Museums are some of the virtually popular tourist attractions and normally places many travellers wants to visit on their trips. Still, the feel of visiting a museum could too exist serenity disappointing if not washed right, even for the experienced museumgoers. Afterward doing it wrong many times, and so learned how to visit the museums right, I wanted to share with you this guide for a perfect museum visit.

How to visit the museum

There are many ways to visit the museums right. And many more than to do information technology all wrong. It, of course, depends entirely on your interests and the style you lot dear to explore the new places. Still, there are some ground rules y'all should follow if you'd similar to know how to visit the museum correct.

⤷ Read more: 15 best museums in Europe you should visit

What if y'all don't like museums?

Then don't visit them! I'm not a massive fan of adrenaline parks, and that's why I would inappreciably e'er stop upward in ane while travelling.

It's the same with the museums. Do yous feel like you should go and meet Mona Lisa if you're in Paris? Despite the fact, yous don't really capeesh the painting? Well, don't! Your feel isn't going to be the all-time, you probably won't similar the film whatever more, and you'll lose a few hours you could spend doing something more than fun in Paris.

⤷ TIP: But, if yous'd like to give museums a hazard, so I have a suggestion for you. Book a individual tour and permit someone who knows that museum very well guide you around. Individual museum tours normally last for roughly two hours. The guide will have your ticket sorted, they'll show yous the most interesting exhibits and will tell yous some heady stories about them. Trust me, they know how to visit the museum right.

A guide for the perfect museum visit

However, if you do like art and history, feel similar a real civilisation tourist, then let me give you some tips on how to visit the museum right. I broke them in three steps that will make your museum visit much more enjoyable.

1/ Before a museum visit: How to prepare for a visit to a museum

A practiced museum visit starts with a well-done preparation. Hither are some of my tips.

# – Chose the museum you'd like to visit wisely

Obviously, we all accept different interest. I'd be utterly bored at a museum of sports. Only give me an exhibition near way, and I'll exist thrilled. You go the point.

If yous're going to a major city that has several museums you could visit, do some enquiry and check which one could exist the near interesting to you.

If y'all love the old masters and are visiting Amsterdam, and then the Rijksmuseum is a place to get for you lot. If you'd like to acquire more about Vincent van Gogh during your trip to Europe, then Orsay in Paris or the Van Gogh Museum in the Dutch capital should be on your list.

Researching the best museums according to your interests in a boondocks yous're going to visit, earlier your trip, is one of my essential tips on how to visit the museum right.

⤷ Read more: Hither is a selection of the best museums in Amsterdam, all-time museums in London, best museums in Paris and best museums in Tournai.

# – Get familiar with the collection it's dwelling to on their website

Okay, then you've chosen the museum or more than of them, you'd like to visit.

The side by side step is to research the museum itself. Visit their website and see what the highlights in it are. Do they host some of the world most famous masterpieces? Or the piece of work of a painter you similar? Perchance they take a dainty collection of an art manner you love? It'south good to check all of that before your trip, so you can program your museum visit better.

I also love to research the museum website earlier my visit to see are at that place whatsoever special events taking place during my time there. Temporary exhibitions, lectures or fine art workshops could exist a great mode to make your visit even more enjoyable.

In instance some art pieces are on loan, or if some galleries are temporarily closed, you'll know how to plan your museums visit better, too.

# – Cheque if you could find any videos well-nigh that museum

There's nothing like watching an first-class video nigh the museum y'all're going to before visiting it. Y'all'll become familiar with the drove and see which art pieces you lot'd like to run across. Yous'll too larn a scrap about them earlier actually seeing them.

Watching some museum videos before your visit could also be bully to get a feeling of a museum interior a bit.

⤷ TIP: Check out some of Civilisation Tourist museum videos on a link here to see if I've already made some nearly the identify you're planning to visit.

# – Purchase your ticket online

There is zero worse than staring your visit past queuing in front of the museum for a few hours just to get in. And that's the distressing reality when visiting many of those world-famous museums.

Yet, be smart and purchase your museum ticket online before your visit. You can ofttimes do that on the museum website. Or, you tin do as I exercise, and use the platform chosen Tiqets (here is the link) to buy all of your museum tickets online.

That way you can become straight to the archway and get into the museum immediately.

# – Book a museum tour

Visiting a museum on a guided tour makes a huge difference. Specially if information technology's a private tour. I used to work as a museum guide for several years and speak from the experience here.

And even though I have a MA in Art History, I e'er book a bout when visiting a new museum. A good guide is going to tell you lot about the museum, its collection and will tell you the stories behind some of its highlights in a fun and exciting fashion. You'll also go a run a risk to ask all the questions you lot have.

⤷ TIP: Y'all'll find a broad option of museum tours on a link here – this is where I'm usually booking all of my museum tours.

2/ During the museum visit: How to become the most of your visit to a museum

Okay, so y'all've prepared well for your visit in advance. But, let'southward talk at present about how to visit the museum right in one case inside of it.

# – Dress appropriately

This is quite an of import advice for visiting museums.

Permit's first with your shoes outset. When in the museum you won't walk that much, but you'll stand on the same spot a lot. And that could be tiring. Wearing some comfy shoes is definitely crucial for a great museum feel.

Many exhibits are frail and to prevent their decline, museums have a special cooling arrangement in their interiors. That's why it's always a bit fresh at the galleries. So, my advice is to bring a cardigan to put it on when inside.

# – Don't spend more than than two hours at a museum

From my experience, after two hours at the museum, you'll be too tired to continue exploring it.

That'south why the step of researching the museum drove before your visit is so of import. Getting in a museum and just wandering around without any thought of what yous're looking at, won't be the all-time experience.

To actually enjoy the artworks, learn the story behind them and have a smashing museum feel, selection only one drove and explore it extensively.

If you're at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, spend your time just at the Gallery of Accolade. Or, if at the Orsay in Paris, explore only the Impressionist collection. That's what I ordinarily exercise, and it makes such a difference, trust me.

# – Focus on details rather than trying to see more

This museum tip is related to the previous one. Rather than trying to see equally much equally y'all can at the museum, put your focus on details. Fine art is all almost the feelings it evokes in us. And to get the adventure to experience the paintings, focus on details.

Stand up in front end of the painting and see if you tin notice the brushstrokes or a texture artist has painted. How does the frame look like? Is it new or quondam? Y'all can besides get very shut to the painting and await to the colours, texture and details. And so take a few steps back and look at it from the distance to come across how the whole composition changes.

Pick a few paintings and explore them in this way, and I'm sure your museum experience is going to be much more than interesting than usual.

# – Ask questions

I of my favourite things about visiting museums is to talk about the art pieces. If you'll visit the museum on tour feel gratuitous to enquire your guide all the questions you have. Why is that painting so famous? How long would an artist need to create a marble statue? Utilize the advantage of having an skilful with yous and inquire everything that interests you.

If y'all're going to visit on your own, yous can e'er ask the museum guards to propose yous which function of the museum to explore next. Or even about some exhibits. They usually know a lot about the collections they are taking care of.

And also, talk over the art with your travel companions. Is there something y'all didn't like at all? Talk most that! Fine art is a subjective thing, and it should be discussed. Think me mentioning how art is all about the feelings it evokes in us? Well, those feelings could exist happy, deplorable, angry or even confusing. And it's fun to see how the person you're with perceived the same art slice.

# – Avoid taking pictures

Lose the phone when at the museum!

Museums are places to savor at a slow stride. That style, they transfer you to some different world. And although some exhibits could exist and then beautiful and interesting to you, don't take photos of them.

Get-go, if using the wink, you lot're damaging the paintings that are often hundreds of years old. And since the light is ofttimes dim at museums, the quality of your photos won't be the best.

Museum shops are selling the postcards with the majority of the artworks they host, so you can continue the memory to information technology in that way. And very often, you lot can find dandy high-quality photos of the paintings on their website.

Some other thing is that you are ruining the feel to other visitors who are trying to enjoy in those exhibits. And are ruining the feel to yourself, as well. And then, lose the phone and bask a wonderful relaxed museum visit.

3/ Afterwards the museum visit: What to do after visiting the museum

And so, yous enjoyed visiting the galleries and exploring the artworks. Merely what to do now to savour your visit a bit longer?

# – Accept a coffee at a museum cafe

Although there are different opinions about them, I love to finish my visit at a museum cafe. I don't know is it because of a couple of hours of walking, being a bit overwhelmed by all that art, or just because they ordinarily have a cute setting, I love to spend a scrap more time at a museum cafe after my visit.

# – Take some time off to absorb everything yous saw

Having a break at a museum cafe besides allows some time to absorb everything y'all saw at the galleries.

If yous're alone, you can scan through the flyer or a museum booklet yous've got and proceed that feeling of fulfilment with art for a few more than moments. Or if you're in a company, yous can talk about your favourite art pieces or the ones yous didn't like/understood at all.

# – Visit the museum shop

There are mixed opinions about them, too. But, I love visiting museum shops at the finish of my visit. It'south a nice manner to get something to remember the museum and the art you lot saw there. Perhaps, you could purchase those postcards or reproductions of the paintings you liked the most.

I also love the art books selection they take and am e'er looking for some new editions to add together to my collection.

They are also a dainty identify to look for some lovely local designs products. Museums in London take a nifty selection of them. And I really beloved some pattern products you can discover at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam.

# – Read a book or watch a movie about something that yous liked the most

If you were entirely amazed by some painter or an art move you saw during your visit to the museum, check out if y'all can find a book or a movie about it. There are many keen fiction books virtually the old masters and some lovely documentaries about Impressionism. If you liked the work of Vincent van Gogh, you can read more than nearly the life and work of Vincent van Gogh in my series of articles here.

Visiting a new museum could be a fleck challenging at first, merely good preparation for your museum visit is key. I hope this guide for a perfect museum visit will assist you in organising your trip and understanding how to visit the museum right.

Practice y'all accept any other tips for visiting museums? Share them with me in the comments!

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How to visit the museum, Museum Guide, Museums