The best museums and galleries of Oxford
Six museums worth your time, most of them free: what each one is for, when to go, and what has changed recently.
Photo: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Oxford has more museums within a short walk of each other than most capital cities, and the best of them are free. Most of them were built by the University for teaching, which shows: the displays are dense and serious, and they reward slow looking more than a quick circuit. This guide covers the six that belong on any list, with what has changed recently, from prices to what is on display.
At a glance
| Museum | Best for | Entry | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashmolean | Art and archaeology from ancient Egypt to today | Free; major exhibitions ticketed | 10am to 5pm daily |
| Museum of Natural History | Dinosaurs, the Oxford Dodo, the building itself | Free | 10am to 5pm daily |
| Pitt Rivers | Anthropology and archaeology, displayed by type of object | Free | Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 5pm; Monday from noon |
| Bodleian Library and Divinity School | Historic library interiors | Divinity School £3; tours from £12.50 | Book ahead |
| History of Science Museum | Scientific instruments in the world’s oldest surviving public museum building | Free | Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 5pm |
| Modern Art Oxford | Contemporary art | Ground floor free; upper galleries £9.50 | Tuesday to Saturday 11am to 6pm, Sunday 11am to 4pm |
The Ashmolean
The Ashmolean opened in 1683 and calls itself Britain’s first public museum and the world’s first university museum. The present building on Beaumont Street was designed by Charles Robert Cockerell and completed in 1845, and a large extension by Rick Mather opened in 2009.
Its range is the point: Egyptian mummies, the Minoan collection gathered by Arthur Evans, and a Western art department that includes Paolo Uccello’s Hunt in the Forest. General admission is free and needs no booking. This autumn the main exhibition is Aphrodite: The Making of a Goddess, from 8 October 2026, which is ticketed. Four Western Art galleries on the Level 3 mezzanine, including the Pre-Raphaelites, are closed for work until mid-October 2026.
The Museum of Natural History and the Pitt Rivers
These two share a building on Parks Road, and you enter the Pitt Rivers through the Natural History museum: walk past the dinosaurs and turn left at Darwin’s statue.
The Museum of Natural History opened in 1860 and describes itself as the world’s first purpose-built natural history museum. The glass-roofed court is reason enough to go. The museum holds one of the world’s most important collections of Middle Jurassic dinosaurs, and the Oxford Dodo, the only surviving remains of dodo soft tissue anywhere in the world.
The Pitt Rivers is an anthropology and archaeology museum arranged by type of object, so a case of musical instruments or boats can hold examples from all over the world. It is dim, dense and absorbing. One thing has changed that older guides still get wrong: in 2020, after an ethical review, the museum removed its display of tsantsas (shrunken heads) along with other human remains, so they are no longer on show.
The Bodleian Library and the Divinity School
The Bodleian is a working library, and most of it can only be seen on a guided tour. The 30-minute tour starts at £12.50 and the 60-minute tour at £17.50, and both take in some of its historic spaces, including Duke Humfrey’s Library.
If you have only a few minutes, the Divinity School can be visited without a tour. It is the University of Oxford’s oldest teaching room, and a 15-minute visit costs £3; booking is required.
The History of Science Museum
On Broad Street, next to the Sheldonian Theatre, the History of Science Museum occupies what it describes as the oldest surviving purpose-built public museum building in the world: the original home of the Ashmolean. It holds Einstein’s blackboard, used in a lecture in Oxford, and a large collection of astrolabes from the Islamic world. It is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm. The lift is currently out of service, so the museum cannot offer level access for now.
Modern Art Oxford
Modern Art Oxford, at 30 Pembroke Street, is the city’s main contemporary art space. It has no permanent collection and shows temporary exhibitions. The ground floor gallery is free; the upper galleries cost £9.50, or £7 for concessions. It is closed on Mondays.
Christ Church Picture Gallery: closed for now
Christ Church holds one of the most important private collections of Old Master drawings in the country, with works by Leonardo, Michelangelo, Dürer, Raphael and Rubens, and paintings by Tintoretto, Veronese and Van Dyck. The gallery is currently closed while the building is renovated and extended. Check Christ Church’s website for the reopening date before you plan a visit.
A day of museums
Start at the Ashmolean at 10am. Walk up to Parks Road for the Museum of Natural History and the Pitt Rivers, and give the Pitt Rivers at least an hour. After lunch, go to Broad Street for the History of Science Museum and the Divinity School, which sit a few minutes apart. Book any Bodleian tour and any ticketed Ashmolean exhibition in advance.
Frequently asked questions
Are Oxford’s museums free?
The Ashmolean, the Museum of Natural History, the Pitt Rivers and the History of Science Museum are free. The Ashmolean charges for major exhibitions, Modern Art Oxford charges for its upper galleries, and Bodleian tours and the Divinity School are paid.
Are the shrunken heads still on display at the Pitt Rivers?
No. The museum removed them, along with other human remains, from display in 2020 after an ethical review.
Is Christ Church Picture Gallery open?
Not at the moment. It is closed for renovation and extension; check Christ Church’s website for the reopening date.
How do I get into the Pitt Rivers Museum?
Through the Museum of Natural History on Parks Road. Walk past the dinosaurs and turn left at Darwin’s statue.
Sources
- ashmolean.org, plan your visit
- en.wikipedia.org, Ashmolean Museum (building and 2009 extension)
- ashmolean.org, history of the museum
- oumnh.ox.ac.uk, Oxford University Museum of Natural History
- oumnh.ox.ac.uk, the Oxford Dodo
- prm.ox.ac.uk, visit the Pitt Rivers Museum
- museumsassociation.org, Pitt Rivers removes shrunken heads from display (2020)
- visit.bodleian.ox.ac.uk, tours and the Divinity School
- hsm.ox.ac.uk, History of Science Museum
- modernartoxford.org.uk, visit
- chch.ox.ac.uk, Christ Church Picture Gallery
This article was written by the Oxford Society editorial desk from the public sources listed above. We are not affiliated with the people, companies or institutions it describes.
← Back to Guides