When it rains in Bristol, head indoors to the harbourside museums. The free M Shed and Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, the covered SS Great Britain, hands-on We The Curious and the immersive Wake The Tiger will all see out a downpour, and several cost nothing. Here are nine indoor options, current for 2026.
Bristol packs a lot of its best attractions under cover, so a wet day needn't be a write-off. Free options are marked.
1. M Shed
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Harbourside. Free. Bristol's history museum, open Tuesday to Sunday, with hands-on exhibits and a rolling programme of shows. The best free rainy-day stop in the city.
2. We The Curious
Photo: wethecurious.org
Harbourside. About £21 adult. Hands-on science and a planetarium, reopened in 2024. Ideal for families when the weather turns.
3. Bristol Museum and Art Gallery
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Top of Park Street. Free. Egyptology, natural history and fine art in a grand building, open Tuesday to Sunday. A proper rainy-afternoon museum for nothing.
4. Arnolfini
Harbourside. Free. Bristol's leading contemporary art centre, open Tuesday to Sunday, with a strong exhibition programme and a good cafe to wait out a shower.
5. SS Great Britain
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Harbourside. £22 (annual ticket). Largely undercover: the ship, the dockyard museum and the dry dock keep you busy for hours out of the rain.
6. Aerospace Bristol
Photo: aerospacebristol.org
Filton. About £20 online. Indoor hangars of aircraft and space history, with the last Concorde to board. A great big dry day out north of the city.
7. Wake The Tiger
Photo: wakethetiger.com
St Philips. Paid, book online. An "amazement park" of 40-plus immersive, surreal interactive rooms, open Wednesday to Sunday. Unlike anything else in the city and perfect for a grey day.
8. St Nicholas Market
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Old City, Corn Street. Free to browse, Monday to Saturday. A covered market of independent traders and famous street-food stalls, ideal for lunch and a mooch under cover.
9. Clifton Observatory Camera Obscura
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Clifton. Around £3 to £5. A quirky indoor Victorian optical attraction projecting a live view of the gorge, plus a cave passage. A novelty for a wet hour up in Clifton.
The honest alternative
If you'd rather not pay, string together the free ones: M Shed, the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, Arnolfini and St Nicholas Market can fill a whole wet day between them, all within a short walk. Save We The Curious or Wake The Tiger for when you want something more of an event. For families specifically, see Bristol with kids.
FAQs
What can you do in Bristol when it rains?
Plenty indoors: the free M Shed and Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, the covered SS Great Britain, hands-on We The Curious, the immersive Wake The Tiger, and St Nicholas Market for food and a browse. Several are free.
What free indoor things are there in Bristol?
M Shed, the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery and the Arnolfini contemporary art centre are all free, as is browsing St Nicholas Market. Together they can fill a rainy day at no cost.
What is Wake The Tiger in Bristol?
Wake The Tiger is an "amazement park" in St Philips: more than 40 immersive, surreal interactive rooms you walk through. It's a paid, book-online attraction open Wednesday to Sunday, and a great rainy-day option for older children and adults.
Is the SS Great Britain indoors?
Largely, yes. The ship, the dockyard museum and the dry-dock experience are mostly under cover, so it works well as a rainy-day attraction, and the ticket is valid for return visits for a year.