty much guarantee you’ll find that the Copenhagen Card will be worth its price.

Click the image below to purchase the Copenhagen card.

#2: Take a Bike Tour

A good idea is to take a bike tour on the first day or two you’re in Copenhagen. That way, you’ll get the “lay of the land” while also ticking off a few of the most touristy sites such as the Little Mermaid (you only need to see her once!), some of the parks, and Nyhavn.

I joined a small bike tour for a 90-minute joy ride through Copenhagen and loved every minute of it. Copenhagen is made for cycling. You have your own lanes and your own traffic lights, and everyone knows and obeys the rules.

Meeting the Copenhagen Bike Tour

I met the tour at the bike racks in Kongen Nytorv (#2 on the map above), the large square not far from where we were staying in Nyhavn (see my review of our fabulous apartment). Our guide showed us the basic hand signals for turning left and right and stopping, assigned each of us in the group of six people a large and sturdy bike, reviewed how to change gears, and then boom, we were off. Helmets? What helmets?

Carol Cram standing with a bike in Copenhagen prior to going on a bike tour
Meeting the bike tour in Kongens Nytorv near Nyhavn

Riding around Copenhagen on a bike makes you feel like a real Copenhager. Everyone cycles here–young and old. Even if you’re not much of a cyclist, or out of practice (as I was), you’ll have no trouble cycling in flat Copenhagen. I think I changed gears once to go up a very slight incline in the area near the Little Mermaid.

King’s Garden

We rode for about ten minutes to the King’s Garden (Kongens Have – #5 on the map), where our guide gave us a quick history of Denmark and Copenhagen. He was a font of knowledge. While you could rent a bike and explore Copenhagen on your own, I recommend taking a tour. You’ll learn a lot, and also get the chance to chat with some fellow travelers.

The King’s Garden includes an attractive castle surrounded by a moat and plenty of tree-lined paths. In September, locals were hanging out on the lawns enjoying the sunshine.

King’s Garden in Copenhagen

Nyboder

We rode next to Nyboder (#6 on the map), an area of historic row houses that housed sailors in the 18th century. Our guide shared interesting information about the hard life of sailors and their families back in the day.

Nyboder district of old houses in Copenhagen
Nyboder district of old houses in Copenhagen

We then checked out both of Copenhagen’s mermaids. To read about them, see #3 below.

Gefion Fountain

A highlight for me was hearing the story attached to the Gefion Fountain (#10 on the map), which we rode to after visiting with the mermaids. The fountain depicts the mythical story of the creation of the island of Zealand upon which Copenhagen is situated. According to legend, the Swedish king Gylfi promised Gefjun (a goddess) that she could have all the land she could plow in a night. Well, being a bit of a resourceful lass, Gefjun turned her four sons into oxen and plowed out a Zealand-shaped chunk of land which was then thrown into the Danish sea to become the Zealand we know today. She left behind a hole that is now Lake Mälaren in Sweden.

What a woman!

Gefion Fountain in Copenhagen
Gefion Fountain in Copenhagen

Royal Palace & Opera House

We rode to a location where we could see both Royal Palace (#14) and the fabulous modern opera house (#15) directly across the harbor. Our guide talked a lot about the many environmental innovations Denmark is pioneering, including exciting new ways of recycling trash and using wind energy. Denmark is an inspiration for the rest of the world.

He also talked about the royal family and Queen Margrethe II who was celebrating her 50-year jubilee in 2022. In fact, several celebrations were going on while we were in Copenhagen. Apparently, the royal family are very well liked in Denmark, the Queen in particular. One of her many accomplishments is illustrating The Lord of the Rings, much to the admiration of Tolkein himself.

Royal palace of Denmark
Royal palace
Royal opera house in Copenhagen
Opera house

Nyhavn

The bike tour ended in Nyhavn (#1) where our guide provided us with plenty of interesting commentary about living in Copenhagen and the remarkable social success story that is Denmark. Yes, there are still problems, but overall, Denmark is having enviable success compared to most other countries when it comes to solving many of the 21st century’s most pressing social and environmental challenges.

In the photo below, you can see the building where we stayed. It’s the dark orange one between the brown and tan buildings to the right of the guide.

Guide standing in front of Nyhavn harbor in Copenhagen
Our knowledgeable guide telling us about Nyhavn

You can choose from plenty of bike tours and even book a private tour. Here are some options:

#3: Check out BOTH Mermaids

Yes, there are two–the famous one in the harbor that is mobbed with tourists, and the not-so-famous one about ten minutes away. Called the Genetically Modified Mermaid (#7), the statue is blissfully lonely. When I visited with the bike tour (see above), we were the only people checking her out.

Her more conventionally depicted sister mermaid sits in the harbor and basks in the glow of a thousand cell phones. Getting a picture of her requires some judicious zooming in to avoid the crowds.

The bronze statue of the Little Mermaid (#9) by sculptor Edvard Eriksen is inspired by the 1837 fairy tale by beloved Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. The statue has reached iconic status worldwide and is a must-stop on every tour itinerary. It’s a pleasant place to pause for a few minutes to enjoy views of Copenhagen’s massive harbor.

Genetically modified mermaid - a statue of a mermaid in Copenhagen
Genetically modified mermaid
Statue of the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen Harbor
Famous mermaid

#4: Take Pictures in Nyhavn

We stayed in a beautiful two-bedroom apartment in Nyhavn (#1) and I’m so glad we did. The area was once very sketchy–think rough pubs and brothels–but after major renovations and rebranding, Nyhavn has become one of the most recognizable regions in all of Copenhagen. In fact, nowadays you’d be hard-pressed to find any tourist info about Denmark that didn’t include a picture of Nyhavn.

The colorful buildings, old ships, and numerous sidewalk cafes are irresistible. I spent quite a bit of time taking photographs at various times of day to capture the shifting light.

According to the guide on my bike tour (see above), the restaurants in Nyhavn are overly touristy and over-priced. He has a point. We ate at one and yes, it was on the pricy side, which is saying something in pricy Copenhagen. But the setting really can’t be beat, so at least stop at one of the sidewalk cafes to enjoy a drink and watch the world go by.

Here’s a selection of photos from different images and in different lights of what must be the world’s most photogenic harbor.

Nyhavn at sunset
Nyhavn on a windless day
Walking into Nyhavn
Dramatic clouds over Nyhavn

#5: Eat Smørbrød 

This is not optional! When you visit Copenhagen, you have to eat several pieces of smørbrød. These hearty, open-faced sandwiches consist of rugbrod rye bread heaped up with a dizzying array of fresh and artfully displayed ingredients. Your biggest challenge will be deciding which smørbrød to choose.

They are surprisingly filling. I found that two or three were plenty for a good lunch. You’ll find smørbrød at many restaurants around Copenhagen and beyond. Also check out cafes in places outside Copenhagen where you’re likely to find less expensive but just as fabulous smørbrød. Here are two plates of smørbrød–one enjoyed in Nyhavn on our first day and the other for a lovely dinner in Tivoli Gardens.

Two Smørbrød on a plate, a specialty in Copenhagen
Smørbrød for a snack
Four Smørbrød on a plate in Copenhagen
Smørbrød for dinner

#6: Tour the Design Museum

The Designmuseum Danmark (AKA the Danish Design Museum – #8) was the first museum we visited in Copenhagen and it set a high bar! It’s a wonderful place with interesting and gorgeously displayed exhibits and plenty of commentary in Danish and English. You could spend all day there and still want to come back for more.

Even if you’re not “into” design, carve some time out of your Copenhagen stay to visit the Design Museum. Everyone sits on chairs and uses cutlery–and both these things, along with a ton more items we use every day, are featured in the context of design. The museum tells the story of Danish design of everything from furniture to objects to textiles to cutlery to posters, and a lot more.

The many rooms in the Designmuseum Danmark are arranged around themed exhibitions. For the most up-to-date information about current exhibitions, see the museum’s website.

Display of modern furniture at the Danish Design Museum
Display of modern furniture at the Danish Design Museum

Check out my post A Trio of Must-See Museums in Copenhagen for a more comprehensive description of what you’ll see at the DesignMuseum Danmark.

#7: Visit the Danish National Museum

Called the Nationalmuseet (#12), this major museum is also worth several hours of your time on even a short trip to Copenhagen. We particularly enjoyed the prehistory collection (once of the best-displayed and best-explained I’ve ever seen) and the large exhibition devoted to the Vikings. They were a busy lot, as you’ll find out.

Helmets in the Danish National Museum
Helmets in the Danish National Museum

The museum is quite vast. Go early in the morning when you have energy and pace yourself! What I enjoyed the most was the cleverness of the displays. Everything is presented so artfully, which is fitting for a country famed for its design chops. And fortunately, as with the Design Museum, all the displays are accompanied by excellent commentary in both Danish and English.

Check out my post A Trio of Must-See Museums in Copenhagen for a more comprehensive description of what you’ll see at the Nationalmuseet.

#8: Visit Tivoli Gardens at Night

Tivoli Gardens (#11) is an amusement park right smack in the middle of downtown Copenhagen. It’s one of the sites included with the Copenhagen Card, which is a good thing because I don’t think it’s worth the fairly steep admission price. Mind you, we’re not into rides and midway games–both of which take up a fair chunk of the park.

That said, go in the early evening to stroll through the beautifully designed gardens and view the pavilions, have dinner at a restaurant overlooking one of the bodies of water, and then marvel at the fabled lights. It’s a beautiful place to spend an evening.

We enjoyed an excellent meal at a restaurant overlooking the pirate ship. The server kindly took our picture.

Carol and Gregg sitting at an outdoor table in Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen
Dinner al fresco at Tivoli Gardens

After dinner, we checked out the famous pagoda, listened to the screamsof the people braving the rides, and then called it a night.

Tivoli gardens at night in Copenhagen

#9: Go to a Concert at the DR Koncerthuset

We love going to classical music concerts when we travel in Europe and so got tickets for a concert at the DR Koncerthuset (#13), an ultra-modern, acoustically stunning hall a short metro ride from the center of Copenhagen.

We had perfect seats close to the front and in line with the piano keyboard (always a priority for me!). The concert included a Rachmaninoff concerto that knocked our socks off.

Concert hall in Copenhage

As soon as you know when you’ll be visiting Copenhagen, check out what concerts are on and get tickets in advance. The DR Koncerthuset website is in English and Danish.

#10: Wander the Pedestrian Streets

Copenhagen was one of the first (if not the first) European city to designate certain streets in the center of the city as “pedestrians only” in the early 1960s. The main street is called Strøget (#4). At 1.1 km, it’s still one of Europe’s longest pedestrian streets and stretches from City Hall Square to Kongens Nytorv. You’ll find a lot of stores lining both sides–both budget chains and designer shops.

I remember being amazed by the Strøget when I visited Copenhagen in 1970. I’d never seen a pedestrianized street like it. My mom and I spent several happy hours wandering up and down it, shopping for Danish souvenirs and eating smørbrød. The name Strøget also refers to several other streets in the area including Frederiksberggade, Nygade, Vimmelskaftet and Østergade and Nytorv square, Gammeltorv Square and Amagertorv Square.

Strøget shopping street in Copenhagen
Strøget shopping street in Copenhagen

Take your time and explore the many streets in the area while soaking up the very Danish vibe.

#11: Eat Lakrids by Bülow

I had never heard of Lakrids and now I’m hooked! Fortunately for my waistline, they are not easy to find in Vancouver. However, the next time I visit Copenhagen, I’m stocking up.

What is Lakrids by Bülow? Only the most scrumptious, luscious, and luxurious licorice I’ve ever tasted. It is a premium brand with a premium price, but oh-so-worth-it for the licorice lover. The delectable balls come in a dizzying variety of colors and flavors. I only bought one tube and have regretted it ever since!

I discovered a beautiful display of Lakrids by Bülow in the very posh Magasin du Nord in an iconic building on the Kongens Nytorv, the central square very close to Nyhavn where we were staying.

Even if you’re not a licorice lover, go to the Magasin du Nord (#3), try a free sample of the licorice bites, and then check out the rest of the store.

The fashionable department store dates back to 1869 and covers five floors in addition to the basement that houses the food market. Here, you’ll find a fabulous selection of fresh and prepared food that reminded me of the Harrods food floor in London. It’s a great place to pick up ingredients for a meal if your accommodations have a kitchen.

I spent a fair bit of time exploring the household goods and posh Danish souvenirs (not the plastic variety sold in the souvenir shops, but the really nice, Danish design variety). Magasin du Nord is the place to pick up exquisitely designed candlesticks, platters, cutlery, Danish china, and the like. I could have spent a lot of money there! Actually, I did spend a lot of money there…

Exploring the Capital Region of Denmark

After enjoying Copenhagen, venture outside the city where you’ll find plenty to do and see. You’ll also still save money with the Copenhagen Card on both the transportation and at the sites themselves.

Here’s a map of the Capital Region of Denmark to orient yourself. Each of the four destinations listed is no more than 40 minutes by train from Copenhagen. If you have lots of energy, you could visit Hamlet’s Castle (Helsginor), the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art and Frederiksborg Castle in one full day and then reserve another day for the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde.

Trip map created using Wanderlog, a travel planner on iOS and Android

#12: Visit “Hamlet’s Castle”

Venture outside Copenhagen to visit Kronborg Castle (#1 on the Danish Capital Region Map above) in Helsingor, about a 40-minute train ride north. Both the castle and the train fare are covered by the Copenhagen Card.

Kronborg Castle is the setting for Shakespeare’s Hamlet, although Shakespeare never saw it. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the castle is worth a visit to tour its many rooms, learn about Danish history, and enjoy views over the water to Sweden from its narrow windows. Also spend time exploring the charming little town of Helsingor. Although there’s lots for the tourist to see, the town doesn’t feel touristy. It feels very, well, Danish.

Kronborg Castle in Helsingor
Kronborg Castle in Helsingor

Check out more information about Kronborg Castle and Helsingor in my post Three Recommended Day Trips from Copenhagen.

Consider visiting the Louisiana Gallery of Modern Art (#3 on the map above) on the same day you visit Helsingor. The two places are very close to each other (with the Louisiana Gallery just south of Helsingor) and together make for a perfect day trip out of Copenhagen.

The Louisiana Museum is one of Europe’s most renowned museums of modern art. For me, the stars of the place are the outdoor sculptures artfully arranged in the magnificent natural setting overlooking the North Sea and Sweden. Go on a day when the weather is clear so you can fully appreciate the views.

Sculpture at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art

Check out more information about the Louisiana Gallery of Modern Art in my post Three Recommended Day Trips from Copenhagen.

#14: Visit Frederiksborg Castle

Another good day trip out of Copenhagen is to Frederiksborg Castle (#2). It’s an enormous place, very atmospherically located in a large lake. You can even take a launch (cost covered by the Copenhagen Card!) from the little town of Frederiksborg to the castle (or take a bus from the train station). The castle itself is quite sumptuous and very large. Wear your walking shoes!

After touring the castle, spend some time in the landscaped gardens before returning to the charming little town of Frederiksborg for lunch.

Carol Cram on the little launch crossing the lake to Fredericksborg in Denmark with the Fredericksborg Castle in the background
On the little launch crossing the lake to Frederiksborg with the castle in the background

Check out more information about Frederiksborg Castle in my post Three Recommended Day Trips from Copenhagen.

#15: Visit Roskilde

The town of Roskilde, about thirty minutes west of Copenhagen (train fare covered by the Copenhagen card!), is home to the Viking Ship Museum (#4). The town was once the capital of Denmark and fairly oozes history, particularly if you’re into Vikings (and who isn’t?).

Full disclosure–I didn’t get time to visit Roskilde on my recent trip to Copenhagen. However, it’s definitely on my list which is why it’s included in this post. The Viking Ship Museum is built around the five original Viking ships from Skuldelev that are part of a global story about ships, people, and things on voyages. The focus of the museum is to tell the story of how the Vikings changed the world with their ships.

For more information about the Viking Ship Museum, check out the website.

Copenhagen Tours

Check out Tiquets.com for good tours of Copenhagen and the surrounding area.

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!

Conclusion

Copenhagen is a gem of a city. It’s compact, clean, easy to navigate, and friendly. It doesn’t have a bustling, big-city vibe. Instead, it feels like a place where people are happy to live. If you want to hang out with a lot of very healthy-looking people who all seem to ride bikes and love the outdoors and you like great museums and artfully presented food, then Copenhagen should be your next European destination.

Have you visited Copenhagen? Share your suggestions in the comments below.

Here are some more posts about Copenhagen:

Nyhavn in Copenhagen

Two Highly Recommended Places to Stay in Copenhagen

Denmark, Destinations, Hotel Reviews, Travel Smart Artsy Traveler Leave a Comment on Two Highly Recommended Places to Stay in Copenhagen

Last updated on January 17th, 2025 at 05:23 pm

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.

A promotional graphic for recommended accommodations in Copenhagen, featuring Nyhavn’s vibrant waterfront and text emphasizing top lodging options. Ideal for travel inspiration in the city.

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.

Map created using Wanderlog, a trip planner app on iOS and Android

Copenhagen Accommodation in Nyhavn

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.

The iconic Nyhavn harbor in Copenhagen, lined with colorful buildings and boats on the water. A scenic area with some of the most recommended places to stay in Copenhagen.
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.

A vibrant orange entryway leading to a courtyard in Copenhagen, with cobblestone paving and historic charm. Highlighting a unique, recommended place to stay in Copenhagen.
Passageway leading from the harbor to our courtyard
A charming courtyard surrounded by yellow-painted apartment buildings in Copenhagen, showcasing the city’s unique architecture. A recommended place to stay in Copenhagen for those who enjoy picturesque settings.
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.

A cozy living room with modern couches, warm decor, and a large rug, offering a welcoming atmosphere. A recommended place to stay in Copenhagen for those seeking modern comfort.
Living area
Spacious open-plan living area in a Copenhagen apartment with Scandinavian-style furniture, a dining area, and wood flooring. A top choice for recommended places to stay in Copenhagen for families or groups.
Looking from the living area toward the large dining area; kitchen is on the left
A cozy bedroom in a Copenhagen apartment, decorated with neutral tones, modern artwork, and natural light, ideal for a relaxing stay. A recommended place to stay in Copenhagen for comfort and style.
One of the two bedrooms in the apartment
A bright window view of colorful Copenhagen rooftops with red tiles and pastel facades, capturing the charm of accommodations in the city. Perfect for visitors seeking unique places to stay in Copenhagen.
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.

Elegant hotel lobby in Copenhagen featuring marble flooring, modern lighting, and classic artwork, showcasing a luxurious accommodation option. A recommended place to stay in Copenhagen for those seeking sophistication.
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
Facade of Galleri Bredgade 22 in Copenhagen
Exhibition of paintings by Gregg Simpson at Galleri Bredgade 22 in Copenhagen
“The Color of Dreams” Exhibition at Galleri Bredgade 22
Colorful paintings by Gregg Simpson at Galleri Bredgade 22 in Copenhagen
Paintings in the exhibition
Exhibition of paintings by Gregg Simpson at Galleri Bredgade 22 in Copenhagen
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.



Booking.com

Copenhagen Tours & Tickets

Check Tiqets.com for tickets and tours to places in and around lovely Copenhagen.

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!

View of Fredericksborg Castle near Copenhagen in Denmark

Three Recommended Day Trips from Copenhagen

Arts & Culture, Denmark, Destinations Artsy Traveler 1 Comment on Three Recommended Day Trips from Copenhagen

Last updated on January 17th, 2025 at 05:16 pm

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.

In this post, I focus on three day trips from Copenhagen: Frederiksborg Castle, Kronborg Castle, and the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. Each site is a thirty-to-forty-minute train journey from Copenhagen.

Location of Recommended Day Trips

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 Cram in front of Fredericksberg Castle near Hillerød outside Copenhagen - a perfect day trip from Copenhagen
Carol arrives at Frederiksborg Castle during her day trip from Copenhagen
Entrance to Fredericksberg Castle near Hillerød outside 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.

Sumptuous royal bedroom in Fredericksberg castle
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.

Launch that takes guests across the lake to the town of Hillerød
Cost of the ferry across the lake is included with the Copenhagen card
Carol Cram on the launch across the lake at Fredericksborg Castle during her day trip from Copenhagen
On the launch across the lake at Frederiksborg Castle

As I was crossing the lake, the sun came out with magical results.

Fredericksberg Castle on a sunny day and reflected in the lake - perfect for a day trip from Copenhagen
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
The charming town of Hillerød with the castle across the lake
Signposts in Hillerød leading me back to the station
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 inside Kronborg Castle, a great destination for a day trip from Copenhagen
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
Bedroom in Kronborg Castle
Costumed guide talks about food at 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 during a day trip from Copenhagen
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
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 in Helsingør in the 16th century
Colorful mural of Helsingør in the 16th century
Close-up of Hamlet in the prow of a ship in a mural
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.

Three tastey smørrebrød for lunch in Helsingør
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!

Danish flag as part of celebrations of the Golden Jubilee of the Queen
Danes celebrating the Golden Jubilee of the Queen
Parade for the Golden Jubilee in Helsingør
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.

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Louisiana Museum of Modern Art

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.

Modern sculpture at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art with a view toward Sweden
View toward Sweden
Stone spheres outside in the sculpture garden at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art
Stone spheres in the sculpture garden
Large mobile in the sculpture garden at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art
Captivating mobile overlooking the Sound
Black cut-out sculpture garden at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art
Cool cutout sculpture
Granite sculpture in the sculpture garden at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art
Granite sculpture
Miro sculpture in the sculpture garden at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art
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.

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Tickets and Tours in Copenhagen

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:

Best Three Must-See Museums To Visit in Copenhagen

Arts & Culture, Denmark, Destinations, Museums Artsy Traveler Leave a Comment on Best Three Must-See Museums To Visit in Copenhagen

Last updated on January 23rd, 2025 at 01:22 am

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.

A colorful photo of Copenhagen’s iconic waterfront, featuring vibrant row houses and docked sailboats, overlaid with text promoting museums.

Highlights at a Glance

Location of Museums

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).

This map was created with Wanderlog, an itinerary planner on iOS and Android

Design Museum

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.

A wide green lawn surrounded by ivy-covered historic buildings, framed by a row of evenly spaced trees under a clear blue sky.
Breezy and relaxing outdoor area at the Designmuseum Danmark
A person sitting at an outdoor cafe, wearing sunglasses and a relaxed expression, with a tree-lined garden and historic building in the background.
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.”

A row of pastel-colored ceramic vessels with matching decorative lids and strings, displayed on a textured surface in a modern design exhibit.
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.

A nineteenth-century wooden chair with elegant, curved arms and a black leather seat, showcased in a softly lit display case.
Gorgeously designed chair from the 19th Century
A detailed Art Nouveau necklace featuring intricate enamel and gemstone details, with a central female figure framed by ornamental motifs.
Art 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.

A curated selection of iconic minimalist chairs and mobiles in a design museum, showcasing mid-century modern aesthetics with a focus on clean lines and organic shapes.
Danish Modern chairs imaginatively displayed
A display of modern ceramics and textiles, including sculptural blue vases, a textured clay vessel, and a patterned fabric wall hanging, illuminated by a contemporary pendant light.
Vases, a modern light fixture, and an abstract painting
A vibrant exhibit with colorful mid-century modern furniture and decor pieces, including a red chair, geometric shapes, and vintage light fixtures, all set on a multicolored pedestal display.
Chock full of color and form
A collection of unique, modernist furniture and sculptures displayed against a neutral gray backdrop, featuring abstract chairs, wooden carvings, and sculptural art forms.
Danish Modern run amok
Modern lamps at the Design Museum in Copenhagenlamps
Ultra modern Danish Modern chic
A contemporary design installation featuring a tall, orange structure with circular cutouts, paired with futuristic chairs and reflective backdrops.
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.

A vibrant exhibit of a blue, cone-shaped coffee jug and a yellow, spherical jug displayed on a backlit shelf at the Designmuseum Danmark
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.

A historical floral-patterned gown from the 18th century displayed on a mannequin at the Designmuseum Danmark, showcasing intricate stitching and design.
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:

A unique yellow translucent chair displayed from below, mounted on a ceiling in the Designmuseum Danmark.
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.

A reconstructed elk skeleton with large antlers on display, with a projected forest background at the National Museum of Denmark.
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.

A museum exhibit featuring small, carved amber figurines in various shapes, such as animals, labeled as 'Magical Patterns
Polished figures from prehistoric grave sites
A collection of ancient bronze helmets and horn accessories displayed in a glass case, highlighting intricate detailing and historical craftsmanship.
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.

A museum display of traditional Viking-era clothing, including a red dress and a white tunic with fur-lined cloaks, shown on mannequins at the National Museum of Denmark.
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.

A poster from the National Museum of Denmark featuring two men in Viking costumes. The text reads, 'Join the Vikings on Raid!' in English and Danish.
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!

A picturesque canal in Copenhagen, lined with boats and historic buildings, with a stone bridge in the distance under a bright, partly cloudy sky.
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!

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.

A person standing next to a large, abstract bronze sculpture with rounded shapes, set on a stone-paved platform with a view of the sea in the background.
A collection of marble-like spherical sculptures of varying sizes and colors, displayed on a green lawn near a glass building surrounded by trees.
An outdoor seating area at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, with tables and chairs overlooking a grassy lawn and waterfront sculptures, including a colorful mobile and black angular forms.
A modern abstract black metal sculpture with fluid, interconnected shapes, displayed in a grassy area under tree cover.
A geometric granite sculpture consisting of a circular form with a diagonal cut, placed on a square pedestal in a cobblestone and wooded outdoor area.
A whimsical bronze sculpture resembling a humanoid figure with large, circular eyes, set in an outdoor garden surrounded by lush greenery.

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.

Here are more posts about awesome museums to visit in England and Europe:

Exterior of the National Gallery in London

What to See at London’s National Gallery: The Best of the Best

Arts & Culture, Destinations, England, Museums Artsy Traveler Leave a Comment on What to See at London’s National Gallery: The Best of the Best

Last updated on January 17th, 2025 at 05:28 pm

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.

Pinterest graphic with the text "National Gallery London: The Best of the Best" over a picture of the exterior of the Natoinal Gallery at Trafalgar Square in London, England.

Five Favorites at a Glance

Here are my top five favorites pieces at the National Gallery (and it was a tough choice)!

Overview

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.

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 National Gallery in London
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 at the National Gallery in London
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 at the National Gallery in London
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 at the National Gallery in London
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 at the National Gallery in London
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?) at the National Gallery in London
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.

hannes Vermeer A Young Woman seated at a Virginal about 1670-2 Oil on canvas, 51.5 x 45.5 cm at the National Gallery in London
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

A Boy 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 at the National Gallery in London
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 at the National Gallery in London
Joachim Beuckelaer The Four Elements: Air 1570 Oil on canvas, 158 × 216 cm Bought, 2001 NG6587 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG6587
Joachim Beuckelaer The Four Elements: Earth 1569 Oil on canvas, 158 × 215.4 cm at the National Gallery in London
Joachim Beuckelaer The Four Elements: Earth 1569 Oil on canvas, 158 × 215.4 cm Bought, 2001 NG6585 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG6585
Joachim Beuckelaer The Four Elements: Fire 1570 Oil on canvas at the National Gallery in London
Joachim Beuckelaer The Four Elements: Fire 1570 Oil on canvas, 158.2 × 215.4 cm Bought, 2001 NG6588 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG6588
Joachim Beuckelaer The Four Elements: Water 1569 Oil on canvas, 158.1 × 214.9 cm at the National Gallery in London
Joachim 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 at the National Gallery in London
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 at the National Gallery in London

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 at the National Gallery in London
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 at the National gallery in London
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 at the National Gallery in London
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 at the National Gallery in London
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:

Birmingham city center canals

Birmingham: A Pleasant Surprise for the Artsy Traveler

Arts & Culture, Destinations, England Artsy Traveler Leave a Comment on Birmingham: A Pleasant Surprise for the Artsy Traveler

Last updated on January 17th, 2025 at 05:27 pm

Are you considering a trip to Birmingham?

Back in the day, industrial Birmingham did not have the best of reputations.

I lived in England for four years in the 1970s and have been back many times, but never have I put Birmingham on my itinerary.

I remember changing trains there in 1979 and walking quickly and a tad nervously between stations.

But over the last few decades, Birmingham has undergone a transformation. And yes, it’s well worth a visit!

Pinterest graphic with the text "Birmingham: A Pleasant Surprise for the Artsy Traveler" over a picture of buildings and a canal in Birmingham.

Birmingham At a Glance

Why I Went to Birmingham

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.

Map thanks to Wanderlog, a trip planner app on iOS and Android

Arrival in Birmingham

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
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
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
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 1897
George 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
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
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 - a still life from the 17th century Flanders
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.

Painting called A Young Woman Seated by Pierre-Auguste Renoir
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 Canals
Brummies 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.

Here are some other options:



Booking.com

Birmingham 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 Birmingham!

Conclusion

Have you visited Birmingham? Any suggestions for what to see and do? Share in the comments below.

Here are more posts about cool places to visit in England;