Most of us know urban museums: Metropolitan Museum in New York, Louvre in Paris, Prado in Madrid. Some of the greatest museums are out of town. Architects often combine geographic sites with building designs, so they need to build with exterior space.

Put these 5 out-of-town museums on your bucket list

Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain, a cooperative work between the Guggenheim NY and the Basque Authorities.  Long known for its spectacular site and Frank Gehry architecture, the Guggenheim is on the northern coast of Spain near the French border. What makes this museum special is its sculpture-like structure fitted into urban surroundings of Bilbao. The 9000 sq meters of exhibition space are connected by curving walkways with lots of sunlight. The museum has a permanent collection and quality visiting ones. The general theme is cultural respect and tolerance and of bringing art to people.

To get to Bilbao, you can fly or drive from San Sebastien. You should stay overnight for the famous Basque cuisine and Rioja wines and to stroll the old city. Prebook your museum tickets. Or join our tour there in 2024.

DIA Beacon

A train ride from Manhattan on the Hudson Riverbanks is DIA Beacon in Beacon, NY.  The museum is a branch of the Dia Art Foundation. It is housed in a former Nabisco cookie box printing factory. Its huge interior, 300,000 square foot allows installations and art that is much too big for other museums. Art is set inside the concrete floor, above concrete, on the walls, lit floor to ceiling etc. What is unique is that each gallery was built for the art it contains: Flavin’s florescent flights, Serra’s enormous steel sculptures, Warhol’s 350-foot installation.

The museum has seasonal hours; it is a great day trip from Manhattan. The museum is walkable from the Metro North Hudson line train station in Beacon.

Louis Vuitton Fondation

A ride from Paris and set in an affluent suburb (Bois de Boulogne) is what is considered the newest jewel of the Paris area: the Fondation Louis Vuitton.  This museum was founded by the luxury conglomerate LVMH and was opened in 2014 at a cost of $900million. The architect is also Frank Gehry and the design breath taking with 3500 glass sails (windows above the building). The surrounding park was developed in 1860 by Emperor Napoleon III.

The museum holds art from both the collection of LVMH and the personal collection of its CEO, Bernard Arnault. It also has visiting exhibits. If one goes to Paris and the tour misses this museum, that is a travesty. Its location, exterior, interior and fabulous I named Le Frank with a Michelin starred chef make this a lifetime experience.

There are several ways to get to the museum. The museum’s shuttle from Paris and the public Metro. I took the shuttle from the Etoile. It was crowded and runs irregularly. The Metro goes to within a 20-minute pleasant walk.  Worried about getting lost as I was? Just keep asking locals and show them your map.The subway is the way to go unless your tour includes this museum our Paris tour includes the museum Nov 1-17, 2023.

Imperial War Museum

There are many WW2 museums worth the detour. One of the greatest is the Imperial War Museum outside of Central London in Southwark. It is not just for the war historians; the museum covers themes like Children in the Blitz? Art? Personal accounts?  The story of the Kindertransport with diaries from the European Jewish children who were sent to British homes. Enjoy James Bond? Visit the spycraft rooms.

Take the London Tube to near the museum: Lambeth North Station. It is a walk, but it is a very nice area. You cannot miss the enormous WW1 cannons perched outside. If you are a walker, continue to Borough Market after your visit, about a mile away, for a scrumptious outdoor lunch.

MaXXI

Outside of Rome is a Zaha Hadid designed contemporary art museum. Its five floors do not just seem at a slant; they are at slants as are the stairs and exhibit rooms.  The interior has curved heavy walls, floating black staircases, with vertical red pipes; your eyes are drawn upwards to the ceiling. One caveat, watch out as you walk.

For those who do not know the name Zaha Hadid, she is considered, by many pundits, to be the greatest architect of her generation and MaXXI is her first project.

To get there, walk forever to Guido Reni Street, take a public bus or Metro to the Flaminia area. Uber Black with higher prices is available in Rome.