Welcome back

From 19 May our opening hours will be Wednesday–Sunday, 10.00–17.00.

We will only open on Mondays and Tuesdays during selected school holiday dates, including:

Monday 31 May, 10.00–17.00
Tuesday 1 June, 10.00–17.00

Some experiences may close earlier.

See the what's on page for events and exhibitions.

OPEN

• Great Hall
• Great Hall café
• Station Hall
• South Yard, including picnic area
• Outdoor play area (South Yard)
• Under-5s play area (Great Hall)
• Highlights exhibition
• Railway Heroes exhibition
• Shop
• Great Hall shop (peak times only)
• Picnic area in the courtyard by Countess of York
• Lockers, toilets and baby changing areas
• Mallard Experience
• Model railway
• Road Train
• Search Engine—by appointment only
• Countess of York (reopens on weekends from 22 May)
• Miniature railway (reopens fully on 29 May)

CLOSED

• Station Hall café (reopening TBC)
• North Shed
• Flying Scotsman exhibition
• Steam rides
• The Depot
• Cab access
• Shinkansen interior access
• The Works/Workshop
• Thomas ride-ons 
• Info points in Great Hall
• Live shows
• Viewing balcony

To ensure you have the space you need to explore the museum safely and confidently, all visitors are now required to book free admission tickets in advance.  

Tickets are currently released two weeks in advance.

If your plans change, please contact the booking team on 033 0058 0058 or email us at info@ScienceMuseumGroup.ac.uk to exchange or return your ticket.

NHS Test and trace

We will ask you to provide names and telephone or email contact details of all other members of your party over the age of 16 when booking or upon arrival. We are required to ask for this information for the purposes of NHS Test and Trace and will delete the data after 21 days.

We will be offering you a very warm welcome as always, but we have put some new measures in place to ensure you can enjoy the museum safely:

• All visitors must book free, timed admission tickets in advance so that we can manage the number of people in the museum

• Please wear a face covering in the museum (face masks will be available to purchase when you book your tickets online)

• Self-guided routes and social distancing guidelines will be in place across the museum with clear signage in place to help visitors have a relaxed visit  

• Protective screens will be installed at all ticket desks and information points  

• Hand sanitiser stations will be located throughout the museum  

• Enhanced cleaning regimes throughout the museum, including toilets, high-touch areas and our interactive galleries  

• Tickets will be scanned by contactless e-scanners  

• Contactless payment is encouraged where possible   

• Before your visit you’ll receive an email with helpful information about how to have a safe and enjoyable day out at the museum

• We will ask you to provide names and telephone or email contact details of all other members of your party over the age of 16 when booking or upon arrival. We are required to ask for this information for the purposes of NHS Test and Trace and will delete the data after 21 days

Our café in Great Hall will be available when the museum reopens, serving delicious food and drinks from 19 May. See the Great Hall café menu.

Countess of York reopens on weekends from 22 May.

Download our admission guidelines in full.

WiFi is available throughout the museum—look for the network 'Free Museum Wi-Fi'.

Visitors are permitted to use hand-held cameras in the museum for private and non-commercial purposes, but must not:

• Use cameras in any areas where video or photography is restricted—this will always be clearly indicated
• Make any recording or take any photograph of any person without that person’s permission

Non-private or commercial use of cameras/recording devices and the use of tripods or lighting is only allowed by prior arrangement.