Swansea Museums

(Swansea, West Glamorgan, South Wales, UK)

Home to a healthy selection of quality museums, Swansea is a city with an interesting past and much to enjoy. The Dylan Thomas Centre at Somerset Place was founded in 1995 and remembers the famous Welsh writer and poet, who has always had strong connections with Swansea and the centre.

Other important museums in the city include the Swansea Museum, concentrating on the area's history and past, the National Waterfront Museum and its floating exhibits, and the rather unexpected Egypt Centre at the University of Wales Swansea complex.

Dylan Thomas Centre

Address: Somerset Place, Swansea, West Glamorgan, SA1 1RR, Wales, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1792 463 980
A particularly famous museum, the Dylan Thomas Centre celebrates the life of one of the city's most famous locals and is housed in the former Guildhall. With an extensive exhibition of memorabilia, a self-guided trail and many changing events, the museum hosts many literary events all through the year, the most prominent of which is the yearly Dylan Thomas Festival, which takes place at the end of October. The Dylan Thomas Centre also comprises a gift shop, cafe and art gallery.
Open hours: daily - 10:00 to 16:30
Admission: free

Swansea Museum

Address: Victoria Road, Swansea, West Glamorgan, SA1 1SN, Wales, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1792 653 763
Home to a rather diverse selection of exhibits, Swansea Museum is well worth a visit and features important collections of local archaeological finds, artefacts, ceramics, porcelain and many other items of historical significance. Celebrating Swansea's rich heritage, this museum lies close to the marina and is the oldest in the whole of Wales, dating back to the early 1840s. Housed is a beautiful Grade II listed building, the museum even includes an ancient Egyptian mummy and a gift shop, where you are able to purchase Welsh pottery, educational toys, glassware, postcards and more.
Open hours: Tuesday to Sunday - 10:00 to 17:00
Admission: free

Museum of Egyptian Antiquities / Egypt Centre

Address: University of Wales Swansea, Singleton Park, Swansea, West Glamorgan, SA2 8PP, Wales, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1792 295 960
Part of the Taliesin Arts Centre and the University of Wales, the Swansea's Egypt Centre first opened its doors to members of the public in 1998, although this impressive hoard has actually been in the possession of the university since the early 1970s. Also known as the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, the Egypt Centre boasts more than 3,000 different objects and artefacts from various different parts of Egypt, many of which date back around 6,000 years. One of the biggest collections of its kind in the whole of the United Kingdom, the museums offers a range of hands-on activities for children and features regular lectures.
Open hours: Tuesday to Saturday - 10:00 to 16:00
Admission: free

National Waterfront Museum

Address: Oystermouth Road, Swansea, West Glamorgan, SA1 3RD, Wales, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1792 638 970
Divided into various areas, the National Waterfront Museum is located in Swansea's Maritime Quarter and contains the biggest collection of floating exhibits on the whole planet. With a 'Visitor Zone' offering an insight into the country's past, a 'Learning Zone' with many interactive displays and workshops for all ages, and also a 'Corporate Zone' boasting superb function rooms, concerts capabilities and temporary exhibitions, the National Waterfront Museum is a striking contemporary glass and slate building and was opened in 2005, at a cost of more than £32 million.
Open hours: daily - 10:00 to 17:00
Admission: free

1940's Swansea Bay

Address: Baldwins Crescent, Crymlyn Burrows, Swansea, West Glamorgan, SA1 8QQ, Wales, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1792 458 864
A chance to step back in time and experience what is was like to live during the Second World War, the 1940's Swansea Bay museum is full of historical interest and includes many items from the early 1940s, such as clothes and soldiers' uniforms. A visit to this museum is surprisingly enjoyable and you are even able to try on many of the clothes and costumes. Exhibitions here concentrate on the devastation caused by the bombing raids, music from this era, rationed food and the role of Welsh women during the war itself.
Open hours: Saturday and Sunday - 11:00 to 16:00
Admission: free

The Tramshed

Address: Dylan Thomas Square, Swansea Marina, Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1792 653 763
The Tramshed is operated by the Swansea Museum and features a host memorabilia relating to the city's historic street trams, which once linked the city centre to the bay and nearby Mumbles Pier. Trams in the city were originally horse-drawn and began in the early 1800s, being converted at a later date to more modern, electric trams and running until the 1960s, when the whole service was closed. The Tramshed museum contains streaming videos, a historic double-decker tram and the actual cab of the city's last ever tram, which you are able to board.
Open hours: Tuesday to Sunday - 10:00 to 16:30
Admission: free