What it costs to visit India's car museums, and what each one holds

Adult tickets at India's best known car museums cost between ₹175 and ₹500. Children pay roughly half. Most are walk-in, no appointment needed, and two of the big ones shut on Mondays. That is the short answer. The longer one matters more, because these five places are not the same kind of museum at all, and picking the wrong one for a half day trip is a common mistake.

The ticket prices and timings

The Heritage Transport Museum at Taoru, off NH-8 near Gurugram, charges ₹500 for adults and ₹250 for children under 12 and for students with a valid ID. Entry is free for visitors with disabilities and one companion, and for children under 3. It is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am to 7 pm, closed Monday.

The Vintage and Classic Car Collection in Udaipur, run by the HRH Group of Hotels, charges ₹330 for adults and ₹200 for children.

Dastan Autoworld in Ahmedabad, the Pranlal Bhogilal collection, charges ₹200 for adults and ₹100 for children, and its site lists opening hours of 8 am to 9 pm every day.

The GeDee Car Museum in Coimbatore is the cheapest of the lot at ₹175 for adults and ₹70 for children, as listed by the Coimbatore district administration. It runs 9 am to 6.30 pm, Tuesday to Sunday, with last entry at 5 pm, so a late afternoon arrival will cost you the visit.

What you are actually going to see

These are four different ideas of a museum.

Udaipur is a royal garage that still works as one. The cars belonged to the Maharanas of Mewar, they sit in the original semi-circular Mewar State Motor Garage, and an original Shell petrol pump from the period still stands on the forecourt. The Australian Motor Heritage Foundation's survey of Indian museums counts about 21 vehicles there plus horse carriages, including the 1934 Phantom II used in Octopussy. It is a small, focused visit, not a long one.

Coimbatore is an engineer's collection. It came out of G.D. Naidu's cars, was inaugurated in 2015, is a FIVA member and is arranged by country of origin, with American, British, German, French, Spanish and Japanese sections. The same survey says it draws more than 200 visitors a day, so weekends get busy.

Ahmedabad is a private collector's hoard turned public. Dastan Autoworld lists Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Lagonda, Maybach, Cadillac and Mercedes-Benz cars, a 1924 Silver Ghost, a 1927 Hispano-Suiza H6C and a Maybach SW38. Its own site says over 100 automobiles. The Australian survey puts the collection nearer 200, with about 35 Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars.

Gurugram is a national transport story rather than a car collection. It opened in 2013 and spreads over four levels and 95,000 square feet, covering road, rail, air and water.

Three practical things before you go

Check the day first. Gurugram and Coimbatore both close on Mondays, Coimbatore also on select national holidays. Ahmedabad and Udaipur are open daily.

Check the camera rule. At the Manjusha Vintage Car Museum in Dharmasthala, Karnataka, which holds 35 to 40 exhibits including a 1948 Daimler DE36, photography of exhibits is prohibited. Assume nothing at the others either.

Budget the travel, not the ticket. The Taoru museum is well off the Gurugram city map and cabs are thin on the ground there, so drive or book a return ride. The ticket is the cheap part of the day.

Sources

• Heritage Transport Museum, opening timings and tickets
• Dastan Autoworld, The Pranlal Bhogilal Collection
• GeDee Car Museum, Coimbatore district administration
• Vintage and Classic Car Collection, HRH Group of Hotels
• Australian Motor Heritage Foundation, Museums of India
• GeDee Car Museum, ticket information