Reading Museum is currently not taking any group general visits of tours.
Please use our booking pages to book your visit. Bookings can be made for up to 8 people in one household.
For all of the latest information and changes please see our Welcome Back pages.
We welcome group visits to Reading Museum and the historic Reading Abbey Quarter. We offer private tours for groups of 10 people and over.
Advance booking is essential and we recommend booking as far ahead as you can. Entry to the Museum is free but we suggest a donation of £5 per person.
Museum Talks & Tours
We offer a range of talks and tours for groups with prices from £45. Contact us with your request for talks and tours, letting us know the size of your group and the preferred subject and we will let you know what is available. See below for information about our popular Welcome and Wow! and Bayeux tours. Schools please see our schools page.
Welcome & Wow!
A 20 minute introduction to the Museum and an insight into our fascinating collections, delivered by our enthusiastic team. A great way to begin your visit before heading off around the galleries.
Cost £45 for a minimum of 10 to a maximum of 20 people.
Loan Box Collection Talk
This talk runs for around 25 minutes and is an excellent opportunity to handle real objects from our collection. Learn the fascinating history of objects chosen for our loan boxes.
Cost £45 for a minimum of 10 to a maximum of 16 people.
Bayeux Tapestry tour
A 45 minute guided tour of our famous full-sized facsimile of the Bayeux Tapestry, led by our Museum gallery team.
Cost £75 for minimum of 10 to a maximum of 20 people (available Tuesday - Friday 2.30pm - 4pm or Saturday am. For other times please enquire).
Outdoor Walking Tours
We offer a programme of outdoor walking tours focusing on the history of Reading Abbey and its surrounding precinct, known as the Reading Abbey Quarter.
All tours start in the Story of Reading gallery at Reading Museum and are led by our knowledgeable, friendly volunteer tours guides.
Reading Abbey Quarter tour
This tour runs for 90 minutes and explores the heart of medieval Reading. It highlights key features in the Abbey Quarter, including the Hospitium where medieval pilgrims stayed, Reading's involvement in the English Civil War and ends in the newly-conserved Reading Abbey Ruins, which was re-opened in June 2018.
Cost £150 for 10 to a maximum of 20 people.
Reading Abbey Gateway tour
This 45 minute tour goes inside the newly restored medieval Abbey Gateway and this Grade I listed building’s fascinating history and its role in the Abbey Quarter. Hear about the Abbey monks, visiting royalty, links to novelist Jane Austen and the vital conservation work done, as part of the Reading Abbey Revealed project, to bring it back to life.
Please note that the Gateway has no step free access and there are uneven steps and floors.
Cost £75 for 10 to a maximum of 20 people.
Travel and coach drop-off
Reading Museum and the Reading Abbey Ruins are located in the town centre, conveniently located less than two minutes from Reading rail station and bus stops. There is a coach drop-off point opposite the Museum on Valpy Street. Find out more about how to get here.
How to book
Please use the group visits enquiry form below for your talk and tour request, letting us know the size of your group and the preferred subject and we will let you know what is available.
If you are interested in an educational visit, please visit our Schools page for further information.
Please note your booking is only provisional until you have received a confirmation email from our Learning Team. If you have any questions please use our general enquiry form for more details.