The Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto

Built to celebrate the millennial anniversary of Hanoi, this seemingly gravity-defying building takes the form of an inverted pyramid. Although buildings and monuments wider at the top than at the bottom are nothing new (with the New York Guggenheim being another example on this list,) few have achieved it on such a remarkable scale. Some critics have said that the contents of the museum, which features over 50,000 objects that track the history of Vietnam’s capital, are no match for its exterior – but what an exterior it is.

The Royal Ontario Museum has long been one of North America’s most popular museums, but in 2007 it also became one of its most architecturally fascinating, with the opening of ‘The Crystal.’ This jagged deconstructionist structure designed by Daniel Libeskind was built as an expansion to the original building, and makes for a fascinating contrast, facing into the future as much as the heritage of the building looks to the past. This new wing has many fans drawn in by its bold daringness – but many critics who name it one of the world’s ugliest buildings.

The Fondation Claude Monet instantly immerses you in Monet’s most famous works. The house and gardens have been extensively preserved to ensure unique insight into the painter’s world – a world of color, stillness and exquisite national beauty. What is most exciting, however, is being able to cross the actual bridge that features in so many of his works, a feeling that cannot be replicated in even the most architecturally advanced museum.

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