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Music in VIenna - statue of Johann Strauss

A Music Lover’s Guide to Enjoying Music in Vienna

Arts & Culture, Austria, Destinations Artsy Traveler 6 Comments on A Music Lover’s Guide to Enjoying Music in Vienna

Last updated on December 17th, 2024 at 12:50 am

If you love music, you owe it to yourself to plan a trip to Vienna in Austria. For over 250 years, this great city has celebrated and enjoyed its reputation as the City of Music. And no wonder!

Many of Europe’s greatest composers, including Haydn, Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, and Strauss, lived and worked in Vienna. When you visit Vienna today, you’ll see evidence everywhere of the city’s illustrious musical past.

In this post, I describe options for enjoying music in Vienna, including music museums, composers’ houses, and concerts.

A statue of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart on a white pedestal, surrounded by a garden with a treble clef design in red flowers. The image has a red overlay with white text reading, “A Music Lover’s Guide to Enjoying Vienna,” and the website "artsytraveler.com" below.

Vienna and Music

Hang out in the central square (Stephansplatz) near the imposing St. Stephen’s Cathedral, and within minutes, a young person dressed in 18th-century garb will hand you a flyer advertising the music concerts on offer.

Saint Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna illuminated at twilight, with its Gothic spires, intricate tiled roof, and ornate facade standing against a deep blue sky. The square around the cathedral is lit by street lamps.
Saint Stephansplatz in Central Vienna

Go for a walk in any park and you’ll soon be snapping selfies in front of statues of composers. 

A collage featuring three statues of famous composers: Johann Strauss in a golden statue playing the violin, Ludwig van Beethoven in a bronze seated pose, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart depicted in a stone statue with an elegant posture.

In the evening, wander the cobbled streets in the center of the city and you’ll hear snatches of melodies from chamber music and full orchestras wafting into the soft air from concert venues specializing in tourist-oriented programs usually dominated by the music of Mozart and Strauss.

A Map of Musical Vienna

The map below shows the location of all the music sites mentioned in this post. Vienna is a very walkable city. You can easily stroll between most of the sites in central Vienna and still have energy left to enjoy a coffee, a slice of torte, and a spot of people watching.

I recommend starting at the House of Music (#1) and venturing out from there to visit the museums dedicated to your fave composers, and then spend the evening enjoying a concert.

Trip map courtesy of Wanderlog, a trip planner app on iOS and Android

Music Museums in Vienna

Vienna is chock-a-block with excellent museums. I’m a bit of a museum fan girl, so for me, this city ranks as one of Europe’s top museum cities. You could easily spend a week here and not run out of world-class museums to visit. 

Read my post about Best Vienna Museum Experiences that Appeal to the Artsy Traveler to find out about some of the top art museums.

In this post, I focus on two of my favorite music museums: the House of Music and the Musical Instrument Museum, which is part of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.

House of Music

Make time for a visit to the House of Music, (#1 on the map above) also known as Vienna’s Museum of Sound. 

Housed in the historical palace of Archduke Karl in the old city center, this museum is a must-see for everyone. And it is absolute heaven for music lovers.

On a recent trip, I spent half a day there enjoying its five floors (yes, five!) of installations and displays celebrating music and sound. Trust me, you won’t want to miss this place.

Highlights of the House of Music

Here are some highlights:

  • The virtostage—a multimedia and interactive production. When you move in front of the screen, you become part of the 15-minute opera “zeitperlen”. Members of the Vienna Philharmonic recorded the music with vocals by opera star Natalia Ushakova. Technically and musically, the production is a remarkable achievement.
  • NAMADEUS—an installation created after Mozart’s musical game KV 516f. Included are the interactive Waltz Dice Game and an interactive application called Facing Mozart that lets you bring the composer’s portrait to life by controlling his head movements and facial expressions. Hours of fun!
  • The virtual conductor installation allows you to “conduct” a video projection of the orchestra that responds to your conducting commands. If you conduct poorly, the musicians respond with criticism, so you need to keep time correctly!
  • Sound installations using state-of-the-art technology, including opportunities to visualize sound as waves, swirls, and grids.-of-the-art technology, including opportunities to visualize sound as waves, swirls, and grids.

Exhibits at the House of Music

The museum includes gloriously comprehensive exhibits of composers including Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn, Strauss, and Mahler. I spent at least an hour in this section. Plenty of life-size figures and original musical instruments bring the subjects to life. I especially enjoyed the Haydn portion of the exhibition.

During his long life, Papa Haydn exerted enormous influence on classical music. He even counted Beethoven and Mozart among his many pupils. Haydn had a complicated relationship with Beethoven who criticized his teacher by saying “I never learned anything from Haydn” and then dedicated his set of three Piano Sonatas Opus 2 to Haydn. (reference: Beethoven and Haydn: their relationship)

The House of Music is located at Seilerstätte 30 in Vienna and you can get a discount with the Vienna City Card. The museum is open daily from 10 am to 10 pm.

Musical Instrument Museum

I always enjoy touring a good musical instrument museum, and this one is first-rate. Housed in the Hofburg Palace and part of the masive Kunsthistorisches Museum, the Musical Instrument Museum (#2 on the map above) exhibits five centuries of historical musical instruments. Its collection of Renaissance and Baroque instruments is considered one of the most important in the world.

You’ll see a particularly awesome collection of clavichords and Viennese fortepianos. A highlight for me was seeing pianos that had been played by Mozart, Liszt, Mahler, and Clara Schumann, who is the inspiration for my second novel, A Woman of Note.

A vintage harpsichord with ornate red and gold detailing, standing in a room with marble walls and wooden floors. The harpsichord’s lid features a painting of a pastoral scene with horses and figures.
Harpsicord made in 1745, Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, Sammlung alter Musikinstrumente

The museum also includes replicas of historical instruments that visitors may play, and regularly holds concerts at which master interpreters of their professions play the original instruments.

The Musical Instrument Museum is located at Heldenplatz and is open daily except Wednesday from 10 am to 6 pm.

Composer Houses

Many of the apartments lived in by famous composers have been converted into museums. Download a map of Musician Walks from the excellent Wien Info website.

Here is information (in alphabetical order) about the museums dedicated to individual composers including Beethoven, Haydn, Mozart, Schönberg, Schubert, and Strauss. Some of them are celebrated in more than one museum.

You can visit the six apartments of Beethoven, Strauss, Schubert, and Haydn with a special combination ticket from the Wien Museum website. Note that most of the museums close on Mondays.

Ludwig von Beethoven

Beethoven House

I’ve made two pilgrimages to the Pasqualati House (#3 on the map above), one of the many houses in which the great composer lived. Built in the 18th century adjacent to the city walls, the house is named after its owner (Pasqualati). Beethoven lived for eight years, off and on, in the 4th floor apartment at the top of a series of old stone staircases.

During my second visit to the apartment, I was writing A Woman of Note about a woman composer in 1830s Vienna. The novel starts with the funeral of Beethoven, and his influence is felt by the characters throughout the novel. As I mounted the old staircase to Beethoven’s apartment, I imagined my characters mounting similar staircases in buildings of the same vintage. 

When I visited, the apartment was virtually bare of furniture and contained little in the way of exhibits. Two listening desks are set up for listening to various Beethoven pieces on headphones. I indulged myself with the second movement of Symphony No. 7 for a while. I was the only visitor, so it was just me and the Maestro’s soaring melodies and the temptation to burst into tears.

Musical tourism doesn’t get any better.

A woman standing outside the Pasqualati House in Vienna, a historic white building with red and white flags, barred windows, and a large wooden doorway. The cobblestone street and building facade exude old-world charm.
In front of Pasqualati House in Vienna

Beethoven Museum

Want more Beethoven? Visit the Beethoven Museum (#4). In 2017, the original 40-square-meter apartment at Probusgasse 6 in Heiligenstadt in the 19th district where Beethoven lived was extended to create a spacious, 14-room museum. Here you’ll find exhibits chronicling the history of the house, Beethoven’s move from Bonn to Vienna, his stay in Heiligenstadt, and many more related to the maestro.

Pasqualati House (or Pasqualatihaus) is located at Mölker Bastei 8 in Vienna and is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 1 pm and from 2 pm to 6 pm except for public holidays. The Beethoven Museum is located at Probusgasse 6 and is also open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 1 pm and from 2 pm to 6 pm except for public holidays.

Joseph Haydn

Haydnhaus

Managed by the Wien Museum (as are most of the composer houses), Haydnhaus (#5) is the location where Joseph Haydn spent the last twelve years of his life and where he died on May 31, 1809. The museum includes the rooms of his flat on the first floor, recently restored so that the rooms are divided in the same way they were when he lived there.

Haydn was extremely famous during his lifetime, and exhibits at the museum reflect the esteem in which he was held both then and now.

The museum also has a room dedicated to Brahms. Here’s a detailed post about the Haydnhaus on the Visiting Vienna website.

Haydnhaus is located at Haydngasse 19 and is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 1 pm and from 2 pm to 6 pm except for public holidays.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Mozarthaus Museum

Mozart lived in several houses in the city during his short and tumultuous life. The only one that survives is the Mozarthaus Museum (#6) at Domgasse #5, where he lived from 1784 to 1787.

Occupying 1,000 square meters on six levels, this museum is the premier pilgrimage site for Mozart fans.

And seriously, who isn’t a Mozart fan?

The museum immerses you in the great composer’s world. Exhibits celebrate his remarkable genius and creativity and feature his family, friends, and foes in the heady world of late-Baroque Vienna. Get tickets here.

Mozarthaus is located in St. Stephansplatz at Domgasse 5 and is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm except for public holidays.

Arnold Schönberg

Arnold Schönberg Center

Established in 1998, the Arnold Schönberg Center (#7) celebrates and life and work of one of the 20th century’s most notable composers (and also a painter, teacher, theoretician, and innovator). If you’re a music history buff, you’ll know that Schönberg is associated with the method of composing with the 12-tone scale.

The museum includes exhibitions about Schönberg’s life, a gallery of his paintings, a replica of his study in Los Angeles, the city in which he died in 1951, and lots of concerts, lectures, and other events aimed at helping people understand and enjoy Schönberg’s music.

The Arnold Schönberg Center is located at St. Stephansplatz at Schwarzenbergplatz 6 and is open Monday to Friday from 9 am to 5 pm except for holidays.

Franz Schubert

I’m very fond of Schubert, who makes a cameo appears in A Woman of Note and who, like Mozart, died very young (he was just 31). He managed to compose an amazing amount of music in his short lifetime, much of it lived in poverty. Two museums in Vienna are devoted to Schubert.

Schubert Geburtshaus

The Schubert Geburtshaus (#8) is the house where he was born on January 31, 1797. He came from a large family that shared one room and a kitchen with an open fire. The exhibits include a pair of spectacles that belonged to Schubert and has apparently become quite an object of veneration for his fans.

Schubert Sterbewohnung

Schubert died at the Schubert Sterbewohnung (#9) on November 19, 1828. Although he lived in the small apartment for only a few weeks, he composed several works including the song “The Shepherd on the Rock.” Exhibits document the last weeks of his life, his death, and his funeral.

Schubert Geburtshaus is located at Nußdorfer Straße 54 and is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 1 pm and 2 pm to 6 pm except for public holidays and Schubert Sterbewohnung is located at Kettenbrückengasse 6 and is open Tuesday to Sunday from to 10 am to pm and 2 pm to 6 pm except for public holidays.

Johann Strauss

Johann Strauss Wohnung

The Johann Strauss Wohnung museum (#10) is the apartment where the composer wrote “The Blue Danube” waltz which has become Austria’s unofficial national anthem. The museum includes his instruments along with furniture and paintings from his life, and references to the other musical members of the Strauss dynasty.

Strauss Museum

This new museum (it opened in 2015) is dedicated to the lives and work of the composers in the Strauss family, It’s a must-see for Strauss fans. Find pictures and documents from the period and listen to music at the various audio stations arranged in 15 themed areas. Here’s a detailed post about the museum on the Visiting Vienna website.

Johann Strauss Wohnung is located at Praterstraße 54 and is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am 1 pm and 2 pm to 6 pm except for public holidays. The Strauss Museum is to remain closed through 2021 and will reopen in 2022 at a new location.

Vienna Concerts

You can’t walk far without seeing ads for music concerts, particularly those organized for tourists and, as mentioned earlier, mostly featuring music by Mozart and Strauss (and occasionally Beethoven, Schubert, and Haydn). Check the current concert listings.

If you’re lucky, you might get to catch a performance by the Vienna Boys Choir, an opera at the opera house, or a performance by the Vienna Philharmonic (Wiener Philharmoniker). Following are descriptions of two concerts I enjoyed during a recent trip.

Find concert listings on the Vienna Sightseeing website.

Classical Music Concert at the Sala Terrena

The Sala Terrena (#11) is a small concert hall next to a monastery in the centre of Vienna. Mozart lived in the building for about two months when he first came to the city as a young man. The room is frescoed from floor to ceiling with a cacophony of Italian Baroque splendor. You’ll see lots of fruit, cherubs, roses, urns, and even a leopard.

I chose the Sala Terrena concert rather than one of the flashier tourist concerts because Schubert was on the programme. Schubert makes a guest appearance in A Woman of Note, so I owed it to my imagination to hear his music played at least once in his home town.

Alas, ‘twas not to be. The programme was changed to include the American Quartet by Dvorak and some Hadyn string quartets. Fortunately, the performances were fantastic, so I had no complaints.

Concert Experience

Four musicians dressed in 18th-century garb (someone in this city must do a roaring trade in producing period costumes) entered the tiny salon and settled in to play. Unfortunately, as so often happens when I attend an evening concert soon after landing in Europe, jet lag hit me with a vengeance. I was seated in the front row, directly in the line of sight of the first violinist.

Despite my best efforts, my eyelids drooped, and my head started that awful bobbing thing that happens when you desperately fight falling asleep. What if I pitched face-first into the violinist’s lap? She might not appreciate the interruption.

In my defense, I defy any jet-lagged music lover to sit through an adagio without succumbing to the temptation to close one’s eyes and drift. In the intermission, I chatted with a young woman from Japan who was studying art in Florence. I love how traveling can connect you with people, including local artists and artisans, from all over the world.

The concert was a success, and I drifted out into the heaving mass of tourists and locals thronging the Stephansplatz. If I hadn’t been alone, I would have hung around for awhile to enjoy a slice of strudel and a glass of wine in the shadow of the floodlit cathedral. Instead, I let the atmosphere wash over me for about ten minutes and then caught the tram back to my apartment.

Concert at the Schloss Laudon

While I was in Vienna, I was determined to see a “real” concert. By real, I mean a concert that does not feature costumed musicians and Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (not that there’s anything wrong with that). But I wanted to attend a concert with local people.

Fortunately, I discovered that the five-day Schloss Laudon festival—a yearly classical music event held in the salon at the Schloss Laudon (#12), also known as the Water Palace about an hour outside of the city —was on during my visit.

Getting to Schloss Laudon

With e-ticket in hand, I boarded the metro for a ride to the last stop. For forty minutes, the bus wound through a maze of suburban streets toward what I hoped would be the palace.

I had absolutely no clue where I was and what I’d do if I was on the wrong bus (I didn’t have a Smartphone with GPS at the time). What if there was no concert at the end of the ride and no bus back? I’d be stranded miles from nowhere with only 60 euros in my wallet and a pathological fear of incurring data roaming charges on my phone because on that trip I hadn’t had the foresight to buy a European SIM card.

But isn’t living dangerously the stuff of great travel?

Fortunately, I heard a couple on the bus mention Schloss Laudon, and minutes later the bus stopped and they got off.

I followed.

Exploring Schloss Laudon

The Schloss Laudon and its stylishly landscaped grounds were exquisite. I was extremely early for the concert but fortunately not for the bar. I sipped a glass of wine while wandering the sylvan pathways and making friends with the swans.

A woman standing in front of Schloss Laudon, a large historic white building with a grey roof, situated by a reflective pond with lily pads. The setting is framed by green trees on a grassy bank.
At Schloss Laudon for a concert

Experiencing the Concert at Schloss Laudon

The concert featured a trio – piano, violin, and cello—in the large salon in the Schloss Laudon. A Schloss is basically a palace or a castle, and this place certainly qualified. The salon was frescoed floor to ceiling with exotic animals (tigers, rhinos, elephants, etc.) and exotic scenes of idealized, vaguely New World native-looking people in turbans. Evidently, historical accuracy was not a priority.

I snagged a seat in the second row, in direct line of sight of the keyboard. As a pianist myself, I always like to get as close to the keyboard as possible so I can watch the performer’s hands.

Almost everyone around me was dressed to the nines. Most of the men wore suits and ties, and the women wore cocktail dresses and lots of jewelry and perfume. I might as well have had a neon sign on my head – turista. But whatever.

No one paid any attention to me—not even a wee smile of musical comradeship. I felt a tad isolated, but what could I expect? Solitary travel can sometimes be a bit, ah, solitary.

A drawback of sitting in the second row quickly became apparent. The large spotlight caught me in its glare, and soon I was sweating. The heat would have been tolerable if indeed there had been music to listen to. However, to my dismay, the festival director and an expert on the modern composer featured on the program both shuffled to the front and faced the audience.

The Pre-Concert Talk

Festival-Director Guy talked for about five minutes–a bearable length of time to listen to German and pretend to understand. Then, Composer-Expert Guy took over and talked for at least thirty minutes. He stood directly in front of me, even making eye contact occasionally, so I had to look as if I was hanging on his every German syllable. I caught a few words—Mexico, Nazis, Anschluss, Franco. I snuck a peek at the concert notes–in German, of course and managed to decipher that the composer of the modern piece had left Vienna in 1938 and settled in Mexico by way of Spain. That was not a whole lot of information to get from a thirty-minute lecture.

Haydn & Tchaikovsky

Finally, the three musicians entered and performed an early Beethoven piano trio in the style of Haydn. The heat, the somnolence engendered by Composer-Expert Guy’s talk, and those darned slow movements marred my enjoyment of the piece.

Again, I experienced more than a few head bobs along with the terror that someone might notice. What if I snored or drooled? After the Beethoven came the modern composer’s piece, which was actually pretty good in a dissonant, modern music kind of way.

At the break, I thought about giving in to jet lag and catching the bus back to the metro. I even walked out to the bus stop and checked the times. Then I came to my senses and trudged back into the palace for the second half—the piano trio by Tchaikovsky.

Holy Russian romantic! It was stunning—no danger of head-bobbing for this one. I cheerfully bought the CD.

Exploring Vienna

Here are some GetYourGuide tours in Vienna.

Vienna 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 Vienna!

Concerts at Schoenbrunn Palace

For a wonderful classical music experience that throws in a world-class palace for good measure, consider going to a concert at Schoenbrunn Palace. The repertoire leans heavily to Strauss and Mozart with performances by opera singers. If you take a tour, you’ll often also get dinner and drinks, along with priority entrance to the palace. Here are some GetYourGuide tours that will take you to concerts at Schoenbrunn Palace.

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Conclusion

Vienna, the City of Music, is a must-see for the artsy traveler who loves classical music. You can’t help but swoon when walking into your favorite composer’s house, or hearing a Strauss waltz played in the city where it was composed, or exploring the awesome exhibits at the House of Music.

And when you want a break from music (why?!), Vienna has some of the best art museums in the world, including the Belvedere where you’ll see Klimt’s The Kiss and the always amazing Kunsthistorisches Museum.

For more information about what to see and do in Vienna and Austria, check out these posts:

Have you visited any of the music sites in Vienna described in this post? Share your thoughts about music and Vienna with other artsy travelers in the Comments section below.

Guggenheim museum in Bilbao, Spain, one of the top ten modern art museums in Europe

12 of the Best Modern Art Museums in Europe

Arts & Culture, Destinations, Europe Overview Artsy Traveler 5 Comments on 12 of the Best Modern Art Museums in Europe

Last updated on December 17th, 2024 at 01:42 am

Some of the best modern and contemporary art museums in the world are located in Europe.

In this post, I’ve chosen mostly large museums that feature a variety of artists. My focus is on modern art so you won’t find museums like the Prado and the Louvre in this post.

A travel pin with the text “Best Modern Art Museums in Europe” overlaid on a metallic facade of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. The website "artsytraveler.com" is displayed at the bottom.

Another option for getting your modern art fix in Europe is to seek out single-artist museums. I’ve compiled a list of seven of my favorites in Seven Super Single-Artist Museums in Europe You Should Visit.

As a life-long lover of modern art (check out my husband Gregg Simpson’s art and you’ll see why!), I’m a bit of a kid in a candy store when it comes to finding awesome modern art museums in Europe. You’ll be spoiled for choice!

Check for Exhibitions

Before you set off for Europe, take some time to check for special exhibitions in the places you’re visiting. Many times, I’ve changed my itinerary on the fly to catch an exhibition before it closes or to take in one at its start.

One of the great pleasures of traveling is switching gears halfway through a trip—to zig when you planned to zag. Stay open to possibilities when you travel. Often, you’ll meet someone who’ll tell you about a must-see art museum that you’ve never heard of.

On a recent trip to Porto, we were told about a special exhibition of the work of M. C. Escher. What a treat! We never would have known about it because of its location in an exhibition space rather than a museum.

A man standing in an optical illusion room at the Escher exhibition in Porto. The black-and-white checkered floor enhances the distorted perception of space.

Chat with servers at dinner and strike up a conversation with other travelers you meet on the train or at your hotel. People love to share recommendations!

Modern Art Focus

As I mentioned earlier, in this post, I’m focusing only on museums with significant and varied modern art collections.

What do I mean by modern art? I’m a huge fan of 20th-century art from about the turn of the century to the 1960s. I also appreciate some (not all) of the contemporary art created post-1960.

Most of the art museums covered in this post primarily exhibit traditional modern art. That sounds like an oxymoron, but if you’re an art fan, you’ll know what I mean!

A visitor at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, seated on a white bench while observing abstract paintings displayed on white gallery walls.
Enjoying modern art at the Peggy Guggenheim Museum in Venice: Get Fast Track Tickets

Modern art—as distinct from contemporary art—encompasses the work of a slew of big names. These include Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, Henri Matisse, Georgia O’Keeffe, Rene Magritte… the list goes on and on and on.

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What’s Included in This Post

Most of the museums listed here include works by modern masters in their permanent collections or feature them in major exhibitions. I fondly remember seeing a major retrospective of the work of Salvador Dali at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. It was an amazing curatorial triumph, although, truth be told, I’m not a big Dali fan.

Shhh – don’t tell anyone!

I’ve also included a selection of novels inspired by modern art that are listed on my sister website, Art In Fiction. Quite a few of the big names in 20th-century art have sparked the imaginations of authors.

So, without further preamble, let’s get to it. Drum roll, please! 

Map of Modern Art Museums in Europe

Here are the locations of all the modern art museums covered in the post–from Bilbao (#1) in Spain to the Tate St. Ives (#12) in Cornwall, England.

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

Bilbao, Spain: The Guggenheim Museum

The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao (#1 on the map) is worth the hype and worth the trip. Located in the Basque region of northeast Spain, Bilbao isn’t on the beaten tourist path.

But please, if you’re in Spain and within striking distance of Bilbao, find the time to spend a night there.

The illuminated exterior of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao at dusk. The modern metallic structure reflects warm lights, with the river running in the foreground.
Guggenheim Bilbao: Skip the Line  & Guided Tour

The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao was built to revive the failing industrial city. How marvelous that the city bigwigs used art to pull their city out of the economic doldrums and place it firmly on the world cultural map.

The move was bold, even audacious, but it’s paid off spectacularly, thanks to Frank Gehry’s awesome structure. Now the Guggenheim Bilbao shows up in just about every Top Ten list of modern art museums worldwide.

Exterior of the Guggenheim Bilbao

The exterior of the Guggenheim Bilbao plays a major role in its spectacular appeal to art lovers. Stroll around outside the building to see the many amazing sculptures. Most notable are Tall Trees and The Eye by Anish Kapoor, the massive spider Maman by Louise Bourgeois, and the wildly popular Puppy by Jeff Koons.

I defy anyone to stand in front of Puppy and not smile. He is adorable, if a 43-foot tall, flower-encrusted West Highland Terrier can be called adorable. 

A massive floral sculpture of a dog titled Puppy by Jeff Koons outside the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. The figure is covered in a vibrant patchwork of colorful flowers against a blue sky.
Guggenheim Bilbao: Skip the Line  & Guided Tour
Exterior of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao with the sculpture Tall Tree & The Eye by Anish Kapoor. The reflective silver spheres contrast with the modern metallic facade of the museum.
Sculpture by Anish Kapoor
A giant bronze spider sculpture titled Maman by Louise Bourgeois outside the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. Visitors walk beneath the towering sculpture, casting intricate shadows on the ground.
Sculpture called Maman by Louise Bourgeois

Inside the Guggenheim Bilbao

The museum’s interior is as compelling as its exterior.

On one of our visits, we were lucky to catch a major exhibition of recent landscapes by David Hockney. The massive galleries and thoughtful curatorial choices made the exhibition one of our favorites, which is saying something.

Interior of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, showing sweeping architectural curves and stone walls. The modern design features glass and steel elements with natural light pouring through the ceiling.
Guggenheim Bilbao: Skip the Line  & Guided Tour

We were also taken with the massive installations by Frank Serra. 

The whole complex with its gorgeous setting on the Nervion River really is miraculous. The museum attracts over 20 million visitors annually.

Now, that’s an art success story!

Exhibitions at the Guggenheim Bilbao change frequently so check what’s on and then plan your visit accordingly. You won’t regret devoting time to exploring the Basque region of Spain. 

For more information about Bilbao and suggestions for accommodations, see these posts:

Bratislava, Slovakia: Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum

Situated on the Danube as the name suggests and about 20 kilometers from Bratislava in the Slovak Republic, the Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum is billed as “one of the most romantic museums of modern art in Europe”.

The museum, opened in 2000, was founded by Gerard Meulensteen of Eindhoven, a Dutch collector and art patron, and Slovak gallerist Vincent Polakovič.

Night view of the Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum in Bratislava, Slovakia. The building, illuminated by bright lights, reflects onto the still river water under a deep blue sky.
Danubiana Meluensteen Art Museum website. Used with permission

The collection includes works by artists from the experimental CoBrA group in the Netherlands, such as Karel Appel and Eugen Brands . Also included are works by Sam Francis, Christo, Corneille, Pierre Alechinsky, and others. 

Plenty of quirky and colorful outdoor sculptures along with the dramatic setting on the Danube make this museum a must-see if you’re traveling to Bratislava.

Outdoor sculptures at the Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum in Bratislava, Slovakia. Geometric metal figures and colorful abstract shapes stand on a manicured lawn beside the river, surrounded by trees and a walking path.
Danubiana Meluensteen Art Museum website. Used with permission.

London, England: Tate Modern

I’ve visited the Tate Modern a few times and have mixed feelings about it, to be honest! It’s a monumental place and a huge accomplishment from an architectural perspective.

I mean, seriously—a power station?

It’s pretty darned amazing that Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron could convert the Bankside power station into a gallery and still keep much of the building’s original character.

The Tate Modern art museum in London, with its tall chimney and modern extension, viewed from across the River Thames on a clear day.
View of the Tate Modern from the Thames in London, England

I can’t say I loved—or even liked—all the art exhibited in the Tate Modern. Several exhibits comprise contemporary and installation art, most of which was kind of hit or miss, in my opinion.

However, the special exhibitions can be spectacular. I’ve seen a wonderful retrospective of the work of American artist Georgia O’Keeffe on one visit, and an exhibition of international surrealism on another visit. My husband, Gregg Simpson, was honored to be included in the catalog for the latter exhibition.

Location of the Tate Modern

The location of the Tate Modern on the south side of the Thames, right across the new Millennium Bridge from St. Paul’s Cathedral, is a selling point. You can see the Tate Modern in the morning and then stroll across the bridge and visit St. Paul’s and the City in the afternoon.

You can also take in two Tates in a day. A good strategy is to start at the Tate Britain upriver. Check out the paintings by William Blake and some of the best works by the pre-Raphaelites. Then, hop on the Tate Boat at Millbank Pier and sail downriver to Bankside Pier to see the Tate Modern.

The Tate Boat runs every twenty to thirty minutes along the Thames. For more about the Tate Modern and London in general, check out these posts:

And if you happen be down in St. Ives in Cornwall, don’t miss the Tate St. Ives. See the end of this post for more information.

Madrid, Spain: Reina Sofia

The Reina Sofia is home to one of the most famous paintings of the 20th century—Guernica by Pablo Picasso.

You’ve likely seen Guernica many times in reproduction. However, seeing the “real thing” is a different story.

The massive mural in the Reina Sofía has pride of place in a room of its own. You can sense how enraged Picasso must have felt as he painted it. Its graphic depiction of the bombing of the old Basque city of Gernika in April 1937 has become an iconic image of the brutality of war. 

A large outdoor mosaic version of Picasso's Guernica, depicting distorted figures and animals in shades of black, white, and gray, mounted on a stone wall with the inscription “Guernica Gernikara.”
Outdoor reproduction of Guernica by Picasso / Image by Almudena Sanz from Pixabay

The Reina Sofia is a beautifully designed gallery that combines a modern area with the arched hallways and barred windows of an old hospital. In several rooms, films representing specific 20th-century periods are running. Most are silent-era films, which makes following them a lot easier if your Spanish is minimal.

Included in the Reina Sofia are masterpieces by Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró, and Juan Gris, as well as a collection of over 22,400 works divided into three sections titled: The Irruption of the 20th Century: Utopia and Conflict (1900-1945), Is the War Over? Art in a Divided World (1945-1968), and From Revolt to Postmodernity (1962-1982).  

Visiting the Reina Sofía

The museum is located on the Art Walk (Paseo del Arte)—a one-kilometer stretch that also includes the must-see Prado Museum and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum.

A black, abstract sculpture by Joan Miró, featuring curved shapes and smooth surfaces, sits on green grass at the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid.
Get Skip-the-line Tickets to the Reina Sofia and see this little guy by Miró.

For more information about Madrid and suggestions for accommodations, see these posts:

Munich, Germany: Pinakothek der Moderne

The Pinakothek der Modern in central Munich is one of three Pinakotheks in Munich’s Kunstareal (art district).

The museum features an excellent collection of the works of German Expressionist artists.

In addition, you’ll find works by modern masters, including Picasso, Miró, Kandinsky, Klee, and Marc.

Other exhibits are related to form and function in a section that features modern industrial design and manufacture, furniture, and appliances.

On Sundays, the admission price is significantly discounted—at least it was when I visited. After strolling through the galleries, stop by the café.

For more information about Munich and suggestions for accommodations, see these posts:

Otterlo, Netherlands: Kröller-Müller Museum

I was 18 years old and traveling on my own for the first time in Europe when I visited the Kröller-Müller Museum. Located in the fantastically unexpected Dutch National Park (Nationaal Park De Hoge Veluwe) outside Otterlo and not far from Arnhem, this museum is a must-see

To say that the Kröller-Müller blew me away that first visit would be an understatement. Fresh off the plane from North America, I’d seen nothing like it in my North-American life.

The Kröller-Müller Museum is light, airy, and filled with famous works by van Gogh and a load of other great painters.

Even better, the museum is smack in the middle of the Dutch National Park. This amazing park teems with deer, rolling sand hills, intriguing forests, and miles of bike paths.

Visiting the Kröller-Müller Museum

When I revisited the museum with Gregg recently, I was thrilled to discover that the Kröller-Müller and the park are as awesome as I remembered.

Everything about the place is perfect!

The museum includes dozens of paintings by van Gogh, room after room of other greats from the 19th and early 20th centuries, a massive sculpture garden, and even a bustling outdoor café with excellent food.

Close-up of Van Gogh's Sunflowers painting, showing vibrant yellow sunflowers in various stages of decay, set against a blue background.
Purchase tickets to the Kröller-Müller Museum.

The word that comes to mind when touring the sculpture garden is serendipity. The sculptures are modern and diverse and often positioned in unexpected places.

Every turn of a pathway through forests and across green clipped lawns reveals yet another vista and another sculpture—stone or wood or marble, some moving, some static, some aesthetically stunning, some quirky, a few ugly, and yet all perfect. 

A large red abstract sculpture and a bronze statue of a man stand in front of the Kröller-Müller Museum, set against green trees and a bright sky.
Tickets to the Kröller-Müller Museum include the spectacular sculpture garden.
A smooth, white abstract sculpture reflects in a pond, surrounded by lush greenery at the Kröller-Müller Museum's sculpture garden in the Netherlands.
Floating sculpture on the grounds of the Kröller-Müller Museum in the Netherlands

Getting to the Kröller-Müller Museum

If you’re a fan of van Gogh and modern sculpture but haven’t visited the Kröller-Müller, then go.

Take a day tour from Amsterdam, or better, drive and stay a few days in the area. We combined our visit to the Kröller-Müller with a bike ride around a portion of the 55-square-kilometer national park.

Explore a remarkably varied landscape that includes stunningly beautiful forests, heathlands, and sand dunes. You’ll spot impressively antlered deer, wild boar, foxes, sheep, and more.

A majestic red deer stag walks across a field of purple heath, with a dense forest in the background at a Dutch national park.
Red deer stag in the Dutch National Park at Hoge Veluwe

For more information about the Netherlands and suggestions for accommodations, see Visiting the Netherlands: My Top Tips for an Artsy Trip

Paris, France: Centre Pompidou

My most recent experience with the Pompidou Center (one of my absolute favorite modern art museums in Europe) was fraught with pure terror.

Gregg and I were trying to find an art gallery on an obscure side street that even Google Maps couldn’t find. The gallery was hosting an exhibition of Gregg’s work, so finding it was a matter of some urgency.

I directed Gregg to turn down what I trusted was the right street. He drove a short block over cobblestones to emerge into a wide, pedestrian-only space that butted up against the back end of the massive Pompidou Center. 

Mon Dieu!

I looked up at the crazy exoskeleton of pipes and glass that had horrified Parisians when it was first built and yelled a few choice curses into my phone. The Google Maps lady was not impressed. She continued to insist that we drive across the square.

The exterior of the Centre Pompidou in Paris, with its exposed framework, red escalator tube, and banners promoting current exhibitions.
Exterior of the Pompidou Center in Paris

Luckily, the space was relatively empty of people (a rare event) so Gregg was able to execute a hasty U-turn and head smartly down the correct street. The only problem was that the street was one-way, and we were barreling down it the wrong way.

Fortunately, we found the gallery without having a head-on collision. A few hours later, after unloading the paintings and hanging the show, we were swanning about the vernissage (the opening), champagne glasses in hand.

Phew!

Visiting the Centre Pompidou

Every time we visit Paris, we make a beeline for the Pompidou. Its special exhibitions are almost always excellent.

Check what’s on before coming to Paris and adjust your dates accordingly. One of our favorite special exhibitions featured the work of Gerhard Richter way back in 2012. I was impressed both by the range and styles of Richter’s work and the thoughtful way in which the exhibit was curated. 

No matter when you go to the Pompidou, you’ll always have the legendary fourth floor to wander through. This floor features the museum’s permanent collection and is a veritable “who’s who” of early 20th-century modern art.

All the most famous names are represented. Enjoy strolling through the rooms picking out your favorites and reveling in the glorious mishmash of colors and forms that characterizes 20th-century modern art.

After sighing your way around the art, take the escalator to the rooftop to relish one of the best views of the Paris skyline.

For information about other art museums in Paris, check out Paris for Art Lovers: Nine of the Best Small Museums in Paris and Love Among the Recipes: Paris Sights & Bistro Dishes. For more about Paris and France in general, see Visiting France: My Best Tips for Enjoying an Artsy Trip.

Rome’s National Gallery of Modern Art (Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna) is conveniently located on the edge of the Borghese Gardens, surely one of Europe’s most beguiling parks. 

A serene view of the Temple of Asclepius in the Villa Borghese gardens, Rome, reflected in a calm lake, framed by trees with a clear blue sky overhead.
View of the Temple of Asclepius at Villa Borghese Gardens in Rome

The gallery features an excellent collection of 20th-century Italian painters, including Giorgio de Chirico (a particular favorite), Amedeo Modigliani, Antonio Canova, Giacomo Balla, and Giorgio Morandi. You’ll also find works by Rodin, Degas, van Gogh, Monet, Duchamp, Man Ray, and Pollock.

Unlike the Vatican and the other Renaissance and ancient Roman attractions of Rome, the gallery is sparsely attended and therefore extremely pleasant.

After your visit, stroll along the shaded pathways of the Borghese Gardens. 

For more information about Rome, Italy and where to stay, see these posts:

Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France: Fondation Maeght

The Fondation Maeght makes just about every list of must-see art museums in Europe. While not the largest modern art museum in Europe, the Maeght is one of the most respected and also the most beautifully situated.

The Maeght is near the charming village of Saint Paul-de-Vence, not far from Cannes and Nice in the south of France. 

A smiling woman in a blue dress and sunglasses stands near a black sculpture resembling an eye with a trident, by Joan Miró, surrounded by lush greenery and trees at the Fondation Maeght.
On the grounds of the fabulous Fondation Maeght in the south of France

I can’t say that every exhibition we’ve seen at the Fondation Maeght has been great. However, you still ought to visit if you’re in the area. When the exhibitions are good, they are extremely good.

The Fondation Maeght is a private foundation that was conceived and funded by Aimé and Marguerite Maeght to exhibit modern art. The Maeghts had several artist friends, including Georges Braque, Alexander Calder, Marc Chagall, Alberto Giacometti, Fernand Léger, and Joan Miró, who from the get-go donated or sold their work to the Foundation.

As Miró emphasized, the Fondation Maeght “…must before all be a place for art that remains alive.”

Visiting the Fondation Maeght

We first visited the Fondation Maeght in the 1990s during our first family trip to Europe with our young daughter. It was love at first sight!

Highlights include the giant sculptures by so many of the great 20th-century modern artists, including Miró, Giacometti, Arp, and Calder; spectacular views across the hills of the Riviera to the turquoise Mediterranean; and an airy modernist gallery. 

You can visit the Fondation Maeght on a tour, but you’d be best off spending at least a few nights exploring the area and visiting the Maeght for a few hours at the beginning or end of the day when the light is best for photography.  

For more about traveling in France, check out 17 Must-See Places to Visit in France You Should Know About.

Venice, Italy: Peggy Guggenheim Collection

If I were to pick a favorite modern art museum from this Must-See list, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice would rank in the top three.

Located right smack on the Grand Canal in the Dorsoduro district of magical Venice between Santa Maria della Salute and the Gallerie dell’Accademia, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection just makes me smile. I can’t visit it often enough!

A woman posing beside a bronze sculpture of a stylized figure riding an animal, located in front of the Peggy Guggenheim Museum, which features ornate iron window grilles and stone steps.
Carol next to a statue of a horse in front of the Peggy
Guggenheim Museum in Venice.

The museum houses Peggy Guggenheim’s personal collection of 20th-century art, including masterpieces of cubism, surrealism, and abstract expressionism.

Gregg is a huge fan of Max Ernst, to whom Peggy was married for a time. Several of Ernst’s marvelous paintings are featured in the collection. Other artists in the permanent collection include Picasso, Kandinsky, Miró, Braque, Giacometti, Klee, Magritte, Dali, Pollock, de Chirico, Brancusi, Braque, Duchamp, and Mondrian. It really is an embarrassment of 20th-century riches.

If you’re in Venice, take a break from the Renaissance and cross the canal to visit the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. Wander the cool halls of her renovated palazzo to view the paintings and sculptures, then descend the steps to the edge of the canal and watch the boats go by. 

A panoramic view of Venice's Grand Canal with historic buildings lining the waterway, boats navigating the canal, and the iconic dome of Santa Maria della Salute under a partly cloudy sky.
Venice panorama city skyline at Venice Grand Canal, Venice Italy

Find more information about Venice, Italy, and where to stay in these posts:

Louisiana Museum of Modern Art Near Copenhagen, Denmark

The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art (#11 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!

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.

A whimsical bronze sculpture of a rounded humanoid figure with oversized eyes, standing outdoors surrounded by trees and greenery.
Sculpture at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art near Copenhagen, Denmark

For more information about the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, check out my post: A Trio of Must-See Museums in Copenhagen.

Tate St. Ives in Cornwall, England

The Tate St. Ives (#12) is a delightfully compact and easy-to-tour museum overlooking the sea in lovely little St. Ives. I visited on a recent trip to Cornwall, and was lucky to sit in on two curator talks about local artist Robert Lanyon. Here’s one of his pieces.

An abstract painting with swirling strokes of blue, red, white, and black hues, featuring bold, chaotic lines and textures in a wooden frame.
Lost Mine by Peter Lanyon

For more about my visit to the Tate St. Ives, check out Get the Best Out of Southwest England on a Rabbie’s Small Group Tour.

Novels Inspired by Modern Art on Art In Fiction

Modern art is still under-served by authors, at least compared to that of the Renaissance. Fortunately, my sister site, Art In Fiction, includes a selection of modern-art inspired novels. 

Get your modern art hit with these novels.

Modern Art by Evelyn Toynton – The life of Jackson Pollock’s widow Lee Krasner provides the raw material for this strong, assured debut novel (Publisher’s Weekly).

The book cover of Modern Art by Evelyn Toynton.

The Season of Migration by Nellie Hermann – A profoundly imaginative, original, and heartbreaking vision of the early years of Vincent van Gogh, before he became the artist we know today. 

The book cover of The Season of Migration by Nellie Hermann

Abstract Aliases by Ritter Ames – Book 3 in The Bodies of Art mystery series presents abstract clues that lead to new questions that turn to “dead” ends. It’s an action-packed romp that’s impossible to put down.

The book cover of Abstract Aliases by Ritter Ames

Costalegre by Courtney Maum – Set in 1937 in the haute-bohemian circles of Austria, Germany, and Paris, this novel is heavily inspired by the real-life relationship between the heiress Peggy Guggenheim and her daughter, Pegeen.

The book cover of Costalegre by Courtney Maum

Cooking for Picasso by Camille Aubray: a touching story of the choices that men and women make as they seek a path toward love, success, and joie de vivre.

The book cover of Cooking for Picasso by Camille Aubray

Sightseeing Tips

I’ve included links in this post to purchase fast track or skip-the-line tickets from Tiqets.com.

I highly recommend purchasing tickets ahead of time when you’re traveling in Europe. Major art museums are increasingly crowded, with long lines that sap your sightseeing energy. Who can enjoy art after standing for an hour under the hot sun waiting to buy tickets?

Purchase your tickets well in advance of your visit or even the night before from your hotel room. Then enjoy a leisurely breakfast before strolling straight into the museum past the long lines of tourists who did not book ahead. You’ll be sighing in front of some of the world’s great masterpieces in no time!

I prefer to use one website to book all my tickets so I can easily keep track of which venue I’m seeing on which day. You can also book directly with most of the venues; however, you sometimes need to print the tickets, which can be awkward when you’re traveling. I keep all my tickets easily available on my phone which is why I use Tiqets.com.

Have you been to any of the modern art museums covered in this post? What did you think? Share your impressions and recommendations with other artsy travelers in the Comments section below.