Museums

Don’t try to go cheap here. By all means, skip a museum because you’re sick of them and don’t want to see another painting for the rest of your life, but don’t skip a major museum just to save money. For example, there is a copy of Michelangelo’s David in the main square of Florence. Since there is usually a line, and always a charge (about USD 8 without a discount), to see the real thing, some people are satisfied to see the copy. They are making a huge mistake. I agree that USD 8 is a lot of money to pay to see one statue, but when you get home you will regret not seeing the real, honest-to-God David for about the price of a movie. (You should regret it, by the way. The copy is nothing like the real thing.) If you are going to a large number of museums, however, this can cost some serious money: five or six dollars here and there can add up. Some hints:

- Going to Europe without an International Student Identification Card (ISIC) or a youth or teacher card if you are eligible, or not using one if you have one, is simply throwing money away. See Chapter 3, “What to take,” for more on these.

- Many cities sell “Tourist Cards” or “City Passports,” good for admission to large numbers of museums or attractions. As a bonus, a few also offer head-of-the-line privileges. That’s worth a lot on a hot summer day, believe you me. Check and see if a particular card allows unlimited entries for a certain time period, or only one per card. Then check and see how the cost stacks up against the cost of what you really want to see. If it’s close, buy one, and you may end up going to more exhibits than planned, with some pleasant surprises. The existence of these cards is usually detailed in your guidebooks. Always check for them before arrival, or at the tourist office when you get there.

- Many museums have a reduced- or free-admissions day some time during the week or month. If this day is during the week, it can be worth waiting for. If it’s on a Sunday, expect major crowds. If you want to visit a museum briefly, or for a second time, remember that some - the Louvre in Paris, for example - have reduced admission prices in the afternoon. Remember, many European museums are closed on Mondays.

- Whether or not to pay to see David is, at least in my opinion, an easy decision. Other museums housing less impressive or famous exhibits are not quite so easy. Again it’s a judgment call, balancing money, interest, time, and tiredness, for you to make. Be wary of some smaller private museums, though. Many are little more than thinly disguised gift shops. The real finds are usually the obscure public museums, where you may be one of the only visitors. I have seldom regretted paying for a museum and have often found really marvelous things in small, out-of-the-way exhibits. Be warned, though: I deeply regretted not spending seven bucks to get into the Liberace Museum in Las Vegas, and actually visited the museum on my next Vegas trip, so I may have a different standard than you . . .