Top 20 Most Popular Museums in the World: Taiwan’s National Palace Museum and National Science and

▲The National Palace Museum in Taiwan ranks 13th among the world’s most popular museums. (Photo / Courtesy of the Tourism Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communications official website)

By reporter Tsai Wen-jun / Comprehensive report

Which museum in the world is the most popular? The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA)(Themed Entertainment Association, abbreviated as TEA),recently released the 2013 rankings of the world’s most popular theme parks and museums. In the “Top 20 Most Popular Museums Worldwide” list, two museums from Taiwan made the cut — the National Palace Museum and the National Museum of Natural Science in Taichung.

According to TEA data, the world’s most beloved museum remains the Louvre in France, which claimed the title of the most popular. Following closely behind are the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in the United States and the National Museum of China in Beijing. Taiwan’s must-visit National Palace Museum welcomed over 4.4 million visitors in 2013, ranking 13th in global popularity, while the National Museum of Natural Science in Taichung attracted nearly 3.4 million visitors last year, placing 18th on the list.

Focusing solely on the top 20 most popular museums in Asia, the National Palace Museum ranked 2nd and the National Museum of Natural Science ranked 10th. The most popular museum in Asia is the National Museum of China. Additionally, in the Asian rankings, nine of the top 20 museums are located in China.

Top 20 “World’s Most Popular Museums” Ranking

1. Paris, France  Louvre
2. Washington D.C., USA Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
3. Beijing, China  National Museum of China
4. Washington D.C., USA National Air and Space Museum
5. London, UK   British Museum
6. New York, USA  Metropolitan Museum of Art
7. London, UK   National Gallery
8. Vatican City   Vatican Museums
9. London, UK   Natural History Museum
10. New York, USA  American Museum of Natural History
11. Washington D.C., USA National Museum of American History
12. London, UK   Tate Modern
13. Taipei, Taiwan  National Palace Museum
14. Washington D.C., USA National Gallery of Art
15. Paris, France  Centre Pompidou
16. Shanghai, China  Shanghai Science and Technology Museum
17. Paris, France  Musée d'Orsay
18. Taichung, Taiwan  National Museum of Natural Science
19. London, UK   Science Museum
20. London, United Kingdom Victoria and Albert Museum