Do you enjoy reading novels set in the places you are traveling to? I know I do. I love curling up at the end of a long day of sightseeing and reading a novel that helps me revisit the places I’ve seen. My preference is historical novels because I love history, which is one of the many reasons that I’m drawn to traveling in Europe. I enjoy wandering cobbled back alleys and imagining myself swishing my long skirts through the dust. No doubt the reality was a lot less romantic and much smellier, but imagination can be a wonderful thing!
I’ve chosen my top ten novels based on two criteria. First, the novel needs to evoke a sense of the place in which it was set, and second, it needs to relate in some way to the arts. You’re sure to find some new-to-you reads to take along on your next trip, or even to stay at home with.
England
Entertaining Mr Pepysby Deborah Swift
Entertaining Mr Pepys is the third novel in Deborah Swift’s “Women of Pepys’ Diary” series. All three novels are worth taking along if you are spending time in London and want a fascinating glimpse of what life was like in the 1660s. Famed diarist Samuel Pepys is at the center of this and the first two novels (Pleasing Mr Pepys and A Plague on Mr Pepys), each following a different woman who knew Samuel and was mentioned in his diary. In Entertaining Mr Pepys, the actress Elizabeth (Bird) Carpenter takes center stage as she navigates the world of the theater when women were finally allowed on stage as actresses. If you enjoy impeccably researched historical novels with plenty of intrigue, then the “Women of Pepys’ Diary” series is for you.
The Lost Book of the Grail by Charlie Lovett
While traveling in England, plan on touring some of its awesome cathedrals (don’t miss York Minster, Salisbury Cathedral, and Durham Cathedral to name just three of my faves!) and then settle down with The Lost Book of the Grail. The setting is an ancient cathedral in the fictional town of Barchester. Flashback chapters open with succinct descriptions of cathedral areas such as cloisters, the nave, chapels, and more that I found fascinating. Through a series of clever flashbacks, you navigate the history of the cathedral from its founding by a martyred saint through the Norman invasion, Reformation, Civil War, Victorian era, World War II, and modern times. The plot’s twists and turns provide enough mystery to make the denouement both surprising and satisfying.
France
Drawing Lessons by Patricia Sands
Are you taking a trip to Provence? Then pack or download a copy of Drawing Lessons, a delicious novel set in Arles that follows a woman’s quest to redefine herself after the death of her husband. Patricia Sands evokes the sensuous delights of Provence so beautifully that you’ll feel like you are there. And if, indeed, you are there, you’ll have the sights and smells that surround you confirmed in the story.
The Paris Hours by Alex George
This is the novel to read when you’re spending time in Paris. The Paris Hours tells the stories of four “ordinary” people during one day in Paris in 1927. Along the way, they encounter an extraordinary panoply of luminaries including Hemingway, Proust, Picasso, Gertrude Stein, Ravel, Josephine Baker, and even Sylvia Beach, the proprietor of Paris’s most famous English bookstore, Shakespeare & Company. Alex George brings the ambience, and the people, of Paris to life as he takes readers through streets and parks they can still walk through today. Surprises and twists abound in one of the most cleverly plotted and exquisitely written novels I’ve read in a long while.
Germany
And After the Fireby Lauren Belfer
I am a huge fan of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach (check out my visit to the Bach Museum in Leipzig) and so And After the Fire was the novel for me. It tells the fascinating story of a lost Bach manuscript with a disturbing message. The story spans over two hundred years, from Berlin in the 18th century through the Holocaust to New York in contemporary times. Inspired by historical events, the compelling narrative of this deeply researched and evocative novel resonates with emotion and immediacy.
Chasing the Wind by C. C. Humphreys
Heading for Berlin? Take along Chasing the Wind, a rollicking good adventure that mixes a Bruegel masterpiece, a female aviator, espionage, and the 1936 Berlin Olympics. It’s a page-turner, so make sure you’ve finished your sightseeing for the day before reading it, else you may decide to stay in your hotel room and read rather than go out to sample Berlin’s many museums (check out Booming Berlin: Your Artsy Guide for suggestions about what to do during a three-day visit to Berlin).
Italy
Raphael, Painter in Rome by Stephanie Storey
No trip to Rome is complete without experiencing the art of Raphael, Michelangelo and da Vinci. And the perfect novel to accompany you is Raphael, Painter in Romeby Stephanie Storey, and her other novel Oil and Marble. Both chronicle the lives of three of the most renowned artists in western Europe: Raphael in Raphael, Painter in Romeand Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci in Oil and Marble. Even in the 21st century, there are parts of old Rome in which only a small leap of the imagination is needed to be transported back to the Renaissance when intrigue lurked around every corner and the smell of oil paint was heavy in the air. Raphael. Painter in Rome takes you deep into the heart of a Rome that may be long gone but still lingers in the imagination after dark.
Netherlands
Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
One of the things I love about touring the Netherlands is how the light often reminds me of an Old Master painting. One of the most famous is Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring. So, the perfect read for fans of his work is the novel of the same name by Tracy Chevalier. Set in 17th-century Delft, Girl with a Pearl Earring is a richly-imagined portrait of the young woman who inspired the painting. I love how Chevalier seamlessly merges history and fiction in this and many of her other novels set in Europe, including The Lady and the Unicorn (14th-century France), Burning Bright(late 18th-century London), Falling Angels (early 20th-century London), A Single Thread(1930s England), and Remarkable Creatures (early 19th-century England).
Spain
The Return by Victoria Hislop
I picked up a copy of The Returnin a second-hand bookstore while wandering the back streets of Antibes seeking shade at the height of the 2019 heat wave (la canicule, as the French called it). It was the perfect novel to read while traveling west into Spain. It takes place both in the present and during the Spanish Civil War, a time in history about which I knew very little. The story of a flamenco guitar player (a tocadores) and a flamenco dancer (a bailaora) who fall in love in 1930s Granada and are separated during the terrible excesses of the Spanish Civil War will stay with you long after you leave Spain.
The Miramonde Trilogy by Amy Maroney
For a book lover, few things are more enchanting than enjoying a novel and then discovering that it’s the first in a trilogy. I had that experience after reading The Girl from Oto, the first offering in Amy Maroney’s trilogy about a female artist in Renaissance Spain, the other two novels being Mira’s Way and A Place in the World. I read all three not long after I traveled through the Pyrenees where much of the story takes place. Amy Maroney brings the region to life wonderfully—its wildlife and independent mountain people, the sweeping landscapes and harsh weather, and the turbulent history during the time when King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella were on the throne.
What’s your favorite artsy novel set in Europe? Share your recommendations with other Artsy Travelers in the Comments below.
Following are a few artsy highlights that I’ve enjoyed in
Germany. You’ll find hundreds more.
Bach Museum in Leipzig
If you’re a Bach fan, head for Leipzig to enjoy one of the hippest music museums I’ve ever visited. I could have stayed there all day!
The Bach Museum is located next to the Thomaskirche, the church where Bach is buried. The museum is open 10 am to 6 pm Tuesday to Sunday so make sure you don’t make Monday your Leipzig day.
Statue of Johann Sebastian Bach in Leipzig Germany
A highlight for me were the many interactive exhibits,
including the Virtual Baroque Orchestra. The instruments are displayed on a
wall with each instrument being played marked by a light signal. Press the
button corresponding to the instrument and its sound will be amplified so that
you are able to hear it more distinctly. The orchestra plays three pieces and I
listened to them all.
Another highlight, particularly if you’re a musician and
have played Bach, is the Listening Studio. Sit on a comfy couch at a listening
station, don the headphones provided and search a database containing every
single one of Bach’s compositions (and trust me, he wrote a lot). I could have stayed
forever.
Other notable music sites in Germany include Beethoven’s birthplace in Bonn and the many sites associated with Wagner in Bayreuth.
Beethoven House in Bonn
I visited Beethoven’s birthplace in Bonn when I was 18 and will never forget going into the small house and hearing Beethoven being played on a piano located in the room where he was born.
The Beethoven-Haus museum has grown since then and is now considered one of the most visited music museums in the world and one of the 100 most popular sights in Germany. The museum is open almost every day of the year from 10 am to 6 pm.
Statue of Beethoven in Bonn, Germany
Romano-Germanic Museum in Cologne
The Romano-Germanic Museum (Römisch-Germanisches Museum) is simply amazing and one of the best museums we’ve visited in Germany.
Beautifully curated displays present the archaeological
heritage of Cologne from the Palaeolithic period to the early Middle Ages,
including, of course, the centuries when Rome was in charge. You’ll see the
world’s largest collections of Roman glass vessels along with goldwork and goods
showing the lives of Romani and Franks in early medieval Cologne.
Concerts
Go out of your way to attend concerts when you’re in Germany. One of the highlights of our German travels was hearing Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring in the magnificent Philharmonie Hall in Berlin. This acoustically amazing and super-modern concert hall was almost as exciting as the performance.
In Cologne, catch a performance at the Kölner Philharmonie.
Located close to Cologne Cathedral, the modern concert hall is breathtaking,
with excellent acoustics and comfy seats.
On a folksier note, be on the lookout for concerts featuring
medieval instruments. We attended one in Bacharach in the Rhine Valley.
Costumed performers played wind instruments, drums, zithers, and other medieval
instruments and explained in English and German what they were playing. At the
end of the concert, most of the audience (me included) got up to dance.
Art Museums
Here’s a list of the art museums I’ve visited and recommend.
You’ll find plenty more!
Berlin
Pergamon Museum: As one of the most visited museums in Germany, the Pergamon Museum deserves a spot high on your list of Berlin sites. The big attraction is the incredible collection of massive archaeological structures from ancient Middle East, including the Pergamon Altar, the Market Gate of Miletus, the Ishtar Gate and Processional Way from Babylon, and the Mshatta Façade.
The Pergamon Museum is one of five world-class museums on Museum Island in Berlin. To read about all of them, see Booming Berlin.
Gemäldegalerie:
The modern building houses a first-rate collection of European painting from
the 13th to 18th centuries including masterpieces by Jan van Eyck, Pieter
Bruegel, Albrecht Dürer, Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio, Peter Paul Rubens,
Rembrandt, and Jan Vermeer van Delft.
Munich
There are three “Pinakotheken” museums in the Art District or Kunstareal: the Alte Pinakothek is one of the oldest museums in the world and houses a fine collection of Old Masters.
Nearby is Pinakothek der Moderne which is four museums in one: art, prints and drawings, architecture, and design. When we visited, we saw a wonderful exhibition of paintings by Frank Stella.
The Neue Pinakothek is closed until 2025. Several works from the collection, including paintings by Goya, Manet, van Gogh, and Klimt, are currently on display on the ground floor of the Alte Pinakothek.
Outside Cologne
A highlight was a visit to the Max Ernst Museum in Brühl, a short distance from Cologne. If you’re not driving, take a tram from Cologne or Bonn. The museum features a marvelous collection of work by one of the 20th century’s foremost surrealists. Max Ernst is one of Gregg’s favorite artists so visiting the museum was a true pilgrimage for him.
If you’re a fan of the work of Max Ernst, be sure to put the museum on your list. The grounds surrounding the museum are beautiful.
Nuremberg: Albrecht Dürer’s House
This charming house where Dürer (1471-1528) lived and worked
for over 20 years is one of the few surviving burgher houses in Nuremberg and
the only surviving artist’s house from the period in northern Europe.
Albrecht Durer’s House, Nuremberg, Germany
Tour the various rooms to see how a wealthy person lived in
the 16th century. Head upstairs to the workshop to enjoy a
demonstration of the printmaking techniques Dürer used to produce his woodcuts,
including one of his most famous—the rhinoceros.
Gregg and I spent a week in Berlin when he had an exhibition there and so had lots of time to explore this remarkable city. The weight of history is heavy in Berlin but at the same time, the city is energetic and forward-looking.
From an artsy perspective, Berlin is up there with London
and Paris as one of Europe’s premier cultural capitals.
This city retains some of its East German past—dreary apartment blocks, cheap tickets to music concerts, and Ampelmänn (Ampelmännchen in German).
When you travel in Germany, you know when you’re in a city or region that was once part of East Germany by the crosswalk signals for pedestrians. We first spotted the red Stop and green Go Ampelmännchen in Leipzig and again in Berlin when we were in neighborhoods that used to be behind the Berlin Wall.
Ampelmänn says Go
Ampelmänn says Stop
I became rather fond of Ampelmänn and even bought a plastic walking man for my keychain. For a dizzying variety of Ampelmännchen schlock, visit the Ampelmänn shops in Berlin (see more in Booming Berlin: Your Artsy Guide).
The big draw in Leipzig is Johann Sebastian Bach. I’d always
wanted to visit Leipzig because of its connection to Bach and finally got my
wish in 2015. The Bach Museum has to be one of the world’s finest music
museums.
Leipzig has a marvelous pedestrian area teeming with restaurants. Different varieties of beer from various regions all over Europe are featured. When I asked for a beer that was local to Leipzig in a restaurant that only served beer from Munich, I got a very frosty reception from the server. Apparently, it’s a faux pas to order Leipzig beer in a Bavarian-themed restaurant. Who knew?
The people of Leipzig are proud of their contribution to the dissolution of East Germany. The pivotal day of the Peaceful Revolution was October 9, 1989 when 70,000 protestors marched into the center of Leipzig crying “We are the People!” and “No violence”.
The young man at the hotel desk, who probably wasn’t even alive in 1989, was eager to tell us all about it when we checked in.
Munich
Like Berlin, Munich is a must-see city in Germany. Alas, I haven’t been back to Munich since our family trip in the 1990s which means I’m due for another visit.
Aerial panoramic view of Frauenkirche, Marienplatz Town hall and Old Town Hall in Munich, Bavaria, Germany
I remember drinking excellent beer in the Marienplatz—the main square—while waiting for the famous Rathaus-Glockenspiel clock to chime the hour. Every day at 11 am and noon (and 5 pm in the summer), the clock chimes and carved medieval figures re-enact stories from the 16th century.
The dolls dancing in the clock of Marienplatz in Munich, Germany.
Don’t miss the massive Deutsches Museum that showcases over 100,000 objects from the fields of science and technology and is one of the most important museums of science and technology in the world. Exhibits range from atomic physics to the Altamira cave to a magnified model of a human cell as well as other displays from the Stone Age to the present.
Munich is also home to world-class art museums including the Alte Pinakothek and the Pinakothek der Moderne. The Neue Pinakothek is closed until 2025, with some of its masterpieces now being exhibited at the Alte Pinakothek.
Nuremberg
This city in south central Germany has a lot to recommend
it. We stopped there on our way north from Italy en route to Leipzig and
Berlin.
You’ll find an attractive old town with plenty of half-timbered buildings, pedestrian-only streets, the Nuremberg Castle which miraculously survived allied bombs, and my favorite, the Albrecht Dürer House (see Artsy Favorites in Germany below).
Stroll the medieval streets and enjoy a dinner of German sausage and beer. Here are two views of Nuremberg.
Trier
We spent a night in Trier and really enjoyed its laid back atmosphere, attractive town square, and its Roman ruins. It was a convenient night’s stopover on our way from Amsterdam to Italy.
For us, the attraction of Trier was its Roman ruins. As you’ve probably already guessed if you’ve spent any time on this website, Gregg and I are suckers for a good Roman ruin and usually go out of our way to find them.
The Romans lived in Trier for over 500 years, and in the 4th century the city was the favored residence of Roman emperors, including Emperor Constantine. In Trier, you’ll find lots of Roman ruins including a complex of Roman baths, a large amphitheater and the mammoth Porta Nigra (Black Gate).
The Porta Nigra (Black Gate) – a 2nd-century Roman city gate in Trier, Germany
When you’re done with ruins, visit the Rheinisches Landesmuseum, a large archeological museum with an excellent collection of Roman artifacts.
Once you’ve had your fill of Roman ruins, spend the evening strolling Trier’s pedestrian main street lined with half-timbered houses, admire the market cross that dates from 958 in the market square, and enjoy a dinner accompanied by plenty of local wine.
Attractive half-timbered houses in Trier, Germany
When we were in Trier in 2018, the town was gearing up to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Karl Marx. Strores were filled with Karl Marx rubber duckie, replete with a copy of Das Kapital clutched under one wing and a quill pen in the other.
One of the great joys of traveling in Europe as an Artsy Traveler is discovering amazing single-artist museums.
By single-artist museum, I mean a museum established to showcase the art of a specific artist, even if the museum also hosts exhibitions by other artists.
This post recommends lesser known single-artist museums in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, and Spain. I’ve visited all of them, with the exception of the Sorolla Museum in Madrid. Information about this luscious, single-artist museum comes from guest poster Liz Reding who visited the Sorolla Museum in March of 2020, just days before the pandemic shut down Europe.
Map of Europe Showing Museum Locations
The number assigned to each museum in this post corresponds to the number on the map below. For example #1, the Ernst Fuchs Museum is in Vienna (#1 on the map below).
Start in Austria with one of Europe’s weirdest single-artist museums!
If you’re in the mood for quirky and wonderful, then make your way to the Ernst Fuchs Museum in the Wien Hütteldorf, the 14th district of Vienna. You can drive there from central Vienna in about 25 minutes or hop on a bus.
Ernst Fuchs (1930-2015) was an extraordinarily prolific artist who created works infused with eroticism and myth. In the sixties, Fuchs became a style icon and designed architecture, furniture, tapestries, and jewelry. He was a founder of the Vienna School of Fantastic Realism and was celebrated internationally.
History of the Ernst Fuchs Museum
Fuchs’s work is displayed in the fabulously restored Wagner House, designed and built in 1888 as a summer house by the renowned Jugendstil architect Otto Wagner. The place is, quite simply, spectacular. Inspired by Palladio, Wagner designed the house in the style of a Roman villa.
Back in the day, the design attracted international attention. The press wrote: “A strange allure is evoked by this peculiar villa . . .Completely deviating from the usual appearance of similar buildings, the frontal view of the house that sits on the flank of a hill only shows a large open hall between two side wings.”
Fuchs bought the villa in 1972 when it was derelict and scheduled for demolition. In two years, he restored the house to its original architectural glory and for many years used the house as his private studio. In 1988, the centenary of the building of the original villa, the Ernst Fuchs Museum opened.
Work of Ernst Fuchs
Fuchs’s work combines the fantastic with elements of the visionary and spiritual, all infused with a healthy dollop of sixties psychedelic and a lot of naked bodies.
You’ll find eroticism everywhere. Even if you’re not a big fan of the work, you will appreciate its complexity and awesome technique. You come away with a new appreciation for the heights made possible by the human imagination.
Although I wasn’t hugely taken by the overly florid and fantastical artworks, I loved the unique architecture, whimsical design elements, gorgeous mosaics, and above all, stunning stained-glass windows.
Images of Ernst Fuchs Museum
I highly recommend a visit to this unique museum that also includes beautifully landscaped gardens. Here are photographs of some of the rooms in the Ernst Fuchs Museum. Source: Ernst Fuchs official website.
Adolf Boehm Salon at the Ernst Fuchs Museum
Grand Salon at the Ernst Fuchs Museum
Roman Bath at the Ernst Fuchs Museum
Explore Ernst Fuchs Museum in 3D
This fantastic website allows you to walk through the museum and use your mouse to zoom in on every painting and design element. It’s one of the best virtual tours I’ve come across.
Visitor Information
The Ernst Fuchs Museum is located at Hüttelbergstraße 26, 1140 Wien and is from from Tuesday through Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm. Tickets cost €11 for adults and €6 for students and seniors or €8 with the Wiencard. For more information, see the Ernst Fuchs Museum website.
#2: Musée Toulouse-Lautrec in Albi, France
Located in the charming town of Albi in southwest France, the Musée Toulouse-Lautrec is a total treat. If you’re in the area, put it on your list and leave yourself lots of time to tour the extensive collections.
Who is Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec?
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) was a leading French artist famous for capturing the personalities of his subjects in loose, free-flowing lines. Born into a wealthy family in Albi, Toulouse-Lautrec’s interest in art flourished following accidents to his legs in his childhood that incapacitated him and resulted in permanent damage.
In the mid-1880s in Paris, Toulouse-Lautrec began his lifelong association with the bohemian life of the cafés, cabarets, entertainers, and artists in Montmartre.
Henri Toulouse-Lautrec Source: Wikipedia
History of the Musée Toulouse-Lautrec
The Musée Toulouse-Lautrec is housed in the Bishop’s Palace (Palais de la Berbie) next door to Albi Cathedral (also worth a visit). The original palace was built in the 13th-century as a fortress to house the bishops of Albi. The original medieval architecture has been maintained with high, thick walls, and a central courtyard.
Palais de la Berbie in Albi, France (Albi Cathedral to the left)
From the Renaissance to the 18th century, the fortress was transformed into a pleasure palace that included sumptuous state rooms and landscaped formal gardens which you can still visit today.
Overlooking the gardens at the Palais de la Berbie that houses the Musée Toulouse-Lautrec in Albi, France
When we visited the museum soon after it opened in the morning, we practically had the place to ourselves.
And it’s huge! Room after room feature the world’s largest public collection of Lautrec’s paintings, lithographs, drawings, and posters. The collection is laid out in chronological order, starting with Toulouse-Lautrec’s early work and leading to the massive posters for which he is most famous.
In addition to exhibiting Toulouse-Lautrec’s work, the museum includes a large collection of art from the early 20th century. You’ll also view a fine collection of art from earlier periods, displayed in the sumptuously restored palace rooms.
A visit to the museum includes access to the palace’s classical gardens and panoramic views over the Tarn River.
View over the Tarn River in Albi, France
Work of Toulouse-Lautrec
I was fascinated with the looseness of Toulouse-Lautrec’s work. He uses freely handled lines and colors to convey the idea of movement and to infuse his subjects with personality. You can imagine meeting the same people on the streets of Paris today.
Here are two of the works you’ll see in the Musée Toulouse-Lautrec. Both pictures are taken from the website of the Musée Toulouse-Lautrec.
You’ll likely recognize several of the posters that were used to advertise the Moulin Rouge and other popular entertainment venues in late-19th-century Paris.
Moulin Rouge: La Goulue (1981) by Henri Toulouse-Lautrec Photo: Wikipedia
Ambassadeurs – Aristide Bruant (1892) by Henri Toulouse-Lautrec Photo: Wikipedia
Visitor Information
Tickets for adults cost €10 and €5 for students. The address for the Musée Toulouse-Lautrec is Palais de la Berbie, Place Sainte-Cécile. Find the cathedral and you’ll find the adjacent palace. Hours vary depending on the time of year, but for most of the year, the museum is open from 10 am to noon and 2 pm to 6 pm. From June 21 to September 30, the museum is open from 9 am to 6 pm.
Both the cathedral and the palace are built from bricks that glow pink in the setting sun. Here’s a shot of the cathedral from across the river where we stayed in a bed-and-breakfast.
Albi Cathedral in the setting sun
#3: Musée National Fernand Léger in Biot, France
If you’re staying in the Côte d’Azur, put a visit to this museum on your list of must-sees. As the only museum in the world dedicated to the work of Fernand Léger, this purpose-built museum is truly delightful. You’ll see a fabulous collection of Léger’s paintings, sculptures, drawings, ceramics, and tapestries.
Musée National Fernand Léger Photo Credit: Hans G. Oberlack, Creative Commons
Who is Fernand Léger?
Fernand Léger (1881-1955) was a French painter, sculptor, and filmmaker known for his bright and colorful work–a personal form of cubism known as “tubism”. He often depicted industrial subjects and objects of the consumer age–an art ‘first’–and is considered the forerunner of the pop art movement.
Léger was born in Argentan in Normandy. I recently read that his childhood home is being turned into a museum. That will definitely be on our itinerary the next time we travel in northern France. Check out the article.
In 1955, not long before his death, Léger purchased a villa on the property upon which the museum now stands. Supervised by his widow, construction of the museum began in 1957 with the museum opening to great fanfare in 1960.
The museum exhibits Léger’s work in chronological order, beginning with his realist early work and progressing to his “tubism” period prior to World War I with its emphasis on cylindrical forms and then to his “mechanical period” that was heavily influenced by his war experiences. The collection includes over 450 pieces.
In addition to the collection inside the museum, you’ll want to linger awhile on the grounds to enjoy Léger’s massive sculptures and especially to view the huge murals that cover the outside of the museum.
If you’re traveling with children, the Léger Museum is an excellent stop.
We first visited the museum when Julia was nine years old. She loved it! I think her appreciation for modern art stems partially from that visit. Mind you, growing up surrounded by her dad’s work also likely played a role!
Work of Fernand Léger
Léger’s work is bright, bold, and beautiful. It’s impossible, I think, to tour this museum and not enjoy yourself. The more you study his work, the more you appreciate it.
Here are two works by Léger. Regrettably, I did not take pictures when I visited the museum, so these photos are from the WikiArt website.
“Contrast of Forms” (1918) by Fernand Léger Source: WikiArt
“The Man with the Cane” (1920) by Fernand Léger Source: WikiArt
Visitor Information
Visit the museum every day except Tuesdays, December 25, January 1, and May 1. From November to April, the museum is open from 10 am to 5 pm, and May to October from 10 am to 6 pm. Tickets cost €7.50. Admission is free on the first Sunday of the month. The museum is located at Chemin du Val de Pome, very close to Biot, a small village in the hills above the Côte d’Azur. If you’re traveling by car, you will find it easily. While you’re in the area, don’t miss several other wonderful museums showcasing the work of other 20th-century modern artists.
Two other single-artist museums—the Marc Chagall National Museum in Nice and the Musée National Pablo Picasso in Vallauris— are, like the Léger Museum, part of the network of French National museums in the Alpes-Maritimes department dedicated to 20th-century artists.
#4: Fondation Vasarely in Aix-en-Provence, France
On the outskirts of Aix-en-Provence (one of my favorite towns in the south of France), you’ll find the impressive and undervisited Fondation Vasarely. The museum showcases the massive artworks of Victor Vasarely, a Hungarian-French artist (1906-1997) considered the grandfather and leader of the op art movement.
Fondation Vasarely near Aix-en-Provence, France
Who is Victor Vasarely?
Victor Vasarely (1906-1997) was a French-Hungarian artist who used colorful geometric shapes to create compelling 3D optical illusions.
After settling in Paris in 1930, Vasarely experimented with Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism in the 1940s, then developed his hallmark checkerboard paintings.
Victor Vasarely Source: Wikipedia
History of the Fondation Vasarely
The Fondation Vasarely was opened in 1976 by French president Georges Pompidou.
Each of the seven hexagonal galleries contains six monumental works of art. On our most recent trip there in 2018, some of the artworks were in need of restoration, which is a shame.
Help support the continuation of this stunning museum by paying it a visit when you’re in the area.
Visiting here is like walking through posters from the swinging sixties, which is hardly surprising since the 3D optical illusions that characterize Vasarely’s work have graced the dorm rooms of students for decades.
Work of Victor Vasarely
Here are some of the massive pieces you’ll see at the Fondation Vasarely.
Visitor Information
Located at 1, Avenue Marcel Pagnol on the outskirts of Aix-en-Provence, the distinctive museum is easy to find. Admission is €9 for adults. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 1 pm and 2 pm to 6 pm.
#5: Max Ernst Museum near Cologne, Germany
The stylish Max Ernst Museum is located in Brühl, about a twenty-minute drive from Cologne on the way to Bonn. For Gregg, a visit there on a recent trip to the area was akin to a pilgrimage. Gregg has been a fan of surrealist Max Ernst for decades—pretty much since he first became an artist himself.
Gregg outside the Max Ernst Museum in Brühl near Cologne, Germany
Who is Max Ernst?
Max Ernst (1891-1976) was born in Germany and became a naturalised American in 1948 and a French citizen in 1958. He was a painter, sculptor, graphic artist, collagist, and poet, a pioneer of the Dada movement, and a member of the surrealist group.
Towards the end of his life, Max Ernst, along with his wife, noted painter Dorothea Tanning, moved to the charming village of Seillans in the Var region of Provence. We spent two weeks in Seillans in July 2019 where Gregg had an exhibition in a space close to where Ernst and Tanning lived.
The museum features a marvelous collection of Ernst’s work displayed in a thoughtfully renovated space. A modern glass pavilion is integrated into the horseshoe floor plan of the late-classicist Brühler Pavillon, a popular ballroom and social venue that was erected in 1844 and that Max Ernst himself visited in his youth.
Stylishly renovated Max Ernst Museum in Brühl, Germany Photo: Max Ernst Museum Website
You’ll find an extensive collection of paintings, drawings, frottages, collages, and sculptures spanning over 70 years of Ernst’s influential career, including his time in Brühl and Bonn, his Dadaist activities in the Rhineland, his contributions to the Surrealist movement in France, his exile in the United States during WWII, and finally his return to Europe in 1953.
I especially loved the sculptures on the grounds of the museum.
Work of Max Ernst
Max Ernst was a fabulously prolific artist with work that is detailed and complex and wholly distinctive. Here’s a selection of some of my favorite works by Max Ernst. Pictures are all from the max-ernst.com website.
The museum is located at Comesstraße 42 / Max-Ernst-Allee 1, 50321 Brühl and is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. At present (May, 2020), admission to the museum is free. For current information, check the museum website.
#6: René Magritte Museum in Brussels, Belgium
The full name of the museum is the René Magritte Museum – Museum of Abstract Art, a double museum dedicated to Surrealism and Abstraction. Now that’s a double bill I can get behind.
On a recent short visit to Brussels, we made a beeline for the Magritte Museum and were not disappointed. As one of the most iconic figures in the surrealist movement, René Magritte deserves his own museum, and this one is first rate.
Who is René Magritte?
René Magritte (1898-1967) was a Belgian artist and probably one of the best-known surrealists after Salvador Dali. Back in the 1970s, I had a poster of his iconic painting of a massive dove called “The Large Family” on the wall of my student dorm–and I was not the only one.
In the 1920s, Magritte moved to Paris from Belgium and became involved with André Breton and the Surrealist group, of which he was a leading member. He exhibited in 1929 with several of the leading surrealists of the time, including Salvador Dalí, Jean Arp, de Chirico, Max Ernst, Joan Miró, Picabia, Picasso, and Yves Tanguy.
In 1930, Magritte returned to Brussels and continued painting there until his death. His imagery has heavily influenced pop, minimalist, and conceptual art.
The museum is relatively new, opened in 1999 shortly after Magritte’s one hundredth birthday. It’s built inside a house that Magritte lived in with his wife and includes an adjoining building that was renovated to showcase 250 masterpieces of Belgian abstract art.
You’ll tour the reconstruction of Magritte’s apartment on the ground floor and then view artworks from a collection that includes over 400 archive documents, photos, and objects, as well as 30 original works. You won’t see some of his most famous works, but you will get a good overview of Magritte’s development.
We loved it!
Work of René Magritte
Magritte’s work is endlessly fascinating–both for its meticulous technique and for its subject matter. Bowler hats, floating rocks, figures that are half animal/half people, and strange juxtapositions of everyday logic. When you tour the museum, you never know what you’re going to see around the next dimly lit corner.
Take your time and enjoy! Here are some of Magritte’s the works from the collection. Photos are all from the Magritte Museum pages on the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium website (Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique)
L’empire des lumières by René Magritte Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Bruxelles / photo : J. Geleyns – Art PhotographyLe Domaine d’Arnheim (1962) by René Magritte – Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Bruxelles / photo : J. Geleyns – Art Photography
La magie noire (1945) by René Magritte Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Bruxelles / photo : J. Geleyns – Art PhotographyGolconde (1953) by René Magritte – Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Bruxelles / photo : J. Geleyns – Art Photography
Visitor Information
Located at Place Royale, Koningsplein 1 in Brussels, admission to the museum is €10 for adults, €8 for seniors, and €3 for students. Opening hours are Monday to Friday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm and weekends from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm. Check the website for up-to-date information.
#7: Museo Sorolla in Madrid by Guest Poster Liz Reding
This description of the Sorolla Museum is written by guest poster Liz Reding. She and her husband visited in March, 2020, days before the museum closed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Liz Reding: My husband and I have been admirers of the paintings of Joaquín Sorolla for many years, so on our recent trip to Madrid, a visit to the Museo Sorolla was top of our list.
Who is Joaquín Sorolla?
Born in Valencia, Spain, JoaquínSorolla y Bastida (1863-1923) received his art education in Madrid, Rome, and Paris and was a contemporary of Picasso, Matisse, John Singer Sargent, and Andreas Zorn. He and his wife, Clotilde, had three children.
He painted portraits, landscapes, and monumental works depicting social and historical themes.
The Museo Sorolla is located in the home that Sorolla shared with his family, and is considered one of the best-preserved artist houses in Europe. The collection of more than 1,200 pieces is displayed along with the house’s original furniture and objects.
The house is surrounded by a delightful garden, a real oasis from the rumble of the cars and buses just outside the gate.
Garden at the Museo Sorolla in Madrid, Spain Photo Credit: Liz Reding
By urban standards, this museum is relatively small, but packed with dozens of gorgeous paintings, as well as sculptures, sketches, photographs, water colors, and writings.
One noteworthy feature of this museum is that all the works are expertly hung and well lit. Most of the viewing rooms have deep colors that enhance the paintings with light-diffusing devices, such as a window shade or ceiling tapestry. What a pleasure!
Interior of the Museo Sorolla in Madrid, Spain Photo Credit: Liz Reding
Work of Joaquín Sorolla
Sorolla’s wife and children are featured in a significant number of Sorolla’s paintings, and his love and admiration for them clearly shows. In addition, Sorolla painted many portraits of important people, including U. S. President Taft, and is known for his masterful handling of light, as evidenced by his many beach-scene paintings.
Here are two of Sorolla’s works exhibited at the Museo Sorolla.
Painting by Joaquín Sorolla at the Museo Sorolla, Madrid Photo credit: Liz Reding
Painting by Joaquín Sorolla at the Museo Sorolla, Madrid Photo credit: Liz Reding
Visitor Information
Located at Paseo General Martínez Campos, 37, the Museo Sorolla is open Tuesday to Saturday from 9:30 am to 8:00 pm and on Sundays and holidays from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. Tickets cost €3.
Other Single-Artist Museums in Europe
I wish I could say that I’ve visited all the single-artist museums that I’d like to in Europe, but not yet!
Here are just some of the museums I look forward to visiting in the next few years. If you’ve been to any of them, add a comment to let other Artsy Travelers know what you think!
Fondation Jean Dubuffet
Located in Périgny-sur-Yerres in the department of Val-de-Marne, the Dubuffet Foundation includes paintings and massive outdoor sculptures by Jean Dubuffet. Many years ago, we went there only to find it closed, but we did manage to peek through the fence! It looked amazing! The website includes a very cool 360-degree view of the outdoor sculptures.
Zentrum Paul Klee in Bern, Switzerland
I’m a big fan of the work of Paul Klee and have his museum on my list for the next time we drive through Switzerland. Check the website for details.
Franz Marc Museum in Kochel, Germany
A modern extension has extended the exhibition space of this beautifully-situated museum, It overlooks a lake near the little town of Kochel in Bavaria, about an hour west of Munich. Franz Marc’s colorful work makes me smile. Check the website for details.
Conclusion
Have you visited any of the museums listed in this post? If so, let Artsy Traveler readers know what you think.
To keep reading about art in Europe, check out these posts:
Berlin is an artsy sightseer’s candy store. If you love museums, you’ll love Berlin. It’s worth at least three full days of your sightseeing time. If you have more time, you’ll find lots more to do and see. It’s a big city with a whole lotta history. We spent a week in Berlin when Gregg had an exhibition there and didn’t come close to seeing everything we wanted to.
Following are the highlights I recommend in Berlin. To help you plan your time, I’ve grouped the sites in geographical order, moving from western Berlin through the historic core and Museum Island in eastern Berlin to the Kreuzberg neighborhood in south Berlin (where we stayed) and the fantastic Jewish museum.
Getting Around Berlin
Make use of Berlin’s efficient subway system. The city is spread out, and distances between the places you’ll want to see require a lot of walking. Save your legs for touring the museums! For information about transit in Berlin, see the Official Website of Berlin.
Western Berlin
The two major sites we enjoyed in the former West Berlin are the relaxing Tiergarten and the Kulturforum near Potsdamer Platz.
Tiergarten
Chill out
in the fabulous Tiergarten, Berlin’s massive central park that stretches from
the Brandenburg Gate to the Berlin Zoological Garden. We spent the better part
of a day there strolling the pathways and enjoying brunch overlooking a lake. From
the Tiergarten, you can’t miss the Victory Column, built in 1864. Climb it to enjoy
a panoramic view over Berlin.
Potsdamer Platz and
Kulturforum
Check out the modern skyscrapers and shopping malls in Potsdamer Platz, then walk over to the Kulturforum where you’ll find a complex that includes the Gemäldegalerie and the Philharmonie Berlin.
In the complex, you’ll also find the Musical Instruments Museum (Musikinstrumenten Museum) and the Museum of Decorative Arts (Kunstgewerbemuseum), touted as Berlin’s version of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Head here if you’re a fan of the applied arts. The collection of women’s fashions over the centuries is especially good.
Gemäldegalerie
An impressive number of European masters grace the walls of this wonderful art museum. The sleek, modern building houses works by Rembrandt, Dürer, Brueghel, Rubens, and Vermeer along with Italian masterpieces by Giotto, Botticelli, and Caravaggio. On the Gemäldegalerie website, take a virtual tour of several of the main galleries.
Allocate a morning to enjoying the collection at the Gemäldegalerie.
Philharmonie Berlin
The
magnificent home of the Berlin Philharmonic (Berlin Philharmoniker) will take
your breath away. With its unusual tent-like shape and bright yellow color, the
concert hall has been a landmark in Berlin since 1963, well before the fall of
the Berlin Wall.
The Berliner Philharmonie concert hall in Berlin, Germany
We scored tickets to Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring performed by the Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin. The orchestra’s concerts are less expensive than concerts featuring the Berlin Philharmonic, and the quality was fantastic. Hearing Stravinsky played in the iconic hall was a special experience.
Check event
listings for the dates you’ll be in Berlin and consider getting tickets to a
concert at the Philharmonie Berlin.
If you’re not able to see a performance, try to find time for a guided tour of the Philharmonie Berlin. One-hour tours are offered daily at 1:30 pm except during July and August and several days at Christmas. The tours are conducted in German and English.
Historic Core of Berlin
When you
arrive in Berlin, make your first stop the area around the iconic Brandenburg
Gate at the entrance to the Tiergarten. An 18th-century neoclassical
monument built by Frederick William II, the gate once stood forlornly in
no-man’s land between East and West Berlin.
Reichstag
The big-ticket site in Berlin is the Reichstag (Bundestag), Germany’s historic parliament buildings. Also located in no-man’s land between East and West Berlin throughout the Cold War, the Reichstag was rebuilt in 1999. With its glass dome dominating the skyline, the Bundestag has become a symbol of a unified Germany.
Entrance is free but you’ll need to make a reservation at www.bundestag.de. Be sure to get tickets well in advance or you may be out of luck. You’ll need to show your passport to pass through security.
Brandenburg Gate
Walk
through the Brandenburg Gate—something you couldn’t do until the fall of the
Berlin Wall in 1989. The weight of history hangs heavy over the gate. Stand in
front of it and realize that armies from Napoleon to Hitler have marched
through its massive archway.
Now it’s a
selfie stop.
Memorial to the Murdered
Jews of Europe
Walk into this labyrinth of 2,711 pillars of different sizes. The sobering—and gigantic—memorial to the six million Jews executed by the Nazis is a center of calm in the middle of bustling Berlin. In the Information Center, a continuously running soundtrack recites the names of known victims.
Regrettably,
the memorial attracts more than its share of selfie sticks with people posing
against the pillars and even climbing and jumping on them.
Go directly into the memorial to get away from the photography mayhem at the peripheries and to experience the dislocation and fear that inevitably arises when you try to find your way out again.
Unter Den Linden
The Unter Den Linden is the Champs-Élysées of Berlin. Stroll down it from the Brandenburg Gate and stop to sample a currywurst at one of the many kiosks in the center strip. A currywurst is Berlin street food consisting of a fried pork sausage (Bratwurst) cut into bite-sized chunks and seasoned with curry ketchup. Eat it with French fries. Fortunately, you’ll walk off the calories pretty quickly.
Traditional German currywurst, served with chips
I’ve tried currywurst once, and I’m good now. It’s an acquired taste, but when in Berlin…
Ampelmänn Stores in Berlin
At the corner of Unter den Linden and Friedrichstrasse—another main drag—you’ll find the flagship Ampelmänn shop.
This place ranks high on my list of favorite souvenir stores. The entire store is devoted to selling products inspired by the iconic Ampelmännchen pedestrian crossing symbols.
You’ll always know when you’re in a neighborhood that was once part of East Berlin because you’ll see Ampelmänn on the illuminated pedestrian signals. The green striding one tells you to Go, and the red standing one tells you to Stop. Both Ampelmännchen wear jaunty, flat-topped hats.
I don’t know why, but I fell in love with Ampelmänn and even bought a plastic one for my keychain.
Here are a few Ampelmänn souvenirs available on Amazon. You can find more on the Ampelmänn store website.
Berlin has several Ampelmänn shops. Search for Ampelmänn on Google maps and you might find one near your hotel. At the very least, treat yourself to a tea towel!
Museum Island
Keep walking down the Unter den Linden and you’ll eventually arrive at Museum Island, home to five world-class museums.
You could spend days, weeks even, exploring the museums here. Each historic museum building was built under a different Prussian king, with the whole site declared a UNESCO World Heritage site.
I recommend
visiting Museum Island over two days. You can’t see all five museums in a day
without completely wearing yourself out, so don’t even try!
Neues Museum
Of the five, my favorite is the Neues Museum, where you’ll find the bust of Nefertiti along with several floors of treasures from the prehistoric, Egyptian, and classical antiquities eras. The displays on Floor 3 are awesome. Here you’ll find the artifacts from the Stone Age, Bronze Age, and other cultures of the pre-Roman Iron Age.
All the displays are well described in English. You could spend days in this one museum alone.
Pergamon Museum
The Pergamon Museum draws the crowds because of its jaw-dropping buildings from ancient Babylonia, Assyria, and the Islamic world. Unfortunately, you won’t see the enormous Pergamon Altar until 2025, but exhibits such as the Ishtar Gate (46 feet tall and 100 feet wide), the grandest of Babylon’s gates built during the time of Nebuchadnezzar, are worth the price of admission.
Alte Nationalgalerie
The Old National Gallery is the place to see German art, including the work of David Caspar Friedrich which pretty much sums up Romanticism. Check out his craggy mountains, bare-limbed trees, and swirling clouds that celebrate nature in the raw.
The gallery
also includes works by French and German Impressionists.
Bode & Alte Museums
These two museums will appeal to connoisseurs of Byzantine art, historic coins, ecclesiastical art (Bode), and other classical antiquities from Etruscan, Greek, and Roman times.
If your
time is limited, go to the Neues Museum and the Pergamon Museum on separate
days, with one day split with the German History Museum
The museums on Museum Island are pricey. Consider purchasing the 3-day Museum Pass Berlin for €29 to gain entrance to just about every museum you’ll want to see in Berlin. See below.
Other Museums in the Historic Core
Deutsches Historisches Museum
Not far from Museum Island is this massive museum which presents 2,000+ years of German history. Over 7,000 exhibits take you from the early Middle Ages to the present day.
It’s another exhausting experience so pace yourself!
DDR Museum
I enjoyed this museum which shows what life was like in communist East Germany—the DDR (Deutsche Demokratische Republik).
Many kitschy items are on display, including the reconstruction of a typical home from the period, complete with drawers and cupboards that you’re encouraged to open and rifle through.
Buy your tickets for this popular museum in advance to avoid long lines.
Spree River Cruise
On the river not far from the DDR Museum and behind Berlin Cathedral, hop onto a Spree River Cruise. For a relaxing hour, you’ll listen to an English audio guide and enjoy a riverside view of amazingly nifty modern architecture in the former West Berlin.
You can get off at the Tiergarten, like we did, for some quality nature time – or stay on the boat until it turns around and returns to the dock.
Two museums we enjoyed in this area of Berlin, near where we stayed in Kreuzberg in south Berlin, are the Asisi Panorama of the Wall at Checkpoint Charlie and the Jewish Museum.
Checkpoint Charlie
You can’t miss Checkpoint Charlie, with its costumed guards and legions of tourists snapping pictures. In the souvenir shops on both sides of the street, you’ll find Soviet army hats and other kitschy memorabilia of the Cold War. The area is kind of a DDR Disneyland.
Between 1961 and 1989, Checkpoint Charlie, located in the middle of Friedrichstrasse, was one of the few places where people could legally pass between East Berlin and West Berlin. The giant back-to-back photographs of two young soldiers dominate the area.
Facing east, the photograph shows a young Soviet soldier (see below). Facing west, the photograph shows a young American soldier. The disconnect represented by the photograph remains a salutary warning that the Cold War wasn’t that long ago.
Photo of a young Soviet soldier faces east at Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin.
Asisi Panorama–Die Mauer (The Wall)
While in Berlin, I became fascinated by its recent Cold War past. You’ll find museums and memorials commemorating the Cold War throughout Berlin, including the DDR Museum mentioned earlier.
I enjoyed the Asisi Panorama: Die Mauer (The Wall), located across the street from Checkpoint Charlie. The Panorama is a multi-storey immersive experience created by artist Yadegar Asisi in which you step back in time to 1980s Berlin and peer over the Wall from West Berlin into East Berlin.
Climb a set of stairs in front of a massive curved screen. You are five meters back and four meters up on the western side of the Berlin Wall, watching a day unfold over the course of 24 hours.
Sophisticated lighting effects cycle through changes from day to night every half hour or so in the shadow of the guard towers. You experience the contrast between the lively streets and graffiti-daubed wall on the West Berlin side and the drabness and aura of danger of East Berlin.
I was riveted–and fascinated that the scenes depicted on-screen in East Berlin happened a relatively short time ago.
The Berlin Wall existed for almost thirty years of my lifetime, and yet now when you walk around Berlin, you often have no idea when you’re in the former East Berlin. Your only clues are the pedestrian crossing signals (Ampelmänn!) and the stark utilitarian facades of some of the government buildings. Thirty years of unification have blurred the divisions, and pretty much everyone under the age of 35 has little or no memory of the Cold-War past.
Housed in a
spectacular modern building, the Jewish Museum Berlin is a must-see. The museum
chronicles Jewish history and culture in Germany from the Middle Ages to the present
day.
The building itself adds to the compelling visitor experience, with its bold zigzag design and occasional empty spaces (called voids) that stretch the full height of the building and symbolize the cultural loss caused by the Holocaust.
In one space, metal discs representing upturned faces make weirdly disturbing sounds as you walk across them. The effect underscores the dehumanization of the Holocaust.
A room in the Jewish Museum
Exterior of the Jewish Museum
Stumble Stones (Stolpersteine)
As you walk around Berlin, particularly in the old Jewish quarter north of Museum Island, you’ll come across slightly raised stones set into the sidewalk and polished by the thousands of feet that have walked over them.
Called stumbling stones, each 10-square-centimeter polished brass square is inscribed with the name of an individual or family that once lived in the building you’re passing.
The inscription on each stone begins “Here lived”, followed by the victim’s name, date of birth, and fate: internment, suicide, exile or, most often, deportation and murder.
Dr. Martin Happ and Sophie Happ were deported from their home in 1943 and murdered (ermordet) in Auschwitz.
Over 70,000 stumble stones are laid in sidewalks in more than 1,200 cities and towns across Europe and Russia.
I wanted to stop and read each one as we walked along the streets, but there were so many, it was heart wrenching. The stumble stones have been controversial, but I found them to be moving tributes to people who were going about their daily lives until ensnared by the horrors of fascism.
According to the Guardian, despite their international scope, the Stolpersteine are a grassroots initiative. Local groups – often residents of a street, or schoolchildren working on a project – unite to research the biographies of local victims and to raise the €120 it costs to install each stone.
Museum Pass
I recommend purchasing the three-day Museum Pass Berlin. At €29, the pass gets you into 30+ museums in Berlin, including the five Museum Island museums, the German History Museum, the Jewish History Museum, the Gemäldegalerie, and other museums in the Kulturforum area.
Considering admission to each museum on Museum Island costs €10, a Museum Pass makes sense.
The €18 Museum Island Pass saves you money if you tour two or more of the Museum Island museums on one day.
More Berlin
Even after spending a week in Berlin, I hadn’t seen everything I wanted to. Depending on your interests, you’ll find many more museums, lively nightlife, and interesting neighborhoods to wander through.
Although we stayed in the Kreuzberg area in south Berlin, I recommend the trendier and more interesting Prenzlauer Berg in north Berlin. We enjoyed dining out in this area that features older buildings, lots of cool restaurants, and a youthful, neighborhood vibe.
Enjoying lunch at a sidewalk café in hip and happenin’ Prenzlauer Berg
We’ve found accommodations in Germany to be clean and reasonably priced. But not always comfortable. Get used to single duvets on double beds! For reasons we don’t understand, each person gets their own duvet, and double beds are often two single beds pushed together.
In this post, I provide general tips about accommodations in Germany and then list hotels I recommend.
Choosing a Room
To Book or Not to Book?
I book almost all the hotels on my itinerary before I leave home so I know I have somewhere to stay in every location. Then, while traveling, I sometimes alter bookings to follow a new route or in response to hearing about a cool location I hadn’t known about.
TIP: Stay flexible when you travel. You never know when you might meet someone who recommends a festival or event or exhibition. More than once, I’ve altered an itinerary to attend a special exhibition or visit a new attraction.
Choose a hotel booking site that allows you to book, change, or cancel hotel reservations if your itinerary changes. Most sites offer a no-cancellation option at a lower price. I never choose the no-cancellation price unless I’m 100% sure I’ll be staying at the hotel. For example, I’ll select the no-cancellation price for hotels I’m staying at in the cities I fly into and depart from, because those locations won’t change.
But overall, stay flexible. I’ve learned that sticking to a rigid itinerary with no-cancellation accommodations can end up costing a lot more money than you save.
Breakfasts in Germany
In addition to the usual fruits, cereals, and eggs, hotel breakfasts in Germany always include meat, cheese, and a great selection of breads and pastries.
The abundance and quality of some of the buffet breakfasts I’ve seen in Germany defies belief and stomach capacity. Usually, I opt for the hotel breakfast only if it’s included in the room rate.
Breakfast with bread, buns, croissants, coffee, and juice
Star Rating
I favor three- or four-star properties that offer amenities I value, such as elevators, air conditioning, parking, bathtubs, and in-room WIFI.
I also like larger rooms. Check the square meterage of the room. Anything under 15 square meters will be very small, with a child-sized shower stall and barely enough room to wedge your suitcase against the wall.
Reviews – Should You Care?
Yes, I pay attention to reviews. If a property’s aggregate review score is under 8.0 out of a possible 10, I usually pass. Sometimes the difference between a property with a 9.6 review and one with an 8.2 review is only a few euros, and yet the quality of the higher-rated property is worth the extra money.
You have to take reviews with a grain of salt, however. Just because a property has a score of 9.8 doesn’t meant it’s five-star luxury. Check the star rating and realize that a 9.8 score for a two-star hotel is not the same as a 9.8 for a four-star, and proceed accordingly.
TIP: Read reviews on a few sites, such as booking.com and TripAdvisor. I take my time when booking accommodations in Germany and elsewhere to make sure I’m getting the best value for my travel dollar.
To help you plan your travels in Germany, here are my recommendations. I describe properties I’ve stayed in and provide a map of some destinations to help you choose additional properties.
Click the link to the hotel to make a reservation with booking.com.
Berlin
During our recent week in Berlin, we rented an apartment in the Kreuzberg area. While relatively central and close to a U-Bahn stop, I didn’t find the area as interesting as the Prenzlauer Berg in northern Berlin.
I suggest looking for a small hotel in Prenzlauer Berg or in the Mitte (the historic core). Apartments can be a good choice if you’re staying for several days.
The map below shows accommodation options in Berlin.
We stayed close to the river in the area of Cologne that was rebuilt in the old style. I wholeheartedly recommend the Hotel Drei Kronen, a comfortable three-star property. From our room, we enjoyed a panoramic view over the Rhine.
Area near the Hotel Drei Kronen in Cologne
Have a look at the map below for additional accommodation suggestions in Cologne. I recommend staying by the river.
In St. Goar, I recommend the Hotel Rheinfels, which overlooks the river. The room was large and comfortable, the breakfast excellent, and the proprietor very friendly.
Trier
In Trier, we stayed at the Hotel Estricher Hof on the outskirts of the city and overlooking the Mosel River. We were driving and didn’t want to navigate the narrow streets of the city.
As it turned out, we drove into Trier for the evening with no problems, so consider a hotel in Trier proper so you can walk to the various sights.
The Hotel Estricher Hof was adequate but nothing special.
We stayed one night in Nuremberg at the TIPTOP Hotel Burgschmiet Garni , located outside the city walls. The room was tiny and the parking tight, but the breakfast was incredible!
If you’re not driving, consider something more quaint and interesting inside the city walls. Nuremberg is a pretty town with lovely views over the river and its fair share of half-timbered houses.
In Leipzig, we splurged on the Radisson Blu Hotel Leipzig, located across the road from the Gewandhaus concert hall where we attended a Chopin piano concert (sublime!). The hotel was close to the center of Leipzig and easy to drive to.
Our room was enormous, with great views over the city. Usually, we don’t choose chain hotels, but the Radisson was comfortable and stylish.
In Munich, we scored an excellent deal at the Hilton Munich Park. Sometimes, you can find surprisingly reasonable rates at Hilton properties. I’m not sure why.
We enjoyed a large room that overlooked the English Garden. The hotel is a 14-minute tram ride from the Marienplatz and includes an indoor pool and possibly the largest breakfast buffet I’ve ever seen in Europe.
Do you have accommodation recommendations to share? Please let me know in the Comments section. I’m always on the lookout for new places to stay in Germany.
Visit the Rhine Valley with its castles and charming villages to steep yourself in fairy-tale Germany. Take a cruise along the most scenic part of the Rhine between St. Goar and Bacharach, catch a concert of medieval music at the castle in Bacharach, and dine on spaetzle and local white wine while watching the Rhine boats slide past.
Spend a few days enjoying lively Cologne with its awesome cathedral and world-class Roman museum, hop over to Bonn to visit Beethoven, and meander up the Mosel to cute Cochem and beyond to Trier. You can easily spend a week or longer in this scenic area of Germany.
Getting Around the Rhine Valley
The Rhine Valley is easiest to enjoy with a car. Distances are short, and the driving isn’t too frantic, although the traffic in Cologne and Bonn can be heavy. On a recent trip to Bonn, we had to abandon our plan to revisit the Beethoven Museum because we couldn’t find a parking spot!
Public transit is efficient in this area. Take a train from Cologne upriver to Bonn, then another train to St. Goar. From there, take a short Rhine cruise to Bacharach or as far as Bingen. Catch the train back to where you plan to stay (Bacharach and St. Goar are great choices).
If you’re driving and want to experience a short Rhine cruise, stay the night overlooking the river in St. Goar, then catch the K-D Rhine boat to steam upriver to Bacharach. After checking out this impossibly adorable town, hop on the train for the short trip back to St. Goar.
By boat, the journey from St. Goar to Bacharach along the most scenic stretch of the Rhine Valley takes about an hour. By train, the trip takes about 15 minutes.
Suggested Itinerary
If you’re driving, I suggest spending two nights in Cologne, three nights in Saint Goar or Bacharach to enjoy a Rhine cruise and to explore local castles, then either two nights in Cochem to explore the Mosel Valley or a visit to Trier with its excellent Roman ruins and charming town center.
If you’re traveling by train, explore Cologne, take the train to Bonn, then continue to St. Goar. Take the boat down the Rhine to Bacharach, stay a night or two, then get back on the boat to travel to Koblenz. From there, catch a train to your next stop in Germany.
Map of the Rhine and Mosel Valleys
Refer to the map below as you plan your Rhine and Mosel itinerary.
We really enjoyed Cologne (Köln). Situated on the Rhine River, the city has a walkable old town, an impressive cathedral, a state-of-the-art concert hall and art museum, and our favorite Roman museum.
The city was pretty much bombed flat in the war, with most of the city rebuilt in modern style and one neighborhood—the old town a few blocks south of the cathedral—rebuilt in the old style. We stayed in this area, steps from the walkway bordering the Rhine.
Buildings in Cologne alongside the walkway bordering the Rhine
On our visit to Cologne, we were invited to a family birthday party for an artist friend of Gregg’s. Everyone spoke English, and copious glasses of Kölsch were downed (especially by me).
Kölsch is a local beer brewed only in Cologne and served in a tall and skinny 20-cl “Stange” glass. I’m not a huge beer lover, but I did enjoy my (many) glasses of Kölsch at that birthday party.
When you’re in Cologne, make sure you sample a glass or three of Kölsch.
A glass of Kölsch in front of the Rhine River and the Hohenzollern Bridge and Cologne Cathedral
Cologne Cathedral
If you arrive in Cologne by train, you can’t miss the cathedral. Step out of the station and look up, waaaay up, to see Germany’s largest Gothic cathedral looming above you. During the Second World War, the cathedral was hit by 15 bombs, but, remarkably, the medieval structure more or less held.
Lots of stained glass and a massive 140-foot tall ceiling are gasp-worthy. Entrance is free.
According to Rick Steves, the one-hour English-only tour is “reliably excellent.” It runs Monday to Saturday at 10:30 am and 2:30 pm and on Sundays at 2:30 pm only.
Romano-Germanic Museum
I highly recommend the Romano-Germanic Museum (Römisch-Germanisches Museum). The collections are stunning, in particular the large collection of Roman glass vessels, jewelry, and mosaics.
In addition to Roman artifacts, you’ll see displays chronicling the archaeological heritage of Cologne from the Palaeolithic period to the early Middle Ages.
Museum Ludwig
The sleek, modern building next to the Romano-Germanic Museum is the Museum Ludwig. The museum holds an extensive collection of Pop Art, the third-largest Picasso collection in the world, seminal works from the Russian avant-garde, and an important collection of German Expressionists, including Otto Dix and Oskar Kokoschka.
Kölner Philharmonie
Get tickets for a performance at this modern concert hall located in the same complex as the Romano-Germanic Museum and Museum Ludwig. We visited the box office in the afternoon and purchased tickets for that evening’s performance of symphonic works.
Days 3 to 5: Rhine Valley
Leave Cologne in the morning and head to the Max Ernst Museum in Brühl, about a twenty-minute drive from Cologne on the way to Bonn. I write more about the museum in the Artsy Sightseeing section of the Germany page.
If you’re in the area, stop by to enjoy the excellent collection and lovely grounds.
Gregg next to a Max Ernst statue on the grounds of the Max Ernst Museum in Brühl
Pop into Bonn for lunch and a visit to the Beethoven Museum. Here, in the place where the maestro was born, you’ll get a strong Beethoven vibe. This museum is one of the world’s most popular music museums.
The museum features Beethoven’s manuscripts, a music room for regular concerts on historic keyboards, and a special area for temporary exhibits. The museum is open daily from 10 am to 6 pm.
If you’re traveling by train, you’ll easily be able to tour
the Beethoven museum before getting back on the train to travel upriver to St.
Goar.
Spend two or three nights in one of the towns along the Rhine. We stayed in St. Goar at a place overlooking the river.
An equally adorable choice is the town of Bacharach. I first stayed there when I was 18 in a tiny B & B with the date 1492 carved into the lintel over the door.
St. Goar
Splurge for a place overlooking the bustling Rhine. We spent a lot of time on the balcony of our riverside hotel, watching the little car ferry go back and forth across the rushing river.
The ferry set off bravely from the St. Goar side to be gripped seconds later in the watery clutches of a ferocious current. With a tremendous burst of power, the ferry turned 360 degrees across the river in a graceful arc and docked on the other side.
Every time the ferry crossed, we held our breath thinking it wouldn’t make it. Hours of fun!
St. Goar ferry crossing the Rhine against a swift current.
The big attraction in St. Goar is the Rheinfels Castle (Burg Rheinfels). Its grey and turreted bulk broods on a hill high above St. Goar.
Some consider it the best of the Rhine Valley castles. On a sunny day, the view is spectacular. If you visit, leave a comment below and let other Artsy Travelers know what you think.
Rhine Boat Trip
Go down to the dock for the Koln-Dusseldorfer (K-D) line and purchase a ticket to take you to Bacharach. You can check schedules and pre-purchase tickets online.
Buy the ticket that includes your train trip back to St. Goar. If the weather’s fine, sit on the open top deck and watch the castles go by.
On the day we took the cruise, the misty, drizzly weather was very Germanic-romantic.
Enjoying our cruise down the Rhine on a damp April day
On the stretch between St. Goar and Bacharach, you’ll pass the famous Lorelei Rock, a sheet of slate towering over the narrowest point of the Rhine. You’ll hear the legend on the boat, so I won’t spoil it!
The boat provides indoor seating if the weather is iffy, and hot drinks and snacks are available.
Bacharach
What a cute town! Wander around the cobbled streets, admire the half-timbered houses, do a spot of shopping, eat a meal, and chill.
Aerial view of Bacharach from Postenturm, Germany
The castle on the hill overlooking Bacharach is a youth hostel and hosts a medieval music evening. Check local schedules for performance times.
Costumed performers showcase medieval instruments, and at the end of the performance a large portion of the audience gets up to shuffle through a guided version of an old German folk dance. I had a ball!
The Rhine Valley includes many more castles and the charming towns of Bingen (of Hildegard von Bingen fame) and Koblenz.
Days 6 and 7: The Mosel Valley & Trier
After exploring the Rhine Valley, consider traveling a bit farther southwest to the Mosel Valley. Wine from super-steep vineyards is the thing here. Drive along the twisting Mosel River, visit Burg Eltz, and stay in Cochem.
Burg Eltz is a medieval castle in the hills above the Mosel River.
Burg Eltz is one of the superstars of German castles. Set in the middle of a forest, the castle is every kid’s dream of a foreboding fortress preparing to defend itself against marauding bandits.
The castle is over 850 years old and is largely intact, with the same family owning and caring for it since it was built. Tour sumptuously decorated rooms containing many original furnishings and check out the Treasury and Armory.
Another highlight of the castle is its location in the Eltz Forest, a nature reserve intersected with numerous hiking trails.
The castle gets crowded during the middle of the day, so consider visiting in the early morning or after about 3 pm when the tour busses start to trundle away. The castle will reopen on April 1, 2020.
Cochem
Cochem boasts a gorgeous castle (the Reichsburg Cochem) and lots of narrow streets lined with half-timbered houses. It’s pretty darned cute and a good place to stay while exploring the Mosel Valley and sampling the local wine.
The lovely town of Cochem
Have you stayed in Cochem? Share your experience with other artsy travelers in the Comments section below.
Trier
If you’re into Roman ruins, drive a little farther to Trier, which is Germany’s oldest city and the birthplace of Karl Marx.
The town center in lovely Trier
When we were in Trier in 2018, the town was about to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Karl Marx on May 5, 1818. A hot item in the stores was a yellow rubber duckie decked out like Karl Marx, complete with beard, a copy of Das Kapital clutched under one wing, and a quill pen in the other.
