Put your hand up if you are one of those people who LOVES to geek-out in museums when you travel!
Well, I definitely am.
On every trip I take, I make it my goal to visit at least one well-known and one totally quirky museum (looking at you chocolate museum in Barcelona!) before leaving the city.
And, according to research conducted by the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA), I am not the only one — more than 106.5 million(!) people visit the top 20 museums in the world every year.
Not surprisingly, these havens of history are located in some of the world's most well-known cities — Paris, Washington DC, London, New York, Rome, Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei, and St Petersburg. Here's a look at the top ten most-visited museums in the world.
1. Louvre
Paris, France
8.7 million annual visitors
Admission: 15 Euros; those aged 18 and under are free
Opening Hours: Mon, Thu, Sat, Sun 9 am – 6 pm; Wed, Fri 9 am – 9:45 pm; Closed on Tuesdays
The Louvre is huge, impressive, and houses some of the most well-known art in the world — Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, ancient Greek vases... But, it's not only the art and artifacts that are impressive. The museum is housed in the former royal palace where famous historical figures like the Marie Antoinette and Napoleon once lived (not together, of course), and blockbuster films like The Da Vinci Code were filmed.
2. National Museum of China
Beijing, China
7.3 million annual visitors
Admission: FREE
Opening Hours: Open daily 9 am – 5 pm; Closed on Mondays
This enormous building is located on the east side of Tiananmen Square and covers a staggering 192,000 square meters. You will find a vast array of historic Chinese art, artifacts, porcelain, traditional furniture, and more! There are also regular travelling collections on display like a recent showcase of the works of Rembrandt.
3. National Museum of Natural History
Washington DC, USA
6.9 million annual visitors
Admission: FREE
Opening Hours: Open daily 10 am – 5:30 pm
A part of the Smithsonian Institution, this green domed structure is one of the world's top research complexes and museums "dedicated to inspiring curiosity, discovery, and learning about the natural world through its unparalleled research, collections, exhibitions, and education outreach programs." Basically, it's huge and full of a lot of really cool stuff!
4. National Air and Space Museum
Washington DC, USA
6.9 million annual visitors
Admission: FREE
Opening Hours: Open daily 10 am – 5:30 pm
Also part of the Smithsonian Institution, this is the ultimate place for space nuts to geek-out. It is here that you can actually get up-close-and-personal with the Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia and the 1903 Wright Flyer! There is also a huge IMAX theatre, an amazing planetarium, and a public observatory.
5. British Museum
London, United Kingdom
6.8 million annual visitors
Admission: FREE
Opening Hours: Open daily 10 am – 5:30 pm; Fri until 8:30 pm
This museum is home to some of the world's most important artifacts — the Elgin Marbles, the Rosetta Stone (not the language software). The building itself is a lovely mix of classical architecture and modern glass (see images above) that you could spend days in and still never see even a fraction of the incredible collection!
6. The Metropolitan Museum of Art
New York, NY, USA
6.3 million annual visitors
Admission: FREE
Opening Hours: Sun to Thu 10 am – 5:30 pm; Fri to Sat 10 am – 9 p
This sprawling, massive white building is perched on the edge of Central Park on Fifth Avenue in the Upper East Side. That means that views from its many windows are of the beautiful green space, and there are lots of paths for you to stroll if you need to take a break from a full day of wandering through galleries. Founded in 1870, it actually is home to one of the largest permanent collections in the world — more than 2 million objects!
7. Vatican Museums
Vatican, Vatican City, Rome
6.0 million annual visitors
Admission: 16 Euros
Opening Hours: Mon to Sat 9 am – 6 pm (final entry 4 pm); last Sun of the month 9 am – 2 pm
Located in the heart of the Vatican, this complex is made up of multiple museums, archaeological areas, villas, and gardens. The amazing artwork, sculptures, and artifacts are almost as impressive as the ornate rooms that they are housed in. There are multiple tours available including one that takes you into hidden and inaccessible areas of the Vatican.
8. Shanghai Science & Technology Museum
Shanghai, China
5.9 million annual visitors
Admission: 60 RMB (approx $10)
Opening Hours: Tue to Sun 9:00 am – 5:15 pm
This massive museum celebrates science and tech with permanent exhibitions like the World of Animals, Children's Science Land, World of Robots, Human and Health, the Chinese Ancient Science & Technology Gallery showing off Chinese ancient inventions, and more!
9. National Gallery
London, United Kingdon
5.9 million annual visitors
Admission: FREE
Opening Hours: Open daily 10 am – 6 pm; Fri until 9 pm
Located on one end of the famed Trafalgar Square in London, this museum contains more than 2,300 masterpieces by Da Vinci, Cézanne, Monet, Rubens, Vermeer, Van Gogh, and many more esteemed artists. This is also the home of portraits of some of England's most famous historical figures.
10. National Palace Museum
Taipei, Taiwan
5.3 million annual visitors
Admission: 250 NT (approx $10)
Opening Hours: Sun to Thu 8:30 am – 6:30 pm; Fri and Sat until 9 pm
This museum has a permanent collection of more than 700,000(!) pieces of ancient Chinese imperial artifacts and artworks, most of which were part of the Chinese imperial collection started over 1,000 years ago in the Song Dynasty.
