Paris
Louvre Museum
One of the world's largest and most authoritative museums, the Louvre's magnificent classical silhouette (and funky glass pyramid) are well-known attractions in the center of Paris. But as nice as the Louvre is from the outside, its real magic is in the inside.
The Louvre's collection ranges from Mesopotamian, Egyptian, and Greek antiquities, with masterpieces by Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Rembrandt. With 35,000 works of art (all created before 1848), it's a big, and worthwhile, commitment.
The Louvre is one of Paris's Big Three museums; the other two are the Musée d'Orsay (with Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art from the years 1848-1914) and the Centre Pompidou (with 20th-century works created after 1914).
Amsterdam