Whether you’re looking to immerse yourself in Welsh history, enjoy mesmerising art collections, or simply want something to do on a rainy day in Swansea, the city has a huge range of museums and art galleries to choose from.
I’ve visited most of them at this point and, in this guide, I’ll share my favourite ones that you should check out.
1. National Waterfront Museum
The biggest museum in Swansea is the National Waterfront Museum, a huge free museum with over 15,000 artefacts showcasing the history of Wales’ industrial and maritime heritage.
It’s spread across two floors with several exhibits. Downstairs follows the evolution of transport in Wales with replicas of old planes, coal wagons, and steam trains.
Upstairs, there are several other exhibitions including one that shares the evolution of household items in Wales since the 1930s.
There’s also a large exhibit about Swansea’s maritime history with replica models of some of the most important ships and displays where you can learn more.
One of Swansea's top attractions, the museum is suitable for all ages. Kids will love it just as much as adults thanks to the huge vehicles and interactive exhibits. I spent around 45 minutes at the museum but you could easily spend double this if you have the time.
2. Dylan Thomas Centre
One of two Swansea museums dedicated to Dylan Thomas, a Swansea-born lad who went on to become Wales’ most famous poet.
The Dylan Thomas Centre is located in the Maritime Quarter, within walking distance of most parts of the city centre. Here, Dylan Thomas’ life and work are honoured within a grade II listed neo-classical building.
Former US President Jimmy Carter opened the venue in 1995, and it has been a destination for literature lovers worldwide ever since.
The centre is organised in timeline form around the room so you can understand how his life developed from his upbringing right through to his death and legacy.
As well as information boards, his talent is showcased through notebooks, letters, photographs, and interactive displays. I particularly enjoyed the audio recordings where you can listen to some of his works and readings on the radio. Hearing his actual voice made the experience much more personal so don’t miss this part.
The centre is open 10am – 4pm, Wednesday to Sunday and it’s free of charge.
3. Swansea Museum
Swansea Museum is the oldest surviving museum in Wales and home to a range of artefacts that tell the story of Swansea.
The museum is set over two floors. Downstairs there are general exhibits about the history of Swansea including a natural history collection full of taxidermy – lovely!
Upstairs, there’s an archaeology display with items as far back as the Stone Age including mammoth bones from the Gower and a replica of a Viking ship prow from 900AD.
Bringing things a little more recent, when I visited there was an exhibition about Swansea in the nineteenth century with a mock-up of an old kitchen and a Victorian bathroom, just how they would have looked for a typical Swansea resident.
My favourite exhibit at the museum is the Swansea Devil, also known as Old Nick. You can see him in the photo with me above and there’s a really interesting story to go with it which you can also read here.
The museum is free to visit and open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am-4.30pm (doors close at 4pm).
4. The Egypt Centre
Swansea University is one of a handful of universities offering Egyptology as a course and they have their own on-site Egyptian Museum which holds over 6,000 artefacts, making it Wales’ largest Egyptian Antiquities collection.
The Egypt Museum (Y Ganolfan Eifftaidd) is also open to the public with many of these artefacts on display including weapons, jewellery, coffins, and more. They have many activities throughout the day including hieroglyphs workshops and the chance to touch some of the artefacts.
There are student volunteers and other staff on hand to share extra information and answer all your mummy-related questions.
The museum is free to visit and can be found at Swansea University’s Singleton Campus which is away from the city centre. If driving, you can park at the nearby Pub & Pond car park or you can catch a bus from the city centre which takes 20 minutes.
The museum is open Tuesday to Saturday, check their website for more visitor information and current opening hours.
5. Glyn Vivian Art Gallery
Visiting the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery is one of my favourite free activities in Swansea, with an ever-changing program of exhibitions so that you can visit time and time again.
The gallery is housed in a beautiful Edwardian building, but thanks to a recent regeneration, it feels modern and vibrant.
The exhibits have a particular focus on European and Welsh art. During my visit, the downstairs rooms were filled with a collection showing the costumes, props, and visual effects from His Dark Materials, a TV show filmed in Wales.
They also run an annual amateur artists competition which was on display during my latest visit. All of the entries were displayed in the gallery and visitors could vote for their favourite which was a great way to get the public involved.
It’s open 10am-5pm every day except Mondays, with last entry at 4.30pm.
6. Gower Heritage Centre
About a 20-minute drive from Swansea down the Gower Peninsula will bring you to the Gower Heritage Centre.
The centre is housed in a 12th-century water mill which is still making flour today. You can explore the mill with their self-guided tour which takes you to the water wheel, the corn mill, and the miller's cottage.
There are also lots of exhibits about rural life in the Gower including an agriculture museum, a functioning forge where a blacksmith would have worked, and an arts centre.
What I love about this museum is that they run a huge range of workshops where you can learn skills that have been used in the area for centuries. The workshops are always changing but can include baking, cider making, weaving, arts and crafts, and more.
The centre is right next to Three Cliffs Bay which is one of the most iconic beaches in Wales so I recommend adding this to your itinerary too.
7. Dylan Thomas Birthplace
The second museum dedicated to Dylan Thomas in Swansea is the Dylan Thomas Birthplace which is found in his former home in Uplands (this is also one of my favourite areas to stay in Swansea).
The rooms have been set up exactly how they would have been when Dylan lived here, including the front bedroom which is where he was born.
There are both guided tours of the house with an expert or self-guided tours where you can read the information panels in each room. The self-guided tours are a little cheap, although both tours need to be booked in advance.
As well as exploring the house, you can have afternoon tea here and even stay overnight.
The Dylan Thomas Birthplace is only open to the public twice per week, check their website for opening times and booking details.
8. The Tramshed
The Swansea Museum Tramway Centre (also known as The Tramshed) is a museum in the Maritime Quarter that’s dedicated to sharing information and memorabilia from Swansea’s old trams and the Swansea and Mumbles Railway.
Originally intended only to transport limestone from the Mumbles quarries to Swansea, a later agreement saw it carry paying passengers from 1807, making it the world’s first passenger train.
The line no longer operated having closed in 1960 in favour of buses. However, some of the old memorabilia is housed in this museum including a reconstruction of one of the earlier horse-drawn trains used on this service and surviving parts from the later electric trams.
This museum is staffed by volunteers so opening times can vary considerably. You can check the signs on the door or call ahead on 01792 653763. It’s also right next to the National Waterfront Museum so visiting them together is a good idea.
9. Oriel Science
They don’t come much smaller than Oriel Science, a small exhibition space right in the heart of Swansea.
It has a constantly changing collection, always around the theme of science. When I visited, there were some exhibits about recycling, the pandemic, and renewable energy.
This is only a tiny museum so you don’t need any longer than 20 minutes here, but it’s still worth visiting if you’re passing by, especially given that it’s free.
The centre is only open Monday to Wednesday, 10am-4pm although check their website as it can be closed during exhibition changeover.
Published: 9 September 2023 · Last updated: 10 October 2023