Things to Do in Riviera Maya & The Yucatan

Begin in Botero Plaza, the statue studded central park that fronts Medellin’s most popular museum. The plump proportions of these enormous pieces by Colombia’s best beloved artist, Francisco Botero, are instantly recognizable, and attract snap happy parents posing their children all over the thickly proportioned works of art.

The entire top floor of the Museo de Antioquia is also dedicated to Botero, and includes some of his most controversial pieces, depicting bull fights in all their gore and glory, and the “Death of Pablo Escobar,” a well known painting that marks the end of an era that this city must someday come to terms with.

Other excellent exhibitions include a solid collection of modern art, by both international and Colombian masters. A gallery of Independence-era oils, surrounded by period pieces, includes one of the nation’s most famous paintings, Francisco Antonio Cano’s “Horizontes,” portraying settlers—new parents—setting of to conquer the Colombian frontier. A display of prints and advertisements from the same period are a testament to this nation’s reputation for business savvy.

The gift shop is outrageous, and a reasonably priced cafe overlooking Plaza Botero is one of the most pleasant spots in the city center for a coffee or adult beverage. The fancifully striped gothic masterpiece across the plaza, by the way, is the Palacio de Cultura Rafael Uribe Uribe, completed in 1937 thanks to the quirky genius of Belgian architect Agustin Goovaerts.

Far from being a museum dedicated to pools, Musée La Piscine in Roubaix is in fact an arts museum houses in a former indoor, Olympic-sized swimming pool. This somehow peculiar location was chosen because it features an outstanding art deco interior, having been built in 1927. The swimming pool remained in use until 1985, and was given a second life as an arts museum in 2000. Musée La Piscine holds items that date back from 1835, most of which were collected from a textile factory that once stood next door. Elements of literature, science and fine arts were added to enhance the collection of historic textiles and to form an extensive exhibition dedicated to the fruitful alliance between applied arts and industry. Some of the most famous paintings and sculptures found at La Piscine include works from Rodin, Picasso, Claudel, Gérôme, Stark, van Dongen and other contemporaries – which, of course, are complimented by the architectural marvel that is La Piscine.

The Musée Nissim de Camondo is more of a portal into the past than it is your run-of-the-mill museum. It is housed in the Hôtel Camondo, not a hotel but a home built in 1911 in the style of the Petit Trianon at Versailles on the strict instructions of its owner, Comte Moïse de Camondo. Comte Camondo was a Parisian banker with a penchant for 18th-century art and furniture, and his home was a kind of showcase for his extensive collection. Today the Musée Nissim de Camondo is kept just as it was when he lived there, and it's a fascinating tour of life in the early 1900s as well as French design in the 1700s.

Among Bogota’s most popular and spectacular attractions, the Museo del Oro sparkles with more than 55,000 priceless archaeological and artistic treasures. Only a fraction can be displayed at any one time within the main edifice, itself a work of art, ensconced in elegantly and eloquently designed displays of Colombia’s dazzling bounty.

There are four floors of exhibits, signed in both Spanish and English, with audio guides available in a handful of other languages. From delicate filigree nose rings to carefully crafted containers for coca leaves to the famed “Muisca Raft,” depicting the legend of El Dorado, the “Golden Man,” these objects have been innovatively arranged to tell tales of pre-Colombian mining, manufacturing and metallurgy, as well as offer insight into the daily life, society, war and worship of these ancient Colombians.

The grand finale is the Offering Room, less an exhibit than light-and-sound show designed to recreate the experience of a shamanic religious ceremony, using tens of thousands of golden artifacts. The gift shop is also worth a wander as you exit the building.

Of course, all that glitters in Colombia is not gold, which is why you could consider crossing Santander Park to the Emerald Museum, actually a private collection of some 3000 Colombian emeralds. Views from the 23rd story of the Avianca Building are spectacular, but you must have picture ID to enter.

Housed in the former hunting lodge of the Duke of Valmy, a lavish 19th-century mansion in Paris’ 16th arrondissement, the Musée Marmottan, or the Marmottan Monet museum, is as impressive from the outside as it is inside. Founded around the vast Napoleonic era art collection bequeathed to the Academy of Fine Arts by Jules Marmottan, the museum opened its doors back in 1934 and has since amassed an incredible compilation of works by some of the world’s finest artists.

The museum’s permanent galleries feature paintings by Berthe Morisot, Edgar Degas and Édouard Manet, alongside celebrated works by Camille Pissarro, Paul Gauguin and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and a host of other renowned names. Most unique are a collection of illuminated medieval manuscripts and a showcase of Flemish primitive paintings. Even the décor is a work of art, with plush furnishings and precious antiques dotted throughout the elegant salons and stunning views over the neighboring Jardin de Ranelagh, or Ranelagh Gardens.

The museum is most acclaimed for housing the world’s largest collection of works by iconic French impressionist, Claude Monet. Donated by the legendary artist’s son, Michel Monet, after his death in 1966, the Monet collection is displayed in a specially designed basement gallery, elaborately decorated in homage to the Orangerie des Tuileries gallery. Key pieces include the 1892-96 ‘Cathédrale de Rouen’ series, a striking depiction of the London Houses of Parliament and ‘Impression, Soleil Levant’ (Impression, Sunrise), credited for giving name to the Impressionist movement.

Colonial relics, maps and Antillean art come together at the Kura Hulanda Museum, with the focus on the museum’s world-class collection of African artifacts. This well-regarded anthropological museum focuses on the cultures that have contributed to Curacao’s make-up over the centuries, including African slaves, West African empires and Pre-Columbian traders.

Guided and audio-guided tours are available, and a self-guided map helps you navigate your way around the exhibits. The museum shop has a good collection of maps, postcards, CDs and African art for sale.

The majestic Grandes Écuries (Great Stables) at Château de Chantilly were designed by French architect Jean Aubert in 1719 for the eccentric horse lover Prince Louis-Henri de Bourbon. They are a masterpiece of neo-classical architecture and are still the largest stables in Europe, with stalls for 250 horses as well as kenneling for dogs. The stables have a circular manège (riding school) where equestrian shows are held daily and are also home to the revamped Musée Vivant du Cheval (Living Museum of the Horse), which re-opened in 2013 and is one of the few museums in the world dedicated entirely to horses. Displays examine the historical relationship between man and horse through times of war and peace and are crammed with equine portraits and sculptures, gaily painted carriages, carousel horses and racing trophies – but the highlight of any visit is the chance to get up close and personal with several rare breeds of horses and ponies.