India's Bihar museum among top 10 in the world, beats Paris's Louvre

The Patna museum in India's Bihar features amongst the best in the world. It is in fact placed above New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and Paris’s Louvre in the World’s 100 Best Museums 2026 list published by Germany-based travel guide Worth a Journey. The Museum has been ranked in the ninth spot and is the only Indian Museum to feature in the list.

“The vision was to create a museum that meets world-class standards. Today, as the museum has gained international recognition, we feel a sense of pride and achievement,” said Anjani Kumar Singh, director general of Bihar Museum, on achieving this remarkable feat.

The top five spots are held by Mexico City's Museo Nacional de Antropología, Madrid's Museo del Prado, the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Humlebæk, Denmark, Saint Petersburg's State Hermitage Museum and the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.

While featuring in the list at ninth spot, the Patna Museum beats the renowned New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and Paris’s Louvre Museum.

About the Patna Museum

Inaugurated in 2015, the museum was designed by Japanese Pritzker Prize-winning architect Fumihiko Mak in collaboration with Mumbai-based Opolis Architects. The museum is located in Patna's Bailey road and houses remarkable collections of historical artefacts, sculptures, coins, manuscripts and folk art from ancient India to the year 1764.

The galleries feature different historical periods, from the Mauryans to the Mughals and the Sur Dynasty. A Children's Gallery also exists, with displays featuring animals, folk art, culture and science. There is also a Diaspora Gallery that highlights Bihar's contribution and presence beyond its geographical boundaries.

Timings, Ticket Prices

The main galleries are open from 10 am to 5 pm

There is also a restaurant inside the building that remains open till 9 pm

The Museum is closed on Mondays

The cost of tickets for Indian adults is Rs 100 per person, while international tourists will have to pay Rs 500