Our museums are popular destinations for groups of all kinds. Whether you're looking for a simple self-guided museum visit or a whole day of exclusive activities, we can help tailor an experience to suit your needs.

Visiting with a school or children's group? Check out our Learning page.

Want to book a room for an event? Have a look at our Room Hire page. 

Self-Guided Visits

• We offer a discounted rate of £4 per person for group visits of 12 or more people when booked in advance. Please contact us by email with your group size and requested dates: lancastercitymuseum@lancaster.gov.uk.
• Standard admission without an advance booking is £5 per person, or FREE to Lancaster district residents (LA1-LA6).

Group Activities & Extras

We can offer a range of activities to enhance your visit, including:

• King's Own Show & Tell: in these interactive sessions, our military history expert Owen demonstrates the equipment used by the King's Own Royal Regiment at different times in its history. Learn about military life on campaign or on the home front, ask all the questions you like, and even try on a uniform. 

• Fossil Handling: Get up close and personal with some real fossils and learn all about them from our expert staff. Some of our fossils are up to 350 million years old. 

If you're interested in booking one of these, or if you'd like to find out about out of hours visits or other special arrangements, please email us at lancastercitymuseum@lancaster.gov.uk with your date(s), party size, and requests. Costs will depend on your group size and requirements.

More Information

• To ensure that we have everything available for your group, we require bookings to be confirmed two weeks prior to the date of your visit.
• Payment can be made on the day by credit/debit card or in cash.
• Coach parties: Upper St Leonardgate coach park is accessed via Edward Street and costs £3.50 per 24 hours. The City Museum is in the pedestrian city centre, so you will need to choose a drop off point outside this area.
• The Shop @ The City Museum has recently been expanded and offers a wide range of locally-made goods as well as books and souvenirs celebrating our area's history.
• Accessibility: Please note that our stairlift is currently out of order. We're working on getting a replacement as soon as possible, but for now we're sorry to say that this means the upstairs galleries (most of the permanent displays) are only accessible to those able to climb two flights of stairs. The ground floor remains completely accessible and can be reached via the main steps or a ramp by the entrance to Lancaster Library, next door. Our main exhibition gallery is on the ground floor.
• Facilities: There are NO public toilets at the City Museum. The closest ones are just across Market Square in the Marketgate Shopping Centre. The museum doesn't have a cafe either, but there are many options nearby within the pedestrian city centre.

Self-Guided Visits

• We offer a discounted rate of £4 per person for group visits of 12 or more people when booked in advance. Please contact us by email with your group size and requested dates: lancastermaritimemuseum@lancaster.gov.uk.  
• Standard admission without an advance booking is £5 per person, or FREE to Lancaster district residents (LA1-LA6).

Group Activities & Extras

We offer several packages with tours, talks and refreshments for groups of ten or more. The prices listed here are for visits during our normal opening hours. Out of hours visits can be arranged at an additional cost. 

• Enhanced: £7 per person. 45-minute guided tour conducted by a member of our dedicated museum team, plus tea or coffee with biscuits in our 'Below Decks' meeting space. 

• P.O.S.H: £15 per person. 30-minute talk by a member of our team on Lancaster’s History, 45-minute guided tour conducted by a member of our dedicated museum team, plus tea or coffee, fresh juice and a selection of traybakes in our 'Below Decks' meeting space.

• Transatlantic Slave Trade Walking Tour: £15 per person. Go beyond the walls of the museum with this 1 hour walking tour of the historic city of Lancaster, led by expert guides Eleanor Levin or Professor Alan Rice. The fascinating narrative reveals the legacy of the city's involvement with the 18th century transatlantic slave trade. Return to the Maritime Museum for refreshments and an introduction to our transatlantic slave trade galleries, followed by time to reflect and explore the museum at your own pace. 

If you're interested in booking any of these, or if you'd like to find out about out of hours visits or other special arrangements, please email us at lancastermaritimemuseum@lancaster.gov.uk with your date(s), party size, and requests.

More Information

• To ensure that we have everything available for your group, we require bookings to be confirmed two weeks prior to the date of your visit.
• Payment can be made on the day by credit/debit card or in cash.
• Coach parties: Upper St Leonardgate coach park is accessed via Edward Street and costs £3.50 per 24 hours. Drop off outside the museum. Free Coffee or Tea and Cake for your driver.
• Shop: New for 2025! Our Galley Gift Shop is recently renovated and offers locally-made goods as well as books and souvenirs celebrating our area's historic maritime and coastal connections. 
• Refreshments: Our Grab-and-Go cafe is tiny, so if your group requires refreshments please let us know in advance so we can make special arrangements.
• Facilities: There are two ground-floor toilets. One is fully accessible, with a button activated door and emergency cord.
• Accessibility: All areas of the museum except the small Mezzanine gallery are physically accessible to all visitors, with lift access to all main floors. 
• Dogs: Please note that dogs are welcome on the outdoor portion of the Transatlantic Slave Trade Walking Tour, but they are not permitted inside the museum. (Except assistance dogs.)

Our little Cottage Museum is a special case. Built in 1739, the narrow doorways and staircases in the Cottage mean that no more than 15 adults may safely enter the building at once. So if you plan to visit with group of more than 12 people, please contact us in advance. 

The usual opening hours of the Cottage are limited to Saturday afternoons only, so groups may wish to arrange an out of hours visit.

Standard admission to the Cottage Museum is £2 per person, but costs for group visits will depend on your group size and requirements. If you'd like to book a group visit, please email us at lancastercitymuseum@lancaster.gov.uk with your date(s), party size, and requests.   

New for 2025! Join our expert tour guides and knowledgeable museum team to explore the city of Lancaster, its museums, and the stories of Lancastrians through the centuries - from Roman warriors to lighthouse keepers, transported female convicts to a 70s gay commune which fought for a better world.

We're running a variety of public tours on different topics between March and October, indoors and out.

• Small groups are welcome to book onto one of these scheduled tours.
• For larger groups of 12 or more people, we may be able to arrange an exclusive tour on a date to suit you. Email historydetectives@lancaster.gov.uk if you're interested in booking one of these.

Find out more and BOOK ONLINE for public tours here: Story Tours

Or Download the full programme for 2025 (PDF, 32.1MB)