Wellington's Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa Tongarewa, and Blenheim's Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre have topped TripAdvisor's 2015 Travellers' Choice Awards for the best museums in the South Pacific.
Te Papa also came in at No 25 in the global list, and beat the likes of Melbourne's National Gallery of
Te Papa and Omaka named two best museums in South Pacific
By Tess Nichol
NZ Herald·
4 mins to read
Subscribe to listen
Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber? Sign in here
Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
The Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa Tongarewa.
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.
1. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, US
Now an iconic part of New York's cultural landscape, the museum has been connecting people "to creativity, knowledge and ideas" through art since 1970. It hosts the most extensive display of 17th century Dutch art in the Western Hemisphere, with masterpieces by Frans Hals, Rembrandt and Vermeer. A TripAdvisor reviewer said, "All exhibitions are incredible, the building itself is beautiful, and the artifacts available inside take you on a memorable, historic journey."
2. Musee d'Orsay, Paris, France
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.
This gallery is the spiritual home of impressionism and a must see for any art lover or historian. Situated in the centre of Paris on the banks of the Seine, the Musee d'Orsay houses the world's most phenomenal collections of impressionist and post-impressionist masterpieces.
3. Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, US
This Chicago museum houses nearly 300,000 works including one of the most expansive collections of modern art including pieces by American artists Georgia O'Keeffe, Jackson Pollock and Andy Warhol. The gallery also has work by Pablo Picasso and Henry Matisse. One TripAdvisor reviewer said they could easily spend three months looking at the gallery's collections.
4. Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, Spain
The Prado Museum in Madrid is not to be missed. It houses an extensive, specialist collection of European art from the 12th to19th century including the
Las Meninas
by Diego Valazquez, its most famous work.
5. Musee du Louvre, Paris, France
No "top" list of museums would be complete without the Louvre, home of Leonardo Da Vinci's
Mona Lisa
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.
. Originally the former residence of the kings of France, the Musee du Louvre is one of the biggest museums in the world, with its collection spread across eight departments. A must-see for visitors to Paris.
6. State Hermitage Museum and Winter Palace, St Petersburg, Russia
Founded in 1764 by Russian empress Catherine the Great, this enormous museum boasts a collection of more than three million works of art.
7. National Gallery, London, England
This is a top tourist attraction for the cultured tourist. The iconic museum on London's Trafalgar Square boats a collection of more than 2300 paintings from the Middle Ages to the early 20th century.
8. The Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.
The Rijksmuseum is dedicated to the history and art of the Netherlands. As such, it of course boasts the works of Rembrandt, one of the country's most influential modern painters.
9. Vasa Museum, Stockholm, Sweden
The Vasa Museum is dedicated to the 17th century Vasa warship, which sank on her maiden voyage in 1628, and salvaged centuries years later in 1961. The ship is on display in its original glory for visitors of the maritime museum to admire.
10. Museo Nacional de Antropologia, Mexico City, Mexico
The history of Mexico is laid bare in incredible detail at the museum, which home to one of the world's most comprehensive and largest collections of archaeological and anthropological artifacts. The collection ranges from pre-Hispanic Mayan civilisations to the Spanish conquest.
Top 10 Travellers' Choice Museums in the South Pacific:
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.
1. Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington, New Zealand
2. Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre, Blenheim, New Zealand
3. National Gallery of Victoria, Victoria, Australia
4. World of Wearable Art and Classic Cars Museum, Nelson, New Zealand
5. MONA, Tasmania, Australia
6. Tawhiti Museum, Hawera, New Zealand
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.
7. Australian Age of Dinosaurs, Winton, South Australia, Australia
8. Tweed Regional Gallery and Margaret Olley Art Centre, New South Wales, Australia
9. Auckland Museum, Auckland, New Zealand
10. Melbourne Museum, Victoria, Australia
