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The Louvre, France - The world's largest art museum is itself a world famous Paris landmark. Its vast collection of artifacts, which date from prehistory to the 21st century, include the 'Venus de Milo' and the 'Mona Lisa.'

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The British Museum, England -

One of the greatest museums in the world, its permanent collection numbers some eight million artifacts. This is one of London's most popular visitor attractions.

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The Rijksmuseum, Netherlands - The country's national arts and history museum is located in Amsterdam and showcases around 8,000 works including Rembrandt's 'The Night Watch' (1642).

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Prado National Museum, Spain - 'Las Meninas' by Diego Velázquez takes pride of place in this museum, located in central Madrid. Indeed, its collection of European art ranks among the finest in the world.

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Galleria degli Uffizi, Italy -

Arguably the most recognized and certainly the most visited museum in the country, its priceless collection of Italian Renaissance art makes the Uffizi Gallery an unmissable site on the Florence sightseeing itinerary.

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Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Spain -

Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso feature prominently in Spain's national museum of 20th-century art, with Picasso's 'Guernica' the star exhibit. The museum is a Madrid must-see.

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Museu Calouste Gulbenkian, Portugal -

The dazzling collection of art housed in this excellent Lisbon museum once belonged to the wealthy Armenian businessman Calouste Gulbenkian. The scope and rarity of the exhibits is simply breathtaking.

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Guggenheim Museum, Spain - Renowned Canadian-born American architect Frank Gehry designed this striking Bilbao museum. The eye-catching architecture perfectly complements the site-specific works and installations by contemporary artists exhibited here.

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Tate Modern, England - Synonymous with cutting edge national and international modern and contemporary art, the museum, housed in London's former Bankside Power Station, stands near the city's Millennium Bridge.

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Musée d'Orsay, France - Another Paris museum celebrated for its priceless works of art, including the largest collection of impressionist and post-impressionist masterpieces in the world, among them Renoir's 'Bal du moulin de la Galette' (pictured).

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The National Gallery, England -

Founded in 1824, this historic gallery is one of the most visited art museums in the world. Overlooking London's Trafalgar Square, the museum houses a collection of over 2,000 rare and valuable paintings.

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The Anne Frank House, Netherlands - The canal house in Amsterdam where Jewish diarist Anne Frank, her family, and four other people hid from the Nazis in secret rooms during World War II is now a biographical museum that preserves the hiding place.

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The Serralves Museum, Portugal -

While endowing Porto, Portugal's second city, with a dedicated contemporary art space, the museum is also a fine example of Art Deco architecture.

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Galleria dell'Accademia, Italy -

One of the great highlights of any visit to Florence is to gaze up at Michelangelo's sculpture 'David' in the Gallery of the Academy of Florence, the museum's centerpiece attraction.

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The Bode Museum, Germany - One of several museums clustered on Berlin's Museum Island, Bode features an engaging and eclectic display of European sculpture, Byzantine art, coins, and medals.

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Nationalmuseet, Denmark -

Copenhagen's National Museum of Denmark houses some extraordinary items of exceptional rarity—exhibits that include the Trundholm sun chariot (pictured), which dates back to the Nordic Bronze Age.

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Victoria and Albert Museum, England -

London is home to the world's largest museum dedicated to decorative arts and design, which houses a staggering two million-plus collection of objects.

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Vatican Museums, Italy - Located within the city boundaries of the Vatican City are several museums displaying works of art amassed by popes throughout the centuries. Visitors are also afforded outstanding examples of Vatican architecture including the modern Bramante spiral stairs, built to complement the original 16th-century Bramante staircase.

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Vatican Museums, Italy -

Visitors to the museums can admire one of the world's greatest cultural treasures, the Sistine Chapel and its ceiling decorated by Michelangelo, and the Stanze di Raffaello decorated by Raphael.

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Centre Georges Pompidou, France -

Located in Paris, this multicultural complex, noted for its high-tech architecture, houses a library, a center for music and acoustic research, and the National Modern Art Museum.

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The Van Gogh Museum, Netherlands - Located in Amsterdam, this is the most visited museum in the Netherlands, and one of the most frequented in the world. Some of the artist's greatest works are displayed here, including 'Sunflowers' (1889).

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Centre Pompidou-Metz, France - A branch of the Pompidou arts center in Paris, this facility located at Metz is equally striking for its daring architecture and the largest temporary exhibition space outside the French capital.

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Acropolis Museum, Greece -

The Acropolis of Athens is a showstopper in itself, but this museum houses every artifact found on the rock and surrounding slopes. Furthermore, the building lies over Roman and early Byzantine ruins.

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Neues Museum, Germany -

Another museum sited on Museum Island in Berlin is the Neues, noted for its collection of Egyptian artifacts including the iconic bust of Queen Nefertiti.

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Natural History Museum, England - Some of the specimens included in collections at this celebrated London museum were gathered by Charles Darwin himself. Needless to say, this is one of the most important and historic natural history institutions in the world.

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Deutsches Museum, Germany - Anyone with an interest in science and technology should visit Munich's German Museum. Subjects covered by permanent exhibitions include astronautics, microelectronics, and telecommunications.

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Pergamon Museum, Germany -

Berlin's Pergamon Museum is found on the city's Museum Island and is distinguished for housing monumental structures such as the 8th-century Mshatta Facade and the amazing Ishtar Gate of Babylon (pictured).

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Kunsthistorisches Museum, Austria -

Vienna's Museum of Art History dates back to the late 19th century and has its home in a lavish and exquisitely decorated palace—a suitable location for the Hapsburgs' extensive art collection.

See also: Get to know Europe's sunniest destination

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