The Roman Baths get all the attention, but Bath has four other museums worth your time and money. No.1 Royal Crescent costs £16 for an adult, the Herschel Museum of Astronomy is £12.50, Museum of Bath at Work is £10, and the Holburne Museum charges £16.50 for its exhibitions, though its collection displays are free every Wednesday after 3pm.
No.1 Royal Crescent
A restored Georgian townhouse at the end of the famous Crescent, furnished as it would have looked when first occupied in the 1770s. It's open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 5.30pm, with last entry at 4.30pm, and closed on Mondays outside school holidays and bank holidays.
- Adult: £16.00
- Concessions: £14.50
- Under 18: free with an accompanying adult
- Your ticket doubles as a free repeat-visit pass for 12 months
- Discovery Card holders get 25% off, Art Fund members get 50% off
Note that prams and buggies aren't allowed inside due to the historic building, though there's a step-free route through part of the museum via an accessible lift.
Herschel Museum of Astronomy
The former home of William Herschel, who discovered Uranus from the garden here in 1781. Tickets also work as a 12-month repeat-visit pass.
- Adult: £12.50
- Concessions: £11.00
- Under 18 with accompanying adult: free
- Discovery Card holders get 25% off
Museum of Bath at Work
A collection of over a million objects covering the city's working life since Roman times, run across several floors near the Assembly Rooms. It's open daily 10.30am to 5pm from April to October, weekends only from mid-February through March, and largely closed over December and January, so check ahead if you're visiting outside the main season.
- Adult: £10.00
- Concessions (disabled, student, unemployed): £7.50
- Child: £5.00
- Family ticket: £20.00
- Bath & North East Somerset resident Discovery Card: £7.50
Holburne Museum
Bath's first purpose-built art museum, on Great Pulteney Street, holding a collection of fine and decorative art plus a changing programme of exhibitions.
- General admission (covers collections and exhibitions): £16.50
- Concessions (Art Fund, 19 to 25 year olds, NUS card holders): £8.00
- Universal Credit: £2.00
- Under 18, and University of Bath or Bath Spa University students and staff: free
- Wednesdays after 3pm: free entry to collection displays, with temporary exhibitions reduced to £8
The shop and cafe on the ground floor are free to enter regardless of whether you buy a ticket.
Comparing the four
| Museum | Adult price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| No.1 Royal Crescent | £16.00 | Georgian domestic life, restored room by room |
| Herschel Museum of Astronomy | £12.50 | The astronomer's house and garden where Uranus was discovered |
| Museum of Bath at Work | £10.00 | Bath's industrial and working history, less visited and less crowded |
| Holburne Museum | £16.50 (free Wed after 3pm for collections) | Fine art in a purpose-built gallery setting |
If you're working through several of these in one trip, the Discovery Card discount at No.1 Royal Crescent, the Herschel Museum and Museum of Bath at Work adds up quickly, so it's worth checking if you qualify before you buy.
Planning your museum day
No.1 Royal Crescent and the Herschel Museum are both close to the Circus and Royal Crescent itself, making them easy to combine with a walk covered in our Royal Crescent and the Circus guide. The Holburne Museum sits at the far end of Great Pulteney Street, a pleasant walk from Pulteney Bridge, detailed in our Pulteney Bridge and the weir guide. If you're trying to fit all this alongside the Roman Baths in a single day, our Bath in one day guide has a realistic pace to follow, and if budget is a concern, our Bath on a budget guide covers where these museum costs fit against everything else.
FAQs
Which Bath museum is cheapest? Museum of Bath at Work is the cheapest of the four at £10 for an adult, and it's usually the least crowded too.
Is the Holburne Museum ever free? Yes, collection displays are free every Wednesday after 3pm, though temporary exhibitions are reduced to £8 rather than fully free.
Do museum tickets in Bath work for repeat visits? No.1 Royal Crescent and the Herschel Museum both sell tickets that double as a 12-month repeat-visit pass at no extra cost.
Is No.1 Royal Crescent accessible for buggies? No, prams and buggies aren't permitted inside due to the historic building, though a step-free accessible route covers part of the museum.
When is Museum of Bath at Work closed? It's largely closed through December and January, and only open weekends from mid-February through March. It runs daily from April to October.
Do students get a discount at these museums? Yes, most offer a concession rate for students, and Holburne Museum offers free entry to University of Bath and Bath Spa University students and staff specifically.