Best free days out perfect for families this summer including museum village

02 June 2023 , 23:00

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St Fagans National Museum of History received very good reviews (Image: Shutterstock / RogerMechan)

An open air museum that takes visitors back in time has topped a list of the best free attractions in the UK.

With a bit of May half term to go and the summer holidays around the corner, having a list of places to take the kids or head to by yourself is a good idea, especially if they're free.

Consumer magazine Which? has revealed the UK’s best-rated museums, galleries, cathedrals, and historic sites that offer free admission, based on a survey of 7,000 people.

Members of the public were asked to rate their experiences at more than one hundred museums, galleries and historic attractions, ranking each location on its engagement and entertainment factor, the quality of the information provided, queueing times and crowdedness, range and quality of facilities and value for money.

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The National Railway Museum in York is a great day out (Shutterstock / Kamira)

The top-rated, free attraction is Cardiff’s St Fagans National Museum of History, with a stellar customer score of 94 per cent. This open-air museum offers a fascinating glimpse into history, with forty reconstructed buildings including a working forge, a school, chapel and Workmen’s Institute for visitors to explore.

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Many of the buildings also have practical exhibits for visitors to enjoy, including demonstrations of blacksmithing, pottery and weaving.

Close behind with tied customer scores of 91 per cent are the National Railway Museum in York, and the Royal Air Force (RAF) Museum in Cosford.

The National Railway Museum is the largest of its kind in the world, featuring a collection of more than a hundred locomotives. These include the fastest-ever steam engine, the Mallard, a working replica of George Stephenson’s Rocket, and the only Shinkansen bullet train outside of Japan.

The Cosford RAF museum meanwhile boasts a renowned collection of military aircraft, including the world’s oldest spitfire, as well as Britain’s V Bombers from the Cold War era including the Vulcan, Victor and Valiant.

Best free days out perfect for families this summer including museum village

St Fagans National Museum of History topped the list (Shutterstock / RogerMechan)

Also on display is a Dornier Do 17, a German bomber recovered from the bottom of the English Channel a decade ago.

Which? also asked almost 3,000 people to rank their favourite historic attractions, rating them on nine criteria including accessibility, the quality of food and drink available and lack of crowds.

The highest scoring, free attraction in the consumer champion’s survey is Durham Cathedral, with a customer score of 86 per cent. Perched high above the city, it has inspired visitors since the medieval period, and was once described by travel writer Bill Bryson as ‘the best cathedral on planet earth’.

St David’s Cathedral also rated highly, with a customer score of 80 per cent. Located in the UK’s smallest city, there have been services held on the site since the sixth century, and today over 300,000 people visit every year.

The stunning Chichester Cathedral (Martin Burton/SussexLive)

Chichester meanwhile was the third highest rated free destination, with a score of 77 per cent.

Close behind with a score of 76 per cent is the Houses of Parliament. While guided tours can often be costly, at around £25 a head, it is possible to gain entry for free, with just a little forward planning.

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Any UK resident can contact their MP, or a member of the House of Lords, to request a free-75 minute guided tour. UK residents also have the right to visit Prime Minister's Questions or other debates, again by contacting their MP.

Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said: “As the cost of living crisis continues to be a strain on household budgets, finding cheap or free days out has never been more important. Fortunately the UK has a number of fantastic museums, galleries and other attractions which offer free entry and hours of fun.

“From the world’s largest railway museum, to the Houses of Parliament, Which?’s rankings of the UK’s best free days out has plenty to inspire you as the summer holidays approach.”