Access Information
We are committed to making the Museum accessible to as many visitors as possible as part of the #MuseumAccessPledge.
Access Update: Lift Works 2026
The Museum's lift has served us well for over fifteen years and is now due for replacement. From 2 February to April 2026, the lift will be out of service while these essential works are carried out.
We very much appreciate your understanding during this period. For further information or queries, please contact enquiries@whipplemuseum.cam.ac.uk.
If you require any assistance, or have any special accessibility requirements, please contact us via email on enquiries@whipplemuseum.cam.ac.uk or phone 01223 330906.
Assistance dogs are welcome in the museum.
Main Entrance
The Main Entrance is suitable for visitors who are able to climb a flight of stairs comfortably. Please push the wooden door firmly to enter and proceed straight up to the museum.
The museum is within a working department (the Department of History and Philosophy of Science) and shares its front entrance. There is an attendant up the stairs in the museum itself, who will be able to help orientate you when you arrive in the gallery.
There is no car park at the museum, although there is blue badge parking on Free School Lane. Alternatively, the closest parking is the Grand Arcade Car Park on Corn Exchange St, which also has blue badge parking, mobility aid services, and a Changing Places toilet.
Unfortunately, we do not have a lunch room or cloakroom. We apologise for this inconvenience. There are lovely green spaces throughout Cambridge which provide great spots for lunch, such as Christ’s Pieces, or along the wall on King’s Parade.
Accessible Entrance
The museum has step-free access via the Pembroke Arch entrance on the New Museums Site. Please see the map above for guidance.
It may be helpful to download this to your phone, or print it out and bring it on your visit.
Please note: The lift will be unavailable from mid-January to early March 2026 while replacement works are carried out. Thank you for your understanding.
Toilets
There is an accessible toilet for all genders on the ground floor of the museum. There is another, non-accessible toilet for all genders in the Learning Gallery.
There is a baby changing unit in the accessible toilet.
Cambridge Shop Mobility at the Grand Arcade car park has a Changing Places toilet on the Level -1 of the South (Lower) car park.
Mobility
The museum has a wheelchair for visitors’ use; just ask our Gallery Attendant in the Main Gallery.
There is seating in our Main Gallery, Learning Gallery, and Upper Gallery. The museum is accessible for wheelchair users; our accessible entrance can be found via the Pembroke Archway onto the New Museums Site.
Visual Impairment
We currently have large-print labels for our Special Exhibition. We are endeavouring to provide them for our galleries as soon as possible and we apologise for any inconvenience caused by their absence.
Assistance dogs are welcome in the museum.
If you require a guide to assist your visit, please do book in advance via email on enquiries@whipplemuseum.cam.ac.uk or phone 01223 330906. Unfortunately, we cannot provide a guide when not booked in advance.
University of Cambridge Museums organise audio descriptive and touch tours across our 8 museums and botanical garden. These are listed on the Fitzwilliam Museum’s website and also welcome guide dogs and companions.
Hearing Impairment
No videos in the museum use sound.
If you are interested in attending a tour, talk, or event, please contact us in advance via email on enquiries@whipplemuseum.cam.ac.uk or phone 01223 330906 as we may be able to borrow a neck loop and radio receiver.
Visitors and families with members who have Autistic Spectrum Conditions
Ear defenders are available to borrow at the museum front desk. We also have a sensory bag with fidget toys and weighted wrist straps and neck wraps that can be borrowed and used throughout the museum.
If you would like to know more about your visit before you arrive, here is our visual story:
Quiet times, spaces, and entrances
The museum is quieter in the winter and during school term time. Wednesdays are usually our quietest day. Our Globes Gallery upstairs is often quieter than the rest of the museum, and there are chairs to sit down. Keep an eye out for Relaxed Openings across the University of Cambridge Museums. Otherwise, please contact us and we can arranged a relaxed visit in the morning, before our regular opening hours.
Our step-free entrance is usually much quieter; this is accessible via the Pembroke Archway onto the New Museums Site.
In the Main Gallery, there is a replica of the Wallingford Clock in St. Albans which sounds every 15 minutes; unfortunately, due to the mechanism this is no longer on the quarter hour. With advance notice, we can turn this off. Otherwise, there are no sound effects in the museum.
More:
View information for the Whipple Museum on the AccessAble website
Visited the museum? Please consider reviewing our accessiblity on Euan's Guide.