Updated 20.03.2024
On International Museum Day 2024, you can enjoy free admission to many museums and take part in special events, such as workshops or festivals. This day will be celebrated worldwide on May 18, 2024 – only in Germany and Switzerland on May 21, 2024 (the following Sunday). For this occasion, we would like to recommend some great museums to you – or museums that our Green PearlsⓇ accommodations like to recommend to their guests. Guess what we’re particularly interested in?
Table of Contents
In the Footsteps of Famous Travelers
Museum Tour with Reinhold Messner
International Museum Day – Explore Ancient Peoples and Cultures
Aguntum in Lienz – The most important Roman Excavation in Tyrol
Franconian Open-Air Museum about 17th-Century Farming Culture
Visit Castles and Monasteries on Museum Day 2024
Fairy Tale Castles and Royal Families
Sustainable Hotels in Old Monastery Walls
Museums for Nature and Natural History
Nature and Humanity in Freiburg
Welcome to the World of Technology
Museum of Modern Art in Carinthia
In The Footsteps of Famous Travelers
It wasn’t hard to guess which subject area we were particularly interested in, was it?
Of course, it is travel! After all, as a globetrotter, you have a few role models. You probably know Marco Polo. At the age of 17, he set out for Asia and traveled for 20 years through countries such as China, Vietnam, and Thailand. He escorted a Mongol princess to Persia, survived a shipwreck, was one of the first Europeans to see elephants and monkeys, and had many other adventures. The explorer was born in 1254 on the island of Korcula, then part of the Republic of Venice.
At Marco Polo’s Home
On Korcula, the Marco Polo Museum is dedicated to him. Not only is his journey traced here, but you can also see numerous exhibits from the time. “You feel as if you were walking in his footsteps”, writes us the Eco Aparthotel The Dreamer’s Club, which is located directly on Korcula.
“The travels of Marco Polo have inspired generations and were also in the luggage of Christopher Columbus. It is said that he even planned to contact the Mongol ruler (not knowing that the Mongol Empire had already disintegrated). Such facts you learn at the Columbus House on the island of Gran Canaria, where Christopher Columbus made a stopover. For an authentic vacation in Gran Canaria, we recommend the boutique hotel Casa León Royal Retreat with its natural flair.
Museum Tour with Reinhold Messner
Would you rather meet a living adventurer? Italian extreme mountaineer Reinhold Messner has opened no less than six museums in South Tyrol, dedicated to the fascination of the mountains and displaying many treasures from his travels. You can even meet Reinhold Messner in person. The museum’s website lists the dates for guided tours and hikes with the extreme mountaineer.
The heart of the Messner Mountain Museum is the MMM Firmian near Bolzano. Nearby are the family-friendly Hotel Weihrerhof, the luxurious chalets of the ADLER Lodge RITTEN, and the beekeeper-run APIPURA hotel rinner.
Maritime Museum in Liguria
There is a lot of talk these days about doing long-distance journeys like Marco Polo and Columbus by sailing instead of flying. Greta Thurnberg, for example, sailed with her father to the climate conference in the United States, but it turns out that it’s not always the most climate-friendly choice. Because of the wind currents in the Atlantic, it is easy to sail westward, while the way back is difficult or hardly possible (depending on the size of the sailboat). This is why the regatta team flew back, which led to criticism in the international press.
This makes it all the more interesting to learn how such sailing adventures were achieved in the past. In Imperia, Liguria, there is a museum dedicated to the history of sailing. Here you can not only see old nautical instruments, but you can also immerse yourself in historical seafaring through multimedia installations and interactive simulators. If you want to experience the real and authentic Italy of today, you can stay at the Relais del Maro, an albergo diffuso. The hotel is spread over several old houses and shops in the picturesque village of Borgomaro.
International Museum Day – Explore Ancient People and Cultures
Mythical Inca History in Peru
If you are interested in the history of early civilizations, the Inca archaeological site of Machu Picchu in the Peruvian Andes is one of the most famous sites in the world. Nearby is the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel, one of the pioneers of ecotourism. The hotel actively contributes to the preservation of ancient cultural treasures and offers exclusive guided tours and hikes.
The Culture of Phuket
At the sustainable luxury resort Keemala in Phuket, guests are encouraged to visit the Peranakanitat Museum. There are six rooms dedicated to the culture of the people of Phuket. It’s best to book a tour with an English-speaking guide. Afterwards, you’ll have a better understanding of Thai clothing, architecture, cuisine, and lifestyle.
Greek Temples in Paestum
If you are vacationing at the apartments of A’ Cràpa Mangia on the southern Italian coast, the Paestum Museum together with the Paestum Archaeological Park is well worth a trip! This UNESCO World Heritage Site contains three of the best-preserved Greek temples in the world. At the Paestum National Archaeological Museum, you’ll see the famous “Tomb of the Diver”. The various frescoes on the walls of the tomb will make you wonder: who was this man, and how did he live here in 450 BC?
If you want to know more about the Campania region in the very south of Italy, check out these blog articles.
Aguntum in Lienz – The most important Roman Excavation in Tyrol
Exciting is also the excavation of the Roman city Aguntum in East Tyrol with the adjacent museum. Historically, we are here in the first century after Christ. Aguntum was the only Roman city in the whole of Tyrol, and therefore important for trade. From here, wood, copper, dairy products, and rock crystals were exported throughout the Roman Empire.
Guests of the Naturhotel Outside in the Hohe Tauern National Park can rent e-bikes at the hotel for a trip to the Aguntum Museum, about 30 kilometers away.
Franconian Open-Air Museum about 17th-Century Farming Culture
A visit to the museum on International Museum Day 2024 is a great way to spend a rainy day, or enjoy the beautiful weather in nature and still get some intellectual input 🙂 .
Close to STURM in the Rhön UNESCO Biosphere Reserve is the Franconian Open Air Museum in Fladungen. Here you can stroll through a reconstructed farming village and experience what life was like in the Rhön centuries ago. “STORM guests love this destination,” say the owners.
Visit Castles and Monasteries on Museum Day 2024
Fairy Tale Castles and Royal Families
If you have a fable for fairy tale castles and are interested in stories of kings, princesses, and knights, you should definitely head to Allgäu. Here you will find the Museum of the Bavarian Kings in Hohenschwangau near Füssen. It gives you a vivid insight into the history of the Bavarian royal family and is the perfect preparation for a tour of the castles, the most famous of which is the fairytale castle of King Ludwig II: Neuschwanstein. You can see it directly from our Green PearlsⓇ partner Das Rübezahl. The atmosphere in this sustainable hotel is also very charming and romantic. Tickets for the castle are available at the reception.
Other famous castles in the Allgäu are Hohenschwangau, Syrgenstein, and Hohes Schloss. They are all located in the area of Balderschwang, where the HUBERTUS Mountain Refugio Allgäu is located as an architectural pearl in the middle of beautiful nature.
Sustainable Hotels in Old Monastery Walls
Some of our hotels also tell an exciting story in their buildings. For example, Hotel Klosterhof – Alpine Hideaway & Spa in Bayerisch Gmain was built on the old cloister of a 16th-century monastery. Thanks to the careful renovation, many details can be found in the furnishings of this sustainable luxury hotel.
Tip: The app komoot offers a bike tour to eight castles around Bayerisch Gmain.
Hotel Klosterbräu in Seefeld, Tyrol, was built on over 500-year-old monastery walls and has been family-owned for over 200 years. The hotel’s wine cellar is also over 500 years old, and the hotel even has its own brewery. Guests at Klosterbräu enjoy visiting Ambras Castle and Tratzberg Castle (both near Innsbruck).
Museums for Nature and Natural History
Nature and Humanity in Freiburg
After starting this blog post with our passion for travel, we now come to our second favorite topic: nature! On International Museum Day 2024 you can learn a lot about nature. With kids, the Museum Natur und Mensch in Freiburg im Breisgau is great. It’s just a short walk (about 4.5 km) from the Green City Hotel Vauban, where you can take the environmentally friendly tram line 03.
Giant Crystals and Fossils
The Green PearlsⓇ Hotel Gut Guntrams near Vienna even has its own little museum: the Crystal Garden. Here you can admire giant crystals, semi-precious stones, and fossils. Gut Guntrams also promotes old varieties of fruit trees with the Guntrams Ark project, which you can also learn about in the mini museum.
Welcome to the World of Technology
Museums for car-fans
If you’re more of a technology buff, there are of course great technology museums for you to discover on International Museum Day! In the Black Forest, for example, there is the Marxzell Vehicle Museum, one of the largest private museums in Germany. It is located only 10 kilometers from the SCHWARZWALD PANORAMA in Bad Herrenalb, and many guests of the sustainable hotel like to visit it. (Motto: “Look, there was still gas in the engine!”). Another vehicle museum in the Black Forest is the Unimog Museum in Gaggenau.
Journey to the Future
On the other hand, you can learn about the future of transportation at the Future Museum in Nuremberg. Here you can also learn about robotics and urban planning. The Future Museum is a branch of the Deutsches Museum.
That the future is not possible without sustainability has long been clear at the nearby Creativhotel Luise in Erlangen. In 2010, it became the first climate-neutral hotel in Franconia, and since 2015 it has even been climate-positive.
Museum of Modern Art in Carinthia
With all these museum recommendations, you might be wondering why we didn’t include an art museum. Well, we don’t want to neglect art at all! The Museum of Modern Art Carinthia (MMKK) is the most important museum near our Green PearlsⓇ partner Genießerhotel Die Forelle in Austria. In addition to presenting established and emerging art, the MMKK is committed to sustainability, generating almost 100% of its electricity from its own solar system. The sustainable gourmet hotel Die Forelle also uses solar power. The hotel also has its own woodchip heating system, which uses wood from the hotel’s own forest to provide hot water and heat for the hotel building.
By the way, you can discover even more art in and around sustainable hotels and vacation accommodations here:
Here you can discover exciting artists who may also be exhibiting at International Museum Day 2024.
Do you already know where you’ll be on International Museum Day? If so, tell us your recommendation in the comments!
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