Salar Jung Museum

Lonely Planet review

The huge collection of the Salar Jung Museum dates back to the 1st century and was put together by Mir Yusaf Ali Khan (Salar Jung III), the grand vizier of the seventh nizam, Osman Ali Khan. The 35,000 exhibits from every corner of the world include sculptures, wood carvings, Persian miniature paintings, illuminated manuscripts and more than 50,000 books.

Avoid visiting the museum on Sunday when it's bedlam. From any of the bus stands in the Abids area, take bus 7, which stops at the nearby Musi River bridge. Not far west of the bridge, facing each other across the river, are the spectacular High Court and Osmania General Hospital buildings, built in the Indo-Saracenic style.