Hamburger Kunsthalle

The Hamburger Kunsthalle ranks among the five most important art museums in Germany and holds one of the densest collections of Caspar David Friedrich anywhere (the most famous of the early Romantics hangs here in double-digit numbers, including 'Wanderer above the Sea of Fog' - selfie magnet number one, often with a line of admirers) as well as Philipp Otto Runge. Three connected buildings tell the collection's story architecturally: the original building of 1869 (Old Masters, Reformation, 17th to 19th century), the 1919 extension (classical modernism, French Impressionism, expressionism with Munch, Beckmann and Nolde) and the iconic white cube of the 'Galerie der Gegenwart' by O. M. Ungers from 1997 (contemporary art from Sigmar Polke to Olafur Eliasson). The 90-minute essentials: the Friedrich room, the compact Manet/Renoir/Monet sequence, the Beckmann rooms and - if a temporary show is on - whatever is currently in the Cube. Practicalities: 16 € for adults, 8 € reduced; every first Thursday of the month an extended evening until 9 p.m. with a special program. The audio-guide app is free via the Kunsthalle website. Getting there: S/U Hauptbahnhof, a five-minute walk over the Glockengießerwall.