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St Fagans National Museum of History

St Fagans National Museum of History

St Fagans National Museum of History
4.5
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
A walk around Wales – from Celtic times to the present day. St Fagans is one of Europe's leading open–air museums and Wales's most popular heritage attraction.
Duration: 2-3 hours
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  • John Hicks
    Old Basing, United Kingdom77 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    The jewel in the Welsh crown!
    A fascinating opportunity to see life for ordinary people in Wales over the centuries, all in one place. The beautiful views as you amble along the fern, bush and tree-lined pathways make this a wonderful walk through woodland. The buildings across the generations are so interesting and the helpful, friendly, stewards add insights to stimulate the imagination. And it’s free! You just pay for parking and, if you make a time, spend me wonderful home cooked food in the friendly cafe. This was a wonderful morning out. We learned much, saw interesting buildings and artefacts and enjoyed a walk in the beautiful countryside
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written October 14, 2023
  • Anna B
    Sydney, Australia2 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A magical experience
    I grew up near St Fagan’s and went there as a child many times. I immigrated to Australia many years ago and when I come back to visit family I take my kids to St Fagan’s. The museum has different activities on all the time which makes the experience fresh every time we go. This visit we decided to have lunch there before we walked around, I can strongly recommend the lamb cawl, it was so good. The staff in the canteen were very helpful as my daughter is coeliac and they accommodated her no problem. The experience of walking around is just wonderful. You get such a feeling of how it was to live in different ages. There are guides in each dwelling who give you information on that dwelling. I’ll always come back to St Fagan’s, It’s a truly magical place.
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written October 22, 2023
  • bun 🐇
    Orlando, Florida91 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    skip the food. everything else is perfect!
    such a gorgeous, picturesque location. a very interesting and unique museum. great spot for taking photos and walking around. plenty of gift shops and things to do and see. however, i'd pack a lunch or eat before because the food here is seriously lacking. i went to both the cafe in the lobby and the fish and chips spot and both were not so great. also the person working at the cafe had serious attitude and was rude. but on the whole, i'd recommend this location. i had a great time!
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written October 22, 2023
  • Seaside39301197754
    3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Best museum in Wales
    Definitely the best museum in Wales. I have been here several times and it never fails to impress, and I am always mind blown at how the buildings have been painstaking moved to the museums beautiful grounds. If you love interactive museums this is definitely the place to visit, great for all the family and dogs too!
    Visited September 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written October 23, 2023
  • Toni H
    18 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Amazingly kind staff and a museum that is breathtakingly beautiful. A must see!
    We visited at fagans today on Halloween. Unfortunately during our journey my grandson became car sick and had vomited all over his trousers. We cleaned him up as best we could in the car park. He just wanted to be out of the car. We went to the main entrance help desk to ask if possibly any of the shops inside sold clothing to change him. They didn’t sell trousers but the ladies on the desk immediately sprang into action trying to get us some trousers in lost clothing. Unfortunately there was nothing to fit my tiny grandson but they were more than kind, considerate and nothing short of amazing. Later as we passed one of the ladies again she asked after my grandson. Was he ok now? He was and much better for being in the fresh air. Aside from the initial issue we had a lovely day in what is honestly one of my favourite places to visit in Wales. The history. The heritage. The painstaking work that has gone into this museum is breathtaking. I could go on and on about how great this place is but today I wanted to thank the two very kind ladies that did their upmost to help a little boy with kindness and compassion. Thank you ladies
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written October 31, 2023
  • Stephen B
    Gorefield, United Kingdom8 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    An amazing day out
    Lovely day out if you are interested in historical buildings, some great buildings, in a great location. It is amazing that they have moved them from original locations to the one site, in addition there are photos of the buildings in their original locations. The staff were amazingly friendly and knowledgeable about each structure. Two words of warning first it is a lot of walking - but it is easy walking and second we saw a post that you can do it in three hours we were there for five and still had not done it all. We travelled across the country as part of a family meet up but we will be going again just to finish the site it is well worth the travel.
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written November 6, 2023
  • Linda P
    4 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great open air museum
    Wonderful museum. Not a recreation, they actually took the historic buildings from around the countryside apart brick by brick and reassembled them at the site. Well put together with a lovely park to walk thru, active exhibitions (although some were not due to the time of year). Very educational and enjoyable. Would highly recommend with or without kids. (also has a play area for kids, which we did not have with us). Very enjoyable want to spend 1/2 or more of the day.
    Visited November 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written November 26, 2023
  • John S
    4 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Spectacular, considering it is free
    Truly beautiful place with phenomenal volunteering staff. It's a shame that the pub is not opened yet, but will certainly be back once it is to have that genuine traditional experience. The volunteers all seem interested in what they do, and take a genuine interest in visitors. I cannot believe it is free to visit.
    Visited December 2023
    Written December 10, 2023
  • Alexanderlas
    Cardiff, United Kingdom1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    So nice museum
    The museum is very wonderful. And it wasn't just entertainment, they actually took historic buildings from all over the countryside apart brick by brick and reassembled them on site. It is well laid out with a lovely garden to walk through and active exhibits although some were not due to the time of year. Very educational and fun. Highly recommend with or without children. It also has a children's play area, which we didn't have. Very enjoyable would like to spend half a day or more. We will be back soon
    Visited February 2024
    Traveled solo
    Written February 14, 2024
  • Amelia A
    17 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Lovely atmosphere
    Very interesting place, full of history, it's amazing to see ye olde buildings from many years ago. I thought the food was just a little pricy, I paid £15+ for just 3 sandwiches. Definitely go again , best time is around spring time when the gardens start blooming
    Visited February 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written February 27, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles7,526 reviews
Excellent
5,571
Very good
1,460
Average
320
Poor
111
Terrible
64

Oh Beehave Productions / Randa
Somerset, UK12 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2020
This place is AMAZING, there is something for everyone, no matter your age! I can't get over what a wonderful place and museum this is, they have numerous buildings from around Wales they have replanted in the museum grounds. The buildings look like they have been there all their lives they have been so lovingly rehoused. However because of Covid you can't go in all the buildings but there are more than enough you can see inside and for the others you can peek through the windows. The Guides are so interesting, we met Martin an ex-miner and Garmon and they were full of local stories. The cafe was lovely, friendly staff and there is a kids playground just outside. The great house has beautiful, with ponds and gardens for walks and picnics. I bought a brilliant teddy bear in the shop, sporting a green welsh green jumper.The buildings range from all sorts of eras, Stone Age to 1950s Prefab and they are re-housing a famous Welsh pub at the moment. It is FREE to visit but with Covid you do have to book a ticket and there is a £6 charge for the car park, which is nothing for this amazing experience, I spoke to Robert on the phone who was very helpful and he told me the Museum is only open on certain days (again because of Covid) so best to check first. I really think this one of the historic places I have ever visited. Thank you so much to all the staff. We will definitely be coming back next time we holiday in Wales. Sorry don't have many photos and none of the ornamental gardens, because the charge went on my phone! Just go, you will have the best time :-)
Written September 27, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

keefnjojo
Plymouth, UK2,370 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020 • Couples
On a weekend away in Cardiff we planned to spend one of our days here and weren't disappointed.

It's free to enter but you do have to pay £5 parking but this covers you for the full day and you can give donations to help with the upkeep of the site.

As it was early February the gardens were not at their best but still nice to walk around, unfortunately for us the house was only partly open as the upstairs is being renovated.

There are lots of historic buildings for you to look around and the staff are always helpful and very knowledgeable about the site.

We spent 4 hours here on a very cold and wet day so we imagine in summer you could spend the whole day here.

In the main building there are galleries for you to look around and of course toilets, and a cafe to grab a nice drink and bite to eat.

The site is child friendly and also has an activity area to keep them entertained, we would definitely go again.

Written February 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Phil H
1 contribution
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020
After having been recommended to visit, and having lived near the very impressive 'Singleton Open Air Museum', we had great expectations. We were very disappointed. So little was actually open to view, and that which had furniture only ever had a 'taster' (presumably for style). No building had anything that gave a complete picture of life in its era, so it surely cannot be considered properly 'historical', as so little of any story was told. I'm sure it takes lovely 'snaps', but it does not educate or answer questions. The information boards were also desperately poor. There is so much than can be told about every building, but so little was written down. And no multimedia ? What century are we in ? Do the management not live in the same world as us ? Such a waste of resources, with men paid to blow leaves off paths with petrol machines, but toilets that smell and are broken. And the money that the new modern buildings cost to run will be outrageous - large atriums are incredibly expensive to heat, yet none of the staff in there looked at all cold ! The restaurant was desperately poor value too - nice taste but pathetic portions.
Written February 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Cynthia H
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2021
St. Fagans was lovely. It consists of a modern museum of Wales cuture, many homes, farm houses and community buildings in an outdoor walk/village, and the castle/home area and beautiful park grounds. We did not have enough time to see all of the modern museum, which we regret, but what we did see was well presented. Some of the refreshment areas in the "village" were closed but we did have a snack from the store and bread from the bakery. There is a cafe in the museum. Entry was free. We purchased tickets through a phone app, All of the staff members were welcoming, particularly the miller who shared his craft with us.

For anyone traveling from Cardiff, there was an inexpensive and very convenient "Easyway" bus fromWestgate Street KN to St. Fagans National History Museum and back. It accepted contactless payment. The ride was 1/2 hour one way.
Written October 16, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

debjohn297
Birmingham, UK28 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2021
A very welcoming place to visit. The online guide suggested to allow 2 to 3 hours for a visit we spent over 4 hours there and we still didn't see it all. The guides were friendly, helpful and informative, they were clearly proud of the museum and rightly so. Probably best to try to visit on a day when there is little chance of rain as some of the exhibits are quite distant from each other. The grounds are beautiful and well kept. We really enjoyed our visit and will definitely be returning in the future. Amazing that this place is free to visit and the suggestion of a donation of £5 per person for a visit is exceptionally reasonable - certainly better value than many N T properties which are only partly open at the moment. Can highly recommend.
Written July 4, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

H3373CBmichaelj
Northamptonshire, UK50 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020
Everyone told us that we must visit this museum when in South Wales - and they were right! This is a brilliant open air museum comprising more than 50 "recycled" historically important buildings recovered from all over Wales and sympathetically rebuilt here. Free admission - just pay £5 in the machine to park all day. a couple of cafe areas provided respite from the rain when we were there, with a good big bowl of Welsh Cawl to fend of the chilly weather.
Written January 28, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

David W
Okehampton, UK42 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2021
This is an amazing place and it's difficult to pick out what the highlight of this visit was as there were so many. Allow yourself plenty of time as there is so much to see. We didn't and we are hoping to go back and see the bits we didn't get to see this time. The back up information and visual support is excellent as is the sign posting its difficult to get lost. We had lots of interesting chats with the staff in some of the buildings and this definitely added to our enjoyment. The main building was showing an exhibition of The Windrush era and this was really well put together and interesting. We also had lunch at the restaurant which offered a limited menu but it was reasonably priced and tasty. There is also a gift shop which time didn't allow us to visit this time around.

This really is a must visit attraction and the Country of Wales should be proud of this museum. Best of all apart from a car park charge its free.
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Written October 4, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Caroline
Raglan, UK28 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2020 • Business
Visited St Fagans on a school trip today. The facilities, grounds and buildings are great however I was really disappointed at the lack of enthusiasm, effort and engagement made by the staff manning the buildings. Considering it is an educational establishment where schools visit regularly, you would expect staff to be welcoming the children in, brimming with interesting, stimulating facts and stories about the buildings. Only one person during our entire full day visit asked if we wanted to ask any him any questions. Most people didn't look up from their phones or acknowledge we were there! We were expecting historical costumes rather than jeans and hoodies... This was hugely disappointing and a real opportunity missed by St Fagans to really stimulate their captive audience. It's such a shame that this did not match the quality of the facilities on offer as all the buildings were well looked after with some exceptional pieces of Welsh history created to a high standard.
Written March 9, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Tegid
Gwynedd, UK20 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2020 • Couples
Enjoyed - 1940/50’s terrace. Miners institute and small shops Sadly due to Covid restrictions few were operational. But did purchase two lovely warm mince pies
A lot of walking involved especially to the Iron Age huts which are sadly need some ongoing repair and maintenance
As there are understandably no paper maps available, more whole area maps would be appreciate to see where u are !
Used the cafe but only had paper cups and given a not brilliant toasted tea cake in a bag with butter and jam. Would recommend cake as a better option
Gallery halls could have been more informative , had interesting video about prehistoric burial chamber found in a farm. But no idea when it was ...
Overall a good day out and would recommend you go visit
Written November 21, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Arm15
Cardiff, UK3 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020 • Friends
As a local to the area I have enjoyed many, many visits to this wonderful museum. The layout of the museum is fantastic encouraging you to take in the beautiful landscape as you explore the grounds. Whether you want to wander through the beautiful gardens of St Fagans Castle, or avoid the rain (it is Wales after all) and look around the many historical buildings, there is just so much choice and throughout the museum the staff are informative and friendly, and happy to answer questions.

The newly renovated exhibitions are really well done, not too over-loaded with information, but still giving you a nice snapshot of Welsh history. I am also really pleased with the inclusion of clothing and fashion in the exhibition as this always fascinated me as a child!

As there is always something going on in the museum, when I visited on Saturday, there were small market stalls selling a range of Welsh products in the foyer of the entrance building, to complement the lovely products in the gift shop that make great presents!

Over the years I’ve taken my friends from France, America, England and Canada here and it has never failed to disappoint, with all of them saying how they want to re-visit it the next trip! (Perhaps this is due to the delicious scones though!)

This is a unique attraction to Wales and I feel so lucky to have it on my doorstep. It is a guaranteed fun day out and I couldn’t recommend it enough!
Written February 18, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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St Fagans National Museum of History - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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