For museum lovers, there are several world cities that stand out from the pack with their unparalleled collections, architectural gems, and revelatory cultural experiences. From the historic art capitals of Europe to the futuristic design museums of Asia and the Americas, these cities boast world-class institutions that span the ancient civilizations to contemporary art and everything in between. Here are the ultimate places every museum lover should have on their bucket list, with each city’s must-visit museums and unique appeal.
Europe’s Timeless Art Capitals
Paris, France
Where the Louvre museum—the world’s largest—takes up a palace, Paris is a treasure trove of masterpieces of every era. Beyond the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo, the museum’s sprawling wings contain Egyptian antiquities, Greek sculpture, and French decorative arts, for hours of exploration. Along the Seine itself, the Musée d’Orsay occupies a beaux-arts train station and glows with its holdings of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings, with Monet, Van Gogh, and Renoir in an irreplaceable riverside setting.
London, United Kingdom
The encyclopedic holdings of the British Museum reach back four millennia from the Rosetta Stone to the Elgin Marbles in a world tour of human history in a single building. Meanwhile, the Tate Modern appropriates a former power station on the South Bank as a cutting-edge showcase of modern art, featuring Picasso, Hockney, and international emerging artists against brilliant industrial architecture.
Rome, Italy
Pilgrims and artists alike stare in wonder at Raphael’s Rooms and Michelangelo’s ceiling at the Vatican Museums, a high point in Renaissance perfection. Situated atop Rome’s ancient hill just outside Vatican City, the Capitoline Museums house classical sculpture and medieval artwork with stunning views of the Roman Forum.
Central Europe’s Cultural Treasures
Vienna, Austria
The Kunsthistorisches Museum glimmers with imperial treasures of the Habsburgs: Titian’s portraits, Dutch Masters, and decorative arts in opulent Baroque rooms. Just next door is Belvedere Palace, holding within its walls Klimt’s “The Kiss” in golden tones among formal gardens, where fine art and building meet in an ur-Viennese confluence.
Amsterdam, Netherlands
The Rijksmuseum charts the Golden Age of the Netherlands through Rembrandt’s “The Night Watch” and Vermeer’s domestic interiors in a 19th-century building on a grand scale. Across from it is the Van Gogh Museum containing the largest collection of his paintings anywhere, with his erratic life traced through enormous sunflowers, self-portraits, and landscapes of Provençe.
North America’s Diverse Offerings
New York City, USA
The Metropolitan Museum spans 5,000 years and every continent, from temples in Egypt to American modernism, beneath its Fifth Avenue landmark façade. A few city blocks to its west, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) revolutionized art history with its pioneering 20th- and 21st-century collections by Picasso, Warhol, and visionary innovators.
Mexico City, Mexico
The massive Aztec Sun Stone greets visitors to the Museo Nacional de Antropología in an open sculptural courtyard, and indoor galleries are committed to Mayan, Olmec, and Aztec civilizations through sculpture, ceramics, and ritual artifacts. The modern museum design and shaded gardens provide a cultural oasis amidst Chapultepec Park in the city.
Asia’s Emerging Museum Hubs
Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo’s Ueno Park houses National Museum, protecting Japan’s treasures like its samurai armor, Buddhist sculpture, and beautiful ukiyo-e woodblock prints. For contemporary style, nearby Roppongi Hills’ rooftop is where you’ll find Mori Art Museum, showcasing cutting-edge Japanese and global artworks and breathtaking city vistas from its higher-level galleries.
Shanghai, China
Sited in a converted power station building on the Bund, Shanghai’s first state-owned museum of contemporary art is the Power Station of Art, with experimental sculpture, paintings, and new media. Following close is Shanghai Museum’s breathtaking treasures of bronzes from ancient times, jade carvings, and Ming-Qing furniture in a theatrically circular building.
Oceania’s Unique Perspective
Sydney, Australia
Gallery merges colonial-era European pieces with a landmark Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander collection with harbor and Opera House backdrops. A sculpture garden and river terrace areas provide every visit with a juxtaposition of nature and artistic discovery.