Museums in Brazil
108 museums in Brazil. Most visited: São Paulo Museum of Art.
Top museums in Brazil
São Paulo Museum of Art
Art museum · 729,325 visitors a year
Discover the vibrant world of art at the São Paulo Museum of Art (MASP), a cultural gem nestled in the heart of Brazil's bustling metropolis. Renowned for its striking modernist architecture,...
Latin America Memorial
683,000 visitors a year
A seven-metre concrete hand, its open palm marked with a map of Latin America running red like a wound, stands at the centre of this Oscar Niemeyer complex in São Paulo's Barra Funda district. Known...
Catavento Museum
509,177 visitors a year
Museu Catavento puts hands-on science inside the Palácio das Indústrias, an ornate early twentieth-century palace in São Paulo's Parque Dom Pedro II. The building was originally put up to host...
Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo
Art museum · 425,575 visitors a year
A red-brick building left with its walls unplastered and walkways of steel crossing its open courtyards gives the Pinacoteca de São Paulo (Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo) its unusual character....
Parque das Aves
Zoo or aquarium · 290,122 visitors a year
Parque das Aves, Portuguese for "Bird Park", sits beside the entrance to Iguaçu National Park in Foz do Iguaçu and gives visitors close views of Brazilian birds, many of them species of the...
Museu Nacional
180,000 visitors a year
Set within the former São Cristóvão Palace in Rio de Janeiro, the Museu Nacional carries the weight of Brazilian history and the thrill of discovery in equal measure. Founded in 1818, it is the...
Museu Nacional de Belas Artes
Art museum · 135,726 visitors a year
The core of Brazil's most important museum of Brazilian art arrived with royalty. King John VI brought part of the Portuguese Royal Collection when the court moved to Brazil in the early 19th...
Immigration Museum of the State of São Paulo
History museum · 94,781 visitors a year
Housed in the Immigrant Inn building, which opened in 1887 in the Mooca neighbourhood of east São Paulo, the Immigration Museum of the State of São Paulo (Museu da Imigração do Estado de São Paulo)...
Museum of Veterinary Anatomy FMVZ USP
3,460 visitors a year
Before it ever opened to the public, the collection of the Museum of Veterinary Anatomy served as teaching material for the lecturers of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science (FMVZ)...
Brazilian Academy of Letters
Forty writers, known as the "immortals", make up the Brazilian Academy of Letters (Academia Brasileira de Letras). Each holds a numbered chair for life, and a new member is elected by the academy's...
Brazilian Historic and Geographic Institute
Founded on 21 October 1838, the Brazilian Historic and Geographic Institute (Instituto Histórico e Geográfico Brasileiro, or IHGB) is the oldest authority in Brazil dedicated to researching and...
Caixa Cultural São Paulo
The Sé Building, an important example of Art Deco architecture in São Paulo, was inaugurated in 1939 by Getúlio Vargas as the regional headquarters of the bank Caixa Econômica Federal. Listed as a...
Carmen Miranda Museum
Turbans, costumes and accessories worn by Carmen Miranda make up part of the collection at the Carmen Miranda Museum (Museu Carmen Miranda), which is dedicated to the life and career of the singer...
Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil
Banco do Brasil's first building in São Paulo now houses the Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil, widely known as CCBB São Paulo. The structure dates from 1901. The bank bought it in 1923 and hired...
Centro Cultural e de Estudos Superiores Aúthos Pagano
One of the first modernist houses in Brazil, designed by Gregori Warchavchik in 1929 and protected by municipal law since 1978, is home to the Aúthos Pagano Higher Studies and Cultural Center (Centro...
Website of Centro Cultural e de Estudos Superiores Aúthos Pagano
Cinemateca Brasileira
Music, film or theatre museum
Brazil's largest collection of its national cinema is kept in São Paulo's former Old Municipal Slaughterhouse, which operated from 1887 to 1927. The Cinemateca Brasileira, on Largo Senador Raul...
Civil Police Museum
History museum
Founded in 1912 as a teaching collection for police academy students, the Civil Police Museum (Museu da Polícia Civil) opened to the public in the 1930s. Its exhibitions of documents and objects...
Earth Sciences Museum
The Earth Sciences Museum (Museu de Ciências da Terra) occupies a building put up in 1907 for the National Exposition of Brazil, where it served as the States Pavilion. Unlike many exhibition...
Eva Klabin House Museum
Art museum
More than 2,000 works covering almost 5,000 years of art, from Ancient Egypt to Impressionism, fill the Rio de Janeiro home of the collector and philanthropist Eva Klabin (1903–1991). The Eva Klabin...
Museums by city in Brazil
Brazil’s museum scene stretches across very different regions, from the dense cultural circuit of São Paulo to historic collections in Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Recife, Belém, and Brasília. Visitors can move from the European and Brazilian art holdings of MASP and the Pinacoteca to science-focused spaces like Catavento, then on to open-air and landscape-based institutions such as Inhotim in Minas Gerais. Mooseum helps travelers compare these places and navigate them more easily.
Many museums in Brazil are closely tied to the country’s layered history: Indigenous cultures, Afro-Brazilian heritage, colonial periods, modern architecture, immigration, and contemporary social life all appear in museum collections. In Rio, major national institutions such as the Museu Nacional de Belas Artes sit alongside historic sites, while São Paulo offers strong design, image, and modern art collections. Mooseum brings these different museum experiences together in one platform for planning and discovery.
Nature and science also play an important role in Brazil’s museum landscape. Spaces like Parque das Aves in Foz do Iguaçu and science museums aimed at families and school groups show how museum visits here often connect culture with biodiversity and education. In coastal capitals and inland cities alike, many museums are housed in notable buildings, former palaces, or restored industrial spaces, making the setting part of the visit as well.
Visit Brasil
Embratur (Brazilian Agency for International Tourism Promotion)
Official tourism site.
Map of museums in Brazil
Museums in Brazil: questions
- How many museums are there in Brazil?
- Mooseum lists 108 museums in Brazil. São Paulo has the most, with 36.
- Which cities in Brazil have the most museums?
- São Paulo (36), Rio de Janeiro (20), Porto Alegre (9) and Salvador (5).
- What are the most visited museums in Brazil?
- By annual visitors reported on Wikipedia: São Paulo Museum of Art (729,325), Latin America Memorial (683,000) and Catavento Museum (509,177).
- What kinds of museums are in Brazil?
- Of the 60 whose type we know, the most common are art museums (27), history museums (6), science and technology museums (6) and zoos and aquariums (4).
- Strong art collections in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, including Brazilian modernism, European painting, sculpture, photography, and contemporary works
- Museums that explore Afro-Brazilian, Indigenous, and immigrant histories, especially in Salvador, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Recife
- Large-scale outdoor and garden experiences such as Inhotim, where contemporary art is integrated with landscape and botanical collections
- Family-friendly science and interactive museums, with Catavento in São Paulo as a well-known example
- Nature-focused institutions and wildlife interpretation spaces, including Parque das Aves near Iguaçu Falls, linking museum visits with Brazil’s biodiversity
- Check opening days carefully: many museums in Brazil close on Mondays, and some offer free or reduced admission on specific weekdays.
- In large cities like São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, allow extra travel time for traffic; metro lines are often the easiest way to reach central museums.
- For popular sites such as MASP, Pinacoteca, and Inhotim, book tickets online when available, especially on weekends, holidays, and school vacation periods.
- Brazil’s climate varies by region, so plan accordingly: summer months can be hot and rainy in the southeast, while large open-air sites are best visited early in the day.
All museums in Brazil
Every museum in Brazil listed on Mooseum. Search by name or type.
| Name | Type | Website | Links | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
— | www.ceao.ufba.br/mafro |  | — | |
Science and technology museum | www.uefs.br/antares | | — | |
Art museum | www.belem.pa.gov.br | | — | |
Art museum | fumbel.belem.pa.gov.br/espacos-culturais/museu-de-arte-de-belem-mabe | | — | |
Art museum | www.funceb.ba.gov.br/mab/menu.htm | | — | |
Brazilian Academy of LettersForty writers, known as the "immortals", make up the Brazilian Academy of Letters (Academia Brasileira de Letras). Each holds a numbered chair for life, and a new member is elected by the academy's... | — | www.academia.org.br | | — |
Brazilian Historic and Geographic InstituteFounded on 21 October 1838, the Brazilian Historic and Geographic Institute (Instituto Histórico e Geográfico Brasileiro, or IHGB) is the oldest authority in Brazil dedicated to researching and... | — | ihgb.org.br | | — |
Caixa Cultural São PauloThe Sé Building, an important example of Art Deco architecture in São Paulo, was inaugurated in 1939 by Getúlio Vargas as the regional headquarters of the bank Caixa Econômica Federal. Listed as a... | — | www.caixacultural.com.br | | — |
Carmen Miranda MuseumTurbans, costumes and accessories worn by Carmen Miranda make up part of the collection at the Carmen Miranda Museum (Museu Carmen Miranda), which is dedicated to the life and career of the singer... | — | www.cultura.rj.gov.br/espaco/museu-carmen-miranda | | — |
— | www.casadasrosas.org.br | | — | |
— | casastefanzweig.org.br | | — | |
Catavento MuseumMuseu Catavento puts hands-on science inside the Palácio das Indústrias, an ornate early twentieth-century palace in São Paulo's Parque Dom Pedro II. The building was originally put up to host... | — | www.cataventocultural.org.br | | — |
Centro Cultural Banco do BrasilBanco do Brasil's first building in São Paulo now houses the Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil, widely known as CCBB São Paulo. The structure dates from 1901. The bank bought it in 1923 and hired... | — | culturabancodobrasil.com.br/portal/sao-paulo | | — |
Centro Cultural e de Estudos Superiores Aúthos PaganoOne of the first modernist houses in Brazil, designed by Gregori Warchavchik in 1929 and protected by municipal law since 1978, is home to the Aúthos Pagano Higher Studies and Cultural Center (Centro... | — | www.centroculturalauthospagano.org.br | | — |
— | www.gov.br/icmbio/pt-br/assuntos/biodiversidade/unidade-de-conservacao/unidades-de-biomas/caatinga/lista-de-ucs/parna-da-chapada-da-diamantina/informacoes-sobre-visitacao-parna-da-chapada-da-diamantina | | — | |
Cinemateca BrasileiraBrazil's largest collection of its national cinema is kept in São Paulo's former Old Municipal Slaughterhouse, which operated from 1887 to 1927. The Cinemateca Brasileira, on Largo Senador Raul... | Music, film or theatre museum | www.cinemateca.org.br | | — |
Civil Police MuseumFounded in 1912 as a teaching collection for police academy students, the Civil Police Museum (Museu da Polícia Civil) opened to the public in the 1930s. Its exhibitions of documents and objects... | History museum | www.policiacivil.rj.gov.br/museu | | — |
Earth Sciences MuseumThe Earth Sciences Museum (Museu de Ciências da Terra) occupies a building put up in 1907 for the National Exposition of Brazil, where it served as the States Pavilion. Unlike many exhibition... | — | www.cprm.gov.br/publique/cgi/cgilua.exe/sys/start.htm?infoid=341&sid=93 | | — |
— | www.scheffel.com.br | | — | |
Eva Klabin House MuseumMore than 2,000 works covering almost 5,000 years of art, from Ancient Egypt to Impressionism, fill the Rio de Janeiro home of the collector and philanthropist Eva Klabin (1903–1991). The Eva Klabin... | Art museum | www.evaklabin.org.br | | — |
Farol SantanderA heritage-listed building in the eclectic architectural style on Alfândega Square houses Farol Santander, the cultural center run by Banco Santander in Porto Alegre. The building is protected by... | — | www.farolsantander.com.br | | — |
Football MuseumBuilt inside Pacaembu Stadium, the Football Museum (Museu do Futebol) has an exhibition room that looks down onto the stadium's pitch. The stadium stands on Charles Miller Square in the Pacaembu... | — | www.museudofutebol.org.br | | — |
Fort CopacabanaA working military base at the south end of Copacabana beach, Fort Copacabana (Forte de Copacabana) opens its grounds to the public. Within the base are two attractions: the Army Historical Museum,... | Military museum | www.fortedecopacabana.com | | — |
— | www.galeriaalvaro.com | | — | |
Memorial museum | www.museudoholocausto.org.br | | — |