Plan Your Visit
Visitors are central to all that we do at Dorset Museum.
The museum prides itself on the quality of our customer service and our commitment to offering access to all.
We believe that, given the richness of our collection, the size of the Museum and the quality of visitor experience we provide, our admission prices represent great value for money.
Annual Pass
Includes unlimited access to the Museum and Library. Our Annual Passes now include a copy of our Guidebook, with Family Annual Passes including copies of our Children’s Activity Trails.
| Type | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult | £20 |
| Child* | £10 |
| Family - 1 adult + 3 children | £40 |
| Family - 2 adults + 3 children | £50 |
| DNHAS Members | FREE |
Day Entry
| Type | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult* | £12 |
| Child** | £6 |
* 13.50 with Donation/Gift Aid
**Children 5-16 years, under 5’s FREE
Book Tickets NowProof is required for all those listed below and for this reason free tickets can not be booked online.
- Members of Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for more details of rates and benefits of membership.
- Wessex Museums Partnership – The Salisbury Museum, Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society and Poole Museum.
- Museum Association Card, Art Fund Pass.
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Opening hours:
Daily: 9.00am - 4.30pm
Sunday: 10.00am - 4.00pm
Bank Holidays: 10.00am - 4.00pm -
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You could help us even more – at no extra cost
As a charitable organisation, we rely on the generosity of our Annual Pass Holders, Members and visitors to maintain our collections and continue our programme of exhibitions.
How Gift Aid works
The government’s Gift Aid scheme allows us to reclaim 25p for every £1 of your Annual Pass. All we need is your consent – no extra payments! Simply make your declaration to support the Museum even more!
For more information
Although legal restrictions have been lifted we will continue to ensure that our visitors, volunteers and staff remain safe:
✔ We may control numbers in galleries to ensure they do not become overcrowded.
✔ Our volunteers and staff may still be wearing face-coverings in the Museum shop and galleries and you may wish to do the same.
✔ We would ask that visitors, volunteers and staff do not come to the Museum if they have tested positive for Covid, or have any
Covid symptoms.
✔ We continue to monitor and follow the latest government guidance and our website will be updated if there are any
major changes.
Museum Map
You can also purchase a copy of our map which features in our Guidebook.
Discover
Galleries
Let us take you on a journey spanning 250 million years, and explore Dorset’s natural world, archaeology, history, art and culture along the way.
Library
Spend some quiet time in our stunning, light-filled Library with its magnificent Victorian oriel window, coats of arms, carved arches and fireplace.
Victorian Hall
Dating from 1883, the arches of fine cast ironwork are offset by the simple elegance of a single rose window pouring soft light down onto the exhibits below
Visual Story
Click here to download our visual story with pictures of the Museum and information about what to expect.
DownloadGetting here
By Car
The Museum has a set-down point, but no car park. The nearest car park of substantial size is the Top o’ Town, just beyond the roundabout at the top of High West Street. It has six accessible spaces in total. The museum is a five-minute walk (500 metres) along High West Street on an even tarmac surface. The route is slightly downhill and is a short, smooth walk to the Museum. There is one road to cross on the way, using a Zebra Crossing.
Parking in Dorchester
| Carpark | Walking time | Spaces | Accessible | Postcode |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top o’ Town Long stay | 5 mins | 153 | 3 | DT1 1XT |
| Top o’ Town Short stay | 5 mins | 60 | 3 | DT1 1XT |
| Acland Road | 10 mins | 266 | 12 | DT1 1EE |
| Woolaston Field | 10 mins | 155 | 4 | DT1 1EQ |
| Fairfield Long stay | 12 mins | 418 | 5 | DT1 1QW |
| Fairfield Short stay | 12 mins | 140 | 4 | DT1 1QW |
| Colliton Park | 5 mins | 54 | 1 | DT1 1XJ |
| Durngate Street | 5 mins | 48 | 0 | DT1 1NA |
| Old Market | 10 mins | 60 | 5 | DT1 1EE |
| Trinity Street | 8 mins | 200 | 0 | DT1 1AG |
For more information about these car parks.
Find out moreBy Train
Dorchester South Station – 12 mins walk
Find out moreDorchester West Station – 12 mins walk
Find out moreThere is no step-free platform access at either Dorchester station.
Find more information on using these stations, including accessibility, on their websites.
By Bike
Dorchester is on two National Cycle Networks.
Route 2 links Dover in Kent with St Austell Cornwall
More informationRoute 26 runs from Portishead on the Somerset coast to the Isle of Portland
Find out moreSecure cycle parking
Find out more
Parking Voucher Scheme
Any visitor parking in any of the Dorset Council Pay and Display car parks in Dorchester, will find the pay and display machine gives them a two-part ticket. Part one stays in the car, part two has the Dorchester BID either ‘Max £1 refund voucher’ or ‘Dorchester BID voucher’ printed on the lower part of the ticket.
This voucher can be redeemed against an Adult or Family full price entry ticket to the value of £1.
This cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.
By Bus
These buses stop outside the Museum entrance. Services can change, so please check with the bus companies before travelling. Their contact details are below.
| Number | Route | Company |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dorchester > Poundbury > Dorchester | Damory Coaches |
| 2 | Dorchester > Fordington > Manor Park > Dorchester | Damory Coaches |
| 5 | Dorchester > Broadmayne > Crossways > Preston > Weymouth | Damory Coaches |
| 6 | Dorchester South Station > Dorset County Hospital > Poundbury (Queen Mother Square) | Dorset County Council |
| 10 / 10A | Weymouth > Dorchester (passengers on 10 can exit at Trinity Street for the Museum, or go around Poundbury then exit at the Museum) | First Wessex* |
| 187 | Bere Regis > Winterborne Kingston > Blandford | Damory Coaches |
| 701 | Portland > Weymouth > Dorchester > Kingston Maurward | Morebus |
| X11 | Yeovil > Sherborne > Dorchester via Cerne Abbas > Charminster | South West Coaches |
| X12 | Weymouth > Dorchester > Puddletown > Blandford Forum | Damory Coaches |
| X51 | Jurassic Coaster Axminster > Lyme Regis > Charmouth > Bridport > Dorchester | First Wessex* |
*All First Wessex Dorset buses have disabled access with a ramp or hydraulic system to lower the bus to kerb level
Bus Services
First Wessex
Tel: 0333 014 3490
South West Coaches
Tel: 01935 475872
Damory Coaches
Tel: 01202 338420
Dorset Council
Tel: 01305 224537
Morebus
Tel: 01202 338420
Public Transport info
Traveline
Tel: 0871 200 2233
Accessibility
Everyone is welcome at Dorset Museum. Our teams are here to offer support and resources, and help you make the most of your visit.
What's On
28 May – 30 October 2022
Take a fresh look at the Victorian novelist and poet, Thomas Hardy, in the stunning Wessex landscapes that shaped his view of the world. His story will be retold in exciting new ways by our museum collections, from period costumes to personal letters, art to archaeology.
Find out more9 September 2022 - 14 October 2022
Drawing Into Life – 6 Week Creative Course
Six week art course designed for adults interested in art and archaeology. This new course is an exciting opportunity to get up close with some extraordinary artefacts in the collection at Dorset Museum. You will be drawing inspiration from prehistoric art including Neolithic flint tools, Anglo Saxon gold, precious burial goods, Roman mosaics, decorative textiles and archaeological maps amongst others, and have the chance to work directly from the Elisabeth Frink collection.
Find out more3 October 2022 - 8 February 2023
Unmasked
Unmasked is a local, voluntary project that began in the dark days of March 2020, when a new disease called COVID-19 literally stopped the world as we knew it.
Find out moreCANCELLED
Who’s in the Next Room?
Poems by Thomas Hardy with new writing from Paul Hyland, Kate Scott, Catherine Simmonds & Pam Zinnemann-Hope
Find out more9 October 2022, 10:30am - 12noon
The Big Draw at Dorset Museum
Come and take part in our Big Draw event at Dorset Museum. Inspired by the natural world around us, colour and natural forms, help us create a giant collage in the style of Henri Rousseau to display in one of our galleries.
Find out more11 October 2022, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Archaeology Highlights Tour
Explore archaeological treasures held by Dorset Museum – from Bronze Age gold to medieval silver - in this volunteer-led tour.
Find out more13 October 2022, 5:00pm - 7:00pm
Museum after hours
Join us for an opportunity to explore the Museum at this free late opening
Find out more13 October 2022, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
A persistent place: a new chronology for Neolithic Dorchester
The area underneath and around the town of Dorchester was an important place for Neolithic people, who built a variety of monuments here over a period of 2000 years. In this talk, Dr Susan Greaney discusses the research project that has obtained radiocarbon dates from samples of antler picks, charcoal and human remains held in the Dorset Museum collection and has been able to build a brand new chronology for the monuments.
Find out more21 October 2022, 7:00pm - 9:30pm
Strings Forever!
Join baroque violinist Emma-Marie Kabanova on a musical journey back in time exploring the dance tunes and folk music beloved by Thomas Hardy and his family. Tim Laycock and Colin Thompson contribute the traditional dance tunes and folksongs of Dorset on violin, concertina and melodeon.
Find out moreTASTE Café
Food and Drink
Our new café is welcoming and inviting with freshly prepared food from Taste*.