Royal Armouries Museum

The Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds, West Yorkshire is the home of the UK’s national collection of arms and armour and is free to visit.

Explore the Royal Armouries Museum’s five floors of galleries. Over 4,500 objects on display in our purpose-built museum.

Discover how arms and armour have shaped society, art, and culture throughout history.

Enjoy watching historic armour and weapons brought to life as our Live Interpretation Team use live combat demonstrations to show you how they were used.

Highlights of the Royal Armouries Museum

• Henry VIII’s foot combat armour made in 1520 for the grand tournament known as the Field of the Cloth of Gold.
• The largest animal armour in the world. An elephant armour and tusk swords from the Indian sub-continent of the late-16th Century.
• A remarkable helmet with a grotesque mask termed the ‘Horned Helmet’. This was a gift to Henry VIII from the Holy Roman Emperor in 1514.
• One of the most iconic sci-fi weapons of all time. The ‘pulse rifle’ from the classic 1986 Aliens film.
• The Tula Arsenal near Moscow made and presented to Elizabeth Petrovna, Empress of Russia the beautiful ‘Tula Garniture’ in 1752. It is a fine example of Russian craftsmanship that combines Elizabeth’s passions of hunting, art and design.

Opening times

• 10 am to 5 pm – Tuesday to Sunday from 3rd January to 12th February
• 10 am to 5 pm – Every day during the school holidays

Booking a visit to the Royal Armouries Museum

• We recommend pre-booking tickets and we have walk-up tickets available.
• The museum is usually quieter after 2 pm.
• During busy times, such as school holidays, you may be asked to wait before entering the galleries. However, you can still enjoy our gift shop and cafe.

Tickets are free and you can pre-book your visit on Eventbrite.

Book tickets from 1 Jan – 31 March 2023

Book tickets for Medieval Easter school holidays 1 – 16 April

Book tickets for Jousting Tournament 7 – 10 April

Book tickets for visits 18 April – 23 July 2023

We welcome our visitors and want to provide them with a safe and enjoyable day out. Therefore, we have answered the most frequently asked questions about our safety measures.