The World's Top 10 Museums

March 05, 2008

TripAdvisor, the world's largest travel community, announced the top 10 most popular art museums in the world. 

The list was compiled through an analysis of the search activity and postings on the website, which attracts some 30 million hits per month.

It features six European museums and four US galleries, with the Louvre topping the list.

It is interesting to notice that eight out of ten museums feature ancient art  in their collections.

Here is the top 10, complete with reviews of TripAdvisor travelers.

1. Musee du Louvre, Paris, France : "The world's greatest museum-from its Italian Renaissance Masters, to its Dutch Masters and the exquisite collection from Egypt's Pharaonic period. Each time I visit I always discover new treasures and I reacquaint myself with my favorites."

2. Vatican Museums, Vatican City, Rome, Italy : "The amount of history and art that is located here is mind-boggling, from the frescoes to the statues, virtually every nook and corner (even the floor) is a treasure."

3. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: "We spent over 4 hours exploring the place. I really enjoyed the Renoir and Monet paintings and the Degas sculptures. The Egyptian exhibit was amazing and we all loved the Medieval weapons and armor."

4. J Paul Getty Center, Los Angeles, California: "Splendid sculpture, ancient antiquities, and fine European decorative art works."

5. Musee d’Orsay, Paris, France: "Musee d'Orsay picks up where the Louvre leaves off, featuring French art from the mid 1800s to the 1st World War."

6. Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy: "A stunning array of Renaissance art, and generally well organised. You can follow the progress of art in italy by working the halls."

7. Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois:"The major attraction was its collection of Impressionists, but there were nice collections of modern art and ancient art as well."

8. Tate Modern, London, England :"Utterly beautiful building, beautiful art, fabulous book shop - there must be thousands of books and arty presents in there."

9. Prado Museum, Madrid, Spain : "This is a first-class museum. Of course, the highlight is 'Las Meninas' but there is so much to see in this place."

10. National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC :"For the art lover, it is paradise. Forget most of the other museums, spend a day or two in these galleries."