Delhi is home to some of the nation’s best collection of galleries and museums. As most people like to believe, it is not always boring and home to several masterpieces. Boasting of dazzling treasures and reflecting India’s rich cultural heritage, museums in Delhi is a must-visit for those interested in learning about India’s history and gradual metamorphosis over several centuries.
Here are some museums to visit in Delhi for a unique experience altogether. It is advisable for you to plan your visit beforehand keeping in mind the timings and the days on which it is closed.
Best Museums in Delhi that are Worth Visiting
1. National Museum
Also, known as the National Museum of India, it is one of the largest museums in Delhi. Boasting of over 200,000 works of foreign and Indian art, this museum covers more than 5,000 years of worldwide rich cultural heritage.
It is home to a plethora of departments such as archaeology, manuscripts, pre-history archaeology, paintings, arms and armour and much more.
- Location- Janpath, New Delhi
- Entry Fee- Rs 20 for Indians and Rs 650 for Foreigners (Students up to class 12th get free entry ticket)
- Timings- 10 AM to 6 PM (Monday Closed)
- Speciality- Radha and Krishna in the boat of Love
2. National Handicrafts and Handlooms Museum
Popularly known as the National Crafts Museum, MHHM is one of the largest crafts museums in Delhi NCR.
Run by the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, this museum is home to over 35, 000 distinctive pieces of craft; all of which reflect the amazing skills and craftsmanship of Indian craftsmen via embroidery, paintings, textiles and clay, wood and stone craft items.
- Location- Pragati Maidan, Bhairon Marg
- Entry Fee- Re 1 for Indian students, Rs 10 for Indians and Rs 150 for Foreigners
- Timings- 10 AM to 5 PM (Monday Closed)
- Speciality- Rare and Distinctive Craft Work
3. National Rail Museum
Focusing mainly on India’s rail heritage, the National Rail Museum has both outdoor and indoor exhibits with a toy train ride which allows visitors to cover the entire museum on regular days.
Home to a fascinating collection of more than 100 real size exhibits of the Indian Railways, one can find displays of static and working models, historical photographs, antique furniture and signalling equipment in this best museum in Delhi.
- Location- Chanakyapuri
- Entry Fee- Rs 50 for Adults, Rs 10 for children between ages 3 to 12. Rates double up on weekends and government holidays.
- Timings- 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM (Monday Closed)
- Speciality- Rail Heritage of India
- Places to Stay: Hotels near National Rail Museum Delhi
4. Shankar’s International Dolls Museum
Being an immensely large collection of Dolls in the nation’s capital, this Museum in Delhi was set up by K. Shankar Pillai, a political cartoonist. Home to around 6,500 dolls from more than 80 countries, this is a popular Museum amongst children and adults alike.
- Location- Nehru House, 4 Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg
- Entry Fee- Rs 15 for Adults and Rs 5 for Children
- Timings- 10 AM to 5:30 PM (Monday Closed)
- Speciality- 150 types of Indian costume dolls
5. National Gallery of Modern Art
Being a premier art gallery under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India; The National Gallery of Modern Art is one of the world’s largest modern art museums to visit in Delhi with more than 14, 000 works by renowned and reputed Indian and foreign artists of worldwide fame.
- Location- Jaipur House, Shershah Road
- Entry Fee- Rs 20 for Indians and Rs 500 for Foreigners. Student entry is free
- Timings- 11 AM to 6 30 PM (Mondays and National Holidays Closed)
- Speciality- Paintings, sculptures, graphics and photographs
6. Nehru Memorial Museum & Library
Established in the memory of Jawaharlal Nehru, this institution aims to preserve, recollect and reconstruct history during India’s struggle for independence.
More than 2, 50, 000 printed books, 1, 50, 000 photographs and 8, 000 audio tapes reveal information on Nehru and the Indian freedom movement in this museum in Delhi NCR.
- Location- Teen Murti Bhawan,
- Entry Fee- Free
- Timings- 9 AM to 5:30 PM (Monday Closed)
- Speciality- Nehru related information
7. National Science Centre
Being a science museum, the National Science Centre is part of NCSM or National Council of Science Museums and is the first and best museum in Delhi under this council.
The entire exhibit spans over 4 floors and is extremely popular amongst students. Six permanent halls hold interesting exhibits which are a must-visit for all.
- Location- Bhairon Road, Pragati Maidan
- Entry Fee- Rs 50 for Adult, Rs 10 for Students
- Timings- 10 AM to 5:30 PM (All Days)
- Speciality- ‘The Energy Balls’
8. Gandhi Smriti
Previously known as Birla House or Birla Bhawan, Gandhi Smriti is a museum in Delhi dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi. It is the very place where Mahatma Gandhi spent the last few months of his life and was then assassinated.
Being the home of the Birla family, Indian business tycoons, it now houses several articles associated with Gandhi’s life and even death.
- Location- 5 Tees January Marg
- Entry Fee- Free
- Timings- 10 AM to 5 PM (Monday Closed)
- Speciality- Dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi
9. Indian Air Force Museum
Being a museum of the Indian Air Force, this museum features a gallery containing historic memorabilia, photographs, personal weapons and uniforms of the Indian Air Force since its inception years ago. Visitors can also view a small aircraft, large aircraft and Air Force inventory here.
- Location- Palam
- Entry Fee- Free
- Timings- 10 AM to 5 PM (Monday and Tuesday Closed)
- Speciality- Aviation Museum
10. National Philatelic Museum
Amongst all museum in Delhi, this one is immensely popular and interesting. Operated by the Department of Post, the National Philatelic Museum is known for its amphitheatre, library and display of postage stamps. An area has also been dedicated for people to view artists at work.
- Location- Sansad Marg Road
- Entry Fee- Free
- Timings- 10 AM to 5 PM (Saturday and Sunday Closed)
- Speciality- Post-independence era stamps, Philatelic workshops
11. Sulabh International Museum of Toilets
Out of all museum in Delhi, this is an exceptional one. Dedicated to the global history of toilets and sanitation, this unique museum mainly addresses the problems related to the sanitation sector in the nation.
Visitors can witness toilet related technology here and view items related to privies, toilet furniture, chamber pots and water closets.
- Location- RZ-83 Sulabh Bhawan, Palam Dabri Road
- Entry Fee- Free
- Timings- 10:30 AM to 5 PM in winters and 10 AM to 5 PM in summers
- Speciality- Sanitation and Toilets
12. Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum
This museum in Delhi NCR is the home-turned-museum of the former Indian Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, who was assassinated in 1984. It is home to some extremely rare pictures of the Nationalist movement along with some personal moments of the Gandhi and Nehru family along with Indira Gandhi’s childhood.
- Location- 1, Safdarjung Road
- Entry Fee- Free
- Timings- 9:30 AM to 5 PM (Monday Closed)
- Speciality- Indira Gandhi’s former house
13. Sanskriti Museums
This museum is actually a set of three museums in Delhi which are the Textile Museum, Museum of Indian Terracotta and Museum of ‘Everyday Art’.
The diverse showcase of Indian Textile heritage and several objects related to terracotta art, figures and sculptures can be found in the first 2 museums respectively. In the last museum, visitors will find daily household objects being turned into pieces of art.
- Location- Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road, Anand Gram
- Entry Fee- Free
- Timings- 10 AM to 5 PM (Monday Closed)
- Speciality- 3 Museums housed in one
14. Red Fort Archaeological Museum
This Archaeological Museum is home to some of the most exquisite artefacts, paintings, fabrics and calligraphy related to the Mughal era and is under the aegis of the Archaeological Survey of India.
Some relics of the 1857 war such as weapons and maps can also be found in this best museum in Delhi.
- Location- Lal Quila, Chandni Chowk, Red Fort
- Entry Fee- Free
- Timings- 10 AM to 5 PM (Monday and Government Holidays Closed)
- Speciality- Mughal era artefacts and paintings
15. Ghalib Museum
This museum is under the aegis of Ghalib Academy and focuses on the life of Mirza Ghalib who was an extremely famous 18th century Urdu poet.
Pictures of the Ghalib’s residence, his attire and food habits along with coins, postage stamps and seals dating to the Mughal era can be found in this best museum in Delhi.
- Location- Nizamuddin West
- Entry Fee- Free
- Timings- 10 AM to 6 PM (Sunday Closed)
- Speciality- Handwritten poems and letters of Ghalib
16. National Children’s Museum
This is a unique educational museum in Delhi especially for children and is home to a plethora of jewellery, toys, dolls and musical instruments. It mainly aims to enhance creativity amongst children of all ages and also holds regular workshops and classes on creative arts.
- Location- 1. Kotla Road, Sector 11
- Entry Fee- Free
- Timings- 9 AM to 5 PM (Monday Closed)
- Speciality- Enhancing creativity amongst children
17. Sangeet Natak Akademi Museum
Amongst all museums in Delhi, this one aims to preserve and promote performing arts in the nation and along with maintaining a museum, it also houses a gallery of musical instruments. Visitors can witness the rich heritage of performing arts from all over the nation.
- Location- Rabindra Bhawan, Ferozshah Road
- Entry Fee- Free
- Timings- 9:30 AM to 6 PM (Saturday and Sunday Closed)
- Speciality- Dance Academy
18. Doctor Zakir Hussain Museum
Lying within the Zamia Milia Islamia University’s campus, this best museum in Delhi was created as a mausoleum in the memory of Dr Zakir Hussain, the 3rd president of the nation. The main aim of this museum is to preserve this great leader’s memorabilia, photographs, and souvenirs.
- Location- Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Marg, Okhla
- Entry Fee- Free
- Timings- 10 AM to 5 PM (Friday Closed)
- Speciality- Tribute to Zakir Hussain
19. Tribal Museum
Amongst several museums to visit in Delhi, this one is a must. It showcases the diverse and fascinating tribal culture of the nation and aims to preserve some of its rare insights and artefacts. You will get a complete glimpse of the tribal way of life here along with several murals on the walls.
- Location- Thakkar Bapa Smarak Sadan, Dr Ambedkar Marg
- Entry Fee- Rs 10 for Indians, Rs 100 for Foreigners (Free for children below 10 years
- Timings- 11 AM to 2 30 PM
- Speciality- Tribal Life
20. Supreme Court Museum
The main aim of this museum in Delhi NCR is to preserve, display and protect extremely rare manuscripts, files, photographs, objects, artefacts and manuscripts which depict the nation’s Justice Delivery System’s legal growth and heritage.
- Location- Tilak Marg, Supreme Court, Mandi House
- Entry Fee- Free
- Timings- 10 AM to 5 PM (Monday Closed)
- Speciality- Judicial Museum
21. Election Museum
This is the best museum in Delhi which showcases the country’s electoral journey by revealing a plethora of maps, references and hundreds of photographs associated with the same.
- Location- Inside the Chief Electoral Officer’s office, Old St. Stephen’s College Building
- Timings- 11 AM to 4 PM (Saturday and Sunday Closed)
- Entry Fee- Free
- Speciality- Electoral Journey
22. Tibet House Museum
This museum in Delhi is quite unique as it depicts the art and cultural heritage of Tibet in a very elaborate manner. Some of this country’s old currency notes, prayer objects, headpieces and musical instruments can be viewed here.
- Location- Institutional Area, Lodhi Road
- Timings- 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM (Saturday and Sunday Closed)
- Entry Fee- Free
- Speciality- Tibetan culture
23. Metro Museum
This is one of the best museums in Delhi which is also quite unique in nature. It is South Asia’s first modern metro museum which showcases the Delhi Metro along with the genesis, journey and history of DMRC or Delhi Metro Rail Corporation in details.
- Location- Patel Chowk Metro Station
- Timings- 10 AM to 11 PM
- Entry Fee- Rs 8
- Speciality- Showcases Delhi Metro
24. Indian War Memorial Museum
This is a museum in Delhi which is quite well known for its beautiful galleries which reveal details about India’s military history during the 1st and 2nd world wars. The diorama of the Battle of Panipat which helped Babur establish the Mughal Empire in India can also be seen here.
- Location- Red Fort
- Timings- 10 AM to 5 PM (Friday Closed)
- Entry Fee- Rs 5 for Indians and Rs 100 for Foreigners
- Speciality- Military History of India
25. National Police Museum
This is a unique museum in Delhi NCR which contains items related to crime, police and criminals from the olden days till modern times. The exhibits displayed are acquired from various states in India while some are also of foreign origin.
- Location- CGO Complex, Lodi Road
- Timings- 10 AM to 5 PM (Saturday and Sunday Closed)
- Entry Fee- Free
- Speciality- World of Police
With Delhi being home to diverse and unique kinds of museums, one must visit these in the nation’s capital. Not only are these museums informative and interesting but also reflect on India’s rich cultural and historical heritage.
Most of these museums in Delhi are located near famous landmarks and are easy to reach, without you having to worry about commuting to the same.
