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Kunsthinstorisches museum (Vienna): Constructed between 1872 and 1891, this museum houses the world's fourth-largest selection of paintings as well as Egyptian, Roman and Greek antiquities, oriental and decorative art objects and sculpture. The collection is centred on the grand masters and is divided up into national styles.

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Louvre (Paris): The treasures of the Louvre began with the collection of� Fran�ois I (1515-1547) who bought several Italian paintings, among them the Mona Lisa. The collection ranges from the very beginnings of art to the end of the 19th century. It also houses an impressive collection of Egyptian and oriental antiquities, Greek, Etruscan and Roman art and French sculpture.

Mus�e d'Orsay (Paris): Located on the left bank of the Seine, this museum is housed in a disused 19th century train station. It was inaugurated in 1986 to give the French capital a space dedicated solely to impressionist works and all other styles between the years 1848 and 1914. Exhibits works by Manet, Monet, Renoir, C�zanne, Van Gogh and Matisse, among others.

Centre Pompidou (Paris): The characteristic architecture of this arts centre, designed by Richard Rogers, Renzo Piano and Gianfranco Franchini, allowed the creation of an open and flexible space that houses the National Museum of Modern Art. The pick of the artists exhibited are Matisse, Picasso, Mir� and Pollock, representing fauvism, cubism and surrealism.

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Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam): Founded in 1808 to house the imperial collection of Louis Bonaparte, it houses what is probably the world's most complete collection of Dutch painting. Virtually all the great Dutch painters are to be found, alongside Flemish, Italian and Spanish artists, sculpture, applied arts, Asian and historical collections.

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National Gallery (London): This museum is considered one of the world's greatest art galleries. The collection dates back to 1824 when King George IV talked the British government into buying 38 works of art owned by the banker John Julius Angerstein. These paintings were the basis of a collection that now numbers some 2,200 works, that includes all the major artistic movements and great European painters from the 18th to the 20th century.

Tate Britain (London): Frustrated by the lack of space devoted to British art in the National Gallery, the sugar magnate Henry Tate founded this museum in 1897. The first paintings exhibited were British and modern, but when a new wing was opened in 1910, the Turner collection was acquired. The museum currently houses the national collection of British art from the 16th to the 20th century.

British Museum (London): Founded in 1753, it is the world's oldest museum. The acquisitions were began by Hans Sloane and the collection has since grown thanks to donations and acquisitions. It contains treasures from all four corners of the world, many of them donated by explorers and travellers of the 18th and 19th century. Must-see exhibits include the Parthenon frieze (the so-called Elgin marbles), the Egyptian mummies, Lindow man and the Lindisfarne angels.

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Pinacoteca di Brera (Milan) : Founded in 1809 and located in the Palazzo di Brera, this museum formed part of Napoleon's attempt to instruct the Italian people in the history of France through art. Regarded as Milan's prime museum, it contains an unparalleled collection of paintings and altarpieces taken from Italian churches and convents. A journey through the evolution of Italian art, from the Middle Ages to the end of the 19th century.

Uffizi Galleries (Florence): Built to serve as an office for the Tuscan administration between 1560 and 1580, the Uffizi houses the works of the great Italian Renaissance painters, including Piero della Francesca and his triptych The Dukes of Urbino; Fra Filippo Lippi or Titian, with his famous Venus of Urbino.

Capitol Museum (Rome): There has been a collection of classical statues on the Capitol hill since the times of the Renaissance. The Palazzo Nuovo was drawn up by Michelangelo and includes sculptures such as "the Disciple" and in the Palazzo dei Conservatori exhibits works by Veronese, Tintoretto, Rubens, Caravaggio, Van Dyck y Titian.

Vatican Museums (Rome): This Renaissance-style complex houses one of the world's greatest collections of Classical and Renaissance art. The Sistine Chapel, and Raphael's living rooms, magnificent examples of Renaissance architecture, are the perfect location to see the paintings and frescoes of Michelangelo, Perugino and Botticelli, as well as Roman and Greek antiquities.

The Hermitage (Saint Petersburg): For nearly a century, one of the world's most impressive art collection remained hidden from the public. Founded in 1764 by Catherine II to house her own collection, the complex is made up of five buildings whose walls are covered in works by Rembrandt, Matisse or Gauguin, among many other artists.