A Boston must do. The Venetian feel of the building's inner courtyard with 4 floors above the floor is truly grant. Don't be misled by the plain exterior. Suggest you to read up a bit on the history of this magnificent museum and about the vision of a lady who gathered all the displayed item while traveling most of the world. Sadly, the theft of a handful of items, mostly paintings, remains unsolved and the empty frames illustrate where they were displayed. Check out the small map in the corner room with small paintings you most likely to enter first. It shows where and when items were acquired. Don't ask the guards about the theft, they are not allowed to discuss that apparently.

Yes. I'm that person. I'm not one to head to a museum unless I'm on a trip. This place was amazing for the setting itself! The art on the walls, the architecture, the flowers, the decorations, the rooms, and the variety of art were all captivating. I loved the audio tour that I could QR code and listen to as I walked around each room and made me a mini expert. Bring headphones. I had watched the art heist documentary a year before and am now rewatching with a new perspective. I was only planning on 1 hour in the museum but enjoyed about 2 hours as I spent time listening to the tour and walking through each room.

This quirky museum is very enjoyable. You have to pre-purchase tickets. Make sure your phone is fully charged before you arrive, because per Mrs. Gardner, none of the art is labeled. Therefore, you need to scan a QR card in each room to get a map of the room and identification and description information on the artwork. The collection is eclectic and extensive, but set in essentially a Venetian style palazzo, without traditional "museum" trappings like tags and really good lighting. Be sure to spend time walking around the courtyard on the first floor and the gardens, as they are very peaceful and beautiful.

We had a lovely morning at the museum - we arrived around 10:30 and bought our tickets the night before so we were guaranteed timed entry. The museum took about an hour and a half, and became crowded quickly, so going early was good. We really enjoyed looking around, and tried to use the digital guides as well. Will definitely go back!

I've never been to a museum like this. It was breathtaking, spectacular, fascinating and full of wild stories. It's a MUST if you're visiting Boston. They have free audio guides to download on your phone and you can choose which one you want, so make sure to bring your airpods. The audio guide was fantastic and really helped us understand the art work and reasons why Isabella placed them in very specific places. I recommend going when it's sunny, because the rooms are purposefully left dark for the safety and preservation of the art.

I've been to this museum two or three times over the last 20+ years and was never a fan. I felt that Gardner's stipulation that the collection be displayed exactly as she left it, and with no identifiers on any of the pieces, made the place look old fashioned, dated, and like just an old collection of, well, stuff. This time, we listed to the audio files that the museum provides for each room and it made a huge difference in my interest and enjoyment so that I was able to see the collection in a new way. Be sure to scan the QR code on the sign just after you enter the palace as it will take you to one webpage where you can easily access the commentary for each room. My husband, and others I noticed, instead tried to access the QR codes displayed in each room which took him to a completely different page that was not user friendly. He finally gave up and I saw others that seemed frustrated as well.

Parking is easy nearby. Beautiful building, garden. An amazing collection of art. The cafe lunch was delicious and reasonable. Nice book shop. Close to T stop, Museum, Wentworth and Northeastern.

A gem. The museum offers three stories of Christian icons; artist collections of Rembrandt and Italian painters. An amalgamation of years of collection by Ms. Gardner. The garden is the centerpiece of the multistory Venetian palace.

A unique museum still laid out like Isabella wanted it. The central garden was beautifully decked out for the Christmas season. Only a few notable paintings, probably due to the infamous theft in 1990 of millions of dollars worth of art. Only a few things kept me from giving it a 5. The lighting is very dim in some places and it hard to see the paintings. And the lack of labeling/documentation is disappointing. The QR codes in the galleries do not add much. But...it's definitely worth a visit.

A truly enchanting museum with a magical aura. I loved the courtyard featuring tropical plants among sculptures and other antiquities. Different rooms in the building feature various periods of art, architecture and furnishings. Beautiful paintings. A one of a kind museum.