Explore Bristol's Iconic Victorian Steamship
Description
These tickets allow all-day access to the iconic steamship, dockyard and two museums. Sitting proudly on the glass ‘sea’, Brunel’s SS Great Britain dominates Bristol’s historic waterfront. Dressed with flags and ready for departure, just as the ship looked when it was launched in 1843, our friendly team are ready to welcome visitors on board. The ship has been painstakingly restored to recreate Victorian life at sea on the world’s first great luxury liner. Climb aboard and explore scenes so life-like you’ll feel as if you’ve stepped back in time. There are two fascinating museums, as well as the dry dock, where the ship was originally built, to explore, providing hours of engrossing wonder.
Tour Options
Itinerary
There is so much to see here at Brunel’s SS Great Britain in Bristol. Explore the historic dockyard and be sure to head beneath the glass sea into the dry dock. Step back in time in the Dockyard Museum as you prepare to board the SS Great Britain herself. Alive with sights, sounds and even smells, set sail on the world’s first great ocean liner. Don’t miss the Being Brunel museum, discovering Brunel’s extraordinary achievements and stepping into his office and family dining room. And head behind-the-scenes to see inside a working shipyard.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(49)
A super day out. Extremely interesting iron hulled steam ship with a fabulous history. Very well set up although still in the middle of restoration. You couldn't get better for your money.
Its an enjoyable walk around the interior of this Victorian era ship. The smells and sounds make it immersive and transport you back in time. You can go into the cabins, kitchen, cargo hold, surgeon room, barber room, promenade area and the boiler room. See how the standard of travel and living conditions in general has changed since the 19th century.
A great and unique museum. Easy to access via the m2 bus stop and a five minute walk. The staff were also friendly and accommodating, the mannequin map really highlighted that even smaller accommodations were accounted for! Will definitely bring a friend next time!
Really good experience on the ship, well worth the visit. I knocked off two stars as the museum was closed for refurbishment yet there was no mention of this whatsoever and its still advertised outside as the must see before 'going onboard'. Apparently you can revisit for free within a year but I think they should mark the museum outside as under refurbishment and also, when selling tickets, inform guests the museum is closed. It represents one third of the the visit so significant you cant see it. That said, the ship is well worth the visit. I passed 4 hours on site and the Brunel museum is fab also and I think recently refurbished!
Really enjoyed visiting the SS Great Britain. Loved seeing inside the ship and how the crew and passengers lived on board. Very interesting seeing all of the engineering and construction of the boat. Also liked the Being Brunel museum and the film of Inside Brunel’s Brain with its special effects. Also to see the Dry Dock below the deck and Ocean Photography exhibition. Staff were very helpful and friendly. Can’t believe that this was my first time visiting it, despite previously having lived in Bristol. Definitely will be visiting it again next time.
We thought it was fantastic!! Well worth the money. The presentation was really good - extremely well thought out. The staff were both informative and friendly. We’d go again!!
My wife and I visited the SS Great Britain whilst on recent weekend in Bristol. It was a great visit and highly recommend. You start in the museum that has lot of information about Brunel and the ship. Then you go into ship. The ship was very interesting. It was so amazing to see how this was done over 150 years ago. Cannot believe they had live animals on the ship. I highly recommend to visit when in area.
I’ve not visited the ship since I was a young boy, it was amazing to see how much it had changed and how much of the ship you can now explore. The under water element was a great addition and very well done, allowing visitors to get an idea of the construction of the hull and how it is being maintained. Inside and on deck was very good, the deck was easy to get around and access was easy, below decks was well done, allowing visitors to get a idea of passenger comfort, stars have looked after the ship really well to allow for guided and self guided tours. We also toured the outside buildings to learn about the construction and Brunel, fascinating and well worth taking the time to go through. The cafe is clean and well laid out, with a good range of food, the ship is also well stocked with a range of items from the ship and local area. We visited off season, so had very easy access and didn’t have to queue for anything, I’m not sure what it would be like peak season - timing would be everything.
Taking a tour of the SS Great Britain is like being able to time travel to the 1800’s. We started in the museum that includes a train car that simulates the feeling of being on an actual train. There is a short inside the mind movie and lots of history on this famous engineer. As nice as the museum is, the SS Great Britain is a true mastery in restoration. Starting with the hull of this ship, the climate controlled area under the ship is a marvel. We were fortunate enough to run into one of their restoration experts inspecting the hull and had a very nice conversation with her about the efforts being made. The rooms of all 3 decks of this ship have been masterfully staged to give a very realistic feeling of what this ship was like for passengers when it first sailed the Atlantic. A truly remarkable experience for all ages it is definitely a “Not to miss” experience in Bristol.
Super but I really encourage you to book on a tour as it really brings it to life. The dry dock “under the water” was really interesting and so well done.
