Coimbatore museums: Gedee Car Museum, Gass Forest Museum and more

Each of these Coimbatore museums focuses on a different collection, so you can pick one to match the subject you want to explore.

Gedee Car Museum centres on vintage vehicles and motorsport heritage. Gass Forest Museum presents natural-history collections, while the Tamil Nadu Police Museum covers policing, investigations and forensic science. For archaeological objects, the Coimbatore Site Museum displays finds from excavations, including material from Boluvampatti.

For a city-centre outing, the Tamil Nadu Police Museum is opposite the railway station. Gass Forest Museum is in R.S. Puram, and Gedee Car Museum is on Avinashi Road. Coimbatore city centre is about 38 minutes by car from Acacia Hotel, a three-star hotel.

Gedee Car Museum displays more than 100 vintage cars from the private collection of G D Naidu Charities.

The collection was built by G D Gopal, an automobile enthusiast, and his father, G D Naidu. The museum also has a Performance Car Section featuring performance cars and Coimbatore motorsport heritage. Its address is 734 President Hall, Avinashi Road, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641018.

Opening hours are 9:00 a.m.–6:30 p.m., Tuesday–Sunday; the museum is closed Mondays and national holidays. Ticket sales stop at 6:00 p.m. Individual entry costs ₹150 for adults aged 18 and above and ₹75 for children aged 5–18. Groups of at least 20 pay ₹120 per adult and ₹50 per child.

Parking is available inside the premises, but if the area is full, you may need to park outside the entrance; outside parking is at the vehicle owner’s risk. Multiple bus routes pass the museum. For public transport details around the city, this guide to getting around Coimbatore by bus, train and local ride covers the main options.

Gass Forest Museum combines a historic setting with collections focused on forests and natural history.

The museum was initiated in 1902 by Horace Archibald Gass, then Conservator of Forests for the Coimbatore circle. Its building opened on 5 September 1906, by Sir Arthur Lawley. Today, it is located at the Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding, Forest Campus, IFGTB, R.S. Puram, Coimbatore 641002.

The Tamil Nadu government directory describes collections of timber, elephant skeletons, ostrich eggs, fossils, a stuffed Indian gaur and a large plant seed. The museum is 5 km from Coimbatore railway station and 3 km from the central bus stand.

Published schedules and admission details differ. The Tamil Nadu government directory gives hours of 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., with government holidays observed, and free admission.

Tamil Nadu Tourism gives hours of 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. and 2:00–5:00 p.m., with Saturdays, Sundays and Central Government holidays as closed days; it gives admission prices of ₹40 for Indian adults, ₹20 for Indian children and ₹200 for foreigners.

The Tamil Nadu Police Museum is on State Bank Road, opposite Coimbatore Railway Station, in Gopalapuram.

Its displays cover uniforms, weapons, investigative tools, forensic science and bomb disposal. The collection also includes memorabilia associated with Veerappan. Outdoors, you can see vehicles and equipment including a T-55 tank, missiles and a mini-submarine.

The museum is open 10:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m. and closed every Monday. Admission is free for government-school students, ₹5 for private-school students and ₹10 for adults. The address is State Bank Road, opposite the railway station, Gopalapuram, Coimbatore 641018; the contact number is 94981 72558.

The museum is 50 metres from Coimbatore Railway Station and 12 km from Coimbatore International Airport, making it easy to pair with a rail-station-area visit.

Opening schedules and entry charges vary by museum, and the published details for Gass Forest Museum differ between government sources.

Before setting out, check the official site before you go, especially for hours, holidays and ticket charges. Gedee Car Museum has parking within its premises, subject to availability. The Tamil Nadu Police Museum is opposite the railway station, while Gedee Car Museum has multiple bus routes passing its location.

The Tamil Nadu Department of Archaeology gives Coimbatore Site Museum hours as 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., with Friday as its weekly holiday. Its displays include archaeological excavation finds such as terracotta figurines, a terracotta seal and baked bricks from Boluvampatti. The department also notes a seal bearing ancient Tamil script that reads “Varman.”