FAQs About Your Visit
The Museum will be closed from Thursday 5 November, in line with the Government's lockdown restrictions.
We've made some changes to keep visitors and staff safe:
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Entry to the Museum is now ticketed. All visitors must book a timed entry ticket online here.
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Visitors aged 11+ are required by law to wear a face covering in museums and galleries in England. Information about exemptions can be found below.
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We ask that you keep a safe 2-metre distance from any visitors who are not part of your household or social bubble. Please be considerate of visitors and staff.
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Hand sanitiser stations are located throughout the Museum. Please wash or sanitise your hands regularly.
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There is a one-way route clockwise around the Museum colonnade; please follow the directional arrow signs.
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Our indoor café is closed, but the Horsebox Café on the lawn is open for hot drinks and sweet treats. Our shop is open, but currently is only able to accept card payments.
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If you feel unwell or are showing any symptoms of COVID-19, please postpone your visit to another day.
Note: You may need to queue outside so please be prepared to stand in the cold or rain.
Visitor Safety
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Limiting numbers with timed and ticketed entries. The Museum has introduced a ticketing system to control the number of visitors in order to adhere to social distancing guidelines.
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Outdoor ticket booth and queuing system. Pre-booked tickets must be scanned at the ticket booth outside the Museum before entry to the Museum. A queuing system is in place to help visitors maintain 2-metre social distancing. You may need to queue outside so please be prepared to stand in the cold or rain.
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One-way systems. To help manage social distancing, some areas of the Museum will use one-way systems. We ask visitors to please follow any signage or advice from our Museum staff.
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Face coverings. You will notice our members of staff wearing face coverings or shielded behind Plexiglass as you enter. All visitors aged 11+ are required to wear a face covering in the Museum - exemptions are listed below. Plexiglass screens have been introduced at our tills and information points.
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Enhanced cleaning. Hand sanitiser stations will be available throughout the museum for your use and we have introduced an enhanced cleaning regime.
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Touchable specimens have been removed or cordoned off. Visitors familiar with the Museum may remember that there were a number of touchable specimens on display. For your safety, we have removed or roped off all touchable specimens. Interactive screens will be switched off.
Yes, everyone is required to wear a face covering, by law, in museums and galleries in England.
We are asking visitors to please wear a face covering throughout their visit where possible.
There are several reasons in line with Access and Equality that may mean individuals cannot wear face coverings. Below are examples of face covering exemptions for the Museum:
- Children under the age of 11
- If you have a physical, neurological, mental or emotional condition that means you cannot put on, wear, or remove a face covering
- If putting on, wearing, or removing a face covering would cause you severe distress
- If you are travelling with, or providing assistance to, someone who relies on lip reading to communicate
- If you are asked to remove your face covering by a member of staff
- If you require First Aid assistance or need to signal for urgent assistance from staff
- If you need a member of staff to remove their face covering to talk to you, for example to lip read, please ask. We will be happy to help.
With your permission, the Museum of Natural History and Pitt Rivers Museum are collecting information that will help support the government’s Test and Trace programme. All of this information, along with any information that we would usually collect during the booking process is collected and used in line with GDPR. Our Privacy Policy can be read at the following link: https://www.glam.ox.ac.uk/privacy-policy-ticketing
Ticketing Information
To book tickets for the Museum, please go to our Visit Us page. Tickets can be booked through our online booking system.
Yes, all visitors will need to book a timed ticket in advance to help us manage the Museum’s reduced capacity, which allows for social distancing. Tickets are free, and there is no booking fee, but it is possible to make a donation to the Museum when booking.
You can book tickets on the day of your visit if tickets are still available for that day. Tickets are for entry to both the Museum of Natural History and Pitt Rivers Museum.
Timed entry slots help us to manage the flow of visitors through the doors and minimise the need for queuing. Entry times will be every 15 minutes, and will be available from 10am until 4pm (1 hour before the Museum closes at 5pm). To avoid disappointment, please arrive at the entry time of your ticket.
Your ticket will give you entry to both the Museum of Natural History and Pitt Rivers Museum.
Yes, all tickets must be scanned at the ticket booth prior to entry. Visitors who book online will receive an e-ticket attachment on their confirmation email and must either show the ticket on their phone/device, or bring a printed ticket with them. Visitors who arrive without a ticket may be refused entry.
Please arrive promptly at the entry time stated on your ticket. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee entry if you arrive after your allotted entry time. Equally, please do not arrive more than 10 minutes before your time slot as we are unable to allow entrance before your ticket time.
Tickets are not time-limited; you can stay in the Museums for as long as you wish until closing time.
It is possible to book advance tickets online on the day, subject to availability, but we are not able to accommodate visitors who have not booked a ticket in advance.
In accordance with government guidance, we cannot at the moment accommodate groups, other than school and higher education group bookings. For more information on group bookings, please click here.
Yes, all people visiting the museums are required to book a free ticket to enter.
Information About Your Visit
The ground floors of both the Museum of Natural History and Pitt Rivers Museum are open. At this time, the Upper Galleries of both museums are closed.
Any touchable specimens that were previously in the galleries have either been removed our roped off for visitor safety. We ask that visitors please refrain from touching any of the objects at this time.
Unfortunately the café in the Upper Gallery of the Museum of Natural History is now closed, but the Horsebox Café on the Museum lawn is serving hot drinks and sweet treats for visitors to consume outside.
There are no spaces in the Museum to eat or drink, and we ask that visitors do not consume any food or drink other than water inside the Museum.
Yes, a joint Museum of Natural History and Pitt Rivers Museum shop will be open on the Ground Floor of the Museum of Natural History. We ask that visitors maintain social distancing while in the shop and when queuing. The shop is only able to accept card payments at this time.
For the safety of our visitors and staff, guided talks and tours are not running at present.
Yes, there is lift access to all areas of the Museums. Use is prioritised for people with mobility issues and we ask that people who do not need a lift please use the stairs when possible. To ensure social distancing and safety, only one person or members of the household or social bubble may be in the lift at one time.
Yes, we welcome visitors with young children and buggies to come and enjoy the Museum. There is an accessible entrance and lift, if required. To keep routes in the Museum open and accessible, we ask that visitors please keep their buggy with them for the duration of their visit - there is no buggy parking available at this time.
Yes, our toilets, accessible toilets, and changing facilities will all be open and can be used during your visit. Toilets are being regularly checked and cleaned throughout the day.
