The Top 5 Museums in the World

Calling all art lovers, history buffs and science nerds: TTEA/AECOM Global Attractions Attendance Report has ranked the top museums in the world. In its annual tracking of museum attendance, the travel company unveiled that unsurprisingly, Paris’s Louvre is the globe’s most visited museum with nearly three million visitors per year. Those who wish to fly out see what lies inside the other walls of wonder might want to consider purchasing insurance for travel to protect their travel investment, similar to that one painting with a woman’s mysterious smile that’s insured for $100 million.

5. Vatican Museums, Vatican City

The Vatican Museums are Christian art Museums located within Vatican City. Their expansive collection offers you the ability to see the Sistine Chapel, the Pinecone Courtyard, the Spiral Staircase and much, much more.

4. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City

Located in New York City, The Metropolitan Museum of art (also known as “the Met”) features over 2 million works, spread across 17 different curatorial departments. The Met has three different buildings located across New York — The Met Fifth Avenue, The Met Breuer and The Met Cloisters. Across the various locations, you'll find a mix of permanent and rotating exhibits.

3. National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C.

Following in the third spot is the National Museum of Natural History located in the U.S. capital. Administered by the Smithsonian, the facility boasts full-scale dinosaur skeletons that kids ogle over and one of the finest collections of gems and minerals, including the 45.52 carat Hope Diamond and the Star of Asia sapphire. There are also exhibits on the waters of the world and an IMAX theater to soak things in, in larger-than-life fashion.

2. National Museum of China, Beijing

Drawing nearly two million visitors per year, the National Museum of China is the second most popular museum. It is considered the most inclusive museum of time-honored Chinese culture and history in the country. Today, visitors will find a total of 48 exhibitions halls that take them on a history tour starting in the ancient road through the Qing Empire to the First Opium War to modern day.

1. Louvre, Paris

The Louvre has been a main landmark of downtown Paris for centuries, though not always in the incarnation that visitors see it today. The original structure was a fortress built in 1190 by Phillippe Auguste, and the Salle Basse (Lower Hall) is all that remains of the Louvre’s medieval interior today. Not only is the Louvre the most visited museum, but it is also the world’s most famous, housing a collection of more than 1 million pieces of art from Michelangelo, Egyptian sculptors and of course, Leonardo da Vinci.

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