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Museu Catavento

Museums ·São Paulo ·Open now
4.845.1K
#3Museums in São Paulo#5Museums in BrazilTravelers' Choice 2026
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About

Museu Catavento, an interactive science museum in the historic Palácio das Indústrias, in São Paulo's Centro district near Parque Dom Pedro II.

More photos 5

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Museu Catavento — Butterfly specimens arranged in a glass display case Lunagaoka · CC BY-SA 4.0 · edited
Museu Catavento — Butterfly specimens arranged in a glass display caseMuseu Catavento — Tall gallery with colorful science displays along the wallsMuseu Catavento — Children trying hands-on science exhibits in the museumMuseu Catavento — Visitor using a circular interactive exhibit in the galleryMuseu Catavento — Aerial view of the geodesic sphere and courtyard garden

Why go

  • The dinosaur room, opened in February 2017, where virtual reality glasses take you through Triassic and Cretaceous Brazil
  • The DC-3 airplane from 1936 standing in the courtyard
  • The two-storey room in the main hall on human body systems, a collection made by the University of São Paulo's School of Medicine

Opening hours

Today09:00 – 16:00Show all
MondayClosed
Tuesday09:00 – 16:00
Wednesday09:00 – 16:00
Thursday09:00 – 16:00
Friday09:00 – 16:00
Saturday09:00 – 16:00
Sunday09:00 – 16:00

Don't miss

  • Glass-fronted wooden cabinetTaxidermied snakes and lizards, one shown attacking a mouse.Inside the museum
  • Life-size saber-toothed tigerA model of an extinct saber-toothed tiger, shown at life size.Evolution area
  • Large central aquariumLive tropical fish, such as clownfish, swim in it.Centre of the visitor space
  • Enlarged ant modelAn ant model enlarged 100 times. A short video shows an abandoned anthill being filled with cement.Beside a panel on the core of an anthill
  • Static electricity exhibitExplains how static electricity makes hair stand on end.Inside the museum

Know before you go

  • Tickets can be bought online through a link on the museum's website.
  • Groups from public schools and non-profit social institutions enter free, with prior booking.
  • Access passes are only available on weekends, holidays and school holiday periods.
  • An augmented reality option can be added to the admission ticket.
  • Tickets can be paid in cash or with national debit or credit cards.
  • Public school teachers and staff enter free on showing a current or previous pay slip.
  • Police officers from the state's police forces enter free on showing a current or previous pay slip.
  • Spouses and children accompanying a free-entry teacher also enter free.
  • Museum professionals who are ICOM members enter free on showing a membership card.
  • Accredited tour guides enter free.
  • Holders of a museum passport enter free.
  • Sponsors and council members enter free.

What's inside

  • Four sections: Universo, Vida, Engenho and Sociedade.
  • The Solar System section, with a real meteorite.
  • A tree of life display on the shared origin of life and the classification of living things.
  • A vivarium with stick insects and texts on how their body shape gives camouflage.
  • Panels, videos and images at a section entrance on the six biomes of Brazil.
  • A photosynthesis area with tree growth rings and explanations on plates around the trunks.
  • A wall panel on how animal poisons may be turned into medicines.
  • A table with magnifying glasses for scorpions, spiders and frogs.
  • A small aquarium with a moray eel and a poisonous lionfish, among other species.
  • Shell specimens, including one of the largest shells in the world.
  • A bird wall with scientific and common names of Brazilian species, and computers with headphones for bird songs.
  • Skull models of ancestral hominids, in chronological order, with scientific names.
  • A text panel on the life and work of Charles Darwin.
  • An interactive electronic display on a stage for an exercise on natural selection.
  • The Virtual Man block on muscles, bones, skin, sight and hearing.
  • A model of a cell's interior with its organelles, membrane and nucleus.
  • A structure about two meters high showing DNA, with texts and representations of viruses.
  • A large panel with data on the vaccine manufacturing process.
  • Dinosaur models by paleoartist Rodolfo Nogueira, including the Uberaba titans and the Abelisaurus.

With kids

  • Children up to seven years old enter free.
  • The museum opened in 2009 to bring children, young people and adults closer to science.
  • The exhibitions are interactive and use simple, accessible language.
  • Visitors can climb while learning about great figures of history.

Tips for your visit

  • There is parking on site, but it may be limited during holidays and public holidays.

Interesting facts5

1/5

  1. More than 250 installations are on show.

    Catavento Museum - Wikipedia
  2. 12,000 square

    The building covers about 12,000 square meters across four sections.

    Catavento Museum - Wikipedia

  3. Eight million people have visited the museum so far.

    Quem somos | Museu Catavento

  4. One exhibit recreates the lunar surface with Neil Armstrong's footstep.

    Quem somos | Museu Catavento

  5. The exhibits run from the atom to the largest planet in the solar system, and from tiny insects to large animals.

    Quem somos | Museu Catavento

Shorts

History

The Palácio das Indústrias was built between 1911 and 1924 by the office of Ramos de Azevedo, which also built the Municipal Theater. The building is one of the most important historic buildings in the city. It had several other uses over time before it returned to its original purpose. The restoration recovered about 70 architectural elements. The museum was founded by the state secretariats of culture and education, at a cost of 20 million reais.

  1. 1911–1924The palace was built by the office of Ramos de Azevedo, with Domiziano Rossi in charge.
  2. 1924The building opens as an exhibition venue.
  3. 1947–1968The Legislative Assembly is housed in the palace.
  4. 1992The municipal government seat moves into the palace under Luiza Erundina.
  5. 2004The palace is abandoned.
Show all
  1. 2005City Hall begins planning the museum.
  2. 2006Law 14.130 is approved.
  3. 2009The museum opens, returning the building to exhibition use.

Accessibility

  • Parking Ample parking is available while the museum is open.

Sources: Catavento Museum - Wikipedia · Home | Museu Catavento · Quem somos | Museu Catavento · Horários e Preços | Museu Catavento · checked 18 Oct 2026

Where
Av. Mercurio, Sao Paulo

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Questions and answers

Is Museu Catavento free for children?

Yes. Children up to seven years old enter free.

What are the opening hours of Museu Catavento?

Museu Catavento is open Tuesday to Sunday, from 09:00 to 16:00.

Can I buy tickets for Museu Catavento online?

Yes. Tickets can be bought online through the link on the museum's website, and group visits can be scheduled there too.

Is there parking at Museu Catavento?

Yes, there is parking on site while the museum is open. It may be limited during holidays and public holidays.

Where is Museu Catavento, and what is its phone number?

It stands on Av. Mercúrio, in the Pq Dom Pedro II area of the Centro district, inside the Palácio das Indústrias. The phone number is +55 11 3246-4000.

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