Ashmolean Museum

Oxford

Britain's oldest public museum

The Ashmolean opened its doors in 1683, which makes it the first public museum in Britain, and the collection it holds today is staggering in its breadth. It sits on Beaumont Street in the middle of Oxford, a handsome neoclassical building whose 2009 renovation opened up light, generous galleries that carry you from ancient Egypt right through to the twentieth century. You can stand in front of Egyptian mummies, cross a room to the Messiah Stradivarius violin, and finish in front of paintings by Turner, Constable and Cézanne, all within a single morning. Best of all, general admission is completely free, so a visit costs you nothing but the drive in and whatever you spend on lunch.

We treat it as the anchor of an easy Oxford day out from the cottage. It is roughly a 40-minute drive down through the villages, and rather than wrestle with city-centre traffic and parking we leave the car at one of the park-and-ride sites on the edge of Oxford, such as Pear Tree or Water Eaton, and take the frequent bus in. That way we arrive relaxed, a short walk from the front steps, with the whole afternoon still ahead and no meter ticking on a car park. The museum is open every day from 10am to 5pm, with last entry at 4.45pm, though it is always worth checking the official site before you set off in case of seasonal closures around Christmas.

What we always make time for

• Ancient Egypt and the antiquitiesThe Egyptian and Nubian galleries are a reliable hit with children, mummies and all, and the wider antiquities rooms hold Greek and Minoan pottery alongside the tiny, extraordinary Alfred Jewel.
• The Western art roomsUpstairs you will find Turner and Constable, French Impressionists, and a print room whose holdings run to Michelangelo, Raphael and Leonardo drawings that come out in rotation.
• Eastern art and the ceramicsThe Eastern Art galleries and the ceramics collection are quieter corners we keep coming back to, the kind of rooms where you can get close to remarkable objects without the crowds of a bigger London museum.
• The rooftop restaurantThe Ashmolean Rooftop Restaurant and Terrace sits above the galleries with views across the Oxford skyline, and it is a lovely place to stop for lunch or an afternoon tea once you have had your fill of art.

Free to enter, easy with children

Because the permanent collection is free, there is no pressure to see everything in one go. We tend to pick two or three galleries, let the children lead for a while, and leave the rest for another visit. The museum runs family trails and activity days through the school holidays, which keep younger visitors genuinely engaged rather than trailing behind. The one thing worth knowing is that the big temporary exhibitions are ticketed, so if there is a headline show on it is best to book ahead on the official site; the rest of the building costs nothing.

Building a day around it

A morning at the Ashmolean pairs naturally with the rest of central Oxford, all of it within an easy walk. The Pitt Rivers Museum, with its dimly lit cases of curiosities, makes a wonderful contrast a little further up the road. For lunch beyond the rooftop, Quod on the High Street is a dependable spot a few minutes' walk away. If you want the wider picture of what to see while you are in the city, our guide to things to do in the area runs from Oxford's museums to gardens, houses and days out across the Cotswolds.

“Pair it with a walk through the Bodleian quadrangles and lunch at the Covered Market. That's a near-perfect Oxford day.”

Visit the official site →

Also nearby

• Pitt Rivers Museum · Museum · Oxford
• Oxford · City · Oxfordshire
• Quod Restaurant & Bar · Restaurant · Oxford