Thank the stars for the world's eccentric collectors; hoarders of objects beautiful, strange or downright odd. It is these documentors of the great and trivial - who want to show us all something wonderful about their collections and share the insights into humankind each of them illuminates - who have created the most fascinating, wonderful and precious museums the planet has to offer.Boggle at the enormity of space, get nostalgic at childhood memories or be dumbstruck by the International Museum of Toilets... Whether you're a history buff, tech-head or have an inexplicable fascination with clowns, you'll find world-class collections here to pique your interest.Never drag your heels around a dull museum again!Then & now // History museumsAcropolis Museum // GreeceBritish Museum // UKForbidden City // ChinaGoethe House & Goethe Museum // GermanyImperial War Museum // UKMuseum of Alchemists & Magicians of Old Prague // Czech RepublicMuseum of Mummies of Guanajuato // MexicoNational Museum of Anthropology // MexicoOld Operating Theatre Museum & Herb Garret // UKPrison Gate Museum // The NetherlandsSir John Soane's Museum // UKStyrian Armoury // AustriaTorture Museum // The NetherlandsVasa Museum // SwedenViking Ship Museum // NorwayWhitney Plantation // USAThe world around us // Natural history museumsKunstkamera // Russia 6Messner Mountain Museum // ItalySarawak State Museum // MalaysiaSmithsonian Institution // USAHuman creativity // Art & culture museumsAmerican Classic Arcade Museum // USABelgian Brewers Museum // BelgiumBurlesque Hall of Fame // USACoffee Museum // BrazilErawan Museum // ThailandGhibli Museum // JapanGrammy Museum // USAThe Green Vault // GermanyMuseum of Childhood // UKMusical Instruments Museum // USASoumaya Museum // MexicoVodka Museum // RussiaThings that go // Science & technology museumsBicycle Museum of America // USABig Hole & Open Mine Museum // South AfricaExploratorium // USANational Maritime Museum // FranceNational Rail Museum // UKNew Mexico Museum of Space History // USANew York City Fire Museum // USAPencil Museum // UKPorsche Museum // GermanySewer Museum // FranceSulabh International Museum of Toilets // IndiaPeculiar passions // Quirky museumsAvanos Hair Museum // TurkeyClown Hall of Fame & Research Centre // USACupnoodles Museum // JapanGopher Hole Museum // CanadaInternational Cryptozoology Museum // USAMuseum of Broken Relationships // CroatiaWatermelon Museum // ChinaAbout Lonely Planet:Started in 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel guide publisher with guidebooks to every destination on the planet. Lonely Planet's mission is to enable curious travellers to experience the world and to truly get to the heart of the places they find themselves in.TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Awards 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 winner in Favorite Travel Guide category'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.'- New York Times'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves; it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.'- Fairfax Media (Australia)