50 Museums to Blow Your Mind (Lonely Planet)

Thank the stars for the world's eccentric collectors; hoarders of objects beautiful, strange or downright odd. It is these documentors of the great and trivial - who want to show us all something wonderful about their collections and share the insights into humankind each of them illuminates - who have created the most fascinating, wonderful and precious museums the planet has to offer. 

Boggle at the enormity of space, get nostalgic at childhood memories or be dumbstruck by the International Museum of Toilets... Whether you're a history buff, tech-head or have an inexplicable fascination with clowns, you'll find world-class collections here to pique your interest. 

Never drag your heels around a dull museum again! 

Then & now // History museums 



Acropolis Museum // Greece 
British Museum // UK 
Forbidden City // China 
Goethe House & Goethe Museum // Germany 
Imperial War Museum // UK 
Museum of Alchemists & Magicians of Old Prague // Czech Republic 
Museum of Mummies of Guanajuato // Mexico 
National Museum of Anthropology // Mexico 
Old Operating Theatre Museum & Herb Garret // UK 
Prison Gate Museum // The Netherlands 
Sir John Soane's Museum // UK 
Styrian Armoury // Austria 
Torture Museum // The Netherlands 
Vasa Museum // Sweden 
Viking Ship Museum // Norway 
Whitney Plantation // USA 

The world around us // Natural history museums 



Kunstkamera // Russia 6 
Messner Mountain Museum // Italy 
Sarawak State Museum // Malaysia 
Smithsonian Institution // USA 

Human creativity // Art & culture museums 



American Classic Arcade Museum // USA 
Belgian Brewers Museum // Belgium 
Burlesque Hall of Fame // USA 
Coffee Museum // Brazil 
Erawan Museum // Thailand 
Ghibli Museum // Japan 
Grammy Museum // USA 
The Green Vault // Germany 
Museum of Childhood // UK 
Musical Instruments Museum // USA 
Soumaya Museum // Mexico 
Vodka Museum // Russia 

Things that go // Science & technology museums 



Bicycle Museum of America // USA 
Big Hole & Open Mine Museum // South Africa 
Exploratorium // USA 
National Maritime Museum // France 
National Rail Museum // UK 
New Mexico Museum of Space History // USA 
New York City Fire Museum // USA 
Pencil Museum // UK 
Porsche Museum // Germany 
Sewer Museum // France 
Sulabh International Museum of Toilets // India 

Peculiar passions // Quirky museums 



Avanos Hair Museum // Turkey 
Clown Hall of Fame & Research Centre // USA 
Cupnoodles Museum // Japan 
Gopher Hole Museum // Canada 
International Cryptozoology Museum // USA 
Museum of Broken Relationships // Croatia 
Watermelon Museum // China 

About Lonely Planet: Started in 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel guide publisher with guidebooks to every destination on the planet. Lonely Planet's mission is to enable curious travellers to experience the world and to truly get to the heart of the places they find themselves in. 

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