This page displays a list of the most important art museums in the North of Europe. Use the brief list on the right to go directly to the museums of a certain country. Links to museums open in a new tab
AUSTRIA
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna – One of the premier museums in the world. It houses an important collection of antiquities, and an outstanding collection of European painting
Albertina, Vienna – This historic Museum houses one of the best collections of drawings and prints in the world, including some of the most important drawings by Dürer
Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna – Exhibits a very good collection of European paintings from the last four centuries, including Klimt’s “The Kiss”
Leopold Museum, Vienna – An impressive collection of modern Austrian Art, including the world’s largest collection of works by Egon Schiele
Alte Galerie, Graz – A quite good collection of European Art, including works by Lucas Cranach or Pieter Breughel the Younger
Kunsthaus, Graz – The stellar (and most controversial) work in this museum of contemporary art is the building itself, by Peter Cook and Colin Fournier
Museum der Moderne, Salzburg – Opened in 2004, it features 3,000 square metres of exhibition space for thematic exhibitions of art of the 20th and 21st centuries
BELGIUM
Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels – Arguably Belgium’s greatest Art Museum, houses a good collection of Flemish paintings and Jacques Louis David’s famous “Death of Marat”
Magritte Museum, Brussels – Opened in 2009, the museum displays the works of the surrealist artist René Magritte
Koninklijk Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp – A complete collection of Flemish old masters paintings, including works by Van Eyck, Patinir and Van der Weyden
Rubenshuis (Rubens House), Antwerp – Artist’s residence in palatial style. It houses a small but choicy collection of works by the artist and his studio
Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent – A good collection of European Art, including two works by Hieronymus Bosch
S.M.A.K. Museum of Contemporary Art, Ghent – The best collection of contemporary Art in Belgium, with important works by Appel or Valerio Adami
Musee d’Art moderne et d’Art contemporain (MAMAC), Liege – Features works by Gauguin, Picasso and Kokoscha, among others
CZECH REPUBLIC
Národní Galerie (National Gallery of Art), Prague – Czech national Art museum, with an important collection of Western painting, including Albretch Dürer’s “The Feast of the Rosary”
Naprstek Museum, Prague – Part of the Prague National Musuem, it houses an interesting collection of American, Asian and African Art
DENMARK
Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen – Arguably the most famous Art Museum in Denmark, this gallery houses and important collection of Impressionist Art, and Rodin’s “The Thinker”
Arken Museum of Modern Art, Copenhagen – A contemporary building by Danish architect Soren Robert Lund, exhibits works by modern Danish and International artists
Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen – Denmark’s National Art Museum, exhibiting works by old and modern masters, such as Mantegna, Rembrandt, Picasso and Nolde
Kunsten Museum of Art, Aalborg – The permanent exhibit includes mostly works by local artists, but also by Ernst, Léger or Constant, among others
Louisiana Museum of Art, Humlebaek – Its collection takes its point of departure in the period after 1945, with names like Picasso, Giacometti, Warhol or Baselitz
FINLAND
Ateneum Art Museum, Helsinki – Its collection of international art includes works by Goya, Delacroix, Van Gogh, Munch or Modigliani
KIASMA Museum of contemporary Art, Helsinki – Opened in 1998, it’s Finland’s National Museum of contemporary Art, housed in a building by Steven Holl
FRANCE
Louvre Museum, Paris – Arguably the world’s most famous Museum. Take an online tour through its wonderful collection of antiquities and European painting, including Leonardo’s Gioconda
Museé d’Orsay, Paris – Without doubt the best museum of impressionist and 19th century French painting in the world. Features masterworks from Monet, van Gogh, Renoir, Degas…
Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris – France’s national museum for modern and contemporary Art, housed in an important contemporary building by Rogers and Renzo Piano
Musée Rodin, Paris – Open in 1919 in Hôtel Biron, houses the world’s most complete collection of sculptures by Auguste Rodin, including “The Kiss” and “The Thinker”
Musée Picasso, Paris – The world’s greatest collection of works by Pablo Picasso, also exhibits important paintings by Cézanne, Degas and Rousseau, and some pieces of primitive Art
Musée Marmottan-Monet, Paris – Houses a small but important collection of Impressionist works (mostly by Claude Monet) and a good selection of illuminated manuscripts
Musée de l’Orangerie, Paris – Located in the Place de la Concorde, exhibits an important collection of Impressionist works, including several examples of Monet’s series of “Nympheas”
Musée Jacquemart-André, Paris – This historical building at the Boulevard Haussmann houses a fine collection of Western paintings, including Paolo Ucello’s “Saint George and the Dragon”
Musée Guimet, Paris – Widely regarded as one of the most important collections of Asian Art outside Asia, this famous Museum was transferred to Paris in 1885
Musée du Quai Branly, Paris – This new museum (opened in 2006) is France’s national museum to African, American, Oceanian and Asian Art
Musée Granet, Aix-en-Provence – An interesting collection of European painting, including a very good selection of works by Paul Cézanne
Musee des Beaux-Arts, Bordeaux – Its collections include works by artists like Brueghel, Rubens, Delacroix or Matisse
Musee des Beaux-Arts, Caen – An important collection of European painting and sculpture, with works by van der Weyden, Tintoretto, Poussin or Courbet
Musee d’Unterlinden, Colmar – Housed in a former convent dating back to the 13th century, exhibits an important group of paintings and sculptures from the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance, but also impressionist and contemporary art
Musée des Beaux-Arts André Malraux, Le Havre – Considered one of the best collections of Impressionist Art in France, with works by Monet, Renoir, Degas, Sisley or Delacroix
Musée de Grenoble, Grenoble – Exhibits works by Rubens or De la Tour, among others, and it also houses a good ‘sculpture park’
Palais des Beaux-Arts, Lille – It houses a quite large collection of European painting, with masterworks like Monet’s ‘Le Parlement de Londres’
Musée des Beaux-Arts, Lyon – One of the largest art collections in France, including Egyptian antiquities, paintings by artists such as Rubens, Monet or Picasso, and others objets d’art
Musée des Beaux-Arts, Marseille – A good collection of European Art, with paintings by Jordaens, Courbet, Corot…
Musée Fabre, Montpellier – Founded in 1825, this recently renovated museum houses an important collection of European painting, with works by Poussin, David, Rubens, Delacroix or Bazille
Matisse Museum, Nice – Exhibits a large collection of works by the artist, either paintings (L’Odalisque au coffret rouge) and sculptures (Nu de dos)
Musée des Beaux-Arts, Rouen – Houses a good collection of European painting, including Géricault, Delacroix, Corot, Gustave Moreau, Degas or Monet
Musée des Beaux-Arts, Strasbourg – One of the best collections of European painting in France, from Giotto and Botticelli to Courbet and Corot
GERMANY
Gemaldegalerie, Berlin – Perhaps the best collection of European painting in Germany, exhibiting works from the 13th to the 20th century. Works by Dürer, Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Raphael…
Pergamon Museum, Berlin – A unique museum, designed to house colossal architectural works of antiquity, such as the Pergamon Altar or the Ishtar Gate.
Neues Museum, Berlin – One of the most important collections of Art and antiquities in Europe, its most important piece is the bust of the Egyptian Queen Nefertiti
Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin – This important building by Mies van der Rohe houses an important collection of modern and contemporary Art
Kunst Museum, Bonn – A very good collection of contemporary Art, with works by Max Ernst, August Macke and Sigmar Polke, among others
Kunsthalle, Bremen – One of the best art collections in Germany, its collection features old masters like Dürer and Masolino, impressionist artists like Cézanne, Monet or Van Gogh, and modern masters like Picasso
Wallraf-Richartz-Museum, Cologne – Exhibits a very important collection of European paintings, including a self-portrait by Rembrandt and Van Gogh’s ‘Langlois Bridge at Arles’
Gemaldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden – More than 700 old masters paintings – including works by Titian, Botticelli, Rembrandt and Raphael- collected by the Electors of Saxony
Museum Folkwang, Essen – Features paintings by van Gogh, Cezanne, Gauguin and Matisse, as well as works by the German Expressionism
Kunsthalle, Hamburg – This Museum exhibits one of the best collections of 19th century Art in the world, including a great collection of paintings by Caspar David Friedrich
Städel, Frankfurt – Exhibits a large group of European paintings (van Eyck’s “Lucca Madonna” or Vermeer’s “The geographer”) and more than 500 sculptures
Alte Pinakothek, Munich – The most important Art collection in Bavaria, includes works by Dürer, Botticelli, Rembrandt, Poussin and Velázquez, among others
Neue Pinakothek, Munich – Offers an overview of European art from classicism to art nouveau, including works by Gauguin and Van Gogh
Staatsgalerie, Stuttgart – A complete collection of European 14th to 20th century art, including Cézanne’s “Bathers”, and American avant-garde after 1945
IRELAND
National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin – Exhibits an important collection of European paintings, including Velázquez’s “The supper at Emaus” and the famous “The taking of Christ” by Caravaggio
Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin – This Museum of contemporary Art is housed in a 17th century building, and concentrates in works by living artists
Crawford Art Gallery, Cork – Exhibits paintings from the 17th to the 20th century, including works by Jan Brueghel and many Irish painters
LATVIA
National Museum, Riga – Focused on Latvian Art, it also exhibits a group of European paintings, including a “Winter landscape” by Claude Monet
LIECHTENSTEIN
Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein, Vaduz – Opened in 2000, this museum houses a good collection of modern and contemporary Art, and some works from the collection of the Prince of Liechtenstein
NETHERLANDS
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam – Netherlands National Museum. As you can expect, it houses the world’s most important collection of Dutch painting, including Rembrandt’s The Nightwatch
Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam – The best collection of works by the Dutch painter in the world, including several self-portraits
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam – Houses the national collection of modern and contemporary Art, with works by Mondrian, Appel and Malevich, among others
Groningen Museum, Groningen – This controversial building by Coop Himmelblau houses the most innovative Art collection in Netherlands, and one of the most exciting museums in Europe
Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden – It’s the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities, including Egyptian, classical and Near Eastern antiquities
Mauritshuis, The Hague – An excellent collection of Dutch and Flemish painting, including two masterpieces by Jan Vermeer: “View of Delft” and “Girl with a pearl earring”, as well as a self-portrait by Rembrandt
Kroller-Muller Museum, Otterlo – A very good collection of impressionist and modern art, it is the world’s best ‘private’ collection of works by Vincent van Gogh
Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam – It is the main art museum in Rotterdam, with works by Brueghel, Hyeronimus Bosch (“The pedlar”) and Salvador Dalí (“The face of War”)
NORWAY
National Gallery of Norway, Oslo – The National Gallery of Art in Norway exhibits a good collection of 19th and 20th century Art
Munch Museum, Oslo – Displays a great collection of works by Edvard Munch, including the famous “The Scream” and “Madonna”
POLAND
National Museum, Warsaw – Exhibits a good collection of European paintings, with works by Botticelli, Rubens, Rembrandt and Cranach, among others
Centre for Contemporary Art, Warsaw – With frequent exhibitions, the CCA is the most important collection of contemporary art in Warsaw
Czartoryski Museum, Krakow – Houses a small but very interesting collection of different artworks, being its centerpiece the fabulous “Lady with an Ermine” by Leonardo da Vinci
RUSSIA
Pushkin Museum, Moscow – The best collection of European Art in Moscow, its most famous works are those from its collection of Impressionism, including Monet, Cézanne, Degas or van Gogh
Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow – Houses an important collection of modern and contemporary Russian Art, with works by Kandinsky or Malevich, among others
Museum of Modern Art, Moscow – This recent Museum (opened in 1999) exhibits works by modern and contemporary artists, including Picasso, Lèger and Malevich
Regional Art Museum, Irkutsk – The most importan museum in Siberia displays an eclection collection of Russian, European and Asian Art
The Hermitage Museum, Saint Petesburg – (or Ermitage) is the the largest Art collection in the world. More than 3,000,000 million of artworks, from the stone age to the post-impressionism
SLOVAKIA
City Gallery, Bratislava – Focused on Slovakian Art from the 20th and 21st centuries, it also exhibits a group of European old masters
SWEDEN
Nationalmuseum, Stockholm – Sweden’s greatest museum, with an extensive collection of European paintings and drawings, includin Rembrandt’s “The conspiracy of Claudius Civilis”
Moderna Museet, Stockholm – State Museum for modern and contemporary Art, exhibiting works by Picasso, Dalí and Calder, among others
Goteborgs Konsthall, Gothenburg – Göteborgs Konsthall holds an interesting collection of contemporary art in a classicistic building from 1923
SWITZERLAND
Kunstmuseum, Bern – A very important collection of European painting, including ‘Maestà’ by Duccio di Buoninsegna, and works by Manet, Cézanne, Monet, Pissarro, Renoir or van Gogh
Zentrum Paul Klee, Bern – Opened in 2005, the Museum is devoted to the life and works of expressionist painter Paul Klee (1879–1940)
Beyeler Foundation, Basel – This small but rich museum exhibits the art collection of Hildy and Ernst Beyeler, with works by van Gogh, Monet, Cézanne, Picasso, Bacon and Warhol, among others
Kunstmuseum, Basel – Houses an important collection of Dutch and Flemish old masters paintings, and a good collection of impressionist and modern paintings
Musees Barbier-Mueller, Geneva – A collection of over 7,000 works of art from Tribal and Classical Antiquity, considered one of the finest in the world
Musee d’art moderne et contemporain (MAMCO), Geneva – Includes works by artists such as Christo and Gordon Matta-Clark
Oskar Reinhart Collection, Winterthur – Owns a good collection of old masters, and an excellent group of impressionist paintings (Cézanne, van Gogh, Monet…)
Kunsthaus, Zurich – A good collection of European paintings from many eras, including impressionist masterpieces by Monet (“Irises”), Gauguin, Cézanne (“Montagne Sainte-Victoire”) or van Gogh
Foundation E.G. Bührle, Zürich – Exhibits a very good collection of impressionist and modern paintings (van Gogh, Cézanne, Gauguin…) and a small group of old masters paintings
UKRAINE
Museum of Western and Oriental Art, Kiev – Houses the largest collection of Art in Ukraine, with a collection of Egyptian and Classical antiquities, and a group of old masters paintings
Museum of Western and Eastern Art, Odessa – Houses a good collection of European paintings, including works by Frans Hals and Teniers the Younger
UNITED KINGDOM
England
British Museum, London – England’s greatest museum -and one of the best in the world- of Ancient Arts and antiquities, with an excellent collection of Art from Ancient Egypt to the Middle Ages.
National Gallery, London – houses one of the world’s finest collection of European painting. It is arguably the most complete collection of European painting from the 13th to the early 20th centuries
Tate Modern, London – arguably the most important collection of modern and contemporary Art in Europe. It houses pivotal works of artists such as Lichstentein, Pollock or Bacon
Tate Britain, London – Houses the most complete collection of British Art, including hundreds of works by Joseph Mallord William Turner
Victoria and Albert Museum, London – World’s largest Museum of decorative Arts, also exhibiting a group of old masters paintings, with works by Botticelli and Rembrandt
National Portrait Gallery, London – Houses a collection of portraits of historical British people. Artists represented includes William Hogarth, Joshua Reynolds and Hans Holbein the younger
Dulwich Picture Gallery, London – Build by John Soane, exhibits one of the finest collections of old masters paintings in Europe, including Raphael, Rembrandt, Rubens and Poussin
Wallace Collection, London – An historical 19th century building housing a very good collection of European paintings (Rembrandt, Titian, Velázquez) and porcelain objects
Courtauld Gallery, London – One of the best collections of impressionist and post-impressionist paintings in the world, with masterworks by Manet, Cézanne, Rousseau, Monet…
Sir John Soane’s Museum, London – A fantastic 19th century building housing one of the most original and interesting museums in London, with antiquities and old masters paintings
Kenwood House, Hampstead, London – This important 17th century building exhibits a small but interesting selection of old masters paintings, including Rembrandt’s “Self-portrait”
Hayward Gallery, London – One of London’s most important spaces for displaying contemporary art, housed in a ‘brutalist’ building
Institute of Contemporary Arts, London – The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) is the UK’s original, not-for-profit, multi-disciplinary arts centre
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Birmingham – Houses an important collection of antiquities, fine Art (Botticelli, Renoir, Turner) and jewellery
Barber Institute of Fine Arts, Birmingham – A very important collection of European paintings, with works by Poussin, Turner, Monet, van Gogh and Picasso, among others
Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge – The Art collection of the Cambridge University is one of the most important in England, with works by Martini, Titian, Monet and Moore, among others
Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool – Houses a large and important group of European paintings from 14th to 20th centuries, including works by Holbein, Renoir and Bacon
Tate Liverpool – Established in 1988, it’s one of the most important collections of contemporary Art in the U.K., including an important triptych by Francis Bacon
Manchester Art Gallery, Manchester – Houses an important collection of European paintings, with works by Hobbema, van Ruysdael, Gainsborough and Gauguin, among others
Ashmolean Museum, Oxford – Believed to be the first university museum, this great museum exhibits a large selection of antiquities and fine art, in a 17th century building
Tate St. Ives – Exhibits works by modern British artists, including work of the St Ives School. The building was designed by architects Evans and Shalev
Scotland
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh – The most important Art Museum in Scotland, with an important collection of European painting, including the “Madonna of the roses” by Sandro Botticelli
Gallery of modern Art (GOMA), Glasgow – The most important Museum in Glasgow houses temporary exhibitions and workshops in a 18th century building
Wales
National Museum, Cardiff – Established in 1912, this museum exhibits a good collection of old masters paintings (including Poussin’s “Burial of Phocion) and tapestries
Follow us on:
