Bristol Museums & Galleries

Bristol is well known for its rich heritage and artistic streak. You’re just as likely to find engaging historical exhibits displayed with pride as you are cutting-edge artwork on show far and wide.

Let’s put it this way: you'll never be short of cultural experiences here.

Magnificent museums

Bristol museums come in all shapes and sizes. From Brunel’s SS Great Britain, an incredible immersive experience transporting you back to Victorian times, to M Shed, the city’s social history museum housed in a 1950s transit shed.

Don’t miss Bristol Museum & Art Gallery – a magnificent space exploring the city’s archaeology, natural history and more. Or We The Curious, which boasts the UK’s first digital 3D planetarium in the country.

Hold onto your flying goggles for the mother of all Bristol museums, Aerospace Bristol. The star of the much-anticipated attraction is the one and only Concorde Alpha Foxtrot, the last of the iconic aircraft to be built and the last to fly.

Don't forget Bristol's lesser-known museums, from the caves and camera obscura at the historic Clifton Observatory to the Tudor interior at The Red Lodge.

Learn about the world's first Methodist church at John Wesley's New Room, the story of vaccinations at Dr Jenner's House, or about Victorian life at the George Muller Museum.

Grand galleries and street art

Bristol is also blessed with lots of well-respected galleries that even spoilt-for-choice Londoners love. We should start, of course, with Bristol’s first ever art gallery: the RWA (Royal West of England Academy), a beautifully lit Grade II listed building which exhibits work from some of the country’s most celebrated artists.

Then there’s Arnolfini, a leading centre for contemporary art with a commanding spot on the waterfront, great for enjoying an alfresco coffee.

Don't miss vibrant Spike Island, which is a working artist studio as well as a gallery, or The Stradling Collection, which is home to hundreds of decorative objects, from glassware to furniture, paintings, prints, and more.

Martin Parr Foundation in Paintworks has a regular programme of rolling exhibitions and events to support the photography community.

But you won’t just find art in traditional places – for Bristol artists, anywhere can be a canvas, from public parks to pop-up spaces. And not forgetting the city’s famous street art.

Bristol museums and galleries boast an ever-changing, ever-inspiring calendar of exhibitions and events. Whether you’re into fashion, animation, design, aviation, photography, dance, nature – you’re bound to find something to suit in our comprehensive What's On section.