Planning your visit

We want to make your visit as safe and enjoyable as possible so there are some safety measures that we will be continuing to recommend. 

We will continue to monitor visitor numbers to ensure the museum doesn’t get too crowded. 

We recommend wearing a face covering in our indoor spaces. 

We’re happy to say our reconstructed buildings are now open again. 

Our staff and volunteers are on hand to help and answer any questions. 

For more detailed information, please read the sections below. 

Opening hours

Open up to and including Sunday 26 September 2021:

Monday - Friday 10am - 5pm 
Saturday 11am - 4pm
Sunday 1pm - 4pm 

Closed from 27 September 2021 until 28 March 2022, except for pre-arranged school groups.

Please note, on Friday 24 September, Arbeia, South Shields Roman Fort will be closed to the public until 2.30pm for a school group booking. The site will open to the public from from 2.30pm - 5pm.

• If you have any of the symptoms of coronavirus, or if you have been in contact with anyone that has the virus in the last 10 days, please don’t visit. 
• We recommend wearing a face covering inside the museum.
• We will continue to display NHS QR code posters to make it easy for you to check-in to support Test and Trace. You will need to download the NHS app onto your mobile phone before you can scan the QR code. The app is available on Andriod's Google Play or Apple's App Store - search for NHS Covid-19. 

• Our staff will greet you at a distance. They will be wearing face coverings in our indoor areas and we have screens at our till points. 
• Unfortunately, some small spaces are still closed until it is safe to open them including Time Quest. 
• You are welcome to bring your own picnics and other refreshments and eat them on our lawn or in our picnic area. 
• We encourage you to use the hand sanitisers around the venue. 
• We have increased cleaning in indoor spaces, especially in areas of high contact. 
• Well behaved dogs are welcome on the fort site. Arbeia is a World Heritage Site so we insist dog owners observe our guidelines. Click here to read our Guidelines for dog-owners visiting Arbeia. Assistance dogs can accompany their owner at all times.   

This remains a very difficult time for us. Help us ensure art, culture & heritage continue to make a positive impact in our region.  

Donate today. 

Thank you.