In 2022, Europe’s leading museums experienced a boost in tourist attendance, reflecting a positive rebound from the pandemic’s effects, but they have not managed to surpass the pre-pandemic visitation levels of 2019.
According to Statista, the Louvre, located in the heart of France’s capital, Paris, renowned for its extensive collection of iconic artworks such as the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo, claimed the title of Europe’s most visited museum in 2022, drawing an impressive 7.73 million visitors.
Paris and London host some of their respective countries’ most significant cultural landmarks and attractions, making them prime magnets for international tourists. This status draws travellers and aligns with their positions as leading city tourism destinations in Europe.
Notably, Paris boasts four entries in the list of the top 20 most visited museums in 2022, while London hosts six. Paris clinches the top spot, being home to the most visited museum in Europe for the year, but London also stands out with a significant presence among the continent’s top museums.
In 2022, the National History Museum claimed the title of the third most visited museum in all of Europe, solidifying its position as the most frequented museum in London. In 2022, the museum welcomed 4,655,000 visitors, while in 2019, that figure was 5,424,000, indicating a higher attendance during the pre-pandemic year.
The Vatican Museum, located within the Vatican City, secured the second spot on the list with 5,081,000 visitors in 2019 and a robust attendance of 6,883,000 in 2022.
Just below the Vatican Museum in terms of attendance were the British Museum and Tate Modern, both of which saw higher visitor counts in 2019 compared to 2022. The British Museum hosted 4,097,000 visitors in 2022, a notable drop from the 6,208,000 visitors it received in 2019. Similarly, Tate Modern recorded 3,883,000 visitors in 2022, in contrast to the 6,098,000 visitors it attracted in 2019.
The Musée d’Orsay in Paris, known for its collection of treasures from the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist eras, featuring works by artists like Van Gogh, Renoir, Monet, and Picasso, secured the sixth spot with 3,270,000 visitors in 2022, coming close to its 2019 pre-pandemic attendance of 3,652,000.
In addition to Musée d’Orsay, other distinguished museums like Reina Sofia in Madrid, Centre Pompidou in Paris, the State Hermitage in Saint Petersburg, the National Gallery in London, Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Science Museum in London, the Galleria Degli Uffizi in Florence, Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie in Paris, the National Museum in Edinburgh, the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam are all part of the prestigious list of the top 20 most-visited museums in 2022.
Notably, the attendance at the mentioned museums in 2022 fell short of the levels witnessed in 2019.
Rounding out the list of the top 20 museums is the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum in Oswiecim, Poland.
The museum located on the grounds of the Auschwitz concentration camp, preserving the site in memory of the 1.1 million people, including 960,000 Jews, who lost their lives there during World War II and the Holocaust, drew 2,300,000 visitors in 2019 but significantly fewer visitors last year – 1,184,000.
