🔬 Category

The world's best science & industry museums

Science and industry museums make the principles of physics, chemistry, engineering, medicine and technology accessible to everyone — through hands-on exhibits, live demonstrations and immersive experiences. They inspire curiosity and illuminate the inventions that shaped the modern world.

10 museums across 7 countries and 9 cities, ranked by our editorial composite of TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice, AECOM/TEA attendance data and coverage in Condé Nast Traveler, Time Out, National Geographic and The Times.

Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum — Science & Industry in Washington, United States
#27
🔬 Science & Industry
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
Washington, United States
The world's most popular flight & space museum
⭐ 4.7(41,000 reviews)🏆 AECOM Top 5
Science Museum — Science & Industry in London, United Kingdom
#42
🔬 Science & Industry
Science Museum
London, United Kingdom
Three centuries of scientific innovation
⭐ 4.7(30,000 reviews)🏆 Free entry
Deutsches Museum — Science & Industry in Munich, Germany
#43
🔬 Science & Industry
Deutsches Museum
Munich, Germany
Europe's largest museum of science and technology
⭐ 4.6(13,000 reviews)🏆 Largest STEM museum in Europe
Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie — Science & Industry in Paris, France
#62
🔬 Science & Industry
Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie
Paris, France
Europe's largest science centre
⭐ 4.5(11,000 reviews)🏆 TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice
MUSE – Museo delle Scienze — Science & Industry in Trento, Italy
#97
🔬 Science & Industry
MUSE – Museo delle Scienze
Trento, Italy
Renzo Piano's alpine science museum
⭐ 4.7(8,000 reviews)🏆 TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice
Museum of Science and Industry — Science & Industry in Chicago, United States
#109
🔬 Science & Industry
Museum of Science and Industry
Chicago, United States
Hands-on science in the last building of the 1893 World's Fair
⭐ 4.7(11,000 reviews)🏆 TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice
Exploratorium — Science & Industry in San Francisco, United States
#110
🔬 Science & Industry
Exploratorium
San Francisco, United States
The original hands-on science museum
⭐ 4.7(9,000 reviews)🏆 TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice
Royal Observatory Greenwich — Science & Industry in London, United Kingdom
#159
🔬 Science & Industry
Royal Observatory Greenwich
London, United Kingdom
Stand on the Prime Meridian
⭐ 4.6(8,500 reviews)🏆 UNESCO World Heritage (Maritime Greenwich)
Powerhouse Museum / Powerhouse Ultimo — Science & Industry in Sydney, Australia
#202
🔬 Science & Industry
Powerhouse Museum / Powerhouse Ultimo
Sydney, Australia
Sydney's applied arts and science museum
⭐ 4.4(6,500 reviews)🏆 Australia's largest science museum
Museum of the Future — Science & Industry in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
#218
🔬 Science & Industry
Museum of the Future
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Inside the calligraphy-clad torus
⭐ 4.6(14,000 reviews)🏆 Architectural icon

About science & industry museums

From steam engines to space capsules, science museums display the real machines and instruments that drove human progress. The best ones balance historical artefacts with interactive exhibits that let visitors experiment and discover. Many also serve as important centres for STEM education, hosting school programmes and public lectures. Our ranking weights the breadth of their collections, the quality of their interactive exhibits and their contribution to science communication.

The top-ranked science & industry museum on our list is Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, United States. Explore all 10 museums in this category above, or browse our full Top 50 ranking for a cross-category overview.