Rio de Janeiro's museums cover a long span of dates. This list opens with the Paço Imperial, dating from 1743, and runs to the Museum of Tomorrow, a science museum dating from 2015. Between them you'll find a museum of UFRJ dating from 1818, the city's national art museum, an archive dating from 1838, a geological museum, and a literary society dating from 1897. Several are heritage assets listed by IPHAN, among them the National Historical Museum and the Paço Imperial. The list is for travellers who would rather spend a day properly on one or two serious collections than tick off a dozen in a rush. Check the hours before you check the map: the Museum of Tomorrow does not open on Wednesdays, the National Historical Museum opens only from Wednesday to Sunday, and the Museum of Modern Art opens no earlier than 12:00 on any day. For the Brazilian Academy of Letters, call +55-21-3974-2547 before you set out.
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1 Museu Nacional
Quinta da Boa Vista, São Cristóvão, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, BrasilA museum of UFRJ dating from 1818 and listed as a heritage asset by IPHAN
Founded in 1818, the Museu Nacional stands in the Quinta da Boa Vista in São Cristóvão, a museum of UFRJ and a heritage asset listed by IPHAN. We'd skip the half-day tour packages that try to fit it in between other stops and give it an afternoon to itself, because a place with this much history deserves more than a quick look. From Tuesday to Sunday the doors open at 10:00 and close at 17:00, and on Mondays they open at 12:00. If you are planning around a Monday, come after lunch and you lose nothing. Plan the rest of your day around this visit, not the other way round.
Dates from 1818 · Heritage asset listed by IPHAN
Hours: Tu-Su 10:00-17:00; Mo 12:00-17:00
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2 Brazilian Academy of Letters
Avenida Presidente Wilson, nº 203 - Centro, Rio de Janeiro - RJ, 20030-021Brazil's literary non-profit society, dating from 1897
The Brazilian Academy of Letters sits at Avenida Presidente Wilson, nº 203, in the 20030-021 postal code of Centro, and it operates first as a literary non-profit society, not a gallery or museum. It dates from 1897, which means it is an institution for readers rather than for people looking at paintings, and it rewards anyone who arrives already curious about Brazilian writing. Don't turn up on spec. Call +55-21-3974-2547 or check academia.org.br before you walk over, and plan the visit around what the society says it is offering that week.
Dates from 1897
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3 Niterói Contemporary Art Museum
Mirante da Boa ViagemA contemporary art museum dating from 1996 that is already a heritage asset listed by IPHAN
The Niterói Contemporary Art Museum, at the Mirante da Boa Viagem, opens at 10:00 and runs Tuesday to Sunday. It dates from 1996 and is already a heritage asset listed by IPHAN, an unusual distinction for a building that young, and one that tells you how seriously it is taken. The museum is closed Mondays, so cross that day off your plan, and we'd arrive well before the 18:00 close rather than rushing the last hour, since a compressed visit gets less out of it. Check macniteroi.com.br for the current programme.
Dates from 1996 · Heritage asset listed by IPHAN
Hours: Tu-Su 10:00-18:00
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4 Museu Nacional de Belas Artes
Av. Rio Branco, n° 199 - CentroRio's national art museum, dating from 1937
The Museu Nacional de Belas Artes stands at Av. Rio Branco, n° 199 in Centro, Rio de Janeiro's national art museum since 1937, and it carries an INEPAC heritage designation. If your schedule allows any flexibility, go on a weekday: Tuesday to Friday the doors run from 10:00 to 18:00, giving you three more hours than the Saturday and Sunday window of 12:00 to 17:00. Call +55-21-3299-0600 or check the museum's page on gov.br before you go.
Dates from 1937 · INEPAC Good Class
Hours: Tu-Fr 10:00-18:00; Sa-Su 12:00-17:00
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5 National Historical Museum
Praça Marechal ÂncoraA history museum dating from 1922 and listed as a heritage asset by IPHAN
The National Historical Museum sits at Praça Marechal Âncora, a history museum that dates from 1922 and carries a heritage listing from IPHAN. Don't go on a Monday or Tuesday, the published hours don't begin until Wednesday, when the museum opens at 10:00 and runs through Friday on that same schedule. Weekends are shorter: Saturday and Sunday the doors open at 13:00 and close at 17:00, so a Wednesday-to-Friday morning is the better window. Confirm the schedule at mhn.museus.gov.br or by calling +55-21-3299-0324, then give the collection the unhurried visit a national history museum deserves.
Dates from 1922 · Heritage asset listed by IPHAN
Hours: We-Fr 10:00-17:00; Sa-Su 13:00-17:00
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6 Museum of Modern Art, Rio de Janeiro
Av. Infante Dom Henrique, 85 Parque do FlamengoRio de JaneiroAn art museum dating from 1948 in the Parque do Flamengo
The Museum of Modern Art, Rio de Janeiro dates from 1948 and stands at Av. Infante Dom Henrique, 85, inside the Parque do Flamengo. Nothing opens before 12:00 on any day, so skip any morning plan. Tuesday through Friday the museum closes at 18:00, but on Saturday, Sunday and public holidays it stays open until 19:00, making a weekend afternoon the most generous window of the week. The park setting means you can arrive at noon and still have the full afternoon ahead of you. Check mam.rio for current exhibitions before you go.
Dates from 1948
Hours: Tu-Fr 12:00-18:00; Sa-Su,PH 12:00-19:00
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7 Museum of Tomorrow
Praça Mauá, 1 - Centro. Rio de Janeiro, RJ 20081-240A science museum dating from 2015, already designated an asset of historic and/or cultural interest
The Museum of Tomorrow is at number 1 on Praça Mauá in the 20081-240 postal code, a science museum that dates from 2015 and has already been designated an asset of historic and/or cultural interest, which is a fast turnaround for a building of that age. Leave Wednesday out of your plans: the hours run Monday, Tuesday and Thursday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00, so Wednesday is the one day the doors stay shut. Arrive at opening time if you can, and let it serve as the modern counterweight to the colonial and imperial dates elsewhere on this list.
Dates from 2015 · Asset of historic and or cultural interest
Hours: Mo,Tu,Th-Su 10:00-18:00
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8 Brazilian Historic and Geographic Institute
Avenida Augusto Severo, nº 8 - 9º/12º andares e Cob. 01 - GlóriaAn archive dating from 1838
The Brazilian Historic and Geographic Institute keeps an archive dating from 1838 on the 9º/12º floors of Avenida Augusto Severo, nº 8 in Glória. Forget the casual drop-in. An archive spread across upper floors is built for people who arrive with a question, not for an idle hour between lunch and the beach, and researchers, genealogists and serious history readers will get the most from a visit. Call +55-21-2224-7338 or check ihgb.org.br to find out what access is offered and when, then come prepared.
Dates from 1838
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9 Paço Imperial
Praça Quinze de Novembro, 48 - Centro, Rio de Janeiro - RJ, 20010-010A building dating from 1743 and listed as a heritage asset by IPHAN
Dating from 1743, the Paço Imperial stands at Praça Quinze de Novembro, 48, in the 20010-010 postal code, and IPHAN lists it as a heritage asset. The building itself is reason enough to visit, so give the rooms as much attention as whatever happens to be on show. There is no point setting an early alarm: the doors open at 12:00, Tuesday to Sunday, and stay open until 19:00, which puts it far better at the end of a day in Centro than at the start. Mondays are out, so plan around them.
Dates from 1743 · Heritage asset listed by IPHAN
Hours: Tu-Su 12:00-19:00
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10 Carmen Miranda Museum
Av. Rui Barbosa, em frente ao nº 560A museum named for Carmen Miranda, dating from 1976
The Carmen Miranda Museum opens Tuesday to Friday from 11:00, across from number 560 on Av. Rui Barbosa. It dates from 1976 and its subject is right there in the name: a focused, single-subject museum where you come for the woman, not for a broad survey. Mondays are off the schedule entirely, and on Saturday, Sunday and public holidays the doors open at 13:00 and close at 17:00, so a weekday morning gives you the most time inside. Check the state culture department's page for the museum before you go.
Dates from 1976
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11 Earth Sciences Museum
Avenida Pasteur 404, 2º andar, Urca, 22290-240, Rio de Janeiro, RJA geological museum dating from 1907
The Earth Sciences Museum sits at Avenida Pasteur 404, 2º andar, in the 22290-240 postal code of Urca. It is a geological museum dating from 1907, which makes it one of the city's older institutions devoted to a single science. Don't assume a museum of that age keeps tourist-friendly hours: our sources list no opening hours for it, so confirm locally before you commit an afternoon. It suits travellers who want rocks and minerals rather than paintings, and fits well into a slower day spent in Urca.
Dates from 1907
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12 Museu Nacional dos Povos Indígenas
Rua das Palmeiras 55, Botafogo, 22270-070, Rio de Janeiro, RJA museum of Brazil's Indigenous peoples, dating from 1953
Brazil's Indigenous peoples are the subject at the Museu Nacional dos Povos Indígenas, Rua das Palmeiras 55, in the 22270-070 postal code of Botafogo, a museum that dates from 1953. Unlike several others on this list, it opens on Mondays, with weekday hours running from 09:00 to 17:30, so if you're planning a Monday itinerary and everything else is closed, this is where we'd head. The weekend is less convenient: on Saturday and Sunday the doors don't open until 13:00. Check museudoindio.gov.br before you go.
Dates from 1953
Hours: Mo-Fr 09:00-17:30; Sa-Su 13:00-17:30
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