Every so often a list of top history museums will land in my Google feed and I’m always intrigued by them, so I started thinking about creating my own list. First, I thought about narrowing it to my personal favorite history museums, but then I realized that would unfairly limit the list to just those I’ve visited. Although I’m well-traveled, I haven’t visited everywhere to ascertain the “best” around the world.
What I can do though is curate a list from other people’s top history museums around the world and apply my historian sensibilities to it. So that’s what I did.
I did a Google search on top history museums and then evaluated each based on their exhibits, approach, innovation, style, and historical accuracy. I only included broad-based historical museums, not those dedicated to one family/person or a specific site, era, or event (e.g. Medici Museum in Florence, Holocaust museums, Anne Frank House, Acropolis Museum, etc.). I also shied away from museums with only natural history as their focuse—I think there might be separate future blogs looking at art museums, archaeological sites, natural history, house/site museums, and more.
It wasn’t easy. Some museums didn’t provide enough material online for me to evaluate them, so I also used visitor ratings/comments and professional opinions. There is also the fact that there are very few museums only dedicated to history—some of the best are art museums. It is in art museums that we see more of human history portrayed. History museums tend to look at one nation, unless they’re natural history museums. To see more of the world’s history, we need to also look at art museums. For the purpose of this article though, I only included art museums if they had a strong focus on human history as their mission.
By applying these principles, I created the following list (listed by 2024 visitor size). These history museums definitely deserve a visit!
Smithsonian Institute (all museums combined)
- Location: Washington D.C, USA
- Visitors: 16,800,000
- Exhibits: The Smithsonian Institution’s exhibits span science, history, art, and culture, showcasing treasures like the Wright Brothers’ Flyer, the Hope Diamond, and the Star-Spangled Banner. Across its 17 museums and galleries, visitors encounter both permanent collections and rotating exhibitions that highlight American innovation, natural wonders, and global heritage.
National Museum of China
- Location: Beijing, China
- Visitors: 6,956,800
- Exhibits: The National Museum of China in Beijing presents a vast collection of over 1.4 million artifacts, with exhibits spanning 5,000 years of Chinese history and culture. Its exhibitions are organized into permanent displays, special topic galleries, and temporary shows.
Vatican Museums
- Location: Vatican City city state (within borders of Rome, Italy)
- Visitors: 6,825,436
- Exhibits: The Vatican Museums house one of the world’s richest collections of art and history, spanning ancient civilizations, Renaissance masterpieces, and religious treasures. Highlights include the Sistine Chapel, Raphael Rooms, classical antiquities, and vast galleries of maps, sculptures, and tapestries.
British Museum
- Location: London, England
- Visitors: 6,479,952
- Exhibits: The British Museum in London showcases over 8 million objects spanning 2 million years of human history, with world-famous exhibits like the Rosetta Stone, the Elgin Marbles, and Egyptian mummies. Its galleries cover civilizations from ancient Mesopotamia and Greece to Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
Topkapi Palace
- Location: Istanbul, Turkey
- Visitors: @5,200,000
- Exhibits: Topkapi Palace in Istanbul exhibits treasures of the Ottoman Empire, including imperial relics, sacred Islamic artifacts, and lavish collections of jewels, manuscripts, and arms. Its highlights are the Imperial Treasury, the Harem, and the Pavilion of the Holy Relics.
Henry Ford
- Location: Detroit, Michigan, USA
- Visitors: @1,700,000
- Exhibits: The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation (part of The Henry Ford Institute in Dearborn, Michigan) showcases exhibits on American history, technology, and culture, featuring artifacts like the Rosa Parks Bus, presidential limousines, and the Wright Brothers’ Flyer. It highlights innovation, social change, and everyday ingenuity across nine acres of exhibition space.
This list was not exhaustive and I am sure that some fabulous history museums were excluded (including the museum where I sit on the Board of Directors—the Castle Museum of Saginaw, Michigan), so I hope you will provide your favorites in the comment section.
Guided Tours for VIP Status
Smithsonian
Smithsonian Highlights Walking Tour with Reserved Air and Space Entry: https://www.viator.com/tours/Washington-DC/Highlights-of-the-Smithsonian-Small-Group-Guided-Walking-Tour/d657-41377P14?pid=P00161535&mcid=42383&medium=link&medium_version=selector
Smithsonian Museum of Natural History Guide Tours: https://www.viator.com/tours/Washington-DC/Private-Guided-Tour-Smithsonian-National-Museum-of-Natural-History/d657-40048P26?pid=P00161535&mcid=42383&medium=link&medium_version=selector
Vatican Museums
LivTours has several semi-private/private tours that are awesome! Use this link and code AMYRH10 to save 10% off 2+ tours: https://livtours.com/destinations/vatican-tours?af_code=E1DDN61
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Viator has many tours with badge of excellence: https://www.viator.com/Vatican-City-attractions/Vatican-Museums/d60477-a115?pid=P00161535&mcid=42383&medium=link&medium_version=selector
British Museum
LivTours offers an amazing guided experience of the museum along with other London tours. Use this link and code AMYRH10 to save 10% off 2+ tours: https://livtours.com/destinations/london-tours?af_code=E1DDN61
Tour Guy has some cool London tours: https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=74246&awinaffid=1985445&ued=https%3A%2F%2Fthetourguy.com%2Ftours%2Flondon
Viator has a guided tour of the British Museum with a badge of excellence: https://www.viator.com/tours/London/Private-Guided-Tour-of-the-British-Museum-in-London/d737-40046P2?pid=P00161535&mcid=42383&medium=link&medium_version=selector
Topkapi Palace
Small Group Topkapi Palace and Harem Tour: Highlights & History (with badge of excellence): https://www.viator.com/tours/Istanbul/Topkapi-Palace-and-Harem-guided-tour-with-skip-the-line-tickets/d585-51192P79?pid=P00161535&mcid=42383&medium=link&medium_version=selector
Happy travels!
Amy French, Ph.D., is the voice behind Roaming Historian. A professional historian and seasoned traveler, she shares stories that blend history and travel to give readers a deeper understanding of the places they explore.
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