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The World’s 100 Best Museums · 2026

The Best Museums in Asia

10 of the 100 museums in The World’s 100 Best Museums 2026 are in Asia, in 5 countries. The highest placed is Bihar Museum in Patna, India, at number 9 in the world. Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum in Katsuyama, Japan (number 24) and Borneo Cultures Museum in Kuching, Malaysia (number 35) follow.

Bihar Museum
N° 9 · Bihar Museum, Patna

Japan

Half of the Asian museums on this page are in Japan, and none of them is in Tokyo. The Chichu Art Museum is built into a hill on the island of Naoshima and the Adachi Museum of Art is in Yasugi, known for a garden that is viewed through the windows. The Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum is in Katsuyama, the National Museum of Ethnology in Expo Commemoration Park near Osaka, and Toyota's museum of industry in a former textile factory in Nagoya.

India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Korea

The Bihar Museum in Patna and the Borneo Cultures Museum in Kuching are both recent buildings that tell the history of one state or region. Indonesia has two entries: Ullen Sentalu at Kaliurang, on Javanese court culture, which is visited by guided tour only, and Museum Bank Indonesia in a colonial bank building in Jakarta's old town. The National Museum of Korea in Seoul is free.

Museums

99. Museum Bank Indonesia 89. Ullen Sentalu Museum 68. National Museum of Korea 58. Adachi Museum of Art 51. Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology 41. National Museum of Ethnology 36. Chichu Art Museum 35. Borneo Cultures Museum 24. Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum 9. Bihar Museum
99. Museum Bank Indonesia 89. Ullen Sentalu Museum 68. National Museum of Korea 58. Adachi Museum of Art 51. Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology 41. National Museum of Ethnology 36. Chichu Art Museum 35. Borneo Cultures Museum 24. Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum 9. Bihar Museum
  1. Bihar Museum N° 9 Bihar Museum Patna, India History museum
  2. Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum N° 24 Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum Katsuyama, Japan Science museum
  3. Borneo Cultures Museum N° 35 Borneo Cultures Museum Kuching, Malaysia History museum
  4. Chichu Art Museum N° 36 Chichu Art Museum Naoshima, Japan Art museum
  5. National Museum of Ethnology N° 41 National Museum of Ethnology Suita, Japan History museum
  6. Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology N° 51 Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology Nagoya, Japan Technology museum
  7. Adachi Museum of Art N° 58 Adachi Museum of Art Yasugi, Japan Art museum
  8. National Museum of Korea N° 68 National Museum of Korea Seoul, South Korea History museum
  9. Ullen Sentalu Museum N° 89 Ullen Sentalu Museum Kaliurang, Indonesia History museum
  10. Museum Bank Indonesia N° 99 Museum Bank Indonesia Jakarta, Indonesia History museum

Best by region

  1. The NordicsLouisiana Museum of Modern ArtHumlebæk, DenmarkN° 3
  2. EuropeMuseo del PradoMadrid, SpainN° 2
  3. AsiaBihar MuseumPatna, IndiaN° 9
  4. The Middle EastŞanlıurfa Archaeology MuseumŞanlıurfa, TurkeyN° 6
  5. North AmericaMuseo Nacional de AntropologíaMexico City, MexicoN° 1
  6. Latin AmericaInstituto Ricardo BrennandRecife, BrazilN° 18
  7. AfricaBardo National MuseumTunis, TunisiaN° 57
  8. OceaniaMONAHobart, AustraliaN° 44

Best by country

  1. United StatesNational WWII MuseumNew OrleansN° 8
  2. NetherlandsNaturalisLeidenN° 11
  3. SpainMuseo del PradoMadridN° 2
  4. GermanyTechnik Museum SinsheimSinsheimN° 20
  5. ItalyMuseo StibbertFlorenceN° 32
  6. JapanFukui Prefectural Dinosaur MuseumKatsuyamaN° 24