The 10 Best Cities in the World for Art and Museums

For lovers of art, certain cities are pilgrimage sites — places where the world's greatest paintings, sculptures and museums are concentrated within a few walkable streets. If you plan your travels around galleries and masterpieces, start here.

The Renaissance heartlands

Florence is the birthplace of the Renaissance, home to Michelangelo's David and the Uffizi Gallery, while Rome and Vatican City hold the Sistine Chapel and centuries of masterpieces. Venice adds its own Biennale and Titians.

The great national collections

Paris is home to the Louvre, the world's most visited museum, and the Musée d'Orsay's Impressionists. London's free national museums and Madrid's Golden Triangle of the Prado, Reina Sofía and Thyssen make both cities essential.

Modern and beyond

New York's MoMA and Met, Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum, Vienna's imperial collections and Bilbao's game-changing Guggenheim round out a top ten that spans the entire history of human creativity.