Forget the old days when science museums offered little more than boring displays of fossils and stuffed animals. Today, European cities boast some of world’s best museums to suit all tastes and budgets. Interactive and innovative, science museums are a great way to entertain and educate the whole family.
We have listed top 4 science museums in Europe that all the science buffs and curious minds out there should include in their bucket list.
1. Natural History Museum, London
Located in Kensington, The Natural History Museum is both a research institution and a museum that was first opened in 1881. The museum covers fossils, animals, human biology, and plants but it’s best known around the world for its fascinating dinosaur exhibits.
The museum is divided into four colour zones: blue zone, green zone, red zone and orange zone. The blue zone is home to the famous dinosaurs, mammals, fishes, reptiles and human biology. The green zone is devoted to displaying the evolution of planet earth, including exhibitions including ‘creepy crawlies’, birds and fossils. The red zone, in turn, takes its visitors on a journey through our planet sculpture, and finally, the orange zone is home to the fascinating Darwin Centre where one can get an insight into the future of research.
2. CosmoCaixa, Barcelona
This is one of the largest, most famous and most exciting science museums in all of Europe. This is not a museum where you walk around gazing through various displays – here, you’ll have things to try out for yourself around each and every corner. Whether you’re interested in exploring technical, physical, geological, or chemical relations through various experiments, at CosmoCaixa you won’t have a single dull moment. To give you an idea, you’ll learn how waves are born and how rock formations develop. Our favourite part of the museum is the 1,000 square meter jungle greenhouse where you will get an authentic feel to the Amazonian jungle life. You’ll hear and see animals roaming between the 30m tall trees and at times you will even experience tropical rainfall!
3. The National Technical Museum, Prague
Here, the focus is on technology in relation to everyday life. Themed exhibits cover the measurement of time, transportation, astronomy, chemistry, printing, home technology, technology in toys and television studio.
The museum underwent a massive reconstruction between 2003 – 2011, during which it was closed to all visitors. After reopening to the public in 2011, new exhibitions were slowly added to the selection and today there are a total of 14 permanent expositions to explore. The National Technical museum makes a great family excursion.
4. Science Centre NEMO, Amsterdam
NEMO is one of the few European science museums aimed mainly at children. The exhibits are very hands-on, including computer touch-screens, virtual reality exhibits and science labs, guaranteed to keep even the youngest children entertained. At NEMO, you’ll learn things such as why the ocean is blue or what is the best way to boil potatoes.
This is a guest post sponsored by The Corinthia Hotels and written by Steve Ewins. An avid Traveller who has visited more than 80 countries.