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 and has eight steps. There is a handrail on either side and in the middle. There are two heavy glass doors 87cm wide that open inwards and outwards into our Foyer.

    Our schools entrance is on Park Street and is step free. The road is quiet and has few moving vehicles. The pavement is narrow and there are often cars parked half on the pavement. There is a double gate, pinned back, into our quad. Go through the gate and up the paved path. At the end of the path turn left. Before you enter our main building, you'll pass our cloakroom and accessible toilet. To enter our main building, you'll go through a large wooden door 119cm wide that opens outwards into the quad and then over a small, raised join. This door is pinned back during good weather and closed when it is wet and cold.

    Parking

    There is free car parking on 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. The car park is about 120 metres from our step-free schools entrance on Park Street.

    To get from Hastoe Lane car park to the Museum go through the woodland on the bound sand path. On route you'll cross a 5-metre-long wooden bridge that is slightly raised from the path and go through a gate 110cm wide that is pinned open. The path through the woodland has some bends and there may be bumps and holes in it and leaf litter on it during poor weather. At the end of the path there is a slight decline down to a gate. This gate is pinned opened and leads onto Park Street. From the gate to the road there is 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 up to the Museum.

    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. It has two Blue Badge holder spaces. The car park is tarmacked and is on an incline as you enter. From the Blue Badge holder spaces in the car park, our main entrance is 75 metres away and our schools entrance, which is step free, is 120 metres away. 

    To get to our main entrance from our Akeman Street Car Park, you'll need to exit the car park using the path that runs next to the Museum. If you're parked on the far side of the car park or in the two Blue Badge holder spaces, use the two zebra crossings to get to this path. There is an island in the middle of the crossings that has a dropped curve and tactile paving on both sides. Once on the path next to the Museum, follow this path right to the opening of the car park. At the end of the path turn left onto Akeman Street. The pavement on Akeman Street is about 170cm wide and is on a slight incline. Continue along this pavement until you reach a gate on your left. Go through this gate, which is 100cm wide and pinned open, and up the eight steps. To get to our step-free schools entrance, don't go through the gate, instead continue along the pavement. When you reach the end of Akeman Street turn left around the corner onto Park Street. The pavement on Park Street is narrow at 115cm wide and there are often cars half parked on the pavement. 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 to the Museum. 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 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 (30 miles) northwest of London. From the M25, exit at Junction 20. 

    By train

    There are regular train services to Tring station. The station is about three kilometres (two miles) from the Museum and can be reached by bus or taxi.

    You can check train times using the National Rail journey planner, and 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 will get you where you need to go. They 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