5 Best Cities for Art Lovers

If you’re an art lover, your city getaway plans may often read like a long list of museums and galleries to visit. If that sounds like you, let this list guide you to your next vacation destination. For fans of art both old and new, these cities have much to offer.

New York City, New York

Art lovers visiting New York City have their work cut out for them. Between tours of the museum mile—the stretch of 5th avenue that includes the Guggenheim, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Cooper-Hewitt National Museum of Design—and gallery hops along the scenic Highline (capped of course by a visit to the brand new Whitney Museum of American Art), you can feel like you’ve seen everything but still have much to explore.

Mexico City, Mexico

With its burgeoning foodie scene and vibrant architecture, Mexico City is a hip and eminently instagrammable destination with much to offer for art connoisseurs. Cruise the renowned contemporary galleries, like House of Gaga, for a taste of the new—or revel in the work of Mexico’s old masters by choosing a favorite piece from the city’s National Museum of Art.

Paris, France

Of course, any first-time visitor to Paris, and especially those who consider themselves art lovers, will want to get to the Louvre right away—and with good reason, considering it’s one of the world’s most iconic museums. But once your staring contest with the Mona Lisa is out of the way, venture deeper into the city to explore some of its many excellent contemporary galleries, like the Modus Art Gallery.

London, England

London is absolutely teeming with art, and you can’t go wrong with visits to the National Gallery and the Tate Modern—both worthy of a full day of exploring. Throw in some of the city’s boundary-pushing galleries, like the Saatchi Gallery as well as the endless street art, and you’ll see why London makes for a great art getaway. Best of all, the museums listed above are free.

Barcelona, Spain

When visiting Spain, you'll find a wonderland of art, and Barcelona is one of the country’s best destinations for art lovers of all stripes. With colorful street art and great contemporary galleries, those with more modern tastes will find much to savor. Of course, no trip to Spain would ever be complete without seeing a Picasso; the city’s Museu Picasso is one of the world’s largest collections of the artist’s work.