Free Museums Around the World

Art Gallery of New South Wales

Sydney, Australia

✓ Free general admission (special exhibitions ticketed)

Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

✓ $32 for adults (Illinois residents discount available; free for children under 14)

Asian Civilisations Museum

Singapore, Singapore

✓ S$20 standard adult admission; free for Singapore citizens and PRs

Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum

Oświęcim, Poland

✓ Free admission; guided tours are paid (individual self-guided entry requires advance reservation)

Belvedere Museum

Vienna, Austria

✓ €16.50 Upper Belvedere standard admission; combined ticket (Upper + Lower): €25; gardens are free

Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery

Birmingham, United Kingdom

✓ Free standard admission

Botero Museum

Bogotá, Colombia

✓ Free admission

Capital Museum

Beijing, China

✓ Free standard admission

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

Bentonville, United States

✓ Free permanent collection; special exhibitions may require a ticket

Dallas Museum of Art

Dallas, United States

✓ Free general admission (special exhibitions ticketed)

Denver Art Museum

Denver, United States

✓ US$19 standard adult admission; free for Colorado residents on certain dates

Guangdong Museum

Guangzhou, China

✓ Free standard admission

Hubei Provincial Museum

Wuhan, China

✓ Free standard admission

Imperial War Museum

London, United Kingdom

✓ Free standard admission

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Boston, United States

✓ US$20 standard adult admission; visitors named 'Isabella' enter free

Kazan Kremlin Museums

Kazan, Russia

✓ Free grounds; 200 RUB and up per museum

Liaoning Provincial Museum

Shenyang, China

✓ Free standard admission

Louisiana Museum of Modern Art

Humlebæk, Denmark

✓ DKK 175 standard adult admission (approx. €23); children under 18 free

Manchester Art Gallery

Manchester, United Kingdom

✓ Free standard admission

Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art

Doha, Qatar

✓ Free standard admission

Munch Museum

Oslo, Norway

✓ NOK 160 standard adult admission (approx. €14); free for under-18s

Musée Carnavalet

Paris, France

✓ Free standard admission

Museo de Bellas Artes de Sevilla

Seville, Spain

✓ €1.50 standard admission (free for EU citizens)

Museo de Bellas Artes de Valencia

Valencia, Spain

✓ Free standard admission

Museo del Oro

Bogotá, Colombia

✓ COP 5,000 standard (approx. €1.20); free on Sundays

Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes

Buenos Aires, Argentina

✓ Free admission

Museo Reina Sofía

Madrid, Spain

✓ €12 standard admission; free during late afternoons

Museo Soumaya

Mexico City, Mexico

✓ Free admission

Museu Calouste Gulbenkian

Lisbon, Portugal

✓ €10 standard adult admission; free on Sundays after 2:00 PM

Museu de Arte de São Paulo

São Paulo, Brazil

✓ R$75 standard admission; free on Tuesdays

Museum of Fine Arts Houston

Houston, United States

✓ US$19 standard adult admission; free on Thursdays for general admission

Museum of Islamic Art

Doha, Qatar

✓ 50 QAR for non-residents, free for residents

Nanjing Museum

Nanjing, China

✓ Free standard admission

National Art Museum of China

Beijing, China

✓ Free standard admission

National Galleries of Scotland

Edinburgh, United Kingdom

✓ Free standard admission

National Gallery of Art

Washington D.C., United States

✓ Free admission

National Gallery of Australia

Canberra, Australia

✓ Free admission to the permanent collection

National Gallery of Ireland

Dublin, Ireland

✓ Free admission to permanent collection; special exhibitions may require a ticket

National Gallery of Victoria

Melbourne, Australia

✓ Free general admission (special exhibitions ticketed)

National Gallery Singapore

Singapore, Singapore

✓ S$20 standard adult admission; free for Singapore citizens and PRs

National Museum in Warsaw

Warsaw, Poland

✓ PLN 25 standard adult admission (approx. €6); free on Sundays

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Washington D.C., United States

✓ Free admission (timed entry pass required)

National Museum of China

Beijing, China

✓ Free admission with valid ID

National Museum of Ireland

Dublin, Ireland

✓ Free admission

National Museum of Korea

Seoul, South Korea

✓ Free admission to permanent galleries

National Museum of Norway

Oslo, Norway

✓ NOK 220 standard adult admission (approx. €19); free for under-18s

National Museum of Scotland

Edinburgh, United Kingdom

✓ Free admission to permanent galleries

National Portrait Gallery

London, United Kingdom

✓ Free standard admission

Natural History Museum

London, United Kingdom

✓ Free standard admission

Natural History Museum Vienna

Vienna, Austria

✓ €15 standard adult admission; free on the first Sunday of each month

Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek

Copenhagen, Denmark

✓ DKK 125 standard adult admission (approx. €17); free on Sundays

Petit Palais

Paris, France

✓ Free permanent collection (special exhibitions ticketed)

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

San Francisco, United States

✓ US$30 standard adult admission; free for visitors 18 and under

Science Museum

London, United Kingdom

✓ Free standard admission

Shaanxi History Museum

Xi'an, China

✓ Free standard admission

Shanghai Museum

Shanghai, China

✓ Free standard admission

Sharjah Art Museum

Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

✓ Free standard admission

Smithsonian American Art Museum

Washington D.C., United States

✓ Free admission

Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

Washington D.C., United States

✓ Free admission (timed-entry passes recommended for peak times)

Smithsonian National Museum of American History

Washington D.C., United States

✓ Free admission

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Washington D.C., United States

✓ Free admission

Suzhou Museum

Suzhou, China

✓ Free standard admission

Tate Britain

London, United Kingdom

✓ Free standard admission

Tate Liverpool

Liverpool, United Kingdom

✓ Free standard admission

Tate Modern

London, United Kingdom

✓ Free standard admission; charges for special exhibitions

Te Papa Tongarewa

Wellington, New Zealand

✓ Free admission to permanent collections; special exhibitions may require a ticket

The British Museum

London, United Kingdom

✓ Free standard admission

The Broad

Los Angeles, United States

✓ Free general admission (timed entry required)

The J. Paul Getty Museum

Los Angeles, United States

✓ Free admission, parking is $20

The National Gallery

London, United Kingdom

✓ Free standard admission

The Wallace Collection

London, United Kingdom

✓ Free standard admission

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Washington D.C., United States

✓ Free (timed-entry passes required for the permanent exhibition; book well in advance during peak season)

Victoria and Albert Museum

London, United Kingdom

✓ Free standard admission

War Memorial of Korea

Seoul, South Korea

✓ Free admission

Yad Vashem

Jerusalem, Israel

✓ Free admission; advance online registration required during peak periods

Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa

Cape Town, South Africa

✓ R250 for international visitors; free for African residents on the first Friday of each month

Acropolis Museum

Athens, Greece

Under 18 free · 6 March (Melina Mercouri Day) free · 18 April (International Monuments Day) free · First Sunday of November–March free

€15 standard admission (April–October), €10 (November–March)

Alte Pinakothek

Munich, Germany

€1 admission every Sunday · Under 18 free

€7 standard admission (€1 on Sundays)

American Museum of Natural History

New York City, United States

$28 suggested admission for NY residents; $33 for others

Art Gallery of Ontario

Toronto, Canada

Free Wednesday evenings 6–9 PM · Under 25 free · Indigenous peoples free

From CA$25 standard admission

Canadian Museum of History

Gatineau, Canada

Free Thursday evenings 5–8 PM · Under 3 free

From CA$25 standard admission

de Young Museum

San Francisco, United States

Free first Tuesday of each month · Bay Area residents free on select Saturdays

From $15 standard admission

Grand Egyptian Museum

Giza, Egypt

EGP 1,200 for non-residents

Guggenheim Museum Bilbao

Bilbao, Spain

Under 12 free always · Residents of Bilbao and Bizkaia free on specific dates

€13 standard admission

Hong Kong Museum of Art

Hong Kong, China

Free on Wednesdays · Under 4 free

HK$30 standard admission

Louvre Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Under 18 free always · First 8 days of each month free for UAE residents

63 AED standard admission

Musée d'Orsay

Paris, France

Under 18 free · First Sunday of each month free · Youth (under 26) free on Thursday evenings

€16 standard admission

Musée Guimet

Paris, France

Free first Sunday of each month · Under 18 EU free

€14 standard admission

Museo del Oro

Bogotá, Colombia

Free on Sundays · Last Sunday of each month free for all

From COP19,000 standard admission

Museo Jumex

Mexico City, Mexico

Free on Sundays · Under 12 free

From MX$80 standard admission

Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)

New York City, United States

First Friday evening of each month (5–9 PM) · Members always free · Under 16 free

$25 standard admission

National Archaeological Museum

Athens, Greece

First Sunday of month free (November–March) · Under 18 EU free

€12 standard admission (November–March €6)

National Gallery of Canada

Ottawa, Canada

Free Thursday evenings 5–8 PM · Under 18 free · Indigenous peoples free

From CA$22 standard admission

National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC)

Cairo, Egypt

EGP 600 for non-residents

National Museum of Qatar

Doha, Qatar

50 QAR for non-residents

National Palace Museum

Taipei, Taiwan

Under 18 (Republic of China residents) free · National holidays may offer free admission — check website

NT$350 standard admission

Seattle Art Museum

Seattle, United States

Free first Thursday of each month · Under 15 free

From $22 standard admission

State Hermitage Museum

Saint Petersburg, Russia

Under 18 free always · Third Thursday of each month free for Russian citizens

500 RUB standard admission

The Louvre

Paris, France

First Friday evening of each month (6–9:45 PM) · Under 26 (EU) free always · Bastille Day (14 July)

€17 standard admission

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

New York City, United States

Pay-what-you-wish for New York State residents · Children under 12 always free

$30 for adults; pay-what-you-wish for NY State residents

Tokyo National Museum

Tokyo, Japan

Under 18 free on weekends · Museum Day (late September) free · Permanent collection free some dates — check website

1000 JPY standard admission

Uffizi Gallery

Florence, Italy

First Sunday of each month · Under 18 (EU) free always

€20 standard admission