The Ashmolean was a wonderful surprise during our stay in Oxford. I had heard of the museum and did a little research so I knew what to focus on, but it far surpassed my expectations. There's archeological artifacts, art, and so much more from so many varying parts of the world and times. Best of all, it's FREE! If you're planning a visit to Oxford, carve out some time and be sure to visit the museum. (Great rooftop restaurant to boot) read more

We were visiting Oxford as part of a tour and had several hours of free time to explore on our own. My wife convinced me to that we should visit the Ashmolesn Museum and she wasn't wrong. As with most of the museums we visited in Britain, this one was also FREE. The Ashmolean was fantastic. In some respects it reminded me of the British Museum but it was a much more manageable (enjoyable) size. The exhibits were superb yet not overwhelming. We enjoyed the 2 hours we had to spend here and were sorry we didn't have more time. read more

Hey, it's an archeological museum, so yeah, by definition it is pretty awesome. Well, not only that but it has art as well. Yeah, I loved it.I really didn't grab me in the way that other ones have, though once again I note that there is an Alice in Wonderland reference here, which you seem to find about the place. read more

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The is a magnificent museum in the heart of Oxford, with a large range of items including arhaeological artifacts, paintings, and more. It includes many famous pieces, such as the 9th-century Anglo-Saxon (at least though to be) Alfred Jewel thought to have belonged to King Alfred. It also has paintings by Turner, Sargent, and others. The museum also is notable for appearing in episodes from the Morse and Lewis shows, such as The Vanishing Point, on which the museum's famous painting of The Hunt in the Forest by Uccello figures prominently. One could, of course, spend several hours here. The museum is free and it has a great gift shop. read more

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We came to this FREE museum on a Wednesday, for the 10am opening. We saw there was a "highlights tour" (also free) at 11am for an hour. My mom and I loved this museum and our tour. We had looked at one floor prior to the tour, and though we repeated sections, I learned much more that I had overlooked. Whenever there is a display that has a case in the center of the room, floor to ceiling, our guide told us to check it out. It is likely one of the most valuable pieces in their collection. There was a running theme of other museums not wanting many of the items on display but the ashmolean taking it instead and they ended up being incredibly valuable. One of my favorite pieces was Powhatan's leather wall hanging with cowrie beads. We hear so much about that place in the states but I have never seen a relic from it! I highly recommend this while you are visiting oxford. read more

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The Ashmolean Museum is a fantastic and free cultural institution in Oxford. Like a miniature version of the British Museum in London, the Ashmolean features artwork and antiques from all over the world and across time -- including Classical Greek and Roman marble sculptures, Chinese paintings, Islamic Middle East ceramics, Indian paintings and sculptures, and more. Come to explore and learn more about history and world cultures! Spend as much or as little time as you'd like. Overall a fun visit. read more

This museum is great for the town of Oxford. A huge plus is that it is free. It had some great exhibits some of which were the same as the British Museum in London. I really enjoyed the Chinese scroll paintings and the exhibit on the Cultural Revolution. There were some exhibits that left me wanting me more such as the Russian Art exhibit. The layout of the museum is confusing. There were many rooms and I couldn't seem to figure out how to get to the next floor level. We skipped the restaurant on the top floor and took a break in the cafe. Lovely assortment of pastries and selection of teas. If you have some time, grab a map and select a few areas that you want to concentrate on. There's a lot to see. read more

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I went here during one of my study abroad classes. Not only was it free to get in; but there was a huge collection. I found the exhibits very interesting and enjoyed my visit. The statues were especially unique. 10/10 recommend going. read more

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So much to do! Amazing art from everywhere in the world through a range of time periods! Such an interesting place to explore. The cafe at the bottom floor was good but there was a huge line. Wish the rooftop terrace was open for people to just take pictures without dining. read more

I am a huge fan of the Ashmolean. It has something for everyone. And it's the very first place I ever saw a Stradivarius violin. The hoards are well worth seeing, and the teaching section, and the Egyptian temple. I've also found the cafe to be wonderful. On a slow weekday, it's a great place to do a little work between exhibits. read more

The world's oldest museum, and it's free to roam around its five floors of art and history. When we were there, a separate fee purchased access to the Tutankhamen exhibit. My highlight was the corner that explained how the Romans were influenced by the Egyptians in their funeral arts, just an obvious overlap that I had never considered. Autumn Sunday, and the museum was quiet. An aggressive museum usher was convinced my small backpack was the bull in her china shop, but seemed satisfied to have me carry it like I was with child. Whatever makes us all a little happier. The bottom floor was reserved for more child-friendly art. You can cruise through the Ashmolean offerings in about an hour or two. read more

Wonderful museum with really interesting exhibits and artifacts. After 2 1/2 hours we went upstairs to the open cafe/ restaurant for a delicious Sunday lunch. Delicious and enjoyable. read more

Awesome museum in Oxford. We came in just to see what collections they contained, and there was a vast assortment very neatly arranged. The egyptian features were an unexpected surprise with actual mummies. My highlight was the art piece which involved hundreds of glass slides with digital scans of the mummy. The rest was very extensive and covers a very large timescale. You can spend hours here if you are interested in historical cultural artefacts. The cafe upstairs was pricey but very high quality. It didn't ruin the whole experience but it isn't required to complete the day. read more

A good museum is the Ashmolean but, for me, not a great one. The building is beautiful and admission is free (temporary exhibits excluded) not to mention room after room of artefacts but all in all I didn't love the Ashmolean. There are numerous galleries (to numerous to list them all) from ancient Egypt to modern art. Many display an impressive hoard whereas some, I felt, are a little lacking in substance - most notably the musical instruments gallery. It may as well have been called the Viola gallery. There were some very nice Viola's on display (and a couple of Harpsichords) but little else. Most galleries, however, are more varied and extensive. The cafe was fine, not outstanding but certainly not bad although the staff were a little slow. Perhaps having grown up in London I've been a little spoiled for museums. The Ashmolean, in turn, reminded me a little of the Horniman museum near Dulwich only slightly bigger but without the gardens and rather much like a scaled-down version of the Victoria & Albert in Kensington. But never-the-less the Ashmolean is a fine museum with an historical and eclectic range within and certainly worth a visit if you happen to have the time (and you're in Oxford). TTFN, Ian read more

Marvellous I just cannot get enough of Museums. Culture and history are a bottomless hole of happiness and contentment for this old atheist. The creativity of humans always gives me pleasure and these churches of human creative endeavour make life worth while. It's an excellent environment too. The layout and displays enhance and draw you round this eclectic mix of world history. It's free for all and that just makes me even happier. read more

Wow! That's it in one word, what an amazing place! Came here years ago, before the make-over. It was dark and dusty. Now it's all glass and light and great displays of some of the most interesting things in the world. They have a printed guide that was quite helpful. The collection is amazing, as in wow! Come see and enjoy! read more

This is a very eclectic museum. Not only in region (Japan, China, Greek, Flemish, English, Italian, Roman, Indian, Egyptian and more), but in period (like Egypt/India/Buddah long-time-ago-BC to art created 4 years ago), and exhibit types(Renaissance paintings, Japanese kabuki etchings, archeological artifacts, unburied historical items like swords). All seemingly random, to be honest. Yet not, in that it is all really interesting and cool! Plus, like most museums in the UK, it is free! If you are in Oxford, I would certainly make some time to visit the Ashmolean. Even if you live there! When was the last time you bothered to go? See?? Tsk tsk, you uncultured feind! read more

This is the most boring place on earth, unless you love ceramics. It recently had a major and very expensive overhaul, and the building itself is lovely, it is just the boring rubbish that they have crammed in there which annoys me. Floor after floor of pots, ceramics, beads .....zzzzzzzzzzzz read more

Free admission, but with an extensive globalartifacts, and time periods. Perhaps one the oldest museums I've been to since the it originated back in the 15th century. First time I've seen cast of human-like skulls dating back over a million years ago. If you go through everything it would take at least a couple of hours. read more

I only had what seemed like minutes, but took a quick run through the museum. Very cool to see 2 statues I had seen in Rome on loan here (The discus and Boxer). My favorite exhibit was the currency from all over the world. So much more for me to collect :) read more

Ashmolean Museum - Sexy currency! - Museums Near Me - Oxford, OXF

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A free museum in the heart of Oxford. Definitely a place to visit. Check out the 19th century artists. Wonderful collection. The shop is filled with affordable souvenirs. The building itself is impressive. read more

I went here recently for the first time, the Mrs is an Art History graduate so we've been meaning to go for a while, and we finally made it. To be honest we only managed to get around a small fraction of it, but what they have is amazing! We focused on her favourite (flemish) and my favourite (japanese) and both collections were very impressive! Afterwards we went up to the rooftop bar for a cheeky drink. My only complaint is that it just closes to early, if the rooftop bar was open later it would definitly be a regular haunt for me, having said that I'll defo return to check out more of the collection. read more

Absolutely loved this museum! It saved us from an otherwise awful, disappointing day out at Blenheim Palace. It is modern, very clean, sparkling, incredibly well presented displays, and not overwhelmingly large. They have some incredible artifacts here...comparable to the British Museum. read more

Loved this museum. Extremely interesting and you could easily spend a whole day there! The exhibits were on par with those of larger and more well-known museums and there was so much to see! My favourite area was the Chinese section and other Far-East displays. Would definitely recommend for a day out in Oxford. April 2014 - Group of 2 read more

Really superb museum with free entry. There was something to interest everyone from ancient archeological finds to rare musical instruments to fantastic displays of fine china. Can thoroughly recommend it as a great venue for a rainy afternoon. read more

The oldest public museum in UK. I went to see the Chinese exhibition and the archeology, since I was in Oxford; this place has so much history that it's an art work by itself! And I guess that's what I like the most honestly. I'm not an architect or archeologist but, curious about places like this one around the world and I was lucky enough to meet three archeology students that practically tutor me around. I'm planning to go back to Ashmolean to observe The Gold Coinage of Britain in any spare time and enjoy the cafès in my next trip:) read more

Didn't have long to visit this museum but my first impression is must retun! I did not exspect to find such a place in Oxford, having only been to the big museums in London. read more

My main reason for visiting the Ashmolean was to see the Alfred Jewel, as well as this lovely little jewel there's lots of other interesting things on display and you can easily lose an afternoon wandering around! The museum is large and quite bright although it does get very busy, but still well worth a visit though. read more

Full disclosure, I've only ever been to this museum during their Friday night open evenings (which happen once a month). Definitely worth checking out on these special nights because there's usually plenty of entertainment that enhances the experience of the exhibits. When I went, they even had a fun scavenger hunt through the museum. One of my favorite evenings in Oxford. read more

Great terrace restaurant on roof (especially the warm sunny day I was there) but service is incredibly slow. Don't visit if you're in a hurry. read more

Ashmolean Museum - Ashmolean Museum restaurant roof terrace. - Museums Near Me - Oxford, OXF

The Ashmoleans collection is incredibly beautiful. Such a tremendous range that truly captivates. This is my second visit since the revamp and I still find the new building just as breathtaking as the wonderous artifacts. Lovely curves that swoop and stretch with more natural light than there seems to be outside. That sadly is all thats good about it for me. There is no real order in which the exhibition is mapped out, cultures/periods are split (even over different floors) and it is a little confusing. I almost felt like I was in an art exhibit rather than a museum, there is a small growth in more modern art than historical artifacts and the attitude of the staff reminded me off that pomposity. The assistants were unapproachable some were engaged in deep conversation about their weekend, some were acting as if they were on a date and others just looked angry. In all the whole staff seemed to treat it as a "get together location" for themselves. This "vibe" was present on my last visit, a couple of summers ago, when I eventually asked the only english speaking cleaner for help (the only staff member that showed any politeness) who actually walked me to the gallery I was looking for. I was then immediately stalked by one of the black-clad assistants which was extremely intimidating. We left after a very short visit deciding to come back in the near future. But nothing has changed the staff are as helpless and unapproachable as before the layout hasent been improved and it is genarally unwelcoming. The 4th floor is divided into 2 and to get from one to the other you need to go down a floor make your way to the other side and back up again. After asking an assistant for assistance we just got lost. I was then made annoyed by the fact that all the public toilets were located on the bottom floor. I believe the building has 5 floors, thats quite appalling. Eventually we found the tiolets (on our own) where we also found a group of cleaners chatting away clogging up the gangway. We pushed our way through and on leaving, we both commented on the disrepair of our respective washrooms. Im also amazed at how dirty the place is. My wife remarked on this (on our original visit) and we were quite shocked at the even further decline, dirty floors and dust everywhere. Bad - concidering the money the museum raises is to protect and preserve the collections. Its a real shame. I had high hopes for the ashmolean. It is far from one of the best museums in the world or even the country. Go to Pitt-Rivers Museum, more interest more politeness and more of a museum. read more

A wonderful museum filled with so many different kinds of artwork. Egyptian, musical instruments, silver, rings, paintings, the list just goes on. Definitely a museum that you could spend several hours in or several hour long visits. Even my husband who is not a huge museum lover enjoyed the Ashmolean. It is free and the building itself is worth seeing, so if you have time it is a must see! read more

The Ashmolean staff worked amazingly hard on the day I was there and I have nothing but praise for them, they dealt with an old lady collapsing and throwing up, lost children (half term) lost toys, lost hoodies, I heard them being shouted at and time and time again they kept their cool and even took time out on a frantically busy day to explain shove hapenny and tell visitors about exhibits. I will be coming again but not on half-term week. read more