10 Paintings That Will Inspire You to Travel

If you can't decide where to go for your summer holiday, let these paintings inspire you.

"Houses of Parliament, Sunset" 1903, Claude Monet

Although Claude Monet's best-known works are probably his water lily series, London was one of the painter's favourite subjects. Between 1899 and 1901 he painted the Thames almost a hundred times, creating a series of works depicting the Houses of Parliament at different times of day and in different weather.

Vincent Van Gogh "View of Paris from Vincent's Room in the Rue Lepic" 1887

The legendary Dutch post-Impressionist lived in Montmartre with his brother Theo for a time, and painted the view of Paris from his bedroom window on several occasions. This painting stands out because, instead of his usual brushwork, the artist employed the pointillist technique.

Katsushika Hokusai "Kirifuri Waterfall on Mount Kurokami in Shimotsuke Province" 1835

One of the best-known Japanese painters and printmakers, Katsushika Hokusai is famous for his enchanting natural landscapes and scenes of everyday life from the Edo period. As is typical of his work, this painting brings together the power of the elements and a sense of calm.

Johannes Vermeer "View of Delft" 1660–1661

This painting is one of three works by the artist depicting his home town. Like the other two, "The Little Street" and "The House in Delft," it was unusual for its time, since cityscapes were a rarity then. Here, on a small canvas barely a square metre in size, the painter renders mid-seventeenth-century Delft down to the smallest detail.

Jean-Léon Gérôme "Prayer in the Mosque" 1871

The French painter Jean-Léon Gérôme painted a mosque in Cairo after visiting Egypt in 1868. The mosque's interior dates back to the 7th century, but by the time the artist visited, the building had fallen into disuse. So it is unlikely he witnessed prayers there in person. Gérôme, however, travelled to the Middle East often and was deeply fascinated by local customs. It is believed that other travellers' accounts, photographs, and sketches were of great help to him in painting the scene.

El Greco "View of Toledo" 1596–1600

Only two landscapes are attributed to the legendary El Greco, and one of them movingly depicts this Spanish city. True to the artist's style, dark, threatening clouds loom over the rolling hills and cold stone buildings. In the interest of an expressive composition, El Greco rearranged the positions of some buildings, yet this remains one of the most famous and highly regarded works by the Mannerist painter.

Gustav Klimt "Malcesine on Lake Garda" 1913

Malcesine is a town on the shore of Lake Garda in the Verona region, and the Austrian painter Gustav Klimt simply adored it. The rustic landscape depicted in the painting exudes carefree tranquillity. Sadly, this painting, along with twelve other works by Klimt, was destroyed in the fire at Immendorf Castle, started by the Nazis during the Second World War.

Henri Matisse "Window at Tangier" 1912

This stunningly bold and vivid example of Henri Matisse's post-Fauvist aesthetic was painted in 1912. The artist visited Tangier, Morocco, twice and became deeply fascinated with Islamic art. Blue, a colour often found in North Africa, was a lifelong source of inspiration for Matisse. In "Window at Tangier," the landscape is built up from a wide range of blue tones laid down in flat patches. You can see the painting here.

Edvard Munch "Evening on Karl Johan Street" 1892

In this eerie painting by Edvard Munch, we see a zombie-like crowd of passers-by moving down Karl Johan Street in Oslo. Although the background is calm, bathed in warm evening light, the procession through the Norwegian capital feels far from comforting.

Edward Hopper "Nighthawks" 1942

Edward Hopper's "Nighthawks" is one of the most famous American works in art history. Hopper drew inspiration from a diner on the corner of Greenwich Avenue in New York, but the emotion he conveys transcends geographical boundaries.

"The Awakening of Kumbhakarna in the Golden City of Lanka" 1605

In Hindu mythology, Kumbhakarna was a giant. Legend has it that he slept for an entire age, until his demon brother Ravana woke him and told him that an army of monkeys and bears was attacking the city of Lanka. Lanka is a city from Hindu folklore, but it is identified with present-day Sri Lanka.