Free Things to Do in Newcastle: Museums, Galleries and Green Spaces
Newcastle's free museums, galleries and green spaces, with the opening days that catch people out and which exhibitions are free or ticketed this season.
The best free things to do in Newcastle are its museums and galleries, all free to enter: the Laing Art Gallery on New Bridge Street, the Discovery Museum at Blandford Square, the Great North Museum: Hancock at Barras Bridge, the Hatton Gallery at Newcastle University, Seven Stories in the Ouseburn and, across the river, Baltic on Gateshead Quays. Add Pets' Corner in Jesmond Dene and free Sunday gigs at the Tyne Bar and you can fill a weekend without paying a penny. The catch is opening days: the Laing and the Hatton close on Sundays, Baltic is shut on Monday and Tuesday, and some big exhibitions are ticketed. Here is what is free and when, checked on each venue's own site in October 2026.
Laing Art Gallery, New Bridge Street
The Laing is free with no booking, open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 4.30pm and closed on Sundays and bank holidays, with special Sunday openings before Christmas on 29 November and 6, 13 and 20 December from 11am to 4pm. Sublime Landscapes, a free show of waterfalls, ruins and stormy seas, runs until 5 December 2026. The big autumn exhibition, Pre-Raphaelites: Art and Poetry, with over 100 works, is ticketed and runs until 13 February 2027. Details on the Laing website.
Discovery Museum, Blandford Square
Discovery Museum at Blandford Square is the city's big science and local history museum. It is free, no booking needed, open Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm and weekends 11am to 4pm, closed on bank holidays. Lord Collingwood's Trafalgar flag is on display until 1 November. Roof works are going on at Blandford House, but the museum stays open. Tiny Tyneside is the space for small children.
Great North Museum: Hancock, Barras Bridge
The Hancock at Barras Bridge is free to enter and open Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm, Saturday 10am to 4pm and Sunday 11am to 4pm, with last entry 15 minutes before closing. The current display, Bayeux-on-Tyne, shows sections of a 174 year old Victorian paper copy of the Bayeux Tapestry. The Great Festive Dinosaur Show this winter is a separately ticketed event. The museum's own tip: weekdays after 2.30pm and Sundays are quietest.
Hatton Gallery, Newcastle University
The Hatton is on King's Road inside the Newcastle University campus, free with no booking, open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm and closed on Sundays. It shows modern and contemporary art, and the current exhibition, The Potter's Canvas, looks at how ceramics and painting shaped each other.
Seven Stories, Lime Street
Seven Stories, the National Centre for Children's Books at 30 Lime Street in the Ouseburn, is now free to enter. It is usually open 10am to 5pm every day except Wednesdays in term time. Storytimes, workshops and performances are optional and paid, bookable online. Some spaces may be closed during renovation work, so check before travelling. Manors and Byker Metro are each about a 10 minute walk. Full details are on the Seven Stories site.
Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead Quays
Over the Millennium Bridge, Baltic is free and open Wednesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm. Current shows include Tish Murtha and Kuba Ryniewicz: Close to Home until 4 April 2027, Keiken: Seeds, Stones, and Future Bones on Level 2 until 17 January 2027, and the Baltic Open Submission 2026 on the ground floor until 4 April 2027. The building has two viewing decks. See Baltic for what is on each floor.
Pets' Corner, Jesmond Dene
Pets' Corner sits next to the visitor centre in Millfield House in Jesmond Dene, which also has a cafe and toilets. It is free with a suggested £2 donation, open 10.30am to 4pm every day except bank holidays, with last entry at 3.45pm. Expect goats, sheep, peacocks and rabbits. Do not feed them: they are on special diets. Hours can change at short notice if staff are called to an emergency. Walk the Dene itself afterwards, which is free all year.
Free live music at the Tyne Bar
The Tyne Bar on Maling Street, at the mouth of the Ouseburn, puts on free gigs in its beer garden, usually on Sunday afternoons from 4pm, with local bands on a purpose-built stage. You only pay for your drinks.
Good to know
Sunday is the trickiest day: the Laing and Hatton are closed, but Discovery, the Hancock, Baltic, Seven Stories and Pets' Corner are all open. Monday and Tuesday, skip Baltic. Most museums welcome donations, and the cafes and shops are how they keep the doors open. For more ideas see our things to do with kids guide and the free events on What's On.
FAQs
Are Newcastle museums free?
Yes. The Laing Art Gallery, Discovery Museum, Great North Museum: Hancock, Hatton Gallery and Seven Stories are free to enter, as is Baltic in Gateshead. Some special exhibitions, such as the Laing's Pre-Raphaelites show, are ticketed.
What free museums are open in Newcastle on a Sunday?
Discovery Museum and the Great North Museum: Hancock open 11am to 4pm on Sundays, and Baltic opens 10am to 6pm. The Laing and the Hatton Gallery are closed on Sundays.
Is Baltic free?
Yes, Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art on Gateshead Quays is free and open Wednesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm.
Is Pets' Corner in Jesmond Dene free?
Yes, with a suggested £2 donation. It is open 10.30am to 4pm daily except bank holidays, with last entry at 3.45pm.
