Glasgow's Kelvingrove Museum
Top-notch art museums, delicious food, historical sites and shopping entice travelers visiting great European cities for the first time and those who return time and again. Turin, Paris and Glasgow are served by busy airports, major rail lines, and main highways, which make them convenient to reach. All have excellent public transportation systems that make it possible to enjoy a vacation without the stress and expense of driving.
Turin, Italy
A vintage Fiat
Torino (Turin) came to fame by hosting the 2006 Olympics, yet it remains overlooked as a tourist destination. Its Museo Egizio (Egyptian Museum) houses one of the finest collections in the world. Turin is best known to car lovers as the home of Fiat, and near the old factory is the National Auto Museum. The Torino + Piemonte Card is valid for two days of unlimited travel on public transportation and admission to almost every museum and historical attraction in the region. The pass costs €20 in 2010, and for an additional €12 there is the Chocopass, allowing 10 tastings over the course of two days at different chocolatiers. With the Chocopass comes a list of participating shops and a map to guide passholders to eat their way across the city.
Museo Egizio
Via Accademia delle Scienze, 6
10123 Torino
Italy
39-11-5617776
museoegizio.it
Museo Nazionale del'Automobile
museoauto.it
Paris, France
The Bateaux Mouches along the Seine
Paris is one of the top museum cities in the world, and purchasing a Paris Museum Pass enables visitors to enter most of them without an additional charge. The Musée d'Orsay is housed in a grand train station that is itself a work of art. The permanent collection contains some of the greatest masterpieces of the Impressionist movement. The Musée Rodin was the sculptor's home and is now a museum with extensive gardens. A short walk from Rodin's house is Rue Cler, a shopping district with cheese shops, bakeries, sweet shops and produce stands. One relaxing way to view many of the major sites of Paris is to take a ride down the Seine on the Bateaux Mouches. The flat white boats pass under the Eiffel Tower and are the perfect viewpoint for a photograph of Notre Dame Cathedral. The trip lasts an hour and costs €10 in 2010. Another place to rest or to enjoy a picnic lunch is the Tuileries Gardens. The Tuileries has grassy areas, fountains with toy boat rentals, plentiful benches and a crèpe stand to purchase a snack.
Bateaux Mouches
Pont de l'Alma
75008 Paris
+33-1-42259610
bateaux-mouches.fr
Glasgow, Scotland
Glasgow is a gateway to the Scottish Highlands and a vacation spot for those interested in Victorian or Arts & Crafts architecture and good food. The neighborhoods surrounding the University of Glasgow are full of student life and tourist attractions like the Hunterian and Kelvingrove Museums. The Hunterian is Scotland's oldest public museum, and its exhibits contain fine art, coins and medals, dinosaurs, fossils and William Hunter's personal collection of items from medicine and anatomy. The Kelvingrove Museum is in a Victorian red stone building that is an architectural wonder. Its collections include displays on ancient Egypt, Scottish wildlife, Glaswegian interior design, Dutch art and military items. Glasgow was home to the designer and architect, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, one of the most important figures in the Arts & Crafts Movement. The Mackintosh Trail Ticket grants admission to his buildings around the city and a day pass on the city's subway and buses. In summer there is also a Mackintosh Trail sightseeing bus. Many area restaurants serve fresh local fare like cheese and fish.
Kelvingrove Museum
Argyle Street, City Centre
Glasgow G3 8AG
Scotland, UK
+44-141-276 9599
glasgowmuseums.com
Hunterian Museum
Gilbert Scott Building
University Avenue,
Glasgow G12 8QQ
Scotland, UK
+44-141-3304221
hunterian.gla.ac.uk
Tags: Bateaux Mouches, Glasgow Scotland, Kelvingrove Museum, Arts Crafts, costs 2010, Mackintosh Trail, Museo Egizio