Two Colchester museums and three gallery shows are free, the Castle is £13.95 and the zoo £26.89 online. Prices, opening days and what is closed, checked this month.

Colchester packs an unusual amount into a small centre: the largest Norman keep in Europe, a free contemporary art gallery, a free natural history museum and two Green Flag parks, all within a walk of each other. This is what each of them actually costs and when they are open, checked against the venues’ own sites in August 2026. Where a venue is shut or a price has just changed, that is noted rather than glossed over.

Free, and worth the trip

Natural History Museum, High Street. Free admission, no booking needed. Open Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 5pm and Sunday 11am to 5pm, closed Mondays. It covers local wildlife, habitats and the 1884 Colchester earthquake, and it is housed in a former church, which is half the appeal. It is currently the subject of a National Lottery-supported redevelopment project, so expect the displays to change over the next couple of years.

Firstsite, Lewis Gardens, High Street, CO1 1JH. Free admission. Open Tuesday and Wednesday 10am to 5pm, Thursday to Saturday 10am to 10pm, Sunday 10am to 5pm, closed Mondays. The late Thursday to Saturday opening is unusual for a regional gallery and makes it a genuine evening option. Three exhibitions are running free this summer: Godfried Donkor: It’s a Numbers Game to 30 August, Arpita Shah: Nalini to 4 October, and Duncan Grant: Worlds Through Desire to 8 November.

Castle Park. Free. It picked up its 24th Green Flag Award in 2026 and retained the Green Heritage award backed by Historic England, which is a fair reflection of a park that wraps around the castle and runs down to the Colne.

High Woods Country Park. Free, and also a 2026 Green Flag winner. Woodland, meadow and a lake on the north side of the city, and the obvious choice if you want a walk rather than a stroll.

Which of the free ones you can do depends heavily on the day, because the two museums close on different days from each other:

Which day you go decides what is open Colchester city centre venues, August 2026 Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Colchester Castle Hollytrees Museum Natural History Museum Firstsite Castle Park Blue = open. Hollytrees also closes 1pm to 2pm every day it opens.

Paid attractions

Colchester attraction prices, checked August 2026
AttractionAdultChildNotes
Natural History MuseumFreeFreeClosed Mondays
FirstsiteFreeFreeClosed Mondays, open to 10pm Thu to Sat
Hollytrees Museum£5.00£3.50Closed Sundays and 1pm to 2pm
Colchester Castle£13.95£8.50Roof tours suspended
Beth Chatto's Gardens£14.95—Elmstead Market, prebooked rate
Colchester Zoological Society£26.89£19.87Online e-ticket, cheaper than the gate

Colchester Castle

£13.95 adult, £8.50 child aged 4 to 16, £11.95 student or reduced rate. A saver ticket for two adults and up to three children, or one adult and up to four children, is £36.50. Those prices hold until 31 March 2027. Open Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm and Sunday 11am to 5pm, with last entry suggested at 4.30pm. The museum is quieter after 2pm.

One thing to know before you book: the roof tours are currently suspended for essential repairs, so the walk up onto the top of the keep, usually the best part of a visit, is not available. The guided tours that are running cost £4.95 per adult and £2.85 per child on top of admission, and a virtual guided tour can be hired for £1.50. If a temporary exhibition is on, a small extra charge may apply. Check Colchester Museums before you travel.

Hollytrees Museum

Next door to the castle in Castle Park, £5 adult, £3.50 child, £15 for a saver ticket. These are new prices as of 1 April 2026: Hollytrees used to be free, so if you remember walking in without paying, that has changed. Open Monday to Saturday, but note the split hours, 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm, and closed Sundays. It is a Georgian townhouse of domestic history, toys and Colchester clocks, and it is the one to pair with the castle rather than visit alone.

A Colchester Museums Pass covers unlimited entry to the Castle, Hollytrees and the Natural History Museum for a year, which pays back quickly if you are local with children.

Colchester Zoological Society

Still the zoo most people call Colchester Zoo, at Maldon Road. For the current season, 1 July to 30 September 2026, the prices with the optional donation are £26.89 adult and £19.87 child aged 3 to 15 as an online e-ticket, or £31.63 and £23.38 at the gate. Without the donation it is £24.44 adult and £18.06 child online. Under-3s go free. E-tickets must be booked at least 24 hours ahead and carry a 50p booking fee per transaction.

The lesson in those numbers is simple: booking online rather than turning up saves an adult £4.74, and a family of two adults and two children about £16.

Beth Chatto’s Plants and Gardens

£14.95 prebooked for the gardens, at Clacton Road, Elmstead Market, CO7 7DB. Seven and a half acres laid out on Beth Chatto’s right plant, right place principle, including the gravel garden that made her name. Worth being clear about the geography: Elmstead Market is about four miles east of Colchester and sits in Tendring district, not the city, so it is a short drive rather than a walk.

Roman Colchester

Colchester was the Romans’ first capital in Britain, and long stretches of the Roman town wall still stand, with the Balkerne Gate at the western end the most substantial piece of it. Walking the wall costs nothing, and Visit Colchester publishes a route for it under its history and heritage listings.

Colchester Archaeological Trust also runs a small visitor centre on the site of the Roman circus, the only Roman chariot-racing circus known in Britain. Opening days are limited and it is run largely by volunteers, so check catuk.org for current times and admission before setting out rather than turning up.

Theatre

The Mercury Theatre is the city’s own producing theatre, with a main house and a studio, and its programme mixes work it makes itself with touring shows, comedy and a Christmas pantomime. Prices vary by show; the current programme is at mercurytheatre.co.uk.

A cheap day out, costed

Two adults and two children, one day in the city centre:

  • Park and Ride group ticket, two adults and three children in one car: £5.40
  • Natural History Museum: free
  • Firstsite: free
  • Castle Park: free
  • Colchester Castle saver ticket: £36.50

That is a full day for £41.90 including travel, or £5.40 if you skip the castle and stick to the free museums and the park. Bought as individual Park and Ride returns rather than the group ticket, the travel would be £8.60. Full travel and parking prices are on our roadworks and travel page.

Frequently asked questions

Is anything free to do in Colchester?

Yes, a good deal. The Natural History Museum and Firstsite gallery are both free, as are Castle Park, High Woods Country Park and walking the Roman town wall. Firstsite’s three current exhibitions are all free.

How much is Colchester Castle?

£13.95 for an adult and £8.50 for a child aged 4 to 16, with a family saver at £36.50. Those prices run until 31 March 2027. Roof tours are suspended for repairs.

How much is Colchester Zoo?

For 1 July to 30 September 2026, £26.89 adult and £19.87 child as an online e-ticket with the donation included, or £31.63 and £23.38 at the gate. Booking online at least 24 hours ahead is the cheaper route.

Is Hollytrees Museum still free?

No. Since 1 April 2026 it charges £5 for an adult and £3.50 for a child. It also closes between 1pm and 2pm and all day Sunday.

What is open on a Monday in Colchester?

Colchester Castle and Hollytrees Museum are open on Mondays. The Natural History Museum and Firstsite are both closed on Mondays. Castle Park and High Woods are open every day.

Sources

Prices and opening times were checked in August 2026. Attractions change both without much notice, so confirm on the venue’s own site before you travel.