Frequently asked questions

The Science and Industry Museum is open. Book your free tickets now to explore our incredible galleries and special exhibitions.

The museum and shop are open daily from 10.00–17.00. 

Our café is open from 08.00–17.00 Monday – Friday and 09.30–17.00 Saturdays and Sundays.

The museum is open daily, 10.00 – 17.00.

Our programme may vary during school holidays. Please check the What's on page for more information. We know that some schools have different holiday periods—here's a list of dates when we will be offering our holiday programmes: 

• WINTER HOLIDAY: 16 December 2023 – 7 January 2024 
• FEBRUARY HALF TERM: 10–25 February 2024 
• SPRING HOLIDAY: 23 March – 14 April 2024 
• MAY HALF TERM: 25 May – 9 June 2024 

The museum is home to ideas that change the world, and we will continue to inspire you with examples of world-leading science and innovation from the past 250 years.    

The three permanent galleries in our New Warehouse are open every day, along with some of our outdoor space in the Upper Yard, meaning there is plenty to see and do. Visitors can explore Revolution Manchester and the Textiles Gallery on Level 0 and enjoy Experiment, our interactive gallery on Level 1.  

Power Up is also open on weekends and during school holiday periods on Level 1. Our Special Exhibitions Gallery on Level -1 hosts our regular changing exhibitions. Check our What's On pages for more information.  

A multi-million-pound restoration programme is currently underway to carry out crucial restoration work across our globally significant industrial heritage site. This means that there is a lot of scaffolding and areas that may be closed, including the Power Hall and the 1830 Station and Warehouse, but there's still plenty to enjoy as part of your visit. 

Full details of what to expect will be sent to you as part of your pre-visit email, and we will update our website regularly.

We are very keen to get your feedback following your visit. If you have any suggestions about how we could improve your experience, please let us know by emailing info@sciencemuseumgroup.ac.uk. 

Check our Terms and Conditions for more information to support your visit to the museum. Here, you'll find details of our admissions guidelines, filming and photography policies and more. 

Please note that children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult (18 and older) at all times.

We encourage all visitors to pre-book tickets before visiting. This will help allow you to plan your visit to the museum and our special exhibitions and activities, as well as allowing us to manage the number of people in the museum.

If you are unable to book online, you can book by calling our Contact Centre on 033 0058 0058.

Tickets are available to book online now. 

If you are unable to book online, please call us on 033 0058 0058.

We are limiting the number of free admission tickets available to book in advance so that we can manage the number of visitors to the museum. Sign up to our newsletter to find out when tickets are released.

You will receive your ticket by email. You will need to bring this with you, either on a mobile device or a print-out, as it will have a bar code that needs to be scanned on arrival.

You can also access your tickets by logging in to your Science and Industry Museum account.

You will receive your tickets by email, which you will need to bring with you, either on a mobile device or as a print-out. As part of our commitment to sustainability we ask that you avoid printing tickets where possible.  

The tickets will have a barcode that will be scanned by a contactless scanner on arrival at the museum.   

If you are unable to find the email, you can log into your account on a mobile device and access your tickets from there.  

To maintain social distancing, we ask that you avoid passing anything to our staff by only using the contactless scanners provided to self-scan tickets. 

We cannot guarantee that tickets will be available on the day, but we will do our best to facilitate your visit to the museum as quickly as possible.  

If you do come to the museum without a ticket, we will still ask that you book, either with a member of our staff or using your smartphone. Depending on the number of visitors already in the museum, it may be that you can book a ticket for the current time, or you may need to wait until the next available time slot.

We will do our best to accommodate you. However, if you miss your time slot and the museum reaches capacity, you may be asked to wait or to book again for an alternative date and time.

If you are unable to find the email, you can log into your account on a mobile device and access your tickets from there. If you don’t have an account, please speak to our Contact Centre on 033 0058 0058.

Yes. You need to book free general admission tickets to the museum as well as separate ticket(s) for our special exhibitions and Power Up.

You can submit a return request for any free tickets you have booked up until 08.30 on the day of your visit. Just log into your account to make the request. You are welcome to book new tickets for another day online. 

If you would be happy to donate the value of your tickets to the museum, please email our Contact Centre at info@sciencemuseumgroup.ac.uk with your name and order number. 

Please note that donations, including those made as part of your booking, are non-refundable. Your support large or small will make a huge difference—thank you.

We recommend that you set aside an hour and half for your visit (90 minutes), but of course you are welcome to stay longer, especially if you are also including a special exhibition or Power Up as part of your visit.

Signs outside the museum will tell you what to expect and members of staff will be on hand if you have any questions. 

Please ensure you have your ticket with you, preferably on your smart device, as you will be asked to scan this on entry.  

You will also receive an email with more information the day before your visit.

The Science and Industry Museum is conveniently located in the heart of the city. You can visit on foot, by bike, use nearby city-centre car parking, or by tram, train and bus.  

We recommend you visit the Transport For Greater Manchester website to plan your journey. 

The Science and Industry Museum is committed to looking out for the health and safety of its visitors.   

We would therefore ask that visitors continue to protect themselves and each other by maintaining their distance while exploring the museum or queuing.   

We recommend that visitors book free, timed admission tickets in advance to help us manage the number of people in the museum at one time. 

Tickets will be scanned by contactless e-scanners, and we ask that you make contactless payments where possible.   

In line with government guidance, face coverings are not mandatory, but visitors are welcome to wear one if they'd prefer to do so.   

Screens are installed at the main reception points, ticket desks and information points.   

Hand sanitiser stations and wipes are located throughout the museum, including at key points such as entrances, exits, interactive experiences, picnic areas and high touch areas.  

Enhanced cleaning regimes are in place throughout the museum.   

We have also taken all reasonable steps to provide adequate ventilation in enclosed spaces. This means that our galleries may become quite cold in the winter months, so we would recommend dressing warmly for your visit. 

If you or one of your party starts to feel unwell whilst visiting the museum, please let a member of staff know so they can then support you by following our first aid procedure.

We recommend booking tickets to visit the museum in advance and we would encourage you to log in or create a new account so that we can email you helpful information in advance of your visit. Alternatively, you can book tickets through the guest checkout function online. You can read our Privacy Policy here.

The galleries and spaces in our Grade II listed New Warehouse (the main museum building with its entrance on Lower Byrom Street) are all open.

Our shop and café are also open, and our bistro area is available as an indoor picnic space.    

A long-term, multi-million-pound restoration programme is also underway at the Science and Industry Museum to carry out crucial restoration work and reveal new spaces and perspectives for all visitors to enjoy, play and learn in. This means that there is a lot of scaffolding and there are areas that are closed, but there's still much to enjoy on your visit. Find out more about the developments here.

All galleries inside the New Warehouse are open. This includes: 

• Revolution Manchester  
• Textiles Gallery 
• Experiment
• Power Up (weekends and holidays only) 
• Special Exhibitions Gallery

We are now running Volunteer Talks, the Revolution Manchester Show and Textiles Demonstrations (subject to staffing), alongside other activities and demonstrations. Check the What’s On page for more information.

Schools, Home Education and Uniformed Groups (such as Scouts or Girlguiding groups) of all sizes and interests are welcome.

More information on school visits can be found on our Learning page.

Our café is open from 08.00–17.00 on weekdays and 09.30–17.00 on weekends, serving serve hot and cold drinks, snacks, sandwiches and cakes.

The bistro is not serving food, although hot drinks and snacks may be available to buy here during the school holidays. The space will be open as an indoor picnic area that visitors are welcome to use.

You are welcome to bring your own food. Picnic areas will be clearly signposted.

Our shop is open, selling a range of toys, games, books, science kits and more.  

Our online shop is also open. Not all items sold in the online shop are available to purchase on site at the museum.  

Every purchase you make supports the museum and our vital work. 

We would be grateful if you could use contactless payments where possible to limit the need to pass anything to our colleagues. However, we will accept cash.

There are Male and Female toilets throughout the museum. Accessible toilets and baby changing facilities are located on Levels 0 and 1 and there is a Changing Places toilet, located at the back of the Bistro on Level 1. There are also All Gender facilities in the Special Exhibitions Gallery on Level -1.

Yes, lockers are available on Level -1 of the New Warehouse. There is a charge of £1 for small lockers (H = 58cm, W = 33cm, D = 43cm) or £2 for large lockers (H = 89cm, W = 25cm, D = 43cm). Card payments for locker tokens are accepted at the information desk if you don't have the correct change with you.

Yes, anyone who wishes to attend must book a free ticket as the link to the event will be sent via email.

Unlike booking tickets to the museum, you only need to book one ticket per device for our virtual events. If your household would like to watch on more than one device, please book more than one ticket using different email addresses and accounts.

Questions can be submitted as you book your ticket for an event. A selection of audience questions will then be posed to the speakers.

If you can no longer attend a virtual event, please speak to our Contact Centre team who'll be able to return your tickets and give your place to someone else. Unfortunately we aren't able to refund donations.

If an event is cancelled, rescheduled or postponed for any reason, we will notify you by email as soon as possible.

If an event is rescheduled or postponed, your booking will be automatically updated in your account. You can log in to your account to view your online event bookings at any time.

If an event is rescheduled and you can no longer attend, please call us on 033 0058 0058 (line open 09.00–17.00 daily) and our team will be able to return your tickets and give your place to someone else. 

Unfortunately we are not able to refund donations.

If you have booked a free ticket, you will be emailed on the day of the event with the link to the virtual event, which will be hosted on our online booking system. You will need to log in to your account to watch the event, so make sure you keep your log in details safe. If you have questions, please speak to our Contact Centre team on 033 0058 0058.