Bristol Museum & Art Gallery
Bristol Museum & Art Gallery is the city's main museum, on Queens Road at the top of Park Street. Entry is free, and its three floors range from Egyptian mummies and dinosaurs to paintings, pottery and glass, making it an easy wet-weather choice.
Photos
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What's on each floor
The ground floor holds the Egyptian galleries with their mummies, the South West Wildlife gallery and a temporary Exhibition Gallery. Upstairs on the first floor you will find Alfred the Gorilla, a Romany wagon and galleries on dinosaurs, rocks and fossils that trace roughly a billion years of Earth's history. The second floor is given over to art, including paintings, pottery and glass.
Current changes
The British and World Wildlife galleries on the first floor are closed until summer 2027, so if natural history is the main reason for your visit, check what is open before you go. Temporary exhibitions change through the year and some carry a charge even though general entry is free.
How to fit it into your day
Allow a couple of hours for a good look round. The museum sits right next to the Wills Memorial Building, and Cabot Tower in Brandon Hill park is a short uphill walk for views across the city afterwards. Park Street's shops and cafés lead straight down to the harbourside, so it slots neatly into a walking day in Clifton and the centre. It is a reliable choice with children on a rainy day, when the mummies and Alfred tend to be the stars.
Highlights
- Free general entry
- Egyptian mummies on the ground floor
- Alfred the Gorilla and dinosaur galleries
- Second-floor art galleries of paintings, pottery and glass
Good to know
- The British and World Wildlife galleries are closed until summer 2027.
- The museum welcomes donations to support free entry.
- The museum is on Queens Road, BS8 1RL, beside the Wills Memorial Building.
Frequently asked questions
Nearby
Sources: bristolmuseums.org.uk