Traveler's Choice: World's best museums

(CNN) -- Chicago's remarkable architecture is far from the only thing that earns the city rave reviews. The Windy City is also home to the world's top museum, according to TripAdvisor users.

Glowing reviews over a recent 12-month period have earned the Art Institute of Chicago the top ranking in TripAdvisor's Travelers' Choice awards for museums.

The institute's vast collection of impressionist, post-impressionist and American paintings has evidently made a lasting impression on museum-goers. The pointillist masterpiece "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" by Georges Seurat and Grant Wood's "American Gothic," featuring a long-faced Midwestern couple, are among the most recognizable works in the museum's collection.

The global museum list, released Tuesday, ranks 25 of the world's best museums based on an algorithm that factors in the quality and quantity of reviews over a year-long period.

The results are sometimes surprising. The Louvre, the world's most visited museum, comes in at No. 19 on the global list, behind lesser-known museums such as Stockholm's Vasa Museum (No. 13) and the Instituto Ricardo Brennand in Recife, Brazil (No. 17).

"The list features some iconic spots such as the Met in New York City (No. 7), in addition to some museums that may not be household names," said TripAdvisor spokeswoman Julie Cassetina.

In addition to the worldwide list, TripAdvisor also compiled dedicated lists for the United States, Asia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, South America and the South Pacific. Click through the gallery above to see the world's top museums.

CNN