Tickets and Times

Between 17^th November 2026 and 28^th January 2027 we will be redeveloping and upgrading several of the permanent galleries at the Oriental Museum.  The Korea displays will be closed to visitors from 17^th November. A new, larger Korea gallery will open to the public from 29^th January 2027.  To allow for this work to take place, the Silk Roads Gallery will close from 24^th November. 

New introductory displays, changes to our Japan gallery, new displays devoted to West and Central Asia and upgrades to our South and Southeast Asian displays will also be taking place over this period.  This may impact access to the Roberts Gallery of the Himalayas, South Asia and Southeast and our Japan gallery for short periods of time. There will be no disruption in access to the MacDonald Gallery of Chinese Art and Archaeology or our ancient Egypt Galleries. 

 If you are visiting to see a particular display or have any other questions, please email oriental.museum@durham.ac.uk or phone us on 0191 334 5691 during museum opening hours.  

From Ancient Egypt to modern China, the Oriental Museum is devoted to the art and archaeology of the great cultures of Northern Africa and Asia. 

The museum galleries are laid out over four floors. There is plenty of seating and lots of activities for all the family. To allow time to see all our internationally important collections, you may wish to plan for a visit of at least two hours. We hope you enjoy your visit.

Opening times

 The Oriental Museum is free entry: 

Group visits

We are very happy to welcome group visits to the Oriental Museum. 

Museum staff can offer a range of gallery talks and tours for pre-booked groups, subject to staff availability. These can be presented by curators or members of the Learning Team, depending on the age and interest of the group. In order to ensure that everyone in the group can hear and see, we recommend a maximum group size of 20-30 for a single tour. For larger groups, please contact us to discuss your booking. 

For specialist interest groups, it may also be possible to arrange handling sessions if enough notice is given. Please contact us as far in advance as possible if you are interested in seeing material that is not on display. 

Please note, we only have a small café area that seats a maximum of 16 people on a variety of seating. If you are coming with a larger group, we can arrange additional space for tea and coffee or lunch at an additional charge – please advise if this is required when you book. 

To make an enquiry please email oriental.museum@durham.ac.uk.