Frequently Asked Questions

Brunel’s SS Great Britain is more than just a ship! Your ticket will give you one year’s unlimited access to the Dry Dock, where the ship was originally built, the Dockyard Museum, the new Being Brunel Museum, and the ship itself. Click here to learn more.

We recommend that our visitors spend around 3-4 hours on site, there is a lot to see and do! But don’t forget, your tickets are valid for the entire year, so if you don’t see everything you can book a timed slot and come back as many times as you like.

Your visit is self-guided, so you can spend as much or as little time as you like.

You can find our opening times here.

You can follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Sign up to our E-newsletter here.

Purchasing your ticket online automatically entitles you to become ‘One of the Crew’, and receive priority notification of events and an E-newsletter. You can opt-out at any time.

As we are a museum with historic objects/areas needing to be preserved, we can only allow trained assistance dogs onto our main site.

We are currently undertaking the huge conservation project of replacing the ship’s weather deck. This project is expected to take until the end of June 2024 to complete and will involve disruption to the top deck of the ship, including the areas necessary for running Go Aloft. You can find out more about the weather deck project here: https://www.ssgreatbritain.org/weather-deck-works/  

There is a possibility that we will be able to reopen Go Aloft for the summer holidays, however this will be subject to funding and the availability of trained instructors. As a result, we are not able to confirm that at this time. 

All our general admission tickets are valid for the entire year with unlimited entry. You will need to bring proof of ID to prove the ticket is yours, this does not need to be photo ID.

While we would prefer it if you kept your ticket close, we know things get misplaced! If you have misplaced your ticket you can still get access to the ship. Show our Front of House team some ID or proof of purchase and we will check our records. If your ticket is valid, we will provide a temporary pass for that day.

All our general admission tickets are valid for the entire year with unlimited entry starting from your chosen visit date.

We are currently creating brand new gift tickets which will be coming soon!

Some events are included in the ticket price. This is largely restricted to daytime events during school holidays. If you are coming to an event outside of opening hours, then it is most likely a ticketed event and you will have to pay to attend. Our What’s On page will list all our upcoming events and give pricing information.

You can reach Brunel’s SS Great Britain by road, train, or even boat! Travel information can be found here.

We support sustainable travel. Brunel’s SS Great Britain is accessible on foot, bike, bus or ferry. Find out more here

The pay and display car park at Brunel’s SS Great Britain is run by Bristol City Council. Visitors to Brunel’s SS Great Britain receive reduced rates. This discounted parking rate is only available to day visitors and not to those attending ticketed events.

We recommend visitors pay for the maximum stay possible (£12.50 for 5 hours between 9am – 7pm) and redeem their voucher in the Visitor Centre for partial reimbursement.

More information on prices can be found here.

Please be aware that the machines only take coins, and we are unable to exchange notes in the Visitor Centre. You can also pay by phone, or sign up for RingGo  and pay via their website to make parking even easier.

It depends on when you come to visit. During weekends and school holidays we can get busy which results in some queuing. However, our Front of House team will do their best to get you onto site as soon as possible. We would be very grateful for your patience.

We supply audio guides for foreign language visitors, including; French, Spanish, German and Mandarin. A thorough cleaning, quarantining and rotation system of the guides will ensure these are safe to use.

At Brunel’s SS Great Britain, we have endeavoured to make the site enjoyable for everyone. All the museums, including the Ship and the Dry Dock, are fitted with lifts so all areas are accessible. Find out more here.

Disabled visitors who cannot enjoy our site independently are advised to ask for a free carer ticket for their companion/personal assistant. We support the social model of disability and are working to remove barriers from our site that are disabling and prevent you exploring independently.

There are two cafes on site – the Harbourside Kitchen and the Dockyard Café. We work in partnership with Elior UK Ltd to deliver our award-winning catering from our two cafes and our seasonal ice cream parlour. You can purchase hot or cold snacks, hot and cold drinks, children’s meals, cakes and ice cream. We have vegetarian options and cater for several different dietary requirements.

Alongside our own eating and drinking options, you are welcome to bring food and drink with you but please be respectful of our site and other visitors and take all rubbish with you. Whilst we do not allow eating and drinking in the museum spaces and on board the Ship there are outside benches with harbour views dotted around the site, as well as a large number of picnic tables in Brunel Square, just outside the main gates to the dockyard.

Please be aware we do not allow the consumption of alcohol anywhere in the dockyard or museums. Any alcohol purchased in the café area should not be brought onto site.

Smoking and vaping are prohibited anywhere in the dockyard and museums. If you wish to smoke or vape you must leave the premises through the Gift Shop. You will be granted re-entry with your annual ticket.

Our membership programme offers several delightful extras for you and your family. Further information on memberships can be found here.

Our latest jobs are posted here, you can find out more about volunteering here.

Unfortunately, not. We are a registered charity, relying on ticket sales and donations to preserve Brunel’s legacy and fund our educational programmes. This means we have to limit the number of discounts and complimentary tickets we offer to enable us to continue this work.

Yes, we have introduced a reduced ticket price (£10 per person) if you are in receipt of Universal Credit. This ticket can only be purchased on site, with proof of eligibility.

Eligible proof can be a letter from DWP confirming receipt of universal credit, a bank statement showing a transaction from DWP, or an email from DWP confirming receipt of universal credit.

Find out why the SS Great Britain flies a white ensign here

We hope that the information on our website gives useful information about what to expect on your visit, but if you have a query that isn’t covered by our online information do email admin@ssgreatbritain.org and someone will come back to you as soon as possible.