Quick answer: The museums in Andaman are almost all in Port Blair: the Cellular Jail National Memorial, the Samudrika Naval Marine Museum, the Zonal Anthropological Museum, the Fisheries Museum, the Forest Museum at Chatham, the Science Centre and the Kalapani Museum. Entry fees run from about Rs 2 to Rs 50, and most close on Mondays. The Cellular Jail is the one to prioritise.
Suggested Read: Places to visit in Andaman and How to reach Andaman
Most of the museums in Andaman sit within a ten-minute drive of each other in Port Blair, which makes them easy to knock off on the day you land or the day you fly out. You do not need all of them. The Cellular Jail earns its reputation, a couple of the smaller collections are worth half an hour if you like marine life or island history, and one or two you can skip without regret. This guide lists every museum worth knowing, what each costs, when it opens, and how to string them together without burning a beach day.
Museums in Andaman: the full list and where they are
The museums in Andaman are concentrated almost entirely in Port Blair, the island capital where your flight lands at Veer Savarkar International Airport. Seven are worth naming. The Cellular Jail National Memorial is the anchor, a former colonial prison turned freedom-struggle memorial. Four government-run collections cluster nearby: the Samudrika Naval Marine Museum and the Fisheries Museum in Haddo, the Zonal Anthropological Museum at Phoenix Bay, and, across the harbour on Chatham Island, the Forest Museum inside the old saw mill. The Science Centre near Goodwill Estate is built for children. The privately run Kalapani Museum sits close to the airport. Havelock (Swaraj Dweep) and Neil (Shaheed Dweep), where most travellers spend their beach days, have no museums to speak of.
Museum entry fees and timings in Andaman
Entry to the museums in Andaman is cheap: fees run from about Rs 2 to Rs 50 for Indian visitors, with higher foreign-national tickets at the Cellular Jail and the Anthropological Museum. Almost everything closes on Mondays, so build a Monday around beaches or travel, not sightseeing. The table below is the current picture. Treat the smaller figures as indicative, since the administration revises them without much notice.
| Museum | Location | Entry fee (Indian) | Timings | Closed |
| Cellular Jail National Memorial | Aberdeen, Port Blair | Rs 30 (Rs 200 foreign) | 9:00am to 12:30pm, 1:30 to 4:45pm | Mon & national holidays |
| Samudrika Naval Marine Museum | Haddo, Port Blair | Rs 50 (Rs 25 child) | 9:00am to 5:00pm | Mondays |
| Zonal Anthropological Museum | Phoenix Bay, Port Blair | Rs 20 (Rs 150 foreign) | 9:30am to 4:30pm | Mon & holidays |
| Fisheries (Marine) Museum | Haddo, Port Blair | Under Rs 30 | 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM and 2:00 PM to 4:45 PM | Mondays, & holidays |
| Forest Museum, Chatham Saw Mill | Chatham Island | Rs 2 to Rs 20 | 8:30am to 2:00pm | Sundays |
| Science Centre | Goodwill Estate, Port Blair | Nominal | 10:00am to 5:30pm | Mondays |
| Kalapani Museum | Near airport, Port Blair | Nominal | 9:00am to 6:00pm | None listed |
A note on money: most of these counters take cash only, so carry small notes. The ATMs in Aberdeen Bazaar work most days, but do not count on tapping a card at a museum window.
Cellular Jail National Memorial: the museum to prioritise
The Cellular Jail National Memorial is the one museum in Andaman you should not skip. The British built it between 1896 and 1906 to hold Indian political prisoners in solitary confinement, with seven wings radiating from a central tower and 693 individual cells arranged so no prisoner could see or speak to the next. Three wings survive today. Walking the corridors, reading the names of the freedom fighters held here, standing inside a single bare cell: it lands harder than any glass display case can.
What you’ll see inside
Inside the Cellular Jail you get the preserved cell blocks, the central watchtower, the gallows room, and a small museum of photographs, letters and prisoner records. Allow 60 to 90 minutes. Entry is Rs 30 for Indian nationals and Rs 200 for foreign nationals, with a still-camera fee of around Rs 200. It opens Tuesday to Sunday, roughly 9:00am to 12:30pm and 1:30pm to 4:45pm, and closes on Mondays and national holidays.
The light and sound show: is it worth it?
The light and sound show at the Cellular Jail runs after dark and narrates the jail’s history through voice and light thrown across the central courtyard. It is genuinely moving, and worth staying in Port Blair an extra evening for. Shows play in Hindi every night and in English on select days, with a first slot around 6:00pm and a second near 7:15pm. Book the English slot ahead if that is your language, because it does not run every night.
Samudrika Naval Marine Museum
The Samudrika Naval Marine Museum, run by the Indian Navy in Haddo, is the pick of Port Blair’s smaller museums for a first-time visitor. Five galleries cover the islands’ geography, marine ecology, indigenous peoples and archaeology, and the draw is the large whale skeleton alongside a serious shell and coral collection. Entry is about Rs 50 for adults and Rs 25 for children. It opens roughly 9:00am to 5:00pm and closes on Mondays. Give it 45 minutes. If you have time for only one nature-focused stop, make it this one.
Zonal Anthropological Museum
The Zonal Anthropological Museum at Phoenix Bay documents the indigenous peoples of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands: the Great Andamanese, Onge, Jarawa, Sentinelese and Nicobarese. Displays include tools, weapons, clothing, model dwellings and photographs recording traditional life. It is a considered, respectful collection rather than a spectacle, and it is the right place to understand why large parts of these islands are legally closed to visitors. Entry is around Rs 20 for Indians and Rs 150 for foreign nationals. It opens about 9:30am to 4:30pm and closes on Mondays and public holidays. A quiet 30 to 40 minutes.
Fisheries Museum (the Marine Museum)
The Fisheries Museum, also called the Marine Museum, sits near the Samudrika museum in Haddo and displays preserved specimens of the reef fish, sharks, rays and shells found in Andaman waters, several hundred species across its tanks and cases. It is small and a little dated. Worth 20 minutes if you are already in Haddo and travelling with children who like sea creatures, and easy to drop otherwise. The Fisheries Museum-cum-Aquarium in Port Blair (Sri Vijaya Puram) is regularly closed on Mondays, second Saturdays, and public holidays. Timings: (Tuesday–Sunday): Open (9:00 AM – 1:00 PM and 2:00 PM – 4:45 PM
Forest Museum at Chatham Saw Mill
The Forest Museum stands inside the Chatham Saw Mill on Chatham Island, reached by a short road bridge from Port Blair and running since 1883 as one of Asia’s oldest saw mills. The museum shows timber varieties, tools and objects carved from local woods such as padauk and gurjan, but the working mill itself, complete with the crater left by a Second World War Japanese air raid, is the more memorable half of the visit. Entry is a token Rs 2 to Rs 20. It opens mornings to early afternoon and closes on Sundays. Pair it with the nearby Chatham Wharf.
Science Centre and Kalapani Museum
Two further museums in Andaman round out the list. The Science Centre near Goodwill Estate is an interactive gallery aimed squarely at children, with hands-on physics exhibits and a small 3D theatre, open about 10:00am to 5:30pm and closed on Mondays. The Kalapani Museum, privately run near the airport, retells the freedom-struggle story through dioramas and a short film on the prisoners of the Cellular Jail. Neither is essential, though the Science Centre earns its keep on a wet afternoon with kids.
How to see Port Blair’s museums in one day
You can cover the museums that matter in Port Blair in a single unhurried day, because they fall into two pockets. Start at the Cellular Jail in the morning while it is cool and quiet, before the tour coaches arrive around 10:30am. From there it is a short drive to Haddo for the Samudrika Naval Marine Museum and the Fisheries Museum, which sit almost side by side. Break for lunch near Aberdeen Bazaar. Cross to Chatham Island for the Forest Museum and saw mill in the afternoon, then come back to the Cellular Jail for the evening light and sound show. That is a full, satisfying day with barely a wasted hour.
Are there museums outside Port Blair?
There are effectively no museums in Andaman outside Port Blair. Havelock and Neil, where most travellers base themselves for diving and beaches, run dive shops and cafes but no formal museums. Diglipur and Rangat in the north are about turtles, mud volcanoes and limestone caves, not galleries. If museums are on your list, do them on your Port Blair days at the start or end of the trip, and keep the island days for the water.
Best time to visit and practical tips
The best time to visit the museums in Andaman is the window that suits the whole trip: October to May, when the sea is calm and the ferries run reliably. For the museums themselves, mornings beat afternoons, because the collections are indoors and cool and the Cellular Jail is far quieter before the mid-morning groups. Photography is allowed in most museums for a small camera fee, though the Navy-run Samudrika museum restricts photos inside some galleries, so read the signs. None of these buildings are built for wheelchairs, and the Cellular Jail in particular has stairs and uneven stone floors. Carry water, cash in small notes, and closed shoes for the saw mill.
Related subtopics
- Cellular Jail National Memorial: The former British colonial prison in Port Blair, now the islands’ central freedom-struggle memorial.
- Light and sound show: An evening narration of the Cellular Jail’s history projected across its courtyard.
- Samudrika Naval Marine Museum: A five-gallery Indian Navy museum in Haddo covering island geography and marine life.
- Zonal Anthropological Museum: A collection documenting the Great Andamanese, Onge, Jarawa, Sentinelese and Nicobarese peoples.
- Chatham Saw Mill: One of Asia’s oldest working saw mills, home to the Forest Museum on Chatham Island.
- Restricted Area Permit (RAP): The rule set that keeps tribal reserves such as the Jarawa area off-limits, context the Anthropological Museum explains.
- Veer Savarkar International Airport: Port Blair’s airport and the arrival point for nearly every Andaman trip.
- Aberdeen Bazaar: Port Blair’s central market, a handy lunch and ATM stop between museums.
- Swaraj Dweep (Havelock): The main beach and diving island, which has no museums of its own.
FAQ
How many museums are there in Andaman?
There are about seven museums worth visiting in Andaman, and all of them are in Port Blair: the Cellular Jail National Memorial, Samudrika Naval Marine Museum, Zonal Anthropological Museum, Fisheries Museum, Forest Museum at Chatham, the Science Centre and the Kalapani Museum. The islands beyond Port Blair have none.
Which is the best museum in Andaman?
The Cellular Jail National Memorial is the best and most important museum in Andaman. This former colonial prison in Port Blair tells the story of the freedom fighters held there in solitary confinement, and its evening light and sound show is the most memorable indoor experience on the islands. Prioritise it over the rest.
What are the Cellular Jail timings and entry fee?
The Cellular Jail opens Tuesday to Sunday, roughly 9:00am to 12:30pm and 1:30pm to 4:45pm, and closes on Mondays and national holidays. Entry is Rs 30 for Indian nationals and Rs 200 for foreign nationals, plus about Rs 200 for a still camera. The evening light and sound show is ticketed separately.
Are the Andaman museums open on Mondays?
Most museums in Andaman close on Mondays, including the Cellular Jail, the Samudrika Naval Marine Museum and the Zonal Anthropological Museum. The Forest Museum at Chatham closes on Sundays instead. Plan Monday for a beach day, a ferry or travel rather than museum-hopping in Port Blair and you lose no time.
Do you need a permit to visit the museums in Andaman?
No special permit is needed to visit the museums in Andaman. Indian nationals need no permit for Port Blair at all, and foreign nationals now receive their Restricted Area Permit on arrival at the airport. The permit matters for inter-island travel and tribal reserves, not for entering Port Blair’s museums.
How long do you need for Port Blair’s museums?
One full day is enough for the museums that matter in Port Blair. Give the Cellular Jail 60 to 90 minutes, the Samudrika and Anthropological museums 30 to 45 minutes each, and the Forest Museum and saw mill about an hour. Add the evening light and sound show to round out the day.
Where to spend your museum time
If your Andaman trip is five or six days, give the museums exactly one Port Blair day and spend it well. Do the Cellular Jail properly in the morning, the Samudrika and Forest museums in the afternoon, and stay for the light and sound show that night. Skip the rest unless a specific one pulls you, or the weather turns and you have children to entertain. Everything else the islands do best happens in the water off Havelock and Neil, so keep those days for the sea.