The 15 Museum History Tours Around the World That Earn Their Ticket Price

1.American Museum of Natural History Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 15,447 reviews · 1 day · from $37Our pick

Explore more than 40 permanent halls, the Rose Center, and the new Gilder Center at your own pace. Add one or more timed special exhibits, such as Impact, the butterfly vivarium, a space show, or a giant-screen film. The Explorer app helps you find your way.

“Overwhelming exiting day! Price paid, only allowed access to one themed entry, which was disappointing. Fantastic day out just a great learning experience 😀”

Check availability →Read our full review

2.St. Mark Basilica Ticket, Audioguide+History Gallery

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 4,780 reviews · from $23

Begin at the Venice Tours office near St. Mark’s Square, collect your ticket and audio code, then enter St. Mark’s Basilica with priority access. Explore Byzantine mosaics at your own pace, or join a guide such as Valentina or Francesco if your option includes one. A VR history experience and gallery circuit are also included.

“Tickets worked perfectly and the audioguide was a great addition to our visit to the Basilica. However, I don’t understand which “History Gallery” does this activity include.”

Check availability →Read our full review

3.Natural History Museum Entrance Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 3,382 reviews · 30 minutes - 1 hour · from $12Best value

Visit Berlin’s Museum für Naturkunde to see Giraffatitan, one of the world’s tallest mounted dinosaur skeletons, the rare Archaeopteryx, T. rex Tristan Otto, and a million animals preserved in alcohol. Your ticket includes cloakroom access and downloadable audio content in 10 languages.

“Amazing exhibits and whole organization of the museum. NOTE you should bring your phone and headphones for great masę audioguide via website (free wifi avaliable)”

Check availability →Read our full review

4.Louvre Museum Entry with History of Mona Lisa

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 2,823 reviews · 1 day · from $74

Meet a host at 162 Rue de Rivoli, receive a short Louvre and Mona Lisa introduction, and enter through a priority access point. Hosts such as Jade, Emma, Sophia, and Rebecca help with directions and museum tips, then you explore independently.

“Jade was really good, polite and efficient! He gave us info and was very pleasant. We were able to skip the line. Highly recommended!”

Check availability →Read our full review

5.Venice’s Best: Basilica, Doge’s Palace, Gondola & History Gallery

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 2,478 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $129

Explore St. Mark’s Basilica and Doge’s Palace with a small English-speaking group, then ride a shared gondola through Venice’s canals. Guides such as Lucia, Valentina, Giada, and Alexander have earned praise for clear, lively history. Allow extra time, since the gondola may follow the main tour.

“Make sure you watch the virtual tour at the touring office. It was cool and gave interesting info about the history”

Check availability →Read our full review

6.American Museum of Natural History Admission Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 1,931 reviews · 3 to 4 hours (approx.) · from $37

Visit more than 40 permanent galleries at New York’s American Museum of Natural History, including the dinosaur halls, Akeley Hall, Rose Center, Gilder Center, and the giant blue whale. Plan for three to four hours, and note that special exhibits and planetarium shows cost extra.

“This wasted so much of our time, especially with a one and three year old. If you buy from Expedia, Viator or anywhere EXCEPT directly from the museum—you have to wait in line to get your actual ticket. It took over an hour just to do this. Anyone who hadn’t purchased a ticket got theirs directly thru the museum in 10 min or less.”

Check availability →Read our full review

7.Guided African American History Tour with Reserved Museum Entry

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 1,180 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $89

Spend about three and a half hours tracing African American history in Washington, DC, from Black Lives Matter Plaza to the MLK and Lincoln memorials. Guides such as Dre, Elvis, and Jeff add lively context before you receive museum entry for independent exploration.

“Enjoyed the company of the guide/driver as well as the travelers on the tour, very nice and welcoming”

Check availability →Read our full review

8.POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 1,142 reviews · 1 day · from $12

Visit Warsaw’s POLIN Museum at your own pace with admission to the permanent exhibition, any available temporary show, and an audio guide. Eight galleries trace Jewish life in Poland from the first communities through the Holocaust and postwar revival. Plan at least three hours, though a full day is possible.

“Polish museums are simply the best museums in the world. They are incredibly immersive because such care is taken in creating an atmosphere that conveys the same message as the subject of the exhibition. It’s a gift, really! And the Polin museum is another perfect example of this gift! Impressive setup in a beautiful interior taking visitors through a 1000 years of Jewish history in Poland. I highly recommend visiting this amazing museum! Little side note though, we found it hard to have an audio guide which talks to you when you’re trying to read the many texts on the walls, so most of us (family of 8) stopped using…”

Check availability →Read our full review

9.Bell Tower & St Mark’s Square History Gallery Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 910 reviews · 1 hour · from $44

Meet a multilingual host near St. Mark’s Square, exchange your voucher, view Venice’s past through historical photos and VR, then ride the elevator 98 meters up the Bell Tower. This is a self-guided visit, not a guided tour, but it offers skip-the-line access and broad city views.

“picked our tickets up just outside St Marc's Square. First went and had a short virtual reality experience telling us about Venice then went to the bell tower. Got straight in, up in the lift and had great views of the city. Good value for money, enjoyed the experience”

Check availability →Read our full review

10.Field Museum of Natural History Ticket or VIP Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 717 reviews · 1 day · from $29

Spend a full day at Chicago’s Field Museum with general admission, added exhibitions, or an early VIP dinosaur tour. Meet Sue, Maximo, and the Lions of Tsavo, then explore ancient Egypt, the Americas, gems, jade, and underground life. The VIP option includes a docent-led hour for up to 20 people.

“The Field Museum was definitely exciting and fun. It was pretty cool seeing dinosaurs up close and learning about different cultures as well as animals. The weekends get pretty crowded with families in attendance. I would recommend visiting during the week for a quieter visit.”

Check availability →Read our full review

11.Madrid in a Day Tour:Royal Palace, Historic Center & Prado Museum

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 628 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $119Top rated

Start at the Goya monument for a guided Prado highlights tour, walk through Madrid’s old center via Plaza Mayor and Puerta del Sol, then enter the Royal Palace. English-speaking guides such as David, Anna, Ernesto, and Irene bring the art and royal rooms into focus. Early Prado access is available as an upgrade.

“A lot of walking but done at a manageable pace. The 1 1/2 hour Prado highlights tour was eye opening with our guide Carlos' knowledge and explanations. The Royal Palace is stunningly opulent and the walk between the 2 locations through Old Madrid especially Plaza Mayor is a nice tour in itself.”

Check availability →Read our full review

12.Basilica, Doge’s Palace, History Gallery & Bell Tower Option

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 586 reviews · 2 to 3 hours (approx.) · from $116

Follow a qualified English-speaking guide through Doge’s Palace, its prisons, and the Bridge of Sighs, then explore St. Mark’s Basilica. Add the bell tower for wide views over the lagoon, but note that this option includes an outside-only basilica visit. A VR history experience adds useful context.

“Tour guide was very informative and kept our attention with humorous commentary. The tour showed us everything we could have hoped for and more. We appreciated that this agency had their own storefront where we met just around the corner from the basilica. We would highly recommend”

Check availability →Read our full review

13.Field Museum of Natural History Admission Tickets

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 489 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $29

Spend about four hours at Chicago’s Field Museum on Museum Campus. See SUE, the most complete T. Rex skeleton found, 23 Egyptian mummies, dinosaur fossils, ancient American artifacts, Chinese jade, and special exhibits. Free docent tours are included, while 3D films cost extra.

“Wear walking shoes Gift shop wasn’t as great as some I’ve been to Restrooms well located Food was so so”

Check availability →Read our full review

14.Smithsonian Museum of Natural History – Exclusive Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 446 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $89

See the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History with a private guide in about two hours. Expect major displays such as the Hope Diamond, Egyptian mummies, dinosaurs, Henry the elephant, and Phoenix the 45-ton whale replica, with morning and afternoon departures.

“My friend and I had our own private tour Amanda, the tour guide was very informative and we enjoyed the time spent with her seeing the Capital the Library of Congress”

Check availability →Read our full review

15.African American History Tour with Museum of African American History Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 390 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $90

Join Kenny for a 3.5-hour small-group tour of African American Washington, from the Capitol and Lincoln Memorial to LeDroit Park, Howard University, and the Frederick Douglass site. The tour ends with same-day entry to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

“The tour was very informative and an overall enjoyable experience. Kenny was our tour guide and he shared a plethora of information and was personable and accommodating. I highly recommend this tour.”

Check availability →Read our full review