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The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: a must-see in Boston

Terrace garden Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

When we first visited Boston, I hadn’t heard of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Clearly I didn’t read my Boston guidebook very closely because of course it was listed in there as one of the top things to do in Boston! It was only when we watched ‘This is a Robbery: The World’s Biggest Art Heist’ on Netflix a few years later, that we realised what we’d missed out on! So definitely don’t make the same mistake. This museum is unlike any museum I’ve ever visited and is an absolute must-see if you’re visiting Boston.

Who was Isabella Stewart Gardner?

Isabella Stewart was born in New York in 1840. In 1860 she married Bostonian John Lowell Gardner Jr and they travelled widely. This ignited Isabella’s passion for art and when her father died in 1891, leaving her his fortune, she used it to start collecting art.

Soon she had an impressive art collection and began planning a house in which to house it all. When her husband died in 1898, Isabella carried on with her project and bought land in Fenway. At the time it was a poorly developed area with lots of land and little else. Isabella hired an architect but insisted on her own specifications, which is probably why the museum resembles an opulent palace – hardly the architectural style of the day! The museum opened in 1903 – although at that time it was called Fenway Court.

There are a number of portraits of Isabella around the museum, including this one below that was painted by her lifelong friend and artist John Singer Sargent, who was the most successful portrait painter of his era.

A portrait of Isabella Stewart Gardner

Why you should visit the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Imagine visiting a museum that not only looks like a home but has no labels that indicates the title of the art… who it’s by, or the year it dates from. Isabella wanted to create a museum that felt like you were just a guest in her home. So over three floors, you can explore her extensive and eclectic collection.

Don’t worry if you’re someone who needs to know what they’re looking at. There are QR codes that you can use to read more about the art in a particular room, there are also audio guides (you need to bring your own headphones and listen through your smartphone), and the leaflet that you get when you enter highlights certain notable artwork on each floor. There are also staff who you can ask questions to, as well as an information desk by the terrace.

A desk with various artwork on the wall

The sheer amount of artwork, furniture, tapestries and sculptures on display is simply astounding – given that it is the private collection of one woman. Some of the rooms are so opulent, you can’t help but feel like you are anywhere but modern-day Boston!

Two red chairs in front of a fireplace

Whilst the rooms are pretty amazing, it’s really the outside terrace that is the focal point as it can be viewed from every floor and every angle. It reminds me of a Moroccan riad. It is just unbelievably beautiful and has a tranquility about it – despite the crowds.

Terrace garden Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

One of my favourite parts was the Spanish Cloister off the terrace that had the most beautiful tiles, urns and stoneware – and also the Chinese Loggia.

Tiles and stoneware

How to get to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

When we visited, we just walked to the museum. That’s what I love about Boston – it’s a very walkable city. It took around an hour from our hotel, The Whitney, in Beacon Hill. If you’re coming by public transport, you can get to the museum by bus or the T. On the T (what Boston calls their subway) take the Green Line E train to the Museum of Fine Arts stop, or the Orange Line train to the Ruggles stop.

The following bus routes will get you to the museum: 8, 19, 39, 47, CT2, and CT3.

How much does it cost?

At the time of publishing this blog post, tickets cost $22 per adult. Children 17 and under go free and students pay $15. Adults aged 65 and older pay $20. If you’re a member of the military, you and your family can visit for free. And if your name is Isabella, you can also visit for free!

On the first Thursday of every month, it’s free to visit after 3 pm. It’s free to visit for everyone on the following days – Martin Luther King Jr. Day (third Monday in January), Juneteenth (19 June), and Indigenous Peoples’ Day (second Monday in October).

Please check the website before your visit for up-to-date ticket prices.

What is the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum famous for?

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is probably most famous for the robbery that took place in 1990. Over St Patrick’s Day weekend, two men dressed as Boston cops gained entry into the museum. They tied up the two security guards on night duty and proceeded to steal 13 works of art – including Rembrandt’s only seascape, The Storm on the Sea of Galilee and The Concert, one of only 34 known paintings by Johannes Vermeer.

Whilst there have been suspects (including one of the security guards), no one has ever been caught and the artworks remain at large. There is still a $10 million reward for any information that leads to the recovery of the artwork – which have been valued by the FBI at hundreds of millions of dollars.

The most valuable artworks were stolen from the Dutch Room and today you can still see their empty picture frames hanging on the walls.

Top tips for visiting the museum

The best tip I can give you is to book your tickets in advance. The museum is extremely popular and sells out. We booked our tickets about a month in advance. The tickets are timed entry and you’re asked to arrive no more than 5 minutes before your allocated time slot.

There is a free cloakroom where you can leave coats and bags. So if you’re visiting in Winter, you don’t need to worry about walking around carrying a big coat! If you’re making a day of it, there is Café G, which serves seasonal dishes and is open from 11 am to 4 pm.

I highly recommend visiting the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum for an unforgettable, must-see experience in Boston!

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Visiting the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Kirsty Marrins

Reader, writer, runner, travel and food lover.

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