Sometimes you have an entire afternoon to wander through the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. And sometimes you have one hour, a teenager who has opinions, and a Red Sox game waiting for you at Fenway.
That was us.
We recently found ourselves at the MFA on a very hot Boston day, with plans to walk over to Fenway afterward. Rather than spend the afternoon melting on the sidewalk, we decided the Museum of Fine Arts was the perfect place to cool off—and it turned out to be one of the best stops of the day.
The MFA is enormous. You could easily spend an entire day here and still leave without seeing everything. But if you only have an hour, don’t try to see everything.
Pick a few highlights, enjoy them, and save the rest for your next visit.
First Tip: Buy Your Tickets Online
If you know you’re going to the MFA, buy your tickets online before you go.
The Museum recommends arriving with tickets purchased in advance, and online orders don’t have an additional processing fee.
As of this writing, general admission is $30 for adults and $14 for ages 7–17.
That little bit of planning can make a difference when you’re working with a tight schedule. You don’t want to spend 15 of your 60 minutes standing around figuring out admission.
Lorem ipsum amet elit morbi dolor tortor. Vivamus eget mollis nostra ullam corper. Pharetra torquent auctor metus felis nibh velit. Natoque tellus semper taciti nostra primis 1. Start with Monet
If you only have time for one area, I’d make a beeline for Monet.
The MFA has one of the largest collections of Claude Monet’s work outside France, and the Monet gallery is one of those places where you can walk in, look around, and immediately understand why people love Impressionism.
And there’s an especially good reason to make Monet a priority right now.
The MFA’s “Monet and Boston: Lasting Impression” brings together all 35 of the Museum’s oil paintings by Monet—a once-in-a-generation presentation of the collection.
Even if you aren’t an art expert, this is an easy win. You don’t need to know everything about Monet to appreciate the paintings.
Just look.
Give yourself about 15 minutes here.
2. Find John Singer Sargent
Next, head for the John Singer Sargent galleries.
Sargent is one of those artists who is particularly fun to see in person. The paintings are impressive enough on a screen, but the size, brushwork and detail really come alive when you’re standing in front of them.
The MFA includes Sargent among its featured gallery highlights, so he’s an excellent choice when you’re trying to get the “greatest hits” experience in a short amount of time.
Give yourself another 10–15 minutes.
And don’t feel guilty about walking past galleries. You’re on the MFA Speed Tour.
3. Let the Teenager Pick One
This is where I changed my mind.
If I had been visiting the MFA by myself, I probably would have skipped the Egyptian galleries.
But I wasn’t by myself.
The teenager I was with really wanted to see the Egyptian collection, so we went.
And you know what?
I’m glad we did.
The MFA’s Egyptian collection is spectacular, and Egyptian art has been part of the Museum’s history from its earliest years. The Museum’s own archaeological expedition with Harvard began in 1905, and the galleries include everything from coffins and mummies to objects depicting everyday life thousands of years ago.
It was also a good reminder that when you’re visiting a museum with someone else, you don’t necessarily want to create the perfect itinerary.
Sometimes you should let them choose.
Give the Egyptian galleries 10–15 minutes if that’s what your group is interested in.
4. Don’t Try to See Everything
This might be the most important MFA tip of all.
Don’t turn your museum visit into a scavenger hunt.
The MFA has an enormous collection covering thousands of years and cultures from around the world. The Museum itself suggests a highlights approach for visitors with only an hour.
Instead of thinking:
“How much of the MFA can I see?”
Think:
“What do I want to remember?”
Maybe it’s a Monet.
Maybe it’s a mummy.
Maybe it’s a giant painting by Sargent.
Maybe it’s a room you wandered into completely by accident.
That’s enough.
The Best Part? You Can Cool Off
Our visit wasn’t originally supposed to be an art adventure.
It was a heat-wave survival strategy.
We had plans to head over to Fenway, and walking around Boston in the heat wasn’t exactly appealing. The MFA gave us an air-conditioned place to slow down, wander around, see some incredible art and let the teenager have a say in what we saw.
Then we headed toward Fenway.
And honestly, that’s one of my favorite ways to experience Boston.
You don’t always have to build an entire day around one attraction. Sometimes the best Boston days are a collection of things that happen to be close enough together.
A little art. A little history. A little air conditioning. Then baseball.
That’s a pretty good Boston day.
MFA Boston: The Quick Tips
Buy tickets online: Save time at the entrance and have your ticket ready on your phone.
Don’t try to see the whole museum: Pick three or four things and enjoy them.
See Monet: Especially while the Museum’s major Monet presentation is on view.
Don’t automatically skip Egypt: I almost did—and the teenager with me proved me wrong.
Check the free tours: The MFA currently offers daily 60-minute Gallery Highlights tours at noon and 2 p.m.
Check the hours before you go: The MFA is open Wednesday through Monday, with extended hours Thursday and Friday until 10 p.m.; it is currently closed Tuesdays.
And if you’re heading to Fenway afterward: You’ve got a pretty great excuse to visit the MFA even if you’re not planning an all-day museum marathon.
Sometimes you only need an hour.
And sometimes that hour is exactly what you need.
