Days out in Leicester: 5 must visit museums in the city centre!
Looking for free things do to in Leicester? Leicester has lots of museums to explore, perfect for a free family day out in the city centre. For all you history buffs, art enthusiasts and lovers of learning, we have put together a handy guide of must visit museums that are right here in the city of Leicester!
The Guildhall
Have a spooky step back in time at the beautiful Guildhall, one of Leicester’s most historic buildings and one of the best-preserved medieval timber-framed halls in the country. With the oldest part of the building dating back to 1390, the Guildhall was once the city’s town hall, and legend has it that Shakespeare found his inspiration to write King Lear when staying here. The Guildhall is also one of Leicester’s most haunted buildings, with five ghosts reported over the years.
View this post on Instagram
Open Daily: 11am – 4:30pm
Click here to see what other events are taking place this year!
Leicester Museum and Art Gallery
Formerly the New Walk Museum, Leicester Museum and Arts Gallery is one of the city’s most well-known. Permanent collections, including life-sized dinosaurs, ancient Egyptian mummies, and Wild Space displays, make sure that the museum has something for everyone. Leicester Museum & Art Gallery is also home to a collection of Picasso Ceramics and German Expressionism.
As well as permanent collections, the museum also hosts often changing temporary exhibitions. Showing in the summer of 2023 will be the Punk Rage and Revolution exhibition (open from 27 May to 3 September). It will explore the 1970s Leicester punk scene through original objects, photography and ephemera, including the first retrospective of original clothing from the late Dame Vivienne Westwood since her passing.
View this post on Instagram
Open Monday to Friday: 11am – 4:40pm, Saturday and Sunday: 11am – 5pm
Click here to see what other events are taking place this year!
Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience
Part museum and part immersive art installation, in this stunning virtual projection you will enter the world of Vincent Van Gogh and discover the life of the artist as never experienced before. The experience will journey you through his time at the convent and in Arles, as well as the secrets from the letters he wrote to his brother and much more. The experience features impressive two-story projections of Van Gogh’s most compelling works, in a 360 state-of-the-art projection located within All Saints’ Church.
Opening hours daily 10am to 6pm (closed Tuesdays). Last entry one hour before closing.
Click here for more information.
King Richard III Visitors Centre
Discover the incredible story of the lost King under the car park. Located in Leicester’s old town opposite Leicester Cathedral, the King Richard III Centre gives visitors the chance to see the grave site, in which the King’s remains were buried for more than 500 years. The centre has become a hub for budding historians looking to decipher the mystery and mayhem behind King Richard III’s death, as the exhibition tells the story of one of the most significant archaeological detective stories ever told!
View this post on Instagram
The centre is open every day except Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day.
Monday to Friday & Sunday: 10am – 4pm
Saturday & Bank Holidays 10am – 5pm
Click here for more information.
Newarke Houses & Gardens
Find out about the history of Leicestershire, including Leicester legend Daniel Lambert, discover how toys have changed from Tudor times to the present day, and visit a 1950s street, complete with shops and pubs, where you can hear the stories of people who call Leicester their home. Newark Houses Museum is made up of Wygstons Chantry House and Skeffington House. It contains a wide range of artefacts dating back 500 years, promising a unique visit, telling the story of contemporary Leicester through oral histories, archive film, interactive exhibits and collections. The museum also tells the story of the Leicestershire Regiment through personal stories and features a recreation of a First World War trench, complete with sound and lighting.
You can also head outside to their beautiful gardens, a hidden tranquil place that will make you feel like you’ve been transported outside the bustle of the city.
View this post on Instagram
Open Monday to Saturday: 10am – 4pm, Sundays: 11am – 4pm
Click here to see what fantastic events they have on this summer.
What is your favourite museum in Leicester? Let us know on social media, and follow us while you are there!
