The Top 10 Museums in the World You Won't Want to Miss

There are countless museums in the world, and if you’re on vacation, it can be difficult to know which ones to visit. This list of the best museums in the world will give you a great starting point, as they include some of the most well-known and popular destinations in the world. Which museums are your favorites? Let us know in the comments below!

1) Louvre - Paris, France

Tourists who visit the Louvre may explore Western art from the Middle Ages to 1848 as well as a large number of ancient civilizations, or they may discover a different kind of history. Home to the Louvre, a museum that was first opened in the 1200s, the Grand Palace is an intriguing building. Modern artists have renovated and improved the design of the museum time and time again over the centuries. Over time, this building which housed rulers has also become a major aspect of the history of Paris and France.

2. THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM 

In NYC, The Metropolitan Museum of Art (sometimes colloquially known as the Met) is the biggest art museum in the US, where over 5,000 years of art is presented. Since its founding in 1870, The Met has always been more than just a place for beautiful objects. Every day, a new way of expression comes to life in the museum's galleries and through its exhibitions and events, introducing the audience to new concepts and new perspectives across time and across different cultures.

3) Britsh Museum, London

The first date that the British Museum opened its doors to the public was 1759. It was the first national museum to display goods from every corner of the globe. Neither other museum boasts collections that are as deep and broad, beautiful and significant. We can explore more than eight million objects in it, ranging from small communities to vast empires, discovering how human beings have treated every aspect of life differently and how closely linked they are.

4) THE UFFIZI GALLERIES, FLORENCE, ITALY

Florence's Uffizi Galleries take up the first and second floors of a building designed by Giorgio Vasari in the 1560s and 1580s. The museum has outstanding collections of ancient sculptures and paintings (from the Middle Ages to the Modern Age), including some absolute masterpieces from the 14th and Renaissance periods. There is also an invaluable collection of ancient statues and busts from the Medici family, which adorn the hallways and consist of ancient Roman copies of lost Greek sculptures.

5) THE STATE HERMITAGE MUSEUM,  RUSSIA

Second, only to the Louvre, the State Hermitage Museum has over 3 million artworks, including cultures from all over the world. Founded in 1764, it became world-famous when Empress Catherine the Great bought art from a Berlin merchant named Johann Ernst Gotzkowsky. It consists of paintings, graphic art, sculptures, applied arts, archaeological finds, and numismatic pieces that can be found in six historic buildings in the Palace Embankment area, once the former home of Russian rulers.

6)THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, USA

Founded in 1846 with funds from James Smithson the Smithsonian Institution is the world's biggest historical center, training, and exploration complex, lodging 19 galleries and the National Zoo,. That's to say, spending one minute looking at each item on display each day for one hundred days will allow you to see only 10% of the museum in ten years. Therefore, it's wise to limit yourself to exploring two or three exhibits at one or two museums at a time.

7)THE VATICAN MUSEUMS,  ITALY

While the Vatican City is home to the Roman Catholic Church's governing body and its head, the pope, this small sovereign city-state within Rome is also a diverse place and there are lots of sights for visitors of any faith. Visitors to Vatican City cannot skip out on the renowned Vatican Museums. These exhibitions display some of the Catholic Church's and the papacy's most famous works, including some of the world's most famous sculptures, including several from ancient Rome and the most important masterpieces of Renaissance art.

8)THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART (MOMA),  USA

1929 was the year in which the Museum of Modern Art was founded to serve as an educational institution. It now strives to be the world's foremost museum of modern art. It demonstrates this commitment by establishing, preserving, and documenting a high-quality collection of contemporary art. Over 150,000 paintings, sculptures, and design objects have been added to MoMA, as well as nearly 22,000 films, videos, media works, film stills, scripts, and historical documents.

9) THE PRADO

Designed by Juan de Villanueva in 1785 to house the Natural History Cabinet, the building currently houses the Museo Nacional del Prado. As a Royal Museum of Paintings and Sculptures, the building will be named after the monarch's grandson, King Ferdinand VII, whose wife Queen Maria Isabel de Braganza encouraged him to do so. It was opened to the public in 1819. Today, it is one of the world's most famous art museums, with more than 3 million visitors annually and a presence online of 10 million people.

10) THE RIJKSMUSEUM, THE NETHERLANDS

A world-renowned art museum, the Rijksmuseum is located in Amsterdam's Museum Square. As early as 1808, the museum was housed in Huis ten Bosch in The Hague, however, it later moved to Amsterdam, the new capital city. In the museum's Gallery of Honor, you can see 8,000 of the museum's 1 million objects, from 1200 to 2000. Even if you only have a few minutes to spare, the gallery offers a glimpse of some of Dutch art's best pieces.