About 50 Best Museums
50 Best Museums is the world's editorial guide to the greatest museums on Earth. We blend visitor sentiment with the verdict of leading travel publications to produce a transparent, opinionated ranking of the museums every culture lover should know.
How we rank
Every museum in our database is scored on five inputs:
- TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice — global visitor reviews and award status.
- AECOM/TEA Theme Index — annual museum attendance figures.
- Editorial coverage — appearances on best-museum lists from Condé Nast Traveler, Time Out, National Geographic, The Times, USA Today 10Best, The Art Newspaper.
- Cultural significance — UNESCO listings, architectural awards, founding role in their field.
- Collection depth — size, breadth and uniqueness of the holdings.
Our ranking is updated periodically as new editorial lists are published and as museums open, expand or close. We currently feature museums across art, modern and contemporary, history, archaeology, science, natural history, design, memorial, single-artist and royal palace collections.
Who we are
50 Best Museums is owned and operated by 50 Best Limited, a Hong Kong–based publisher of curated travel guides. Our sister sites cover hotels, spas and neighbourhoods. We are independent and we do not accept payment for inclusion or ranking position.
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