Toronto's expensive museums (taxes, price, donations)

[evissone]

It shocks me to know how expensive Toronto's museums are.

ROM: $28
AGO: $25
Bata Shoe Museum: $14
Gardiner Museum: $12

Compared with world's top notch museums:

Louvre: €10 ($14)
Guggenheim, Bilbao, Spain €13 ($18)
MOMA, NYC $20
British Museum - free
Tate Museum - free
Vatican Museum €15 ($21)
Prado Museum, Madrid, Spain €8 ($11)
Musee d'orsay, Paris, €8 ($11)

So the Shoe Museum, which takes about 20 minutes to see everything and which nobody knows outside Toronto, charges the same price as the great Louvre?

Among the world's most famous and largest 20 or so museums, I haven't seen a single one more expensive than AGO/ROM, which are only second tier museums at best.

I heard some executive at AGO made like $2 million last year, which is probably why?

[krock67]

I was at the ROM a couple of days ago. It was pricey, but my kids loved it. Especially "The Water Exhibit", which costed extra.

[Annuvin]

Canada's museums are a total gyp. I really believe that the treasured held within them should be available for everyone, and we should take the same approach as The MET in NYC and ask for a voluntary "donation" when one enters.

Then again, this is Canada where one always pays more for less. It seems to be completely ingrained in our culture for whatever reason.

[Luhts]

Thank you taxes.

You could get a CityPass to save some $ if you want to see it all.

[tarp]

They have free nights sometimes. I would only go on those nights.

Or take a trip down to D.C. for a weekend and visit the Smithsonian museums for free!

[ParamedicPrincess]

The ROM is half price friday afternoons, and free wednesday afternoons.

[autobahn1]

Get a membership. Typically they're 65 bucks per person, if on sale, and good for the whole year. Our museums compared to Europe don't receive as many public/gov't funds. Compared to the U.S. they don't receive as many private donations.

[evissone]

Originally Posted by autobahn1

Get a membership. Typically they're 65 bucks per person, if on sale, and good for the whole year. Our museums compared to Europe don't receive as many public/gov't funds. Compared to the U.S. they don't receive as many private donations.

thanks for the info.

[jambo101]

Originally Posted by Annuvin

Canada's museums are a total gyp. I really believe that the treasured held within them should be available for everyone, and we should take the same approach as The MET in NYC and ask for a voluntary "donation" when one enters.

Then again, this is Canada where one always pays more for less. It seems to be completely ingrained in our culture for whatever reason.

The door aint locked if you dont like it here.

[BIMBAM]

Originally Posted by Annuvin

Canada's museums are a total gyp. I really believe that the treasured held within them should be available for everyone, and we should take the same approach as The MET in NYC and ask for a voluntary "donation" when one enters.

Then again, this is Canada where one always pays more for less. It seems to be completely ingrained in our culture for whatever reason.

Also, I can't really say this is Canada wide, museums are free or cheap in Montreal and Ottawa, although I can't speak for the rest of the country outside Toronto. I suspect this may be a Toronto thing.