Tring

Welcome to the Natural History Museum at Tring, Hertfordshire

Open Tuesday-Sunday and bank holidays
10.00-17.00 (last entry 16.00)
Closed 24-26 December

An emperor penguin specimen greeting 'ice to see you again'.

Tickets 

Book a free ticket to skip the queues and guarantee entry. We only have a limited number of walk-up spaces available so book your free ticket to avoid disappointment. 

We're having some work done

We are restoring the roof of our Grade II heritage listed Rothschild Building from March-December this year. No public areas will be closed however there will be scaffolding around the building throughout the year and there will be noise from the construction works. 

The Akeman Street car park will be closed so visitors should use the Hastoe Lane car park.

Plan your visit

  • Getting here

    Entrances and Access

    Our main entrance is on Akeman Street. It has eight steps with a handrail in the middle and on either side. There are two heavy, glass doors into our foyer that are 87 centimetres wide and that open inwards and outwards.

    Our schools entrance is on Park Street and is step free. The road is quiet but the pavement is narrow and there’s often cars parked half on it. Go into our quad through the pinned-back double gate, up the paved path then turn left at the end. Before entering our main building, you’ll pass our cloakroom and accessible toilet. To enter our main building, go through the large, wooden door that is 1.19 metres wide and opens outwards, then go over a small, raised join. This door is pinned back during good weather and closed when it’s wet and cold.

    Parking

    Dawes Park

    There’s free car parking in Dawes Park, just off Hastoe Lane. It has 48 spaces, including three Blue Badge holder spaces and two parent-and-toddler spaces. The car park surface is small stones with a bound surface underneath. It’s about 120 metres from our step-free schools entrance on Park Street.

    To reach us from Dawes Park car park go through the woodland on the bound sand path. On the way you’ll cross a five-metre-long wooden bridge that’s slightly raised from the path and then go through a gate that’s 1.1 metres wide and pinned open. The path through the woodland has some bends and there may be bumps and holes. During poor weather there may also be puddles and piles of leaves.

    At the end of the path there’s a slight decline down to another gate. This gate is pinned open and leads onto Park Street. From this gate to the road there’s a further decline and the ground here can be uneven. Cross the road at the dropped curb, then go through the open gate into our quad then follow the paved path.

    Our Akeman Street Car Park will be closed from March-December while we work to restore the roof of our Grade II heritage listed building.

    Our Akeman Street car park has two Blue Badge holder spaces. It’s tarmacked and is on an incline as you enter. From the Blue Badge holder spaces, our main entrance is 75 metres away and our step-free schools entrance is 120 metres away.

    To get to our main entrance from our Akeman Street car park, exit the car park using the path that runs next to our building. If you’re parked on the far side of the car park or in the two Blue Badge holder spaces, cross the two zebra crossings to get to this path. There’s an island in the middle of the crossings with a dropped curve and tactile paving on both sides.

    Once on the path next to our building, follow it to the entrance to the car park then turn left onto Akeman Street. The pavement on Akeman Street is about 1.7 metres wide and is on a slight incline. Continue along this pavement until you reach a gate on your left. Go through this gate that is one metre wide and pinned open, then go up the eight steps.

    To get to our step-free schools entrance, don’t go through this gate, instead continue along the pavement. When you reach the end of Akeman Street turn left around the corner onto Park Street. Continue along until you reach an open gate on your left that leads into our quad. Go through the gate and up the paved path. Our step-free schools entrance on Park Street is about 45 metres away from our main entrance on Akeman Street.

    Alternative car parks are available off the town’s high street. The car parks managed by Dacorum Borough Council are free for the first hour with a small charge after that. 

    Transportation

    By road

    Tring is on the A41, 48 kilometres northwest of London. From the M25, exit using Junction 20. 

    By train

    There are regular train services to Tring station, which is about three kilometres from us. From the train station you can reach us by bus or taxi.

    Use the National Rail journey planner to check train times. Find local transport information on the Tring Town Council website.

    By bus

    Buses run from most of the towns in the area. Plan your bus journey on the Hertfordshire Travel Information website or call Traveline on +44 (0)870 608 2608.

    Need a cab?

    Tring Cars are available 24 hours a day and can be booked through the Cabs4U app.

    Coach parking

    There are two coach parking spaces in the overflow car park off Hastoe Lane.

    Tring Map_Elysio

What's on at Tring

From guided tours, to crafting events and outdoor activities, we have something for the whole family. 

Looking for inspiration on what to see?

Whether you're visiting for the first time or the fiftieth, discover what you can see and do in our free galleries.

The best things to do in Tring

Whether you want to spend a weekend or make a day trip, there's pleanty to do in Tring, Hertfordshire's hidden cultural gem.

Facilities and access

Find out how to get to and around the Museum, where to park and activities to support children and families with neurodiverse conditions.

Schools

Inspire your students' curiosity about the natural world and explore the variety of life on Earth.

Our hands-on workshops and gallery activities are closely tied to the National Curriculum. 

Volunteer Programme

We have volunteer opportunities to interact with visitors in the galleries or to help out with our gardens.

Share your expertise through, hands-on interactions and help us create a dynamic and usable space for our visitors.

Filming

Choose the Museum at Tring as the backdrop for your next film project or photography shoot.

It houses an extensive collection of mounted specimens and the wide variety of mammal, fish and bird specimens, together with the Victorian architecture, make Tring a unique location for shoots.

Find out more about filming at Tring