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Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum vs Boston Athenaeum
Both are rated very highly by professionals. On balance, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum ranks significantly higher than Boston Athenaeum. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum ranks #2 in Boston with recommendations from 13 reviews such as Where, Michelin Guide and Time Out.
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Fodor's
Concierge
Lonely Planet
Travel + Leisure
Time Out
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280 The Fenway, Boston, MA 02115
From $0 /night
Fodor's
"Today, it's probably America's most idiosyncratic treasure house."
Full review
i
If you're looking for a light lunch after your tour, visit Cafe G near the gift shop.
Concierge
"Isabella Stewart Gardner was an heiress and something of a black sheep of late-19th- and early-20th-century Boston society: She was a rabid Red Sox and horse-racing fan."
Lonely Planet
Top Choice
"The Gardner is filled with almost 2000 priceless objects, primarily European, including outstanding tapestries and Italian Renaissance and 17th-century Dutch paintings."
Full review
Travel + Leisure
"This eclectic museum occupies a meticulous replica of a Venetian palazzo and showcases an unparalleled collection of old masters, Gothic tapestries, and Renaissance furniture."
Full review
Time Out
"The Gardner museum is a lavish reconstruction of a 15th-century Venetian palace, complete with a luxurious interior courtyard with a seasonally changing floral display."
Full review
Boston Athenaeum
Lonely Planet
Time Out
Condé Nast Traveler
Not For Tourists
Michelin Guide
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10 Beacon St., Boston, MA
From $0 /night
Lonely Planet
Top Choice
"An old and distinguished private library, having hosted the likes of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Nathaniel Hawthorne."
Full review
Time Out
"The Boston Athenæum published America's first literary magazine and acquired an extensive library of books and works of art."
Full review
Condé Nast Traveler
"This magnificent private library is tucked away behind red leather–bound doors with more than 600,000 volumes of gilt-lettered books and rare manuscripts."
Full review
Not For Tourists
"Old books, including one true crime account bound in the author's skin."
Michelin Guide
1 Star
"The Boston Athenaeum is one of the nation's oldest private lending libraries."
Full review
