Top 10 Must-Visit Museums in Goa To Explore History (2024)

Magnificent Goa renowned for its sandy beaches, exotic seafood, and splendid tourist spots also boast of being home to some of the best museums in India. Museums are a glass door to the culture, history, and heritage of a place and the museums of Goa perfectly do justice in doing so. Exhibits in these alluring museums of Goa provide a glimpse of archaeology, art and culture, ancient carvings, and much more of the state. These perfectly conserved museums are one of the most popular attractions for tourists. Most of these museums showcase the exact facts and figures in relation to the on goings of Goa from ancient history. They are an ideal place to explore the city in great depth through the medium of artifacts and exhibits.

Top 10 Must-Visit Museums in Goa To Explore History

Listed below are some of the museums that you can visit during your stay in Goa to know more about the city:

1. Goa State Museum:

Alternatively referred to as the State Archaeological Museum, Goa State Museum is located at Adil Shah’s Palace in Panaji, Goa. Established within the year 1977, it is an ancient heritage and archaeological repository. It has numerous departments like Art and Craft, Ancient Archaeology and History, and Geology, etc. Apart from that, the museum boasts of a collection of over 8000 artifacts including paintings, wooden objects, bronzes, anthropological objects, rare coins, manuscripts, carvings and stone sculptures, etc. An absolute pleasure for the archaeologists and history fanatics, the museum is one of the most visited monuments in the city. No entry fee is charged in this museum. Comprising of about 14 galleries broadly classified into categories like Goa through Ages, Goa Freedom Struggle, The Portuguese Phase, and Glimpses of Goan Culture, it is one of the best places to know more about Goa. Image Source

Location: At Adil Shah Palace, Avenida Dom João de Castro, Patto Colony, Panaji, Goa

Timing: 9.30 AM to 5.30 PM

Charges: Free of cost

2. Museum of Christian Art:

Located in Old Goa, alongside the convent of Santa Monica, the Museum of Christian Art holds a collection of artifacts belonging to the Christian community since the 16th century. To showcase the invaluable art and heritage of Goa, the 2000 square feet museum holds a collection of 150 figurines and artifacts. Founded in the year 1994, the museum is financed together by the Indian National Trust of Art and Culture Heritage (INTACH) and the Portuguese Association. The highlight of the museum is that the Christian characters are given an Indian look and feel and therefore the people can relate the sculptures and statues to Indian culture. Located near Basilica De Bom Jesus, a joint visit to both is a satisfying experience.
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Location: Alongside Convent of Santa Monica, Velha, Goa

Timing: 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM

Charges: INR 3

3. Goa Chitra Museum:

Located in Benaulim, Goa Chitra Museum is an ethnographic repository. The museum perfectly puts to display the traditional life and culture of Goa. Established in the year 2010, as a tribute to his ancestors by Victor Huge Gomez, the museum has a collection of over 4000 artifacts such as weapons, metalwork, furniture, woodwork, religious Goan artifacts, etc. The museum also displays an organic farm. Titled as the topmost contemporary museum in India by the Archaeological Survey of India, it positively conducts activities and workshops to spread information about the traditions and culture of Goa among the masses.
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Location: H.No. 498, close to Auxilium High School, Benaulim, Goa

Timing: 9:00 Am to 6:00 PM

Charges: INR 100

4. Houses of Goa:

Boasting of a grand collection of houses belonging to the era of colonialism in Goa, Houses of Goa is a breathtaking masterpiece of architecture in itself. Donning a ship-like shape, the museum was both built and designed by Gerard de Cunha. The museum showcases home décor items, house furniture, door and window frames, ceramic tiles, and railings from the bygone era during the time of Portuguese architecture.
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Location: House No. 674, Torda ,Salvador do Mundo, Penha de França, Goa

Timing: 10:00 Am to 7:30 PM

Charges: INR 100 for adults and INR 25 for children

5. Naval Aviation Museum:

Located in Mormugao, the Naval Aviation Museum is one of the only two naval aviation museums in the entire country. Established in 1998 with the aim to publicly display the functioning, importance, and evolution of the Indian Naval Air Arm, the museum is a site perfect for the sight. Naval Aviation Museum showcases impressive indoor and outdoor exhibits comprising of weapons and arms, uniforms, photographs, documents, and even decommissioned aircraft. This museum is a perfect place to know about the Indian Naval system in detail.
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Location: At Bogmalo Road, Vasco da Gama, Goa

Timing: 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Charges: INR 20

6. Archaeological Museum:

Archaeological Museum was founded by the Archaeological Survey of India in the year 1964 but was not recognized until 1984. The museum is situated on the backside of the Church of St. Francis of Assisi. Once considered an old Franciscan Monastery, the museum holds a terrific collection of artifacts and exhibits from the late medieval and prehistoric era of the Portuguese empire in Goa. The artifacts comprise antiques like statues, paintings, coins, ivory and wood sculptures, maps, portraits, stone works, inscriptions, and ceramics. This museum is a perfect place to see the ancestral Goan remains.
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Location: EDC Complex, Patto, Panaji, Goa

Timing: 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Charges: Free of cost

7. Big Foot Museum:

Big Foot Museum is an open-air museum located in the Loutolim district of Goa. The museum is known for its recreation of rural Goan life from a century ago. It showcases the recreation of a village using miniature houses, traditional jobs of the people of that time, different social classes like artisans, fishermen, farmers, village markets, liquor shops, a Music school called the Escola da Musica, and a feni distillery. The key feature of the museum is the enormous 14-meter sculpture of Sant Mirabai carved by MJA Alvares who is the museum owner and an enterprising artist. The sculpture has been listed in the Limca book of records for the longest laterite sculpture in India.
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Location: Cross Museum, Salcete District, Loutolim, Goa

Timing: 09:30 AM – 6:00 PM

Charges: INR 50 for adults and INR 25 for children

8. Wax World Museum:

Situated in Arpora near the Calangute Beach, the wax world museum is home to wax statues of a wide number of famous personalities. The most important attraction of the museum is the sculpture of ‘the last supper’ which is a 22 feet high sculpture and weighs about 500 kilos. The figurines in the museum are all sculpted using paraffin wax, real hair, and artificial teeth and eyes. Other famous figurines include Radha Krishna, Mahatma Gandhi, and Bethlehem. The museum also offers a 9D action theatre and an amazing arena of cars.
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Location: Old Goa, Goa Velha, Goa

Timing: 09:30 AM – 7:00 PM

Charges: INR 30 and INR 10 extra for photography

9. Goa Science Centre:

Located in Miramar, Goa Science Centre and Planetarium is a science museum. Spreading over an area of five acres and housing a planetarium and a theatre for scientific 3D shows and various other scientific exhibits, this museum is a treat for science lovers. The museum keeps conducting programs in order to spread relevant information about science and its principles to the normal public. Established as a combined project by the Department of Science, Technology, and Environment, Goa, and the National Council of Science Museums with the aim of introducing a zeal to learn science and make it interesting for the youth, the museum is a must-visit for the science enthusiasts.
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Location: Marine Highway, Miramar, Panaji, Goa

Timing: 09:30 AM – 6:00 PM

Charges: General Public Students

Planetarium: INR 25 INR 15

Science Centre: INR 15 INR 10

10. San Thome Museum

Established to showcase the evolution of Science and Technology, the San Thome Museum of Goa dates back to the time of Thomas Elva Edison. The museum exhibits exploration of every progress of technology from the 18th century to date. It is a museum of technical evolution and antiques and is a perfect spot for tech students.
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Location: Varca, Margao

Timing: 9:00 AM to 6:30 PM

Charges: INR 200

These were some of the popular museums in Goa that you can explore while visiting the city.

FAQS :

1. Is there a time limit put by the authorities to explore the museums in Goa?

No, there is no time limit to explore the museums in Goa. One can keep exploring them as long as their tour demands and the satisfaction of their desires.

2. Do the museums have facilities for food and beverages?

While most of the museums don’t offer any such facilities of food and beverages inside their premises yet there might be the presence of a chips or beverage vending machine in some of them. You can use that to get snacks in exchange for money.

3. Is it allowed to take pictures inside the museum premises?

Capturing pictures is allowed in some of the museums whereas prohibited in others. Some also charge money for capturing pictures inside the premises of the museum. So, it depends on the rules and regulations set up by the authorities.