Aceh Museum
Banda Aceh · Indonesia · Founded 1915
Photo: Kementerian Pendidikan, Kebudayaan, Riset, dan Teknologi Republik Indonesia · Public domain
Quick answer
Aceh Museum in Banda Aceh, Indonesia — founded in 1915, the Aceh Museum in Banda Aceh is one of Indonesia's oldest museums. Open Saturday to Thursday: 8:30 AM – 12:00 PM and 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM; closed Fridays. Admission: Rp5,000 for adults; Rp3,000 for children; Rp15,000 for foreign visitors. Allow 1–1.5 hours.
Visitor information last reviewed 22 October 2026. Check the official museum site for current details.
Aceh Museum at a glance: hours, tickets and time needed
| Opening hours | Saturday to Thursday: 8:30 AM – 12:00 PM and 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM |
|---|---|
| Closed | Fridays |
| Admission | Rp5,000 for adults; Rp3,000 for children; Rp15,000 for foreign visitors |
| Free or reduced entry | Children: Rp3,000 |
| Booking | Tickets usually available on the day |
| Time needed | 1–1.5 hours |
| Best time to visit | Arrive at 8:30 AM or just after the 1:30 PM reopening, on any day except Friday. |
| Getting there | Walk: Less than 1 km east of the Aceh Tsunami Museum on Jalan Sultan Iskandar Muda, in central Banda Aceh near Blang Padang field |
| Address | Jl. Sultan Mahmudsyah No. 10, Peuniti, Baiturrahman, Banda Aceh 23116, Aceh, Indonesia |
| Official website | museum.acehprov.go.id |
Checked 2026-10-22 against the official website. Prices and hours change — confirm before you travel.
What is Aceh Museum known for?
The Aceh Museum began as an exhibition building. Its Rumoh Aceh, a traditional wooden stilt house, served as the Aceh Pavilion at the Koloniale Tentoonstelling, the colonial exhibition held in Semarang from 13 August to 15 November 1914. The Dutch ethnographer F. W. Stammeshaus proposed moving the pavilion to Kutaraja, as Banda Aceh was then called, and on 31 July 1915 it opened there as the Atjeh Museum, inaugurated by the civil and military governor H. N. A. Swart, with Stammeshaus as its first curator. In 1969 the museum moved from Blang Padang to its present 10,800-square-metre site on Jalan Sultan Mahmudsyah.
After independence the museum passed through several managers: Banda Aceh's municipal government, the Baperis foundation and, from 1976 to 2002, the national education and culture ministry, which made it the Aceh State Museum. Since 2002 it has been a technical unit of the Aceh provincial government under its culture and tourism office. Building work from 1974 added a permanent exhibition hall that blends traditional and modern architecture, along with a library and laboratory. Today visitors move between three exhibition spaces — the Permanent Exhibition building, the Rumoh Aceh and a Temporary Exhibition hall — with a balee pavilion, prayer space, café and library in the grounds.
By 2025 the collection numbered 6,038 objects in ten categories, led by ethnography (1,869 items) and philology (1,599 manuscripts and documents), with coins and seals, ceramics, archaeology, fine art and natural history, plus 12,445 library titles. The best-known piece is the Cakra Donya bell, a gift from the Ming dynasty to the Samudera Pasai sultanate in the 15th century, which appears in early photographs of the pavilion. Iron cannons left by the Dutch and thought to date from the 17th century stand in front of the permanent exhibition building, and a touchscreen world spice map on its first floor traces Aceh's place in the spice trade.
The museum opens every day except Friday in two sessions, 8:30 AM–12:00 PM and 1:30–4:30 PM. Tickets cost Rp5,000 for adults, Rp3,000 for children and Rp15,000 for foreign visitors, paid in cash or by QRIS. Children make up most of the audience: of 38,436 visitors between January and September 2026, 21,593 were children and 2,967 came from abroad. Photography is allowed without flash or tripods, and the museum publishes a site map in English. The Aceh Tsunami Museum is less than a kilometre away, so the two make an easy half-day together.
Best for: History Enthusiasts · Families · Architecture Enthusiasts
How long do you need at Aceh Museum?
Allow 1–1.5 hours. The museum's three exhibition spaces and its grounds, from the 1914 Rumoh Aceh to the permanent exhibition hall. Follow the stops in order:
- 1
Rumoh Aceh
📍 Museum grounds
Notice the pegged wooden construction and the three sections, from the public front hall to the private rear rooms.
- 2
Cannons and the Cakra Donya bell
📍 Museum grounds
See the old iron cannons in front of the permanent exhibition hall, and ask staff where the Ming-dynasty Cakra Donya bell is currently displayed.
- 3
Permanent Exhibition building
📍 Permanent Exhibition building
Use the touchscreen spice map on the first floor before moving through the galleries of manuscripts, coins and ethnography.
- 4
Temporary Exhibition hall
📍 Temporary Exhibition hall
Check the museum's website for the current temporary show, and note any galleries closed for maintenance.
What are the must-see works at Aceh Museum?
5 highlights that define the collection: Rumoh Aceh (the 1914 Aceh Pavilion), Cakra Donya bell, Islamic manuscripts and more.
Rumoh Aceh (the 1914 Aceh Pavilion)
Acehnese wooden stilt house · shown in Semarang, 1914
📍 Museum grounds
The traditional house that served as the Aceh Pavilion at the 1914 Semarang colonial exhibition and became the Atjeh Museum in 1915 — built with wooden pegs instead of iron nails and divided into front, central and rear sections.
Cakra Donya bell
Gift of the Ming dynasty to the Samudera Pasai sultanate · 15th century
A large bell presented by China's Ming dynasty to the Samudera Pasai sultanate; it appears in early photographs of the pavilion and is one of the museum's most important historical objects.
Islamic manuscripts
Acehnese manuscript tradition
Texts such as Sabilal Mubtady li al-tafaqqah fi amr al-din and Safinatul Hukkam fi Takhlishlil Khasham, part of a philology collection of 1,599 items that the museum continues to conserve.
Iron cannons
Dutch colonial period · thought to date from the 17th century
📍 In front of the Permanent Exhibition building
Old iron cannons left by the Dutch, set in the garden in front of the permanent exhibition hall.
Interactive world spice map
Digital installation · 2026
📍 Permanent Exhibition building, first floor
A touchscreen map showing which spices Aceh exported and imported and the places it traded with, opened in September 2026.
Collections and highlights
- • Rumoh Aceh traditional house (1914)
- • Manuscripts and documents (1,599 items)
- • Ethnography: betel sets, knives, necklaces, drums and lamps
- • Farming tools such as the jeungki rice pounder
- • Coins, seals and heraldry
- • Ceramics and archaeology
- • Fine art and historical paintings
- • Library of 12,445 titles
Tips for visiting Aceh Museum
- 1.
Best time to visit
Arrive at 8:30 AM or just after the 1:30 PM reopening, on any day except Friday. School groups make up a large share of visitors, and September was the busiest month of 2026 so far.
- 2.
Tickets & booking
Pay at the counter in cash or by QRIS: Rp5,000 adults, Rp3,000 children, Rp15,000 foreign visitors. Researchers must bring a letter from their institution addressed to the head of the museum.
- 3.
Accessibility
The museum lists disability-friendly access, toilets, free Wi-Fi and a nursing room (on request) among its facilities. The Rumoh Aceh is a raised house reached by steps, so ask staff about access to it.
- 4.
Photography rules
Photos and video are allowed, but flash is banned in the collection rooms and tripods and monopods are not permitted in the exhibition spaces.
How do you get to Aceh Museum?
- walk Less than 1 km east of the Aceh Tsunami Museum on Jalan Sultan Iskandar Muda, in central Banda Aceh near Blang Padang field
- taxi Taxi or ride-hailing car to Jl. Sultan Mahmudsyah No. 10, Peuniti; on-site parking costs Rp2,000 for motorbikes, Rp3,000 for cars and Rp5,000 for buses
Address: Jl. Sultan Mahmudsyah No. 10, Peuniti, Baiturrahman, Banda Aceh 23116, Aceh, Indonesia
Sources we checked
Visitor facts and history on this page come from these sources, checked on the dates shown.
- Tiket Museum Aceh — UPTD Museum Aceh (Aceh Culture and Tourism Office), checked 22 October 2026
- Jadwal Kunjungan — UPTD Museum Aceh, checked 22 October 2026
- Peraturan Museum Aceh — UPTD Museum Aceh, checked 22 October 2026
- Fasilitas Museum Aceh — UPTD Museum Aceh, checked 22 October 2026
- Sejarah Museum Aceh — UPTD Museum Aceh, checked 22 October 2026
- Koleksi — UPTD Museum Aceh, checked 22 October 2026
- Penelitian di Museum Aceh — UPTD Museum Aceh, checked 22 October 2026
- Tren Kunjungan Museum Aceh Meningkat, September Jadi yang Tertinggi (30 September 2026) — UPTD Museum Aceh, checked 22 October 2026
- Filosofi Hidup di Balik Keagungan Rumoh Aceh (15 September 2026) — UPTD Museum Aceh, checked 22 October 2026
- Museum Aceh Hadirkan Peta Rempah Dunia Interaktif (12 September 2026) — UPTD Museum Aceh, checked 22 October 2026
- Mengapa Dilarang Menggunakan Flash di Ruang Koleksi Museum? (17 September 2026) — UPTD Museum Aceh, checked 22 October 2026
- Museum Aceh — national museum registry profile — Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Indonesia, checked 22 October 2026
- Museum Aceh — Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Indonesia (Wonderful Indonesia), checked 22 October 2026
- Museum Aceh — Wikipedia (Bahasa Indonesia), checked 22 October 2026
- Aceh Museum — Wikipedia, checked 22 October 2026
- Jejak Sejarah di Museum Aceh, Rumah Tradisional yang Menjadi Pusat Memori Tanah Rencong (15 July 2026) — Good News From Indonesia, checked 22 October 2026
Aceh Museum: frequently asked questions
How much is the entrance fee for the Aceh Museum?
Admission is Rp5,000 for adults, Rp3,000 for children and Rp15,000 for foreign visitors, paid in cash or by QRIS at the museum's ticket counter. Parking costs Rp2,000 for motorbikes, Rp3,000 for private cars and Rp5,000 for buses and minibuses. There is no online booking; simply buy your ticket at the counter when you arrive.
What are the opening hours of the Aceh Museum?
The museum opens every day except Friday in two sessions: 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM and 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM. It closes over the midday break, and any extra closures are announced on its website. The permanent exhibition, the Rumoh Aceh and the temporary exhibition are each closed from time to time for maintenance, and at busy times you may need to wait your turn to enter a gallery.
Where is the Aceh Museum and how do I get there?
The museum is at Jalan Sultan Mahmudsyah No. 10 in Peuniti, in central Banda Aceh near Blang Padang field. The Aceh Tsunami Museum is less than a kilometre to the west, so the two are easy to combine in a morning. Taxis and ride-hailing cars can drop you at the gate, and the museum has parking for motorbikes, cars and buses.
How long should I spend at the Aceh Museum?
Plan 1–1.5 hours for the highlights of Aceh Museum. Our 4-stop route — Rumoh Aceh, Cannons and the Cakra Donya bell, Permanent Exhibition building and more — is designed to fit that time. Add extra time for temporary exhibitions, the shop and the café.
What are the highlights of the Aceh Museum?
Start with the Rumoh Aceh, the wooden stilt house that served as the Aceh Pavilion at the 1914 Semarang colonial exhibition. Then find the Cakra Donya bell, a 15th-century gift from the Ming dynasty to the Samudera Pasai sultanate, the iron cannons in front of the permanent exhibition building, the manuscript collection and the touchscreen spice map tracing Aceh's trade links.
Can I take photos inside the Aceh Museum?
Yes. The museum's visitor rules allow photography and video, but flash is banned because light permanently damages textiles, manuscripts, photographs and other sensitive objects. Tripods and monopods are not allowed in the exhibition rooms, and activities that need special permission should be arranged with museum staff. Food and drink are not allowed in the galleries or the library.
What is inside the Rumoh Aceh at the museum?
The Rumoh Aceh is a raised wooden house held together with wooden pegs rather than iron nails. It has three sections: the Seuramo Keu, a front hall for receiving male guests and meetings; the Seuramo Teungoh, the family's central living space, also called the rumoh inong; and the Seuramo Likôt, the private rear section for the women of the house, with the main bedroom.
Is Aceh Museum open on Fridays?
No — Aceh Museum is closed every Friday. It is open Saturday to Thursday: 8:30 AM – 12:00 PM and 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM. Plan a different museum for that day, and check the official website for holiday changes.
Is Aceh Museum free to visit?
Not for everyone. Standard admission: Rp5,000 for adults; Rp3,000 for children; Rp15,000 for foreign visitors. Free or reduced entry: Children: Rp3,000.
