The National Museum
The National Museum
4.5
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
12:00 PM - 5:30 PM
About
Excavated fossils are among the many fascinating items at this natural history museum.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
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4.5
81 reviews
Excellent
32
Very good
40
Average
8
Poor
0
Terrible
1
Phila D
Johannesburg, South Africa1 113 contributions
Dec 2022 • Family
A very informative walk around the museum, a wide range of things to see but needs some work.
Apart from that it is a good space to visit when in the area
Apart from that it is a good space to visit when in the area
Written 18 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Danrie 1904
Emalahleni, South Africa9 contributions
Sep 2022 • Couples
Very sad that we couldn't visit this museum. The hours displayed on Tripadvisor, as well as their automatic answering service is incorrect. They are open on Saturdays 10:00-15:00 and not on Sundays.
Written 4 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Scott
San Francisco, CA5 250 contributions
Jan 2022
Museum is definitely one of the best sites in bloemfontein. in one short visit I learnt more about the geology in history of this region than I would have ever imagined. their explanations of the karoo supergroup were better than anything I've found online.
Fossil exhibit was excellent.
The historical Street scene created on the second Deck is so authentic you forget your in a museum.
The tool development display from stone age to steel is about the best I've ever seen.
And the price could not be lower.
Only problem the audio guide devices were all dead. No one charged the batteries.
Fossil exhibit was excellent.
The historical Street scene created on the second Deck is so authentic you forget your in a museum.
The tool development display from stone age to steel is about the best I've ever seen.
And the price could not be lower.
Only problem the audio guide devices were all dead. No one charged the batteries.
Written 5 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Derek
Toronto, Canada8 contributions
Jan 2021
Wonderful museum to visit. World class. Must see. It showcase all the aspects that you expect to see: very educational with excellent displays. For sure the number 1 attraction in Bloemfontein.
Written 10 February 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Janavdv
Pretoria, South Africa119 contributions
Oct 2020 • Family
There are a lot of different things to see in the museum. We enjoyed it a lot. Money well spent. Staff is very friendly.
Written 23 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Iolanda Guerra e Andrade
Lisbon, Portugal1 904 contributions
Feb 2020
I found the Museum to be interesting particularly because the gallery dedicated to the reconstruction of a 19th century street in Bloemfontein provided the visitors with an insight as to what the city might have been like in the past. I also found some of the paintings on display to be quite good.
Written 26 May 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
thais k
Copenhagen, Denmark1 583 contributions
Feb 2020
Meet the big five and many other stuffed animals. get to see a recontructed street from the 1900 of how the Boers lived. And get introduced to Africas native clans. Highly recommended.
Written 23 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
H P
Scottsbluf31 contributions
Dec 2019
Love the museum and over the years have made several visits. Unfortunelty over the years upkeep not always priority. Gift shop closed- big disappointment. Old street and animal exhibits bits always very nice. A lot of updates in the local history. Wish the museum received more funding in order to update all the exhibits.
Written 30 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jill464
Cape Town, South Africa17 contributions
Oct 2019
Immense care is taken with the exhibits. It is always most interesting to visit. The staff are friendly and a pleasure to talk to.
Written 12 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Prasidh R
Milnerton, South Africa61 contributions
Jun 2019 • Solo
Late start to the Saturday and I could not get to the Boeremark (another must do in Bloem, I was told), so I decided to visit the National Museum - I was not disappointed!
Seeing that the last time, I have ever been to a museum was when I was in high school (the 90’s!), I was pleasantly surprised! The entrance fee is R10 (about $1) for adults and R5 for kids. On Saturdays, operating hours are from 10am-5pm.
There is a left wing, right wing (both downstairs) and a collection upstairs - the choice is entirely up to you.
I would suggest going:
- left wing (natural history of the planet, solar system, dinosaurs, arrival of man, minerals etc) then
- upstairs wing (some large mammals, bird gallery, history of South Africa, the Batho people indignenous to this area and walk through early 19th century Bloemfontein) and - then the right wing (modern history, the work of the museum, recreation of an actual archaeological dig site, history of South African tribes, large cats and reptiles).
The walk through early Bloemfontein is a detailed recreation of the shops, stores, apothecary, blacksmith, dressmakers with lifelike models, sounds and music of that bygone era.
The museum is a fascinating travel through our past, present and our future and a big credit to the staff on such a well kept collection. Highly recommended for families, small groups or individual tourists - budget about 2-2.5 hours to see the entire collection.
There are snack vending machines on the ground floor with a small coffee shop on the premises but was closed on the Saturday that I visited. If you are feeling peckish after the Museum, there is the Loch Logan Waterfront less than 1km away from the Museum and a McDonalds even closer.
Seeing that the last time, I have ever been to a museum was when I was in high school (the 90’s!), I was pleasantly surprised! The entrance fee is R10 (about $1) for adults and R5 for kids. On Saturdays, operating hours are from 10am-5pm.
There is a left wing, right wing (both downstairs) and a collection upstairs - the choice is entirely up to you.
I would suggest going:
- left wing (natural history of the planet, solar system, dinosaurs, arrival of man, minerals etc) then
- upstairs wing (some large mammals, bird gallery, history of South Africa, the Batho people indignenous to this area and walk through early 19th century Bloemfontein) and - then the right wing (modern history, the work of the museum, recreation of an actual archaeological dig site, history of South African tribes, large cats and reptiles).
The walk through early Bloemfontein is a detailed recreation of the shops, stores, apothecary, blacksmith, dressmakers with lifelike models, sounds and music of that bygone era.
The museum is a fascinating travel through our past, present and our future and a big credit to the staff on such a well kept collection. Highly recommended for families, small groups or individual tourists - budget about 2-2.5 hours to see the entire collection.
There are snack vending machines on the ground floor with a small coffee shop on the premises but was closed on the Saturday that I visited. If you are feeling peckish after the Museum, there is the Loch Logan Waterfront less than 1km away from the Museum and a McDonalds even closer.
Written 8 July 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Renee C
Eugene, OR129 contributions
The reception lady at our hotel thinks the museum is moving so currently has only a few exhibits on display. But I didn't see anything on the website about this. Will all the displays be present tomorrow (Monday 19 August)? Thank you!
Prasidh R
Milnerton, South Africa61 contributions
Hmmm ... I'm sure such a large move would be on their website. Maybe best to call them +27 51 447 9609?
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Claim your listingTHE NATIONAL MUSEUM: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)
Frequently Asked Questions about The National Museum
- Hotels near The National Museum:
- (0.23 km) Premier Splendid Inn Bloemfontein
- (0.25 km) Stanville Hotel
- (0.55 km) BON Hotel Bloemfontein Central
- (1.78 km) Lemon and Lime Luxury Guesthouse
- (1.88 km) Abiento Guesthouse
- Restaurants near The National Museum:
- (0.23 km) McDonald's Bloemfontein CBD
- (0.22 km) High Tide Heights
- (0.51 km) Alabama Spur Steak Ranch
- (1.25 km) New York Restaurant
- (1.37 km) Bella Casa