Everybody at easyFrame is an art enthusiast. We love a Sunday wandering through our local gallery, but there is something special about viewing art abroad. Catching a glimpse of a sarcophagus in the British Museum is amazing. Seeing one in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo is another experience altogether.
With autumn approaching and all of us dreaming of travel, here are some of our favourite galleries in Europe's capitals.
The Louvre, Paris
It may already be on your list, but it really is unmissable. You enter through the dramatic glass pyramid into a world of treasures. The place is so large that you need at least half a day, and don't head straight for the Mona Lisa and then leave. Highlights include the Venus de Milo, Delacroix's "Liberty Leading the People" and the Great Sphinx of Tanis.
The Leopold Museum, Vienna
A visit to Vienna isn't complete without the MuseumsQuartier, a square in the 7th district that houses museums, galleries, exhibition spaces and cultural centres. If we had to choose one gallery there, it would be the Leopold, for its works by Austrian painters such as Gustav Klimt ("The Kiss") and Egon Schiele.
The Berlinische Galerie, Berlin
Berlin is known for its cutting-edge art scene, and nowhere reflects it better. This light-filled, renovated glass warehouse is dedicated to modern art, photography and architecture. Spend some time with the lesser-known Berlin artists: the Dadaist works of Raoul Hausmann are particularly impressive.
The Prado, Madrid
The Prado is in many ways Madrid's Louvre: a vast, famous collection that many people plan to visit but never quite get to. Housed in a neo-Classical building from the end of the 18th century, it was one of the first public art museums in the world. If you only have a couple of hours, see "The Garden of Earthly Delights" by Bosch and "David and Goliath" by Caravaggio.
Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, Lisbon
Lisbon is famous for its seafood, hilltop views, trams and custard tarts. It also has excellent galleries and museums, and this is the best of them. Housed in a 17th-century palace, it has a large collection of European and Asian art, including Lucas Cranach's "Salome".
The Mucha Museum, Prague
There are plenty of reasons to visit Prague, including the beer, the architecture and the opera. Top of our list is the Mucha Museum, the only gallery in the world devoted to the life and work of the Czech Art Nouveau artist Alphonse Mucha. With Art Nouveau buildings all over the city, it feels like a fitting way to spend a day.
The Galleria Borghese, Rome
We have Cardinal Scipione Borghese to thank for this collection. Housed in the former Villa Borghese, the gallery is notable for its classical antiquities, its many sculptures by Bernini and a trompe-l'oeil ceiling fresco by Mariano Rossi. Around it, though counted as a separate attraction, are the Villa Borghese Gardens, a lovely place to wander afterwards.
The Wetterling Gallery, Stockholm
Stockholm is a haven for contemporary art, with modern art and photography galleries across the city. One of the best is the Wetterling Gallery, established in the late 1970s, which focuses on Swedish painters, sculptors and photographers and also shows work by the likes of Ed Ruscha and James Rosenquist.
The Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Amsterdam is famous for its canals, its bikes and its Red Light district, but art lovers come for the Rijksmuseum and its Dutch Masters. Set aside a morning and make time for Rembrandt's "The Night Watch", Vermeer's "The Milkmaid" and Van Gogh's 1887 self-portrait.
Musée Marmottan-Claude Monet, Paris
Paris is crammed with museums and galleries, but after the Louvre this is our favourite. Tucked away in the 16th arrondissement, this unassuming museum holds the world's largest collection of works by Claude Monet, including "Impression, Soleil Levant", the painting that gave Impressionism its name.
European art at home
You don't have to travel to enjoy great art. If you have no getaway planned, buy a good-quality print and hang it on your wall.
We keep picture framing simple. Enter your artwork's measurements, choose a mount and frame style, and we do the rest. Delivery is free on orders over £50 exc VAT, and we dispatch custom-made frames within 1 to 3 days.