For those fortunate enough to be contemplating late-summer vacations in oh-so-expensive Europe, a number of museums dedicated to the legacy of single artists and located in obvious holiday destinations are worth a visit. From the euphoria of Matisse in Nice to the harder-going experience of Munch in Oslo, there are real pleasures to be had in each of these institutions. Their collections — and locations — provide vital insights into the individual artists that they celebrate.

1. Musée Matisse, Nice

Housed in a 17th-century résidence with a gorgeous modernist addition from 1993, the Musée Matisse in Nice is a must-see for anyone doing a modern-day grand tour. Matisse’s mature art, with its high-pitched color and effusive drawing and paint handling, seems particularly at home in Nice, where the artist lived from 1917 until his death in 1954. This summer’s special exhibition is “Henri Matisse, le musée: sous les feux de la rampe — 1963–2008” (“sous les feux de la rampe” means “in the limelight”), a 45th-birthday celebration of the museum and its collection. Much more than a re-hang, the show includes over 100 loans from public and private collections, and in the modern wing there is an exhibition within an exhibition that explores Matisse’s influence on contemporary art.

2. Musée Nationale Picasso, Paris

Probably my favorite single-artist museum anywhere in the world, the Musée Nationale Picasso in the Marais section of Paris is one of those rare cultural destinations that seems to get better every time you go. Paris is so overstuffed with art-related treats that the Picasso Museum feels slightly off the tourist track, and thus offers a chance for relatively quiet contemplation of its collection. And what a collection it is! Included are some 3,000 works, most of which were famously acquired by the French nation in two major installments: some upon Picasso’s death in 1973 in lieu of inheritance taxes, and some after the death of his wife, Jacqueline, in 1986. The collection spans Picasso’s entire output but is particularly strong in sculpture and late work.

3. Zentrum Paul Klee, Bern

With 4,000 paintings, watercolors, and drawings, the scale of the Zentrum Paul Klee puts even the Picasso museum’s holdings into perspective. And the collection, which includes only 40 percent of everything Klee ever did, is all housed in a remarkable building by Renzo Piano; based on Klee’s style and the local countryside, the triple-humped, undulating “landscape sculpture” is one of the most remarkable buildings erected this century (it opened in 2005). Even still, the center does everything it can to be more than a museum, and this year it has come up with a program of events called “East of Eden — A Garden Show,” which this month features three separate exhibitions: “In Paul Klee’s Enchanted Garden,” “Lost Paradise — The Angel’s Gaze,” and “Art Playground — The Front Garden,” a show of contemporary art including Paul McCarthy’s monumental dog turd, Complex Shit. In Switzerland, of all places!

4. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

If the Musée Nationale Picasso is somewhat overlooked by tourists, Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum provides a stark contrast: It seems that every stoner and lovelorn art student in northern Europe has decided to time his visit for the same afternoon. Every day. Still, it’s unmissable. The fact that van Gogh might have sold only one painting during his lifetime is the unlikely reason why the museum is so all-encompassing. At its core is the collection of van Gogh’s long-suffering brother, Theo, whose son Vincent Willem transferred the collection to the Vincent van Gogh Foundation in 1962. In addition, the museum maintains an aggressive acquisitions policy, particularly when it comes to van Gogh’s friends and contemporaries. This summer’s special exhibitions include “Vincent van Gogh and the French Still Life” and — go figure — a small Malevich show culled from the nearby Stedelijk Museum’s collection.