Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Art museum · Longwood ·
Venetian-style palazzo with art collection & lush courtyard
.jpg "Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum by Nic Lehoux")
Venetian-style palazzo with art collection & lush courtyard
"Home to the world’s largest art heist, this intimate museum rewards an unhurried wander through evocative galleries and gardens." - Katie Lockhart
"A distinctive art museum that offers special free-admission hours on select evenings, making it an attractive cultural stop during budget-conscious winter visits." - Lauren Dana Ellman Lauren Dana Ellman Lauren Dana Ellman is a New York-based writer and editor who specializes in travel, lifestyle, food, and shopping content. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines
"A richly atmospheric museum known for its intimate galleries and historic collection, offering a contemplative cultural stop that pairs well with nearby shopping and cafe outings." - Lauren Dana Ellman Lauren Dana Ellman Lauren Dana Ellman is a New York-based writer and editor who specializes in travel, lifestyle, food, and shopping content. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines
"A historic vacation destination with deep roots and nostalgia, offering swan boat cruises, river strolls, and numerous museums."
"This is one of our favorite museums in Boston—and the country. At once intimate and unparalleled in its grandeur, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum draws on the vast art collection of its eponymous (and eccentric) founder, who had a thirst for travel, a bohemian lifestyle, and the finest of luxuries. Set within a Venetian-style palazzo, surrounding an elegant courtyard, masterpieces by the likes of Botticelli, Raphael, Titian, and John Singer Sargent share space with impressive architectural elements. Gardner herself carefully curated the collection of more than 17,000 objects, including paintings, sculptures, furniture, textiles, metalworks, ceramics, books, manuscripts, and archival material, all collected during her lifetime. A Renzo Piano–designed wing, which opened in 2012, houses a cafe and gift shop and provides interdisciplinary, multipurpose space for contemporary artists, musicians, and scholars to work and share their creations." - Elizabeth Wellington, Andrew Sessa
