list of the best museums in the world: international museum day

today is the international museum day. to celebrate, we've rounded up some of the world's best museums and galleries for you to add to your bucket list! from classics to unique museums, these lists showcase some of the finest works of art. let's take a closer look at some of the top museums around the globe.

01. THE MOST UNIQUE

— molinere underwater sculpture park [ caribbean sea, grenada ]
the first underwater sculpture museum in the world opened to the public in may 2006. divers and snorkelers in grenada may witness more than just schools of neon tang fish and green and hawksbill turtles! they could also run into mama glo and la diablesse — two of the thirty-one new life-size sculptures underwater, buried three to seven meters off the island's west coast!

— ōmataroa eco-tours [ new zealand ]
leading tours in the semi-coastal ámataroa forest on the north island, this māori-owned and operated tour business educates guests about local animals, like the kārearea, new zealand's only native falcon species, and native trees, such the rewa-rewa. you are guided by tangata whenua (people of the land), who have knowledge that has been passed down through the generations.

ōmataroa eco-tours

— international spy museum [ usa, washington dc ]
the international spy museum provides an interesting look into the world of intelligence and espionage for visitors. the museum seeks to enable awareness of the significant role that intelligence has played in history and its application today, despite the issue being one that is frequently shrouded in secret. one of the exhibitions is called operation spy, where visitors may dress like secret agents and engage in an hour-long spy simulation! how cool?

international spy museum

02. THE MOST VISUALLY STUNNING

— zaishui art museum [ shandong, china ]
looking for a one-kilometre-long museum emerging from chinese lake? I know you don’t but now you do! japanese architect junya ishigami create a museum that is itself a “new landscape, embedding it into the chinese environment to create the experience of walking through the lake.

— depot boijmans van beuningen [ rotterdam, netherlands ]
the building itself worth the visit!! this building, and museum of course, is just fantastic. this museum is the world’s first publicly accessible art storage facility, boasting over 150,000 collected pieces of art and other objects. in my opinion, this is truly one of the best art collections in the world and a spectacular way to spend your morning ou evening. 

depot boijmans van beuningen

— the royal ontario museum [ toronto, canada ]
opened in 1914, the toyal ontario museum (ROM) showcases art, culture, and nature from around the globe and across the ages.this museum includes a sweeping architectural transformation of the core of the museum and a newly designed bloor street entrance that links to the neighbourhood.

the royal ontario museum

 — guggenheim bilbao [ bilbao, spain ]
designed by frank gehry, this museum on the nervión river has a flowing, semi-organic facade clad in titanium that has been heralded as a pioneering example of deconstructivism. 

guggenheim bilbao

— the grand egyptian museum [ cario, egypt ]
situated in close proximity to the renowned ciza pyramids, the grand egyptian museum was constructed over the course of ten years and more than one billion dollars. this museum, created in 2003 by the architectural company heneghan peng, is 490,000 square meters in size and has several parks, gardens, and fountains.

the grand egyptian museum

03. THE CLASSICS

— louvre [ paris, france ]
home to thousands of works of art, including the famous mona lisa, we all know louvre! It is one of the largest and most visited museums in the world. with its iconic glass pyramid entrance, this museum is a must-visit for everyone!

louvre

— british museum [ london, uk ]
housing a vast collection of art and artifacts from around the world, this museum is a treasure trove of history — it offers a glimpse into the ancient civilizations that shaped our world.

british museum

— the metropolitan museum of art [ new york city, usa ]
from european paintings to egyptian artifacts, with over two million works of art spanning over 5,000 years of history, the MET is a cultural hub in the heart of new york!

— the vatican museums [ vatican city, italy ]
home to the sistine chapel and countless masterpieces by artists like michelangelo and raphael, this is are a must-see for art lovers!

— tate modern [ london, uk ]
since tate modern first opened in 2000, it has become a london landmark, not just for the art it houses, but also for the architecture of the building itself (one of my favorite places in london!)

tate modern

— museo nacional del prado [ madrid, spain ]
founded as a museum of paintings and sculpture in 1819, it houses collections of european art, dating from the 12th century to the early 20th century, based on the former spanish royal collection, and the single best collection of spanish art. definitely one of the world's leading art galleries.

museo nacional del prado

— rijksmuseum [ amsterdam, netherlands ]
one of the world's most famous museums — a must visit. this museum is home to dutch masterpieces, like the milkmaid by vermeer, by van gogh, jan steen and rembrandt's night watch. this place holds 800 years of Dutch history and is an incredible building in itself.

rijksmuseum

sofia torres is the digital media designer at CINCO. born in '97, she believes her strong passion for what she does enables her to create meaningful work. her educational background includes a master in multimedia design at the university of coimbra. since day one, she's loving working at CINCO.