1 | THE LOUVRE Paris
There are always long lines at the door but it's
worth the wait to see the world's greatest and most famous museum. Leonardo
DaVinci's Mona Lisa is the star, but there are literally thousands of other
treasures of human civilization, from Egypt, Asia, ancient Greece and Rome.
2 | THE HERMITAGE ST. PETERSBURG
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This gigantic museum has the world's largest
collection of paintings. It's a stunning place, covering the history of the
world from the Stone Age to present times, and especially impressive are the
Golden Rooms with their golden gems.
3 | THE BRITISH MUSEUM London
This museum has millions of works of art from
all over the world. Its galleries are devoted to Egypt, Greece, Roman
civilization, Asia, Africa, and medieval Europe, tracing human history and
culture. The highlight is the Elgin Marbles that once decorated the Parthenon
in Athens.
4 | THE EGYPTIAN MUSEUM Cairo
As you'd expect, here you'll find the most
complete collection of Egyptian art in the world. Among the thousands of
treasures (which includes the popular Mummy Room) are the famous artifacts from
Tutankhamun's tomb.
5 | UFFIZI Florence
This 16th century palace holds hundreds of
masterpieces, including marvelous Renaissance sculptures and Botticelli's
famous Birth of Venus, among other much-recognized masterworks of
the Renaissance.
6 | THE MET - METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART New York
A truly outstanding museum with everything from
Islamic, Egyptian, Greek, and Indian art to European paintings. It holds more
than 2 million works from around the world, from pre-history to the 21st century.
7 | MOMA New York
This is the most important modern art museum in
the world. It covers the late 19th century to the present day, with highlights
including Picasso's Demoiselles d'Avignon or Van Gogh's Starry
night.
8 | THE VATICAN MUSEUMS Rome
It's a series of exhibition spaces filled with
priceless treasures that blow visitors away by their grandeur and beauty. The
highlight is Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel.
9 | THE PRADO MADRID
This treasure trove includes sculptures and
drawing but the strongest collection is, naturally, of Spanish masterpieces by
Goya, El Greco and Velazquez (whose Las Meninasis the best-known
work of the museum).
10|NATIONAL ARCHEOLOGY MUSEUM ATHENS
This is the place to admire the masterpieces of
ancient Greece. Its unrivaled collection includes a bronze Artemision Podeidon
from the 5th century B.C.