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Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

25 Evans Way · Boston, MA

Why you should go…

One eccentric collector built herself a Venetian palazzo, filled it with Rembrandts, Titians, and tapestries, and decreed nothing ever be rearranged, so empty frames still hang where thieves cut out $500 million in masterpieces in 1990, the greatest unsolved art heist in history. The flowering interior courtyard is one of the most beautiful rooms in America. Bonus: anyone named Isabella gets in free, forever.

  • #art
  • #historic mansion
  • #courtyard
  • #art heist

Good to know

General museums guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Check the special exhibition separately

    Touring shows usually carry their own ticket and their own opening hours, listed apart from general admission.

  • Look for the free window

    Many museums run community days, member evenings, or discounted late openings. It is worth a look before you pay full price.

  • Travel light through the door

    Large bags and backpacks often have to go to a coat check, and lines for it move slowly at opening.

  • Weekday mornings beat weekend afternoons

    School groups clear out by early afternoon midweek, while weekends stay busy from late morning on.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Museums
    Iconic

    Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

    $25–$50

    One of the world's great art museums, Monet, Sargent, ancient Egypt and 500,000 works under one roof.

    0.3 mi awayMore like this

  • Tours
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    Fenway Park Tours

    $25–$50

    Go behind the scenes at America's oldest ballpark, walk the warning track and stand atop the Green Monster.

    0.6 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

  • Sightseeing
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    The Mother Church

    Free

    Historic Christian Science headquarters in Boston with free public tours.

    0.8 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Sightseeing
    History Buff

    Boston

    Free

    The City of Boston's citywide 250th-anniversary program of historic tours, markers and events.

    0.9 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Museums
    Family Favorite

    Museum of Science

    $25–$50

    Live lightning shows, dinosaurs, a planetarium and hundreds of hands-on exhibits spanning the Charles River.

    2.5 mi awayMore like this

  • Museums
    Family favorite

    Boston Children's Museum

    Under $25

    Three floors of hands-on play in a Fort Point warehouse, climb the three-story maze, blow giant bubbles, and step inside a real Kyoto silk merchant's house.

    2.7 mi awayMore like this