Temporary closure: Saturday 23 October to Monday 15 November

To support the delivery of COP26 a small number of Glasgow Life venues will temporarily close. This includes Riverside Museum and we’re sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

The museum will close to the public at 5pm on Friday 22 October and will reopen at 10am on Tuesday 16 November. No access will be possible between Saturday 23 October and Monday 15 November, inclusive.

Changes to parking, the restaurant and shop:

There will be no car parking facilities available after 5pm on Tuesday 19 October until the venue reopens on Tuesday 16 November.

The restaurant will be closed from Saturday 16 October and will reopen on Tuesday 16 November. Snacks and hot drinks will be available on the first floor of the Museum from Saturday 16 October until 5pm on Friday 22 October.

The museum shop will be closed from 5pm on Wednesday 20 October and will reopen at 11am on Sunday 21 November.

For more information, please visit the Glasgow Life COP26 Update page 

Regular opening hours:

Monday-Thursday, Saturday: 10am-5pm

Friday and Sunday: 11am-5pm

We're pleased to confirm both the restaurant and the shop are also now open.

Pre-booked tickets are no longer required

We’re pleased to announce you no longer need a pre-booked ticket to visit Riverside. 

While we will gradually increase visitor numbers your health and safety remains very important to us and some safety measures will stay in place.

Face coverings are still mandatory in public buildings, please bring one with you.

To help ensure an enjoyable experience for all visitors, we will continue to encourage social distancing and suggest a one way route in some areas. 

QRs codes, for the Check in Scotland app, are available at main entrances and we appreciate your support for the Test and Protect process.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we make these changes. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Group visits

We're happy to confirm we are now able to accept bookings for self-led educational groups and a small programme of facilitated workshops is also available for school groups.

All visits must be booked in advance by emailing museums.schoolbookings@glasgowlife.org.uk or calling 0141 276 9505/9506, option 1 (Monday to Friday).

On the day of your visit

• On arrival please enter via the doors facing the car park.
• Wear a face covering to stay safe and protect others. Guidance on face covering exemptions is available from the Scottish Government website here.
• We're pleased to confirm the Shop at Riverside and the Restaurant are both open and the teams look forward to welcoming you back.
• Please observe signage in the venue and any one way routes that are in place.
• Please wash your hands and use hand sanitiser during your visit. 
• Some smaller spaces and hands on displays will be closed off during your visit to allow hygiene measures to be maintained.
• Please do not visit the museum if you, or any members of our household, has any symptoms of Coronavirus
• There are no cloakroom facilities or takeaway within the building, however there are catering outlets directly outside the museum. 
• We are unable to provide space for packed lunches at this time.
• For more information and ways to enhance your visit please visit Glasgow Museums where floor maps can be downloaded.
• We politely ask that you keep your visit to a maximum of 2 hours to ensure we can offer entry to as many visitors as possible

The City of Glasgow is currently in Level 0 of the Scottish Government’s COVID-19 protection levels.
Please refer to the latest guidelines on the Scottish Government website for information on the protection level restrictions. 

Good to Go accreditation

As it has been throughout this pandemic, the health and wellbeing of all Glasgow Life staff and the public remains our priority. We will continue to follow the Government’s guidance and ensure that safety is at the heart of how we operate in the current environment.

We’ll continue to keep this page up-to-date regarding our response to Covid-19. So whether you need it now, or in the near future, it could be worth a bookmark. You can also follow Glasgow Life on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram for our latest updates.

British Sign Language (BSL) users: For more information and the latest updates on Glasgow Life and Glasgow City Council services during the coronavirus pandemic, please visit the dedicated BSL section of the council’s website.

Support us: As one of Scotland’s largest charities, Glasgow Life is hugely grateful for the support it has received during the coronavirus pandemic, which has helped us to continue vital work in communities across the city during the most challenging of times. You can continue to help us by donating here.

Get the most up-to-date information on Glasgow Life's response to Covid-19 here.

Riverside Museum is the first purpose-built museum created by Glasgow Life in the 21st century. Located at the junction of the Rivers Kelvin and Clyde, it houses the city’s fabulous transport and technology collections, which have been gathered over the centuries and which reflect the important part Glasgow has played in the world through its contributions to heavy industries like shipbuilding, train manufacturing and engineering.

The museum was designed by internationally renowned architect, Dame Zaha Hadid. It opened in 2011 after a four-year build, with over 3,000 objects from the city's world-famous collections displayed inside.

"The Riverside Museum is a fantastic project where the exhibits and building come together at this prominent and historic location on the Clyde waterfront. The complex geometries of the extruded design continue Glasgow’s rich engineering traditions and will be a part of the city’s future as a centre of innovation." – Dame Zaha Hadid (1950-2016)