COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY TOURS

Guided tours must be reserved at least three weeks in advance. 

Group Size: 2–45 people
A guided tour is required for groups of more than 30 visitors. Groups of 30 and fewer may choose to visit the Museum on their own with general admission tickets.

Pricing
$21 per student. Includes Museum admission. One instructor is admitted free for every 10 students. University Members are eligible for discounted tours; see if your school is part of the University Member Program.

Tour Times
 Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 11:30 am, 12:45 pm, 2:15 pm, 3:30 pm, and select Thursday evenings upon request.

Accessibility
Virtual guided tours and tour accommodations, including, but not limited to, American Sign Language interpretation and touch tours for visitors who are blind or have low vision, are available with advance request. For more information, email tours@isgm.org.

Questions? 
Email tours@isgm.org or call 617 278 5147, Monday–Friday, 9 am–5 pm. Tour options and pricing are subject to change.

If you are interested in a specialized experience with a curator or a member of our education staff, please email tours@isgm.org. Higher fees will apply.

INTRODUCTION TO THE GARDNER
Explore highlights of the Gardner Museum’s collection, learn about the history of the Museum’s founder, and find out why this is one of the great private art collections in America. Our educators can help you select highlights to meet your curricular needs.

RENAISSANCE AT THE GARDNER 
Explore the significant cultural, artistic, and scientific achievements of the Renaissance in Europe (1300s–1600s) and reflect on how Isabella Stewart Gardner’s installations were inspired by this period.

QUESTIONING POWER
Explore visual representations of power. Together we’ll consider who has historically had access to power and how image-making conveys both secular and religious authority. Weaving in visual analysis with historical context, we will critique how power is expressed in the past and present.

ARCHITECTURE: BUILDING ON A LEGACY
How do spaces and materials shape our experiences with art? Celebrate the architectural innovations of the Gardner Museum’s New Wing—designed by the acclaimed Renzo Piano Building Workshop—and its relationship to Isabella Stewart Gardner original Venetian-style Palace. 

SUMMER 2025 EXHIBITIONS
June 26, 2025–September 21, 2025 
Explore how gardens can unlock memory and imagination across three unforgettable exhibitions featuring work from Isabella’s contemporaries, celebrated sculptor Ming Fay, and Artist-in-Residence Yu-Wen Wu.  This tour will include Ming Fay: Edge of the Garden; Flowers for Isabella; and/or Yu-Wen Wu: Reigning Beauty on the building’s facade. All tours also include stops in Isabella Stewart Gardner’s historic collection and courtyard garden. 

We offer limited scholarship funding each year for groups that demonstrate financial need. If you are interested in applying for scholarship assistance, please review the guidelines below and apply here.
 

Arrival

All visitors are admitted through the museum entrance at 25 Evans Way. 

Please arrive no earlier than 15 minutes ahead of your tour time. We request that all participants arrive together, prior to the tour time. When the entire group has arrived you will be greeted by a Museum staff member, who will provide a brief orientation.

If you are behind schedule, please call the Tour Coordinator at 617 278 5147 on weekdays, or the Box Office at 617 278 5156 on weekends. Late arrivals may receive a shortened tour; groups that are more than 30 minutes late may not receive a tour.

What to Bring
If possible, leave bulky items at home or on the bus so you can comfortably enjoy your visit. All backpacks, packages, large purses, umbrellas, and coats must be checked in our lobby.

Please use only graphite pencils to write or sketch in the galleries. 

Parking
A limited number of free and metered parking spots are available near the Gardner Museum. We also offer discounted parking at the Simmons School of Management Garage* next door and are walking distance from the lots at the Museum of Fine Arts. See Directions & Parking to learn more.

*Please note the Simmons Garage does not have bus parking. Buses may drop off and pick up passengers in front of the Evans Way entrance. The City of Boston has designated the north side of Huntington Avenue between Belvedere Street and Massachusetts Avenue for bus parking. See a map at Guidelines for Tour Buses in Boston.