ON SUNDAY AT THE MUSEUM: HOW TO PLAN A VISIT TO A MUSEUM
I do love museums, you know that, and spending a Sunday visiting a museum is a chance to do something interesting and funny at the same time.
Besides, admission to Italian state and civic museums is free every first Sunday of the month, and I often seize the opportunity (read the post I dedicated to my visit to the Natural History Museum of Venice, for example).
READ ALSO: Free museums in Rome and Free museums in Milan.
But not all my friends are excited when I suggest that we should spend some hours visiting a museum, and they often say that museums are boring and dusty.
I think that that feeling is due to unhappy past experiences, but you can change your mind, and with some expedients your Sunday at the museum may be a funny experience.
Here are 3 suggestions, which I successfully experienced, to visit a museum and live happily.
Museo del Risorgimento di Milano. Image source: Comune di Milano.it
Credit-Photo: Gianni Congiu
How to spend your Sunday at the museum in 3 simple moves
1- Calculate the time.
Decide whether you want to go to the museum in the morning or in the afternoon; check if you need to book your visit to skip the queue, and decide what time you will have lunch or dinner.
One of the most common mistakes you can make is starting your visit too late, and at 2 pm you will have still half an itinerary to see and you will be starving.
Your visit shouldn’t last more than two hours.
2- You can’t see everything.
Another common mistake you can make is going to the museum with the intention of seeing everything. If you decide to spend your Sunday at the museum it means that you are not far from home, and you can come back.
Make a selection of the works you want to see; maybe you’d better focus on a historic period, on a specific theme or on a civilization.
That is worth both for small and large museums, such as the British Museum in London, for example, where you’d better focus on a themed itinerary.
You’ll exit less tired, more satisfied and certainly happy, because you had time to understand and joke with your friends or with your children.
3 – Usa una guida.
Che si tratti di una audio guida oppure di un professionista non importa, ma vale la pena sfruttare le possibilità che ogni museo offre.
La maggior parte dei musei possiede audioguide sia per gli adulti che per i bambini (in alcuni casi sono compresi nel prezzo del biglietto) e aiutano ad avere una panoramica sul museo.
A proposito di bambini, leggi anche il post con i consigli per insegnare l’arte ai bambini e in cui trovi i consigli, provati da me, per andare al museo con i bambini e uscirne vivi 😉
Spesso però ci sono musei che ad orari fissi offrono un tour oppure è possibile contattare una guida privata che può creare un percorso divertente e personalizzato. Ad esempio, se viaggi con bambini piccoli o adolescenti, una guida sarà in grado di progettare una visita adatta a tutte le età.
Puoi anche partecipare agli eventi che organizzo per voi che mi leggete dove a volte il museo mi chiede di costruire un percorso speciale, oppure mi appoggio alle associazioni di guide turistiche locali.
Vai alla sezione dedicata agli eventi con le prossime date in programma.
3- Use a guide.
It doesn’t matter whether it’s an audio guide or a professional guide, but it is worth seizing the opportunities each museum can offer you.
Most of museums own audio guides both for adults and children (in some cases they’re included in the ticket price), and will help you have an overview of the museum.
But often there are museums which at fixed times arrange a guided tour, or you can contact a private professional guide who can plan a funny and personalized itinerary.
For example if you travel with children or teenagers a guide will be able to arrange a visit suitable for all ages.
