Europe is dotted with world-class car museums. From the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, through the Museo Ferrari in Maranello, Italy, to Autoworld in Brussels, Belgium, there are numerous to visit. Quirkier things for petrolheads to enjoy on the continent include Cloverlands Model Car Museum in Llanfair Caereinion, Wales, and London’s F1 Arcade simulator bar. Get ready for a full-throttle tour of Europe's top attractions for car enthusiasts.
Click through the gallery to discover what is, in our opinion at least, Europe's best attractions for car lovers...
Anyone wishing to pray before experiencing a full-motion F1 racing simulator can do so nearby, in St Paul’s Cathedral. This is an opportunity to experience the thrill of sitting behind a steering wheel and the feel of a car speeding through the chicanes, turns and straights of Formula One racing circuits. The racing modes available include head-to-head and team racing. Sipping cocktails and dining is also an option at this venue that's often utilised for official F1 watch parties. The F1 Arcade chain also has premises at Chamberlain Square in Birmingham.
Loving cars doesn’t necessarily mean you have to own the full-size object of your desire. Model cars tend to be more affordable, easier to store and collecting them can spark a passion for motoring that lasts a lifetime. Cloverlands Model Car Museum is at Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway Station and has a collection of more than 7,000 model cars, some dating from the 1940s. The core of this fun and fascinating visitor attraction is the collection gathered by Gillian Rogers, who started accumulating it when she was a child after being given two model cars by her father.
Guided tours can introduce you to this amazing automotive attraction in Northern Germany. It features 157 feet (48m) high towers, each housing 400 cars each that new owners can come to collect. Here you'll also find driving experience opportunities and vehicle showcases from Volkswagen Group brands including Audi, Porsche, SEAT, Skoda and, of course, Volkswagen. The ZeitHaus museum showcases a vast array of vehicles from automotive history, from a range of manufacturers. It also has play areas designed for children. Yes, this is an attraction with multi-generational appeal.
This automotive-centred attraction is in the city of Peshtera, an 84-mile (135km) drive southeast of Bulgaria’s capital, Sofia. Over two floors in a former cinema, it displays objects from the period between 1944 and 1989, including more than 20 cars, toys and telephones. The attraction was opened to satisfy a growth in nostalgia for the socialist era. You'll see Skoda cars and other vehicles from the Cold War era, a time when the elevated threat of all-out nuclear war saw aerodynamic car designs pushed down the list of priorities.
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At Gaydon, between Birmingham and Oxford, the British Motor Museum houses the world's largest collection of historic British cars. With over 300 vehicles, the museum tells the story of the British motor industry from its earliest days. There's a focus on brands including Austin, Jaguar and Land Rover as well as Alvis, Leyland and Morris. The museum showcases the social history of motoring in Britain with exhibits on car design, manufacturing and the impact of cars on British society.
As well as a Formula One simulator of its own, the Hellenic Motor Museum in Athens also houses more than 110 cars over three floors of a stylish and contemporary building. The cars date from the early years of the last century to the modern day. Emphasis is placed on cars with significance to Greece, providing a national context to a global story. A pink Chrysler Imperial once owned by Robert Plant, the frontman of the legendary rock group Led Zeppelin, is on display and undoubtedly one of the museum's highlights.
The world’s first purpose-built motor racing circuit opened in 1907 in Weybridge and Brooklands Museum tells the story of the banked track that was constructed for high speeds. The attraction combines automotive and aviation history with Concorde, the supersonic aircraft, one of its attractions. So too is the Napier-Railton racing car that was constructed in 1933 and has a 24-litre engine. The museum’s collection includes vintage racing cars, motorcycles and bicycles that competed on the famous track.
This independent museum in Dundee is housed across four halls on the site of a disused abattoir. It displays other forms of transport, including buses and trams, in addition to cars and motorcycles. The collection includes vehicles manufactured in Scotland, including a Hillman Imp and a Scottish Aviation Scamp – a compact electric car produced during the mid-1960s. In recent years, this place has also served up an excellent exhibition on the future of transport. Speaking of the future, Dundee's former Maryfield Tram Depot is on course to become the museum’s home as plans are afoot to develop that site.
Also in Scotland, the renowned architect Dame Zaha Hadid designed this eye-catching building at the confluence of the Kelvin and Clyde rivers. It opened in 2011 and was named the European Museum of the Year in 2013. Reminiscent of prized toys being displayed, historic motorbikes are ranged on shelf-like wall units – they include a Model JD Harley-Davidson dating from 1929 and a Model H Triumph from 1920. In terms of cars, one of the standouts has to be a TT Model 18 Arrol-Johnson from the first decade of the last century.
Prince Rainier III of Monaco was passionate about beautiful cars and built a sizable collection of vintage vehicles. His son, Prince Albert II has continued to add to the collection, which includes models by manufacturers on both sides of the North Atlantic, with the Maserati, Lamborghini and Chrysler brands all represented. Rare vehicles and racing cars are also part of the lineup. In a city-state synonymous with Formula One racing, you'll be pleased to know the collection includes a Jordan Type 183, in Team Sasol livery, a Ferrari 640 and a Lotus E21.
England’s National Motor Museum displays nearly 300 vehicles, from early horseless carriages to recently made Ford cars that are part of a collaboration between the automotive manufacturer and Beaulieu dating back to 1971. Luxury cars, the story of the British land speed record and the greats of Grand Prix racing are all highlights of this attraction in the New Forest. Check out the recreation of a 1930s garage to see how different making repairs was almost 100 years ago.
The name of the MHAS, as this attraction is commonly called in Spain, translates into English as the 'Museum of the History of Automation – Salamanca'. Tours last around an hour with motorbikes, military vehicles and civilian cars among the artefacts displayed. The museum is in an area of Salamanca brimming with attractions. It stands opposite Spain’s Civil War National Historic Archive, within walking distance of the city’s cathedral and near the Casa Lis Museum of Art Nouveau and Art Deco.
This attraction opened in 2024 and offers a comprehensive overview of the history of Sweden's most famous car manufacturer. It introduces Volvo's evolution from its founding in 1927 to its current status as a global leader in automotive safety: pioneering safety innovations such as the three-point seatbelt are explained. A range of Volvo cars, trucks and buses are on display here. And, what's more, you can even operate an electric excavator and learn about the importance of sleek lines on vehicles by testing the aerodynamics of your face.
An hour’s drive north of Gothenburg, Trollhättan was the location of the factory where Saab cars were made and remains home to the Saab Car Museum. The company was founded as an aircraft manufacturer, Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget, which under the acronym SAAB became known for making reliable cars. About 70 vehicles are displayed here, including the first one made (the Saab 92001 from 1947). Rally cars and test cars are among the vehicles on show, including the luxury Saab 9-4X and the Saab 9-3 Griffin TTiD – the last Saab produced on the Trollhättan assembly line.
Designed by Coop Himmelb(l)au, BMW Welt is a striking building near Munich’s Olympic Park that showcases the latest releases by BMW, BMW Motorrad, MINI and Rolls-Royce. It’s possible to participate in a tour of this building, a place which new car owners can visit to pick up their vehicle in a ceremonial handover. Merchandising is offered for sale in stylishly laid-out shops and visitors can enjoy a fine-dining experience in EssZimmer by Käfer, a restaurant distinguished with two Michelin stars.
Near to BMW Welt and worth visiting on the same day, the BMW Museum is housed within a beautiful building designed by the architects Atelier Brückner that resembles a squat, silver goblet. It stands next to the headquarters of the Bavarian car manufacturer and conveys the story of the company, displaying more than 120 of its vehicles. The company’s evolution through aircraft manufacturing to making electric vehicles is showcased. Alongside this, there’s a look at its technological achievements, designs and achievements in motorsport.
This excellent museum in France's northeast proudly houses 7,000 miniature vehicles, 80 pedal cars, 90 rare motorcycles and 160 rare cars. French brands such as Citroën and Panhard are well represented at this attraction. So is the Société de Construction Automobile de Reims (SCAR), with its oldest surviving car dating from 1908 on display here. The 1934 Citroën Traction Avant, the world's first mass-produced and monocoque-bodied front-wheel drive car, is also on show.
This technology museum in Sinsheim, a little over an hour’s drive northwest of Stuttgart or a 90-minute one from Frankfurt am Main, has a sizable and diverse collection that goes beyond cars to include aircraft, locomotives and even a submarine. Vintage racing cars as well as Formula 1 cars are displayed here. So too are motorbikes, a collection of American ‘dream cars’ and collections of Mercedes-Benz and Maybach vehicles. They've even got the rare Maybach Zeppelin DS 7 from the early 1930s.
This museum is at the Lamborghini headquarters in Sant'Agata Bolognese, approximately 35 minutes’ drive from Modena. It showcases the company’s sleek sports cars, from the Countach and Miura through supercars such as the Aventador SVJ and Huracán Performante to the Sian and Countach LPI 800-4 hybrid models. From the museum it's possible to participate in factory tours, presenting visitors with golden opportunities to see where Lamborghinis are produced.
A 45-minute drive from Milan, this museum in Arese celebrates the Alfa Romeo brand in its entirety. Utilising a 4D cinema and vehicle displays to tell the story, this insightful attraction takes us from the 24 HP model, first produced in 1910, right up to the present day. The cars on show include the powerful 8C Competizione, a 450-horsepower supercar with a top speed of almost 186 miles per hour (300km/h). Located by the Alfa Romeo factory and test-drive track, the museum celebrates the brand’s design principles and its racing heritage.
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Italy’s national car museum is designed as an accessible attraction with multimedia presentations that celebrate automotive heritage and offer appeal across generations. More than 200 vehicles are displayed from 80 global brands, including the sleek 1947 Cisitalia 202. Rare prototypes, iconic Italian designs like the Alfa Romeo Disco Volante from 1952 and technological innovations are all showcased here. There's arguably no better way to spend some time in a city that's the birthplace of the Italian automotive industry.
While in Turin be sure to visit the former FIAT factory complex, home to the 4,921 feet (1,500m) long test track which featured in the rooftop chase scene in the iconic 1969 film The Italian Job. You can stay at the 4-star NH Torino Lingotto Congress hotel and go walking (or running) on the rooftop, which today features a garden and a bubble-shaped meeting space known as La Bolla. Redeveloped to a design by the star architect Renzo Piano, the former factory also features a shopping mall and the Marella Agnelli Art Gallery.
Autoworld is at Brussels’ Parc du Cinquantenaire, housed within a vast steel and glass hall constructed to host the World Expo of 1888. Established in 1986, Autoworld incorporates approximately 200 vehicles from Ghislain Mahy's family vehicle collection (which totals close to 1,000). There's a zone themed around sport and competition, cars from the USA and vehicles made in the first third of the 20th century. It also has sections dedicated to Belgian automotive production and motorcars featured in Tintin comic books.
The 1,500 exhibits of Stuttgart’s Mercedes-Benz Museum include 160 vehicles. Over nine levels, the attraction explains the evolution of the automobile, from the earliest Benz Patent Motor Car through the beautiful Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing to Formula 1 racing cars and state-of-the-art concept vehicles. The building’s spiralling design takes you on a chronological journey while activities aimed at children help ensure that youngsters engage. While in the region you may also want to book a tour of Mercedes-Benz’s factory at Sindelfingen and Stuttgart’s other world-class car museum.
Named after Ion Tiriac, a motoring enthusiast whose collection of around 300 vehicles dates from 1899 onwards, the Tiriac Collection is an engaging and well-organised private museum. The fascinating story of each vehicle is told and, where relevant, so too are their celebrity connections. Vehicles previously owned by the musician Sir Elton John and Bernie Ecclestone, Formula One Group's former chief executive, are on display here. All seven models of the Rolls-Royce Phantom I to VII are also on show.
Is anything more beautiful than that feeling of cruising on an open road? The amazing paintings, sculptures and other automotive depictions in the Louwman Museum, which houses the world’s biggest collection of car-related art, might make you think twice about your answer. If you prefer viewing classic cars, you’ve also come to the right place as this attraction houses one of the world’s largest private car collections. The vehicles displayed include a Benz Patent Motor Car, regarded as the first true automobile, a twin-cylinder Worth Dog Cart from 1899 and an Alfa Romeo Gran Testa Sport Fissa from 1931.
France’s national automobile museum, in Mulhouse, has a collection of more than 450 cars. Among the highlights are numerous Bugattis, including the Napoleon that was once owned by the brand’s founder Ettore Bugatti. This institution was established in a former mill to house the prestige vehicles collected by the brothers Hans and Fritz Schlumpf and features a glass-fronted extension designed by Jean-François Milou. It conveys the history of cars through 243 vehicles as part of the Automobile Adventure exhibit. The Autodrome here provides an open-air theatre to parade vehicles.
Reflecting the brand’s reputation for neat designs, the Porsche Museum is a building that manages to be both futuristic and easy on the eye. Celebrating the history of one of the world’s leading sports car manufacturers, the attraction displays more than 90 vehicles. The impressive collection includes the Porsche 356 ‘No. 1’ Roadster and various models of the iconic Porsche 911. The models on display are rotated, meaning you can see them from every angle.
A shuttle bus journey or 30-minute drive south of the Enzo Ferrari Museum – at least in any normal car – this museum enables you to explore the evolution of Ferrari's technology and designs through interactive exhibits and multimedia presentations. In addition to seeing some of the world’s most desirable vehicles, a simulation car provides you with an opportunity to experience what it's like to sit in a single-seat Formula One racing car and drive on some of the world's Grand Prix circuits. Additionally, bus tours ride on the Viale Enzo Ferrari boulevard in the factory complex and to the Fiorano test and development track.
Topping our ranking is the Enzo Ferrari Museum in Modena, which celebrates the life and work of the founder of Ferrari. Designed to be accessible, the museum consists of a pavilion that conveys his story and displays vehicles. It also showcases the house where Enzo Ferrari was born, back in 1898, in addition to his father’s workshop. The site has a cinema, shop and restaurant. Quirkily, dog owners can leave their pets, free of charge, in kennels shaped like Ferrari cars for the duration of their visit.
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