[Updated 27 April 2021]
The Royal Armouries Museum Leeds is reopening on 19 May, government guidance permitting. Read our FAQs to plan your visit.
Our Frequently Asked Questions provide information on:
Due to the current COVID-19 restrictions, the museum is temporarily closed.
Government guidance permitting, we will reopen the museum on Wednesday 19 May 2021.
Admission is free but visits need to be pre-booked.
From 19 May the museum will be open from 10am – 5pm.
Term time: Open Wednesdays to Sundays (closed Mondays and Tuesdays)
School and bank holidays: Open daily
All our museum galleries will be open to the public – War, Tournament, Hunting, Self Defence, Oriental and the Hall of Steel.
We have two exciting brand new gallery displays for visitors to discover. Tudor Power & Glory: The Field of Cloth of Gold in Tournament, and Firefight: The Second World War in the War gallery.
Find out more about our galleries and the highlights of our collection.
There are some interactive displays in the galleries that are currently unavailable, but we’re working hard to reinstate these soon in line with Government guidance.
As there aren’t any large-scale events, our Tiltyard is currently closed.
The crossbow shooting range and our escape room experience will be closed until further notice.
Guided tours and talks are paused for the time being, to help maintain social distancing.
There will be limited live demonstrations featuring historical characters and knights in armour taking place in the galleries throughout the day. Find out more information when you arrive at the museum or check out the What’s On page for more details.
Our café, The Master’s, on the ground floor will be open for food and drink. Social distancing measures will be in place and customer numbers will be limited. All transactions will be contactless.
Visitors will need to follow the NHS track and trace guidance to use the café.
Our second-floor café will be closed.
Our museum shop, on the ground floor, will be open. Social distancing measures will be in place and customer numbers will be limited. All transactions will be contactless.
We’re aiming to reopen our award-winning school services from 8 June, with limited availability to ensure we adhere to COVID-19 guidelines. All education services will remain free of charge for the remainder of the academic year.
Unfortunately, self-directed school visits are not possible at this time, and visits need to be pre-booked.
Our new digital outreach service is ideal for schools not able to visit.
We can’t take coach or group bookings at this time in line with government guidance. Visitors must pre-book keeping to social distancing and COVID-19 guidelines.
To ensure we can keep our visitors, staff and volunteers safe we are limiting the number of visitors arriving at the museum at any one time.
Arrival times are available in 30-minute slots from 10am to 3.30pm. There are a limited number of tickets per time slot.
We respectfully ask that you arrive within the 30 minutes allocated. Please do not arrive too early or too late for the start of your visit as we will need you to keep to arrival times.
Once in the museum you may stay as long as you wish. The museum closes at 5pm. We recommend that you allow about 2 hours for your visit. Last admission will be at 3.30pm.
Royal Armouries is a national museum and free to enter. Please book a free ticket for every member of your party, including children.
Pre-book your tickets online here.
If you are unable to book online please contact us by telephone: 0113 220 1916 (10 am – 1pm / Weds – Fri only)
We would advise booking in advance as we need to manage visitor numbers at the moment. If you just pop in, we may not be able to accommodate you and your party and we would hate to cause any disappointment.
No. You will receive your tickets by email from Eventbrite. There is no need to print them out. Our staff at reception will check you in using the ticket booker’s name.
We will do our best to accommodate latecomers, but if we have reached capacity for the time slot, you will need to wait until the next available time slot, or book again for another time.
In line with Government guidance and to support the NHS Test and Trace, you require a ticket to enter the museum. We will retain the ticket booker’s contact details, and those of members of your group who are over the age of 16, in line with GDPR. You can read our Privacy Policy here.
We know that plans can change, so if you need to cancel your visit please see the Order Summary section on your email confirmation from Eventbrite.
You can cancel your booking by clicking on View and manage your order online.
If you wish to change the date or arrival time of your visit, please cancel your existing tickets (see above) and then re-book for the date and time you require.
If you need assistance to cancel your booking, please email enquiries@armouries.org.uk, giving the date of your visit, arrival time and the name of the person who booked.
Enquiries
Email: enquiries@armouries.org.uk
Please follow the latest Government guidance about households and bubbles to ensure you are visiting safely.
We’re planning to reopen for school visits from 8 June, with limited capacity and all visits must be pre-booked to ensure we manage capacity.
We have risk assessed our procedures in line with Government and PHE guidance, and to industry standards, and will be operating in a Covid–safe environment.
Our team has been working hard to put in place the health and safety measures necessary to ensure you can enjoy a safe visit. We have implemented enhanced cleaning regimes in line with Government guidance.
Measures will be in place to ensure everyone can maintain social distancing. These include:
Yes, in line with Government guidance, for your safety and the safety of other visitors and staff, you are required to wear a face covering whilst in the museum.
Our staff will also wear face coverings.
We welcome everyone and recognise there are circumstances where, for health, age or accessibility reasons, some visitors will not be able to wear face masks or coverings.
Government guidance lists specific ‘legitimate reasons’ why people may not need to wear a face covering, including:
– Children under the age of 11.
– Not being able to put on, wear or remove a face covering because of a physical or mental illness or impairment, or disability.
– If putting on, wearing or removing a face covering will cause you severe distress.
– If you are travelling with or providing assistance to someone who relies on lip reading to communicate.
We hope that fellow visitors will be respectful; if you feel that anyone’s conduct towards you is inappropriate, please speak to a member of staff who will be able to help.
We will not be checking visitors’ temperature on entry to the museum. We are advising any prospective visitors who have Covid-19 symptoms to follow Government guidance and to stay home and self-isolate.
Please observe the latest Government guidelines.
You will need to follow Government guidance on Test and Trace.
Young people aged 15 and under must be accompanied by a responsible adult at all times. Please visit our website for more information.
For detailed information please read Accessibility at Royal Armouries Museum
The toilets on Floor 1 and Floor 2 will be open. Socially distanced queue markers and signage will be in place.
There are changing facilities on Floor 1 and Floor 2.
Lifts will be available for anyone with access requirements. Please only use the lifts if you are unable to use the stairs. You must also only use the lift with other members of your household bubble.
In order to maintain social distancing, staircases will be designated one way. Signage will be in place and routes will be clearly marked.
Seats will be available throughout the museum, with two-metre distances between them and an enhanced cleaning regime. We ask that you maintain social distancing while using any seats.
Yes, lockers will be available. They require a £1 coin to operate. This fee is non-refundable.
There will be contactless donation points in the museum. You can also donate online at the time of booking.
