Being a global culture vulture doesn't have to be expensive. Whether you're into art, design, science or history there are plenty of museums in major cities where entry won't entail reaching for your wallet.
Read on to discover our pick of the world's best free museums...
Founded in 1914 with just a single painting, the Baltimore Museum of Art is now home to 97,000 works of art, with a focus on 19th century, modern and contemporary art. As well as the largest public collection of Matisse’s work, visitors can enjoy paintings by modern masters such as Picasso, Cezanne, Gauguin and Van Gogh along with African masks, Chinese ceramics and Native American textiles.
Newly reopened after a three-year revamp, East London’s Museum of Childhood has been reborn as the Young V&A. Voted Art Fund Museum of the Year in 2024, its vast interior has been utterly transformed into a colourful, light-filled space which celebrates childhood in every form. With dedicated spaces for all age groups, it's a fun, educational and inspirational place for kids and parents alike.
America’s capital is full of free museums for cheap days out, but the highlight is the Smithsonian. It's actually the world’s largest museum complex, with 21 different museums and galleries to choose from. Highlights include the American Art Museum, the Portrait Gallery and the Natural History Museum. Entry is free to everything except the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum.
The National Museum of China was created in 2003 by merging the National Museum of Chinese History and the Museum of the Chinese Revolution. The largest museum in China and one of the largest in the world, it sees around seven million visitors a year come through its doors. The museum’s collections exceed one million, ranging from exquisite decorative objects to scientific instruments introduced to China by missionaries in the 18th and 19th centuries.
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Founded in 1982, Chicago’s National Museum of Mexican Art celebrates authentic Mexican art and culture from ancient times to the present day. Comprising more than 18,000 items, its exceptional collection spans folk art, textiles, photography, prints, drawings, paintings and sculptures. The museum also offers a diverse educational programme as well as a range of visual and performing arts presentations.
A hub for transport lovers, Coventry Transport Museum’s collection of vehicles is acknowledged as being one of the finest in the world, and the largest in public ownership. The museum’s collection contains motor cars, commercial vehicles, cycles and motorcycles. There’s also an extensive collection of automobilia, books and photographs.
At the Getty Center you’ll find art and design from the Middle Ages to the present day in a spectacularly designed building surrounded by stunning gardens. Highlights include works by Artemisia Gentileschi, Edgar Degas and Dorothea Lange. It’s all free but does require a timed entry reservation.
Fashionistas will feel right at home in the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). Known for its innovative, award-winning exhibitions, the museum has a permanent collection of more than 50,000 garments and accessories dating from the 18th century to the present day. It’s free to visit the gallery, and there are often lectures, panel discussions and tours too.
Lording it over London’s famous Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery houses almost 2,500 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to the beginning of the 20th century. Over four million people swing by the museum every year, both tourists and locals alike, to admire the likes of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers and Cezanne’s Bathers. Entry is free, except for special exhibitions, although donations are always welcome.
With a collection spanning 6,000 years and 66,500 objects, the Cleveland Museum of Art is an unmissable experience for culture buffs. From the Ancient Greeks, Romans and Egyptians to Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Islamic art, and on to the European Renaissance and contemporary works, the collection's scope is breathtaking. Encompassing painting, sculpture, textiles, photography, prints and decorative art, there’s something here for everyone.
The flagship museum for Korean history and art, the NMK welcomes almost four million visitors a year. Collection highlights include Paleolithic hand axes, gold crowns and the Pensive Bodhisattvas of the Three Kingdoms period, Goryeo celadon, Joseon paintings and works of calligraphy.
The Science Museum is another of London's most popular attractions and holds a collection of over 380,000 scientific artefacts ranging from the Black Arrow satellite launch vehicle to the space suit worn by the first Briton in space, Helen Sharman. Interactive galleries such as Power Up featuring the best video games and consoles from the last 50 years will keep kids, of all ages, happy.
Although there are plenty of free activities to keep you busy in Edinburgh, the National Museum is a great retreat for a rainy day. From art, design and fashion to Scottish history and archaeology – including a life-sized model of a T-Rex skeleton – the whole family will be occupied for hours.
If there is one thing London does well, it’s free museums. The British Museum opened in 1759 and was the first national museum to open to the public anywhere in the world. It holds collections dedicated to human history, art and culture, with one of the world's largest permanent collections that documents the story of human culture over existence. It is now one of the most visited museums on the planet with around six million people walking through its doors each year.
Located in two stunning mansions in central Paris, the Musee Carnavalet is the French capital’s oldest museum, and certainly one of its most beautiful. Boasting a collection of nearly 625,000 objects, it traces the city’s history from prehistory to the present day. Among the many highlights, visitors can see Emile Zola’s Watch, Napoleon’s campaign bag and even Marcel Proust’s entire bedroom (pictured).
Madrid’s Museo Nacional del Prado is the main Spanish art museum and home to a large collection of European art dating back to the 12th century. It’s recognised as the best collection of Spanish art, and holds around 7,600 paintings, 1,000 sculptures, 4,800 prints and thousands of historic documents. While there's an entrance fee at peak times, it's free from 6-8pm Monday to Saturday, and from 5-7pm on Sundays and holidays.
Established over 130 years ago, London's Natural History Museum is one of the most popular museums in the world, with over five million people exploring its exhibits each year. The museum focuses on a range of life and Earth science specimens throughout human history, and is particularly famous for its displays of dinosaur skeletons (as well as its incredible architecture).
Part of the Tate group of museums, Tate Modern is the UK’s national gallery of contemporary art. The collections include paintings, sculptures and large-scale installations from artists around the world including Pablo Picasso, Yayoi Kusama and Henri Matisse. Visitors can explore the iconic Turbine Hall as well as the underground Tanks, a striking space dedicated to live performances and video.
Situated in the heart of Manhattan is ‘the Met’ – the largest art museum in the United States. Over five million people come here annually to admire the extensive permanent collection of fine and decorative art. Ancient American art, arms and armour, drawings and prints, Greek and Roman art, European painting, and the legendary Costume Institute – whatever your arty interest, there will definitely be something you’ll love. Make sure to wear comfortable shoes as you’re likely to be here for hours.
Confronting the appalling horrors of genocide head on, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is a moving and unforgettable experience. Its collection of artefacts from Holocaust victims and survivors is intended to preserve their memory and experiences, while also bearing witness to their suffering. The museum’s goal of preventing genocide and promoting human dignity carries over into its extensive research facilities and outreach programmes.
Commemorating the victims of Communist tyranny during Berlin’s long years as a divided city, the Berlin Wall Memorial preserves an important part of German history, giving modern visitors a first-hand glimpse of this dark chapter in the nation’s history. A long section of the notorious border wall is now open to the public, along with a Chapel of Reconciliation, a Documentation Centre and permanent exhibition exploring the wall’s history.
The Civic Guard Gallery (Schuttersgalerij in Dutch) is a unique gallery on a covered street in central Amsterdam displaying a wonderful collection of Civic Guard paintings from the Dutch Golden Age. Here, visitors can see more than 30 of these impressive life-size portraits of the militia groups which once protected Dutch cities from attack, revolt or fire, giving a fascinating glimpse into the country’s history and culture.
Housed in an impressive 1930s building between the Eiffel Tower and the Champs Elysees, the Musee d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris is one of the largest museums of contemporary art in France. Its collection of over 13,000 works includes masterpieces by Picasso, Matisse, Dufy, Chagall, Picabia and many others. The permanent collection is free, but temporary exhibitions always have an entrance fee.
During the Nazi occupation of Rome in the Second World War, the building which now houses the Museo Storico della Liberazione served as headquarters for the SS. Over 2,000 people were incarcerated, interrogated and tortured here, living in appalling conditions, with overcrowding and starvation being the norm. Today it is a museum dedicated to the memory of those who were held here and life in the occupied city.
With a collection of more than 37,000 works, the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney aims to inspire curiosity and fire the imagination of its visitors, encouraging them to find new ways of thinking about art and the world. Although it has an impressive collection of European art from the Renaissance to the present day, it also places a strong focus on the arts of Asia and the Pacific and work by Australian and Aboriginal artists.
Canberra’s National Museum of Australia explores the nation’s culture and history through an enormous collection of more than 210,000 objects, touching on everything from the arts, politics and agriculture to its colonial and Indigenous heritage. Highlights include everything from Aboriginal breastplates and bark paintings to convict tokens, vintage vehicles, textiles, decorative arts, Captain Cook’s navigational instruments, and even the heart of racehorse Phar Lap.
Since first opening its doors in 1888, Auckland Art Gallery has amassed a collection of more than 18,00 objects. These include works from European and British schools, but also an important collection of historic, modern and contemporary New Zealand art and outstanding selection of work by Maori and Pacific Island artists. The collection is shared between the original building, in French Chateau style, and a striking new wing which opened in 2011.
Now check out the fascinating new museums opening this year and beyond