06-08-2025
Scottish museum with Dalí masterpiece and WW2 artefacts named second best in the world
Washington DC's National Portrait Gallery is the only museum with a better rating than the iconic Scottish institution.
A museum in Scotland has been named one of the best-rated museums in the world. New research found the iconic institution had one of the lowest proportions of negative visitor reviews globally.
The study, carried out by Radical Storage, analysed over 82,000 reviews of the 100 most-visited museums and galleries worldwide. It scored institutions on a ratio of positive to negative reviews, with a final rating out of 100.
Glasgow's Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum scored an impressive 75.9, placing second in the global ranking just behind Washington D.C.'s National Portrait Gallery, which scored 76.9.
Reviewers praised Kelvingrove's diverse collections, welcoming atmosphere, and stunning building. Just 3.5 per cent of reviews mentioned a negative experience.
And more than half (53.8%) included positive language such as 'great', 'beautiful' or 'amazing'. These proportions mirror those of the top-ranked National Portrait Gallery.
Opened in 1901 after beginning life as the City Industrial Museum, Kelvingrove underwent a £27.9million refurbishment that was completed in 2006.
The investment clearly paid off. The museum now features 22 themed galleries and around 8,000 objects covering everything from natural history and weaponry to Impressionist art and Scottish design.
Among its most famous exhibits are Salvador Dalí's celebrated painting, Christ of St John of the Cross; a World War II Spitfire suspended from the ceiling; and the much-loved taxidermy elephant, Sir Roger.
The museum also offers hands-on experiences designed with families in mind, along with a café, restaurant and gift shop. The building itself, located in Glasgow's West End, is widely admired as an attraction in its own right.
As well as its stunning architecture, the museum is brilliantly placed. The lush Kelvingrove Park is just minutes away and the Kelvin Walkway runs from the back of the museum along the pleasant river.
Just a few minutes' walk in either direction you'll find the bustling area of Finniestion or Byres Road, the heart of the West End, both of which are filled with popular bars, restaurants, and shops.
Tripadvisor reviewers have given Kelvingrove an average rating of 4.7 stars from nearly 16,000 reviews. One visitor wrote: 'Very nice museum… and the staff were very helpful, especially those in the shop, very attentive and knowledgeable.'
Another added: 'So much to see. Plenty of interesting museum exhibits and a good art collection as well. Well worth a couple hours at least. And it's free entry!'
Another reviewer highlighted the museum's wide appeal: 'There are many different rooms to see. There is all the Scottish wildlife with Sir Roger the elephant. The outside of the building is just as cool as the inside. Totally worth stopping at.'
The study also highlighted Kelvingrove's efforts around diversity and inclusion.
The museum received double the average mentions of diversity in reviews (1.2 percent compared to the global average of 0.5 percent), and double the mentions of friendliness (5 percent compared to 2.4 percent).
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Across all museums in the study, 50.6 percent of reviews were classed as positive, while 8.5 percent were negative.
However, the data showed a gradual rise in negative feedback over the last decade, with 9.9 percent of reviews in 2024 expressing disappointment, nearly double the 5.3 percent seen in 2014.
The least satisfying museum experience, according to the research, was the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., which scored just 7.5 out of 100. Only 35.3 percent of its reviews were positive, and over 15 percent were negative.
The study noted that 17.7 percent of all negative terms used in reviews for that museum were simply the word 'dull', far above the average of 1.5 percent.
Rank
Museum
City
Country
Study score out of 100
Most common positive phrase
1
National Portrait Gallery
Washington, D.C.
United States
76.9
Great
2
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
Glasgow
United Kingdom
75.9
Great
3
National Museum of Korea
Seoul
South Korea
74.1
Great
4
Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum
Madrid
Spain
73.8
Great
5
Palacio de Cristal del Retiro
Madrid
Spain
71.9
Beautiful
6
California Science Center
Los Angeles
United States
69.5
Great
7
National Folk Museum of Korea
Seoul
South Korea
65.2
Good
8
Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal
Montreal
Canada
62.1
Great
9
National Gallery of Art
Washington, D.C.
United States
56.1
Great
10
National Maritime Museum
London
United Kingdom
55.2
Great
The world's top 10 most disappointing museums
Rank
Museum
City
Country
Study score out of 100
Most common negative phrase
1
The National Air and Space Museum
Washington, D.C.
United States
7.5
Disappoint*
2
Science Museum
London
United Kingdom
8.2
Disappoint*
3
American Museum of Natural History
New York City
United States
8.7
Crowd*
4
Natural History Museum
London
United Kingdom
11.5
Crowd*
5
Grand Palais
Paris
France
11.7
Crowd*
6
Vatican Museums
Vatican City, Rome
Vatican City
12.2
Crowd*
7
The British Museum
London
United Kingdom
13.6
Crowd*
8
Louvre Museum
Paris
France
13.7
Crowd*
9
Museo Nacional del Prado
Madrid
Spain
14.2
Crowd*
10
Tate Modern
London
United Kingdom
14.3
