From impressive architecture to niche subject matter, the best museums in the UAE all help to tell the intriguing and inspiring story of the Emirates. While Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Cultural District is home to several of the UAE’s big-name museums, there are plenty of others scattered across far-reaching corners of the country worth travelling for.
The UAE, as we know it today, may only be a little over five decades old, but the history of human settlement in the region can be traced back some 10,000 years. Throughout the emirates, an extraordinarily diverse collection of museums tells the story not only of the country’s past, present and future, but also shares insights from some world-renowned cultural institutions. Here are 19 of the best museums to visit across the UAE.
Louvre Abu Dhabi
When Louvre Abu Dhabi opened in 2017, it wowed visitors with an expansive collection centred on connecting diverse civilisations, as well as its extraordinary architecture by Jean Nouvel. Eight years on, it continues to educate and inform, and visitors can now even kayak in the calm waters around the striking structure. Among its permanent exhibitions, find works by Édouard Manet, Piet Mondrian and Rembrandt, while its temporary exhibitions have brought works by Van Gogh and Paul Cézanne, as well as exquisite Cartier jewels and artefacts from African kings and queens.
Address: Saadiyat Cultural District, Abu Dhabi
Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi
Opened in November 2025, the 35,000-square-metre Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi is dedicated to exploring “the greatest story”, as it calls the history of evolution, starting with the Big Bang, 13.8 billion years ago. The collection is arranged into three main sections, beginning with the history of our solar system, followed by the reign of the dinosaurs, and then the development of life on Earth, including an exploration of desert, mountain and coastal habitats as the Arabian Peninsula is brought into the spotlight. Helping to bring the story to life: the fossil remains of stalking sauropods and duelling tyrannosaurs, some lifelike reconstructions of now-extinct creatures, and a chunk of the seven-billion-year-old Murchison Meteorite. Great fun for children and adults alike.
Address: Saadiyat Cultural District, Abu Dhabi
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