> Source: https://worldmuseumguide.org/ — updated 2026-09-25. Markdown mirror generated at build time from the same content as the HTML page. Title: World Museum Guide: Hours, Tickets & Highlights 257 museums · 48 countries · facts checked against official sites # The independent guide to the world's great museums World Museum Guide covers 257 museums in 48 countries with verified ticket prices, opening hours, free-entry days, must-see highlights and how long to allow — plus museum comparisons and a free-days calendar. No ads, no ticket commissions: every guide links to the museum's official website. [Browse all 257 museums](https://worldmuseumguide.org/museums/) [Free museums](https://worldmuseumguide.org/free-museums/) Museum guides 257 Countries 48 Always free 55 Ads or commissions 0 ## The most visited museums in the world Ranked by annual visitors — prices, hours and time needed for each. [Full World Museum Index →](https://worldmuseumguide.org/world-museum-index/) Paris, France ### [The Louvre](https://worldmuseumguide.org/museums/louvre/) Art Museum · Best for art lovers & history enthusiasts The Louvre is the world's largest art museum and a historic monument in Paris, France. A central landmark of the city, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement. €22 for EEA visitors · ⏱ 3–5 hours · Closed Tuesdays Vatican City, Vatican City ### [Vatican Museums](https://worldmuseumguide.org/museums/vatican-museums/) Art Museum · Best for art lovers & first-timers The Vatican Museums are the public museums of the Vatican City. They display works from the immense collection amassed by the Catholic Church and the papacy throughout the centuries, including several of the most renowned Roman sculptures and most important masterpieces of Renaissance art in the world. €20 at the ticket office · ⏱ 3–4 hours [Free](https://worldmuseumguide.org/museums/national-museum-of-korea/) Seoul, South Korea ### [National Museum of Korea](https://worldmuseumguide.org/museums/national-museum-of-korea/) Art Museum · Best for history enthusiasts & art lovers The National Museum of Korea moved to its current Yongsan home in 2005. The vast stone building frames a central 'Path of History' that aligns dramatically with distant Namsan tower. Free entry · ⏱ 2–3 hours [Free](https://worldmuseumguide.org/museums/british-museum/) London, United Kingdom ### [The British Museum](https://worldmuseumguide.org/museums/british-museum/) History & Archaeology · Best for history enthusiasts & families The British Museum, located in the Bloomsbury area of London, United Kingdom, is a public institution dedicated to human history, art and culture. Its permanent collection of some eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. Free entry · ⏱ 2–4 hours New York City, United States ### [The Metropolitan Museum of Art](https://worldmuseumguide.org/museums/metropolitan-museum-of-art/) Art Museum · Best for art lovers & history enthusiasts The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially 'the Met', is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. $30 · ⏱ 3–5 hours · Closed Wednesdays Saint Petersburg, Russia ### [State Russian Museum](https://worldmuseumguide.org/museums/russian-museum/) Art Museum · Best for art lovers & history enthusiasts Founded by Emperor Nicholas II in 1895 as the Russian Museum of Emperor Alexander III, the State Russian Museum opened in 1898 in Carlo Rossi's Mikhailovsky Palace on Inzhenernaya Street. 700 RUB · ⏱ 2–3 hours · Closed Tuesdays ## Top museum cities The best museums in each city, ranked and compared. [All 48 countries →](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/) [Paris 14 museums · France](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/france/paris/) · [London 13 museums · United Kingdom](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/united-kingdom/london/) · [New York City 8 museums · United States](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/united-states/new-york-city/) · [Tokyo 8 museums · Japan](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/japan/tokyo/) · [Amsterdam 7 museums · Netherlands](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/netherlands/amsterdam/) · [Washington D.C. 7 museums · United States](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/united-states/washington-d-c/) · [Rome 6 museums · Italy](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/italy/rome/) · [Florence 6 museums · Italy](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/italy/florence/) ## Plan a smarter museum trip [🎟 Free museums 55 museums with free entry for everyone, city by city.](https://worldmuseumguide.org/free-museums/) · [📅 Free days calendar Free Sundays, free evenings and who gets in free at 69 more museums.](https://worldmuseumguide.org/calendar/) · [⚖️ Compare museums Louvre or Orsay? Met or MoMA? Side-by-side verdicts on prices and time needed.](https://worldmuseumguide.org/compare/) · [🖼 Famous artworks Where to see the Mona Lisa, The Starry Night and 48 more masterpieces.](https://worldmuseumguide.org/exhibits/) ## Recently fact-checked Prices and hours checked against each museum's official website. - [American Museum of Natural History · New York City](https://worldmuseumguide.org/museums/american-museum-of-natural-history/) 25 Sept 2026 - [Centre Pompidou · Paris](https://worldmuseumguide.org/museums/centre-pompidou/) 25 Sept 2026 - [Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia · Kuala Lumpur](https://worldmuseumguide.org/museums/islamic-arts-museum-malaysia/) 25 Sept 2026 - [Musée d'Orsay · Paris](https://worldmuseumguide.org/museums/musee-dorsay/) 25 Sept 2026 - [Museo del Prado · Madrid](https://worldmuseumguide.org/museums/prado/) 25 Sept 2026 - [Museo Nacional de Antropología · Mexico City](https://worldmuseumguide.org/museums/museo-nacional-de-antropologia/) 25 Sept 2026 - [Museum MACAN · Jakarta](https://worldmuseumguide.org/museums/museum-macan/) 25 Sept 2026 - [Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) · New York City](https://worldmuseumguide.org/museums/moma/) 25 Sept 2026 ## Why trust this guide - ✓**Checked at the source.** Every guide shows when its prices and hours were verified, with a link to the official page. - ✓**No ads, no commissions.** We don't sell tickets, so rankings aren't for sale. - ✓**Mistakes are logged.** 24 corrections published — [see the log](https://worldmuseumguide.org/corrections/). - ✓**Open data.** Download every museum's facts as [JSON or CSV](https://worldmuseumguide.org/open-data/). ## Museum questions, answered ### What is the most visited museum in the world? The Louvre in Paris is the most visited museum in the world, with about 9 million visitors a year according to The Art Newspaper annual attendance survey. The Vatican Museums and the National Museum of Korea follow. [World Museum Index →](https://worldmuseumguide.org/world-museum-index/) ### Which famous museums are free to enter? World Museum Guide lists 55 museums with free standard admission for everyone — including the British Museum, National Gallery and Tate Modern in London and the Smithsonian museums in Washington, DC — and 69 more with free days or free entry for some visitors. [Free museums guide →](https://worldmuseumguide.org/free-museums/) · [Free days calendar →](https://worldmuseumguide.org/calendar/) ### How far ahead should I book museum tickets? For the Louvre, Vatican Museums, Van Gogh Museum, Uffizi and similar blockbusters, book a timed-entry slot two to four weeks ahead in spring and summer. Many free museums, such as the British Museum, also recommend a free timed ticket at busy times. Each guide says whether booking ahead is needed. ### How does World Museum Guide check its information? Each museum guide shows the date its admission prices and opening hours were last checked against the museum’s official website, and links to that source. The site has no ads and sells no tickets, so recommendations are independent. Corrections are published in a dated log. [Editorial policy →](https://worldmuseumguide.org/editorial-policy/) · [Corrections log →](https://worldmuseumguide.org/corrections/) ## Browse museums by country [United States (30)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/united-states/) [France (19)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/france/) [United Kingdom (18)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/united-kingdom/) [Italy (17)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/italy/) [Japan (14)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/japan/) [China (14)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/china/) [Netherlands (12)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/netherlands/) [Spain (12)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/spain/) [Russia (12)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/russia/) [Malaysia (11)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/malaysia/) [Indonesia (11)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/indonesia/) [Egypt (9)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/egypt/) [United Arab Emirates (6)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/united-arab-emirates/) [Germany (5)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/germany/) [Australia (4)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/australia/) [Canada (4)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/canada/) [Singapore (4)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/singapore/) [Mexico (4)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/mexico/) [South Africa (3)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/south-africa/) [Austria (3)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/austria/) [India (3)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/india/) [Qatar (3)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/qatar/) [Greece (2)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/greece/) [Poland (2)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/poland/) [Colombia (2)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/colombia/) [Switzerland (2)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/switzerland/) [Brazil (2)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/brazil/) [Israel (2)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/israel/) [Turkey (2)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/turkey/) [Denmark (2)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/denmark/) [Belgium (2)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/belgium/) [Argentina (2)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/argentina/) [Norway (2)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/norway/) [Ireland (2)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/ireland/) [South Korea (2)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/south-korea/) [Thailand (1)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/thailand/) [Peru (1)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/peru/) [Morocco (1)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/morocco/) [Portugal (1)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/portugal/) [Hungary (1)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/hungary/) [Czech Republic (1)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/czech-republic/) [Nigeria (1)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/nigeria/) [Iran (1)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/iran/) [Kenya (1)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/kenya/) [Taiwan (1)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/taiwan/) [New Zealand (1)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/new-zealand/) [Sweden (1)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/sweden/) [Vatican City (1)](https://worldmuseumguide.org/countries/vatican-city/)