10 Best Museums (Costs & Tips, 2026)
10 of the world's best museums, picked for real costs and real local tips. Save one, track your experiences, and share them with friends.
The British Museum, London, UK
Permanently free for the entire permanent collection. The Rosetta Stone, Sutton Hoo helmet, Lewis Chessmen, and Egyptian mummies are all here. Go on a weekday morning — weekends are very crowded. Audio guides cost £7 but the free map is sufficient.
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Washington DC, USA
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Washington DC, USA
Free always — book a free timed entry pass on their website to skip queues. The Wright Brothers' original Flyer and Neil Armstrong's Apollo 11 spacesuit are both on display. One of the most visited museums in the world for good reason.
Musée d'Orsay (first Sunday free), Paris, France
Free on the first Sunday of each month — the world's greatest impressionist art collection (Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, Degas) for nothing. Arrive at 9:30am opening to beat the queue. Regular entry is €16.
Tate Modern, London, UK
Permanent collection always free. The Turbine Hall installations are free and regularly the most talked-about art in the world. Level 10 viewing platform has one of the best free views of London across the Thames to St Paul's.
National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City, Mexico
National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City, Mexico
MX$90 (~$5) entry — free on Sundays. The Aztec Sun Stone, Mayan calendar, and Teotihuacan artefacts are among the finest pre-Columbian collections in the world. The 25-acre site needs a full day. Free English audio guides on their website.
Representative photoNational Museum of SingaporeNational Museum of Singapore
National Museum of Singapore
Permanent galleries always free. Singapore History Gallery covers 700 years in genuinely engaging, interactive displays. The building itself (1887 colonial structure) is as impressive as the collection inside.
The Acropolis Museum, Athens, Greece
€10 entry. Free on the first Sunday of the month (November to March). The top floor lets you look directly up at the Parthenon while examining the original sculptures beside you — a genuinely moving juxtaposition. The glass floor over excavations below is extraordinary.
Tokyo National Museum, Ueno, Japan
¥1,000 (~$7) entry. Japan's oldest museum with 120,000+ objects across 5 buildings. The Honkan (Japanese Gallery) covers samurai armour, Buddhist sculpture, and Ukiyo-e woodblock prints across 24 rooms. Free on Museum Day (third Monday of September).
Representative photoPergamon Museum, Berlin, GermanyPergamon Museum, Berlin, Germany
Pergamon Museum, Berlin, Germany
€12 entry (€18 with all Berlin State Museums). The Pergamon Altar (170 BC) and Ishtar Gate of Babylon (575 BC) are two of the most spectacular ancient artefacts in any museum in the world. Book online to avoid queues.
Representative photoChapultepec Museum of Modern Art (free Sunday), Mexico City, MexicoChapultepec Museum of Modern Art (free Sunday), Mexico City, Mexico
Chapultepec Museum of Modern Art (free Sunday), Mexico City, Mexico
Free on Sundays. Inside Chapultepec Park, the museum holds the finest collection of Mexican modern art including Frida Kahlo's The Two Fridas and Diego Rivera's murals. Combined with a free Sunday in the park, it makes for one of the great free days out in the Americas.