The major European museums on every tourist’s must-do list

For many travellers heading to Europe and the UK, visiting some of the world’s most expansive museums is a key stop on the itinerary. New research has revealed that museum attendance is on the rise, particularly in major European museums.

That new data, released by Statista, has revealed which European museums are leading the pack, based on the number of visitors.

In 2022, the Louvre in Paris recorded the most attendees, welcoming roughly 7.73 million visitors to the extensive collections.

The museum, which is the largest in the world, houses many famous and culturally significant works. Perhaps the most popular is Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa”, which frequently draws crowds of tourists, who patiently queue for a photo. However, there are plenty of other storied attractions, such as the Venus de Milo, sculpted out of marble during the Hellenistic period.

You'll have to battle past the hordes to see the Louvre's Mona Lisa. Photo / 123RF

The Louvre is yet to surpass the visitor numbers recorded prior to the pandemic – up to 9.6 million attendees in 2019.

The Vatican Museums, located in the Vatican City, are the second most popular. In 2022, over 5 million visitors roamed the collections. Many famous Roman sculptures, influential Renaissance pieces and the famed Sistine Chapel are some of the main draws for tourists.

A blue whale skeleton at London's Natural History Museum. Photo / 123rf

The Natural History Museum in London also drew large crowds last year. Over 4.6 million tourists visited the South Kensington institution, likely hoping to see scientific marvels such as the blue whale skeleton and fractions of a rare meteorite.

Other museums noted as popular destinations for 2022 were the British Museum (4 million visitors), Tate Modern (3.8 million), the Musée d’Orsay (3.2 million) and the Reina Sofia Madrid (3 million).