The world’s top museums to visit in 2025, according to Lonely Planet

Lonely Planet has just released its list of the best museums to visit in 2025. While iconic institutions like the Louvre and the Museum of Modern Art in New York remain cultural cornerstones, this year’s selection highlights some lesser-known gems that deserve a spot on every traveler’s itinerary.

At the top of the list is the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, Poland. Founded in 2005, this relatively young institution has quickly established itself as a key player in the contemporary art scene. The museum focuses on works by Polish artists from the 20th and 21st centuries, with a particular emphasis on pieces created after the Cold War.

Another standout is the Yale Center for British Art in New Haven, Connecticut, which will reopen its galleries on March 29 after a two-year closure. Home to the most comprehensive collection of British art outside the UK, the museum spans works from the 16th century to the present. Visitors can expect fresh exhibitions that delve into themes of colonialism, global trade, and the often-overlooked contributions of women artists.

Rounding out the top three is The Frick Collection in New York City. Stepping into this museum is like traveling back to the Gilded Age. Housed in the former Fifth Avenue mansion of industrialist Henry Clay Frick, the collection includes masterpieces by Vermeer, Rembrandt, and Holbein. 

2025’s top museums: the full list

Here are all of the museums that made Lonely Planet’s list.

1. Museum of Modern Art Warsaw, Poland 
2. Yale Centre for British Art, Connecticut, USA 
3. The Frick Collection, New York, USA 
4. Naoshima New Museum of Art, Japan 
5. V&A East Storehouse, London, UK 
6. Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, USA 
7. National Museum of Photography, Rotterdam, Netherlands 
8. Zayed National Museum and Guggenheim, Abu Dhabi, UAE