Our opening hours are Wednesday–Sunday, 10.00–17.00.
During school holidays we'll extend our opening—see below for the latest info about summer holidays.
Summer holidays 2021
The National Railway Museum will be open seven days a week from Saturday 24 July until Sunday 5 September.
Some experiences may close earlier than the museum closure time.
See the what's on page for events and exhibitions.
OPEN
- Great Hall
- Great Hall café
- Station Hall
- Station Hall café
- 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 (open at weekends)
- Miniature railway
- North Shed (10.00–16.00)
- Flying Scotsman exhibition
- Thomas ride-ons
- Info points in Great Hall
CLOSED
- Steam rides
- The Depot
- Cab access
- Shinkansen interior access
- The Works/Workshop
- Viewing balcony
To ensure you have the space you need to explore the museum safely and confidently, all visitors are now asked to book free admission tickets in advance.
Tickets are currently available until 5 September 2021.
If your plans change, it's best to log in to your account online to cancel your ticket and book a new date if you want to. Alternatively, contact the booking team on 033 0058 0058 or email us at info@ScienceMuseumGroup.ac.uk to exchange or return your ticket. Our phone lines can get very busy so please bear with us.
NHS Test and trace
We will ask you to provide the name and telephone or email contact details of the lead booker of your party 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 help us to keep everyone safe by wearing a face covering when indoors at the museum, unless you are exempt. In asking visitors to wear a face covering, in line with government guidance, we are seeking to ensure everyone can enjoy their visit to the museum safely.
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 a name and telephone or email contact details of the lead booker of your party 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.
