Before you book

• Explore what to see and do for your group. 
• All groups need to book in advance.
• There are no parking spaces for coaches or minibuses at the museum. Vehicles must depart after drop-off and return for pick-up. 
• School groups must book our picnic area, if you want to eat packed lunches at the museum.
• Children of all ages must be supervised at all times by a responsible adult during a visit.  
• You can find risk assessment, hazard identification and safeguarding information, as well as our insurance confirmation letter, in the sidebar to help you create your own risk assessment.
• See our frequently asked questions for more information. 

What to do before booking

Before making your booking, please make sure you have a clear idea of: 

1. The date(s) when you'd like to visit.

2. What activities you’d like to book. When booking you will generate an itinerary for your group. Larger groups may need to split into sub-groups if any chosen activities have limited capacity (e.g. shows).

3. How you will pay for your visit (if you choose to book activities that are paid for). You can pay by credit or debit card at the time of booking. Formal education groups can also choose to pay by invoice. This option has a £25 processing fee and payment is required before your visit. Please make sure you get permission from your organisation before paying. 

4. Your group size and the ages of any children. You can make changes to your order up to 60 days before your visit; however, if you pay by invoice, you can only add to your order.  

5. The number of responsible adults you are bringing. The museum has the following adult to child ratio policy for groups:

   • Ages 0 to 4 – 1:4 
   • Ages 5 to 11 – 1:8 
   • Ages 11 to 16 – 1:10
   • Ages 16 to 18 – 1:30 
   • Over 18s – 1 responsible adult per group
6. Any specific access requirements. 

Making your booking

Teachers, home educator groups and tour operators (if your group size is 20 or more) can book online. 

For groups of fewer than 20 and all other groups (such as youth groups, community groups, Scouts and Girlguiding), please call our Contact Centre on 033 0058 0058.