Visit
Plan your visit
We can’t wait to welcome you to your Museum
Come along and immerse yourself in stories of what it means to be human and find a new sense of connection with the natural world. Meet our famous Tyrannosaurus rex, Stan, enjoy the moving, personal narratives of the South Asia Gallery or spend hours playing spot the frog in The Vivarium. How you spend your time is completely up to you but we’ve got to warn you, minutes soon become hours inside our beautiful building…
All our galleries and exhibitions are free to enter but you have to book in advance for our main, temporary exhibition. Our current exhibition is Human Natures.
Free entry
Manchester Museum The University of Manchester Oxford Road Manchester M13 9PL
+44 (0)161 275 2648
Opening times
Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 10am – 5pm
Wednesday: 10am – 9pm
Thursday: 10am – 5pm
Friday: 10am – 5pm
Saturday: 8am – 5pm*
Sunday: 10am – 5pm
Last admission is 30 minutes before the Museum is due to close.
*8-10am is our Quiet Time, when you can visit our Belonging Gallery, Archaeology, Egypt and Sudan and the Lee Kai Hung Chinese Culture Gallery, along with our Shop and Café. The rest of the galleries and spaces open at 10am.
Museum map
If you’d like to use the Museum map to find facilities and exhibits while you’re visiting, you can use the button below to find an image version for easy use on mobile phones.
Easy Read Guide
An Easy Read Guide is available to help provide information about the Museum in a simple way. It includes information about opening times, how to find your way around and what facilities you will find.
Getting here
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The museum is on a major bus route and close to tram and train stations.
Approximately 14-minute walk from Oxford Road train station
Approximately 17-minute walk from St Peter’s Square Metrolink stop
Approximately 21-minute walk from Manchester Piccadilly train station
There are frequent bus services, travelling towards, away from and across the city centre, including: 15, 18, 41, 42, 42A, 42B, 43, 53, 111, 142, 143, 147, 191, 197, V1, V2. Ask for the bus stop nearest to Manchester Museum, Oxford Road
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The museum is on the Oxford Road Cycleway, which features ‘Dutch-style’ cycle lanes. There are stands provided across the University of Manchester campus to which bicycles may be secured.
For University of Manchester staff and postgraduate students, there is a cycle hub for parking your bike securely on Bridgeford Street, next to the museum.
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For information on accessible parking, head to our accessibility page.
There are five car parks on the surrounding University of Manchester campus with a mixture of permit and public parking. Find the details here.
The nearest car park is UoM Car Park D, Booth Street West. The postcode for this car park is M15 6FH and access is via Higher Cambridge Street. This is available to the public, as well as staff and students. It is an, approximately, two-minute walk to the Museum, walking directly up Bridgeford Street from the car park exit, in the direction of Oxford Road. The Aquatics Centre car park is also close to the Museum.
For groups arriving via bus or coach, there is a bay for buses and coaches outside the Museum on Oxford Road. Buses and coaches can pass through the bus gate on Oxford Road, providing that the vehicle has at least nine seats, excluding the driver.
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Please be aware that there are bus gates on Oxford Road. This means that parts of the road are only open to buses, black cabs and pedal cycles from 6am to 9pm every day. If you enter a bus lane or use a bus gate, you may get a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN).
Directions
Manchester Museum, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL
Accessibility access
We want everyone to feel included in all that Manchester Museum has to offer.
Our ongoing commitment is to make our building, services and programme as accessible and inclusive as possible, removing and reducing barriers to visiting us.
Our staff are aware of the diversity of visitors’ access requirements and are here to support you. Get in touch if you have any specific queries about accessibility.
Galleries and spaces
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![A view from the Welcome Area at Manchester Museum, looking through a doorway leading to the shop and the main staircase in the Main Hall.]()
Welcome Area
GROUND FLOOR
This is where you come in, to be welcomed by our Visitor Team who can advise and help you get the most from your visit. It is also home to two magnificent objects…
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![An art museum gallery with display cases containing ancient artifacts, including pottery and jewelry, illuminated by ceiling lights.]()
Exhibition Hall
GROUND FLOOR
The Exhibition Hall is where we produce, host and tour ambitious shows that embrace our sense of imagination and ambition…
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![Elegant art gallery interior with large arched windows, classical columns, and marble bust sculptures displayed on pedestals. Sunlight streams through the windows, illuminating framed paintings on the walls.]()
Belonging Gallery
FLOOR 1
The Belonging Gallery draws upon collections and multiple cultural perspectives to reflect on how we come to know what belonging means for ourselves…
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![Collection of ancient artifacts including pottery, stones, coins, a compass, a sundial, a pyramid engraving, a scroll, and writing tools displayed on a beige surface.]()
Lee Kai Hung Chinese Culture Gallery
FLOOR 1
The Lee Kai Hung Chinese Culture Gallery shares personal stories of migration, friendships and collaboration to inspire empathy and build understanding...
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![A gold and bronze statue of a deity or spiritual figure with a headdress, jewelry, and hand gesture, inside a decorated temple or religious space.]()
South Asia Gallery
FLOOR 1
The South Asia Gallery, a British Museum partnership, presents a compelling, contemporary take on South Asian and British Asian culture…
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![A bookstore with shelves of framed pictures, two women wearing face masks browsing through books, and pricing signs on the left side.]()
Archaeology
FLOOR 1
The Archaeology gallery asks important questions about who narrates the past with interventions addressing pressing societal challenges…
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![Ancient Egyptian papyrus scroll depicting Egyptian gods and hieroglyphics, including figures of deities with animal heads and hieroglyphic writing in black, red, and green ink.]()
Egypt and Sudan
FLOOR 1
The Egypt and Sudan gallery tells stories of the people we now call ‘ancient Egyptians’, a diverse population who lived in north-eastern Africa from around 3000 to 30 BCE….
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Africa Hub
FLOOR 2
Africa Hub is a new type of gallery where we’re asking you to help us build knowledge and help make decisions about the future of African collections…
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![A Barbie doll sitting in a bathtub within a display case in the Carbon Ruins exhibition at Manchester Museum.]()
Research Studio & Gallery
FLOOR 2
Our dedicated Research Studio is an inclusive space where researchers can work with our collections and our Research Gallery features research-led displays…
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![The interior of a grand historic building with high arched glass ceiling, stone walls, and a staircase. In the center, a large statue of a horse with flames and ash effects. Visitors are walking and sitting around.]()
Fossils and Dinosaurs
GROUND FLOOR
The Fossils and Dinosaurs galleries are where you come face-to-face with prehistoric giants Stan the Tyrannosaurus rex and April the Tenontosaurus…
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![Display case with three mineral specimens on orange pedestals in Manchester Museum's Minerals Gallery.]()
Minerals
MEZZANINE FLOOR
The gallery's focus is not only on the geological specimens but also on uncovering and sharing the stories of the people involved in their acquisition…
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![Mounted moose antlers behind a life-sized model of a moose, set against a dark background.]()
Living Worlds
FLOOR 1
Living Worlds celebrates the dynamic connections between people and the natural world, exploring how we experience, depend on and impact nature…
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![Brightly-lit display cases in Nature's Library at Manchester Museum.]()
Nature's Library
FLOOR 2
Nature’s Library showcases the remarkable collections that have helped scientists and naturalists understand the living world for more than a century…
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![Close-up of a green and blue chameleon perched on a brown branch against a dark background.]()
The Vivarium
FLOOR 2
The Vivarium houses a collection of live amphibians and reptiles including many critically endangered species, and showcases amazing conservation work…
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![An art gallery with framed landscape and portrait paintings on cream-colored walls, a wooden floor, and a skylight ceiling.]()
Top Floor
FLOOR 3
The Top Floor is a dynamic, community-centred space for action, sharing, learning and dreaming, used by a range of changemaking individuals and groups…
Museum Shop
The Manchester Museum Shop is home to a fascinating range of unique gifts inspired by the museum’s collection and exhibitions. We stock a wide range of fair trade and sustainable gifts with something that will appeal to everyone including affordable and ethically sourced children’s products.
Every purchase supports the museum and its mission to build understanding between cultures and a more sustainable world.
Food and drink
Manchester Museum Café is on the ground floor and can be accessed through the Museum’s Main Hall or from Oxford Road.
The café serves freshly prepared and locally sourced food and drinks.
Breakfast and Brunch served from 8.30 to 11.30am
Lunch from 12-3pm
Drinks and cakes will also be served in the Coffee Bar in the Main Hall.
In the area…
Many of Manchester’s iconic music venues, auditoriums and exhibition spaces are close to the museum. There’s also a thriving nightlife and an abundance of cafés, restaurants and bars. Nestled between the beautiful architecture and landmarks are historic parks and contemporary green spaces. Hyatt Hotels Manchester is conveniently placed right next to the museum if you need an overnight stay and it has spectacular views over the city.
UNIVERSITY GREEN
HYATT HOTEL
THE WHITWORTH
ROYAL NORTHERN COLLEGE OF MUSIC (RNCM)