Bristol Museum and Art Gallery

Opening hours

• Monday to Friday, 10am to 5pm
• Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday Mondays, 10am to 6pm.

Free admission

Address

Bristol Museum and Art Gallery
Queens Road
Bristol, BS8 1RL

Getting there

• By foot or on bike: The museum is located on Queen’s Road just off Park Street and is only a five to ten minute walk from the city centre. There are several bicycle stands close to the museum where you could park your bike.
• By bus: Bus services numbered 1, 8, 8a, 9, 40, 40a, 41, 54 all travel past the museum up Park Street. For timetables please call traveline on 0871 200 22 33.
• By train: Bristol Temple Meads station is a 25 minute walk away. Clifton Down station is a 15 minute walk away, but both are served by the 1,8 and 9 bus services which would take you to the museum.
• By car: The museum is approximately two miles from the M32. You can park in any of the city car parks but the closest two are West End and Trenchard Street Car Parks both about five minutes walk away. Use Car Park Finder to check for their locations and facilities.

View a Google map showing Bristol Museum and Art Gallery.

Gallery improvements and closures

Please note we are making exciting improvements to the art galleries.

What's new?

• NO BORDERS, contemporary art in a globalised world.
  A major exhibition of international contemporary art from the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Until 2 June 2013.
• Pharaoh: King of Egypt. A major touring exhibition from the British Museum. Until 21 July.
• Modern Art - redisplayed in the new Balcony Gallery, 1st floor.
• French Art - redisplayed with new additions, in a newly refurbished gallery, see this collection of paintings in a new light!

Closures

• European Art 1300-1750, Victorian Art and British Art 1600-1840 – Closed, all reopening summer 2013.

Please contact the museum directly on 0117 922 3571 to plan your visit. You can search our collections and see images of all the works previously on display on our online collections database.

About us

Bristol Museum and Art Gallery has twenty galleries over three floors with a diverse range of objects, from sea dinosaurs to magnificent art.

The museum is situated between the very tall H H Wills memorial building (University of Bristol) and Browns restaurant at the top of Park Street.

What can I see?

Bristol Museum and Art Gallery has collections of regional, national and international importance. It is one of the few museums to have been awarded designated status by the government - the mark of an outstanding museum.

Ground floor -  World Cultures

• South West Wildlife - explore the natural wonders of our region.
• Egypt - step back in time to ancient Egypt.
• Assyria - study our large Assyrian reliefs
• Archaeology and world cultures collections in the Curiosity gallery.
• Under 7s gallery -  Younger visitors can explore the museums collections with fun activities in Curiosity Discovery Area.
• Café and shop.

First floor - Natural Sciences

• Geology - take a journey through the last billion years of the history of the planet. Amazing fossils allow you to see traces of creatures that have evolved and become extinct on its ever -changing surface.
• Minerals - discover sparkling world of minerals, gemstones and crystals including the Bristol Diamond. 
• Dinosaurs - meet the Bristol dinosaur and some of his friends, including the best-preserved dinosaurs ever found in Britain – the Scelidosaurus.
• Wildlife galleries - take a trip through the animal kingdom and see rare, endangered and extinct wildlife from the UK and around the globe including the Canadian "wild cat".
• How Bristol has developed over the centuries through maps and prints - on the first floor balcony.
• Bristol Box Kite - a great view from of the Box Kite from first floor balcony.
• Modern Art - redisplayed in the new Balcony Gallery.

Second floor - Art Galleries

• Art galleries - Please note we are making exciting improvements to the art galleries. See the top of this page for more information.
• NO BORDERS, contemporary art in a globalised world.
  A major exhibition of international contemporary art from the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Until 2 June 2013.
• Pharaoh: Reborn, a collection of watercolours by Italian explorer Giovanni Belzoni of the tomb of Pharaoh Sety I. 
• French Art - This gallery features paintings by French artists and includes work by Pierre Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) and Lucien Pissarro (1863-1944). Find our more about this gallery on the Fine art collections page.
• Pottery and ceramics - Exquisite craftsmanship and design showcased in our ceramic and glass galleries. British and European collections are displayed alongside locally made wares.
• Silver collection - a glittering display against a backdrop of paintings of Bristol as it was over 200 years ago.
• Eastern art - a stunning array of ceramics, carvings and glass from ancient China and Japan. Immerse yourself in the beauty of one of the best collections of Chinese glass outside Asia. 

Family friendly areas

• Curiosity - Under 7s Discovery Area
  Younger visitors can tell stories in our crystal cave, act out a performance on stage, bring stories to life using puppets, make a pot, or try the animuddle game- just some of the activities for you and your child to enjoy in the new mini-museum. Find out more about Curiosity - under 7s Discovery Area.
• Dinosaur resource area
  Create and draw your own favorite dinosaurs or fossils and explore online information about those amazing creatures!
• World wildlife resource area
  Draw your favourite animals, listen to different animal noises from all over the world and explore online wildlife information.

Children must be accompanied by an adult at all times in all of our family discovery areas.

Exhibitions

Bristol Museum and Art Gallery has a dynamic exhibitions programme including photography, contemporary and fine art, as well as high profile touring exhibitions. Find out more about our exhibitions.

Events

Enjoy an exciting range of events including workshops, arts and craft activities, exhibition events and tours, family fun days, holiday activities, summer walks and winter lectures. View our full listing of museum events.

Sign up to e-news

What’s on at Bristol’s free museums? Sign up to our e-news to receive monthly updates on upcoming exhibitions, events and activities, including family fun events. You may also receive information about competitions, giveaways and special offers in the shop and café.

Like and Follow us

• Follow M Shed on Facebook and Twitter
• Follow Bristol Museum and Art Gallery on Facebook and Twitter

Shop

The shop is located on the ground floor and open Monday to Friday from 10am to 4.45pm, weekends 10am to 5.45pm.

We sell a wide range of products including:

• Bristol Blue glass.
• Local history books.
• Selected postcards and prints from the museum collections.
• Reproduction historical maps of Bristol.
• Prints by local artists, including work by Trevor Haddrell.
• Reproduction Egyptian artefacts, books and novelties.
• A range of children's toys, many at affordable pocket-money prices.
• Greetings cards – including a selection by local artists.
• Unusual high quality Russian dolls – Matryoshkas.

Café

The café is on the ground floor and serves fresh, homemade, fair-trade and organic food. Children's menu and highchairs available.

Café opening times:

• 10am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday.
• 10am to 5.30pm, Saturday and Sunday.

Venue hire

The ground floor front and rear halls are available to hire for corporate and private events, for more information visit the Venue hire page.

Access and facilities

• Level access entrance with a lift to the main entrance.
• Fully accessible for wheelchair users, with access to all floors.
• Toilets (including an accessible toilet on the ground floor)
• Wheelchairs available
• Baby change
• Baby feeding room
• Loop system at the information desk
• Café