Visiting museums offers a window into different cultures, histories, and ways of thinking. It’s one of the most popular activities for tourists exploring a new destination, but it’s equally rewarding when enjoyed closer to home if you’re lucky enough to live in a city with museums, whether large or small.
Ahead of International Museum Day on 18 May, we’re highlighting some of the world’s most renowned museums and a selection of must-see exhibitions to explore across Europe, the United States, and Canada.
6 of the world’s leading museums
1. British Museum, London
Home to a permanent collection of eight million works, the British Museum spans more than two million years of human history, with artefacts from every continent.
Opened in 1759, it was the world’s first national public museum and remains free to enter today, giving everyone access to knowledge and culture.
One of the museum’s most famous artefacts is the Rosetta Stone, and the Elgin Marbles (also known as the Parthenon Marbles) are housed here.
If you’re planning a visit between September 2026 and July 2027, you’ll have the rare chance to see the Bayeux Tapestry in England for the first time in more than 900 years, on display in the Sainsbury Exhibitions Gallery.
As a separately ticketed exhibition, demand is expected to be exceptionally high, with tickets on sale from 1 July 2026.
2. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
The Smithsonian Institution is not a single museum, but the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, comprising 21 museums, galleries, and the National Zoo.
With the majority of its museums offering free admission, it’s also one of the most accessible cultural institutions globally. Its collections exceed 150 million objects, ranging from spacecraft and fossils to fine art and historic artefacts. Highlights include the original Apollo 11 Command Module, the Wright Flyer, and the Star-Spangled Banner.
From 14 May 2026, the Smithsonian will lead the United States’ 250th anniversary celebrations with a bold, immersive exhibition exploring the ideals of the Declaration of Independence. “In Pursuit of Life, Liberty & Happiness” features 250 objects across 250,000 square feet, including the desk Jefferson used to draft the Declaration of Independence.
3. The Acropolis Museum, Athens
The Acropolis Museum is dedicated to the archaeological findings from the Acropolis of Athens and its surrounding slopes, showcasing artefacts from ancient Greek civilisation.
The current building opened in 2009, replacing earlier museum facilities and was designed to display and preserve the Acropolis’s treasures. Its collection spans the Archaic, Classical, and Roman periods, offering a comprehensive view of life in ancient Athens.
One of its most striking features is the glass floor revealing the ancient Athenian neighbourhood uncovered during construction, offering a direct link between the city’s past and present.
The museum sits just a few minutes’ walk from the Acropolis itself, making it an essential stop for visitors to the archaeological site.
4. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is the largest art museum in the United States and among the most visited in the world.
Its collection spans more than 5,000 years of art, from ancient Egyptian temples and classical sculpture to European masterpieces by artists such as Rembrandt and Van Gogh.
The museum is globally known for the annual Met Gala, one of the most high-profile events in fashion and culture, which launches its themed Costume Institute exhibition. For 2026, “Costume Art” runs from May 2026 to January 2027 and explores the relationship between clothing and the human body through fashion and artworks.
5. Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto
The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is the largest in Canada and among the largest in North America, showcasing art, culture, and natural history. The ROM is especially known for its dinosaur fossils, mineral collections, and extensive displays of natural science specimens.
The ROM’s striking Michael Lee-Chin Crystal extension is one of Toronto’s most recognisable buildings.
The museum presents a regularly changing programme of exhibitions and installations, and if you’re visiting in 2026, you can see “BEES: A Story of Survival” and “Crawford Lake, Layers in Time”, both offering immersive perspectives on nature, science, and human impact.
6. The Louvre, Paris
We couldn’t highlight the world’s leading museums without including the most visited. The Louvre Museum welcomes millions of visitors each year, and its most famous artwork, the Mona Lisa, continues to draw huge crowds daily.
Beyond Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic painting, other highlights include sculptures like the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace, the remains of the medieval Louvre, and opulent objects from France’s royal history, including jewellery, furniture, and ceremonial pieces.
Be sure to leave plenty of time when visiting, as the Louvre is so vast that it would take days to see everything, with more than 60,000 square metres of exhibition space.
Exhibitions not to miss in 2026 and 2027
Don’t miss out on these notable exhibition highlights across some of the world’s most iconic cultural destinations:
- Guggenheim Pop, Guggenheim, New York (5 June 2026 – 10 January 2027): A major exhibition exploring the legacy of Pop Art and its ongoing influence on contemporary culture, featuring bold works that blur the line between high art, advertising, and mass media.
- Anish Kapoor, Hayward Gallery, London (16 June – 18 October 2026): A large-scale immersive exhibition by Anish Kapoor, bringing together monumental installations, mirror works, and void-like sculptures that explore perception, space, and materiality across his five-decade career.
- Indigenous Futurism: Science, Technology, and Resistance in Contemporary Art (October 2025 – May 2027): This contemporary art exhibition will travel to five museums across the United States and Canada over 18 months. It highlights Indigenous perspectives on the future, showcasing works that combine traditional knowledge with science fiction, technology, and decolonial narratives to reimagine global futures.
- Rothko in Florence, Palazzo Strozzi, Florence (14 March – 23 August 2026): A major retrospective of Mark Rothko, focusing on his exploration of colour, emotion, and spirituality through large-scale abstract works, presented in dialogue with the Renaissance setting of Florence.
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