Checked and updated: 10 October 2026, 11:50pm BST
Brighton has five main city museum sites, but they do not share the same price, opening pattern or current status. This guide separates the genuinely free option from the paid annual-pass venues and the museum that is still closed for major work.
- Hove Museum of Creativity: free, normally open Monday and Thursday to Sunday, 10am–5pm.
- Brighton Museum & Art Gallery: paid entry, open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am–5pm.
- Royal Pavilion: paid entry; standard adult annual pass £21.50.
- Preston Manor: paid entry; check seasonal availability before travelling.
- Booth Museum: temporarily closed for essential improvements, with reopening information still needing a live check.
Hove Museum of Creativity: the easiest free option
Hove Museum of Creativity at 19 New Church Road is free to enter. Its normal hours are 10am–5pm on Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
The building covers toys, film, local history, craft and visual art. For families, the Wizard’s Attic is one of the clearest reasons to choose it over a paid city-centre attraction.
The ground floor is wheelchair accessible. Although there is a lift to first-floor galleries, the museum says the first-floor fire exit is not wide enough for legal wheelchair evacuation, so wheelchair access is restricted to the ground floor. Café Rust normally opens 10am–4.30pm.
Brighton Museum & Art Gallery: paid once, return for a year
Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, inside the Royal Pavilion estate, opens Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm and is closed on Mondays except bank holidays.
The standard 2026 price is £10.50 for adults and £5 for children aged 5–18. A Brighton and Hove resident ticket is £8 with proof of eligibility. Students at the University of Brighton, University of Sussex and Greater Brighton Metropolitan College can also use the £8 rate with proof.
The ticket functions as an annual pass, allowing return visits for one year. Booking standard adult, child or resident tickets online gives a 5% discount. Carers accompanying disabled visitors are admitted free.
Royal Pavilion and Preston Manor prices
The official 2026–27 admission sheet lists the Royal Pavilion standard adult annual pass at £21.50 and the child pass at £13. Brighton and Hove residents and eligible local students pay £16.50.
Preston Manor is listed at £14 for adults and £8.50 for children, with a resident or eligible-student rate of £10.50. Its opening can be seasonal or event-led, so check the venue page for the date you intend to visit rather than assuming daily access.
Art Fund passholders receive free admission at the Pavilion, Brighton Museum and Preston Manor. English Heritage members receive the discounts listed by Brighton & Hove Museums; verify the current rule when booking.
Booth Museum: do not travel without checking
The Booth Museum of Natural History has been closed for essential improvements since April 2025. Some Brighton & Hove Museums material points to a reopening in late November 2026, but its current visitor page still presents it as temporarily closed.
That conflict is exactly why a same-day check matters. Until a clear reopening notice and bookable hours appear on the official site, treat the Booth as closed rather than relying on an old directory listing.
Which Brighton museum should you choose?
- Free family visit: Hove Museum of Creativity.
- Central art, design and local history: Brighton Museum & Art Gallery.
- Iconic first visit to Brighton: Royal Pavilion.
- Historic-house experience: Preston Manor, after checking opening dates.
- Natural history: wait for the Booth’s confirmed reopening.
How to spend less
Use resident or student rates where eligible and bring proof. Compare the annual-pass value with the number of visits you realistically expect. For a spontaneous low-cost afternoon, Hove Museum is the safest choice because admission is free and the opening pattern is clearly published.
Families should also compare combined family tickets at Brighton Museum rather than buying every ticket separately. Under-fives are generally free, but event charges can differ from normal admission.
Brighton Locals’ view
The city’s museum offer is broader than many visitors realise, but the pricing and opening patterns are fragmented. Hove Museum is the strongest free choice; Brighton Museum’s annual pass makes more sense for residents than a single-visit price suggests.
The weak point is the Booth closure information. A reopening month mentioned in trade material is not the same as a confirmed public opening date. The main visitor page should be treated as authoritative until that changes.
Practical checklist before you go
- Check the official venue page on the day.
- Bring proof for resident, student, age or membership discounts.
- Confirm accessibility for the galleries you want to see.
- Check event listings because special activities may carry a separate charge.
- For the Booth Museum, wait for an explicit reopening notice.
Bottom line
If you want a free museum today, choose Hove Museum of Creativity on one of its opening days. If you want the Pavilion or Brighton Museum, use the resident, student or online rate where eligible and treat the ticket as a year-long pass, not a one-hour purchase.
Featured image: Hove Museum of Creativity (formerly Hove Museum and Art Gallery), photographed in 2017 by Hassocks5489, CC0 via Wikimedia Commons.
Leave a Reply