A full Review of Beaulieu, Home of the National Motor Museum
Ad/ Thank you for coming to read our blog ‘A full Review of Beaulieu, Home of the National Motor Museum’. Our visit to Beaulieu was gifted in return for a review. All opinions are our own.
What is Beaulieu, National Motor Museum?
The National Motor Museum is located in the village of Beaulieu in the New Forest. It is home to Classic Cars, the World of Top Gear, the magnificent Palace House, Beaulieu Abbey, Little Beaulieu and much more.
Where is it?
Beaulieu,
New Forest,
Hampshire,
United Kingdom,
SO42 7ZN
There is plenty of free parking on site. We had to walk for a couple of minutes to get to the main entrance.
Ticket Prices
They still ask that you pre book tickets as they are limited numbers to reduce crowding. Book here.
Advance eTicket – Adult Online price: £23.00
Advance eTicket – Senior Online price: £22.00
Advance eTicket – Child (Aged 5-16) Online price: £12.00
Advance eTicket – Child (Aged 0-4) Online price: £0.00
Advance eTicket – Family (2 Adults & 3 Children) Online price: £59.00
Advance eTicket – Family (1 Adult & 4 Children) Online price: £59.00
Advance eTicket – Adult Disability Concession Online price: £15.00
Advance eTicket – Child (Aged 5-16) Disability Concession Online price: £8.40
Advance eTicket – Carer Online price: £0.00
Opening Times
Sat 1 Jan – Fri 27 May 10am – 5pm
Sat 28 May – Sun 11 September 10am – 6pm
Mon 12 September onwards 10am – 5pm
Closed Christmas Day
What can we do there?
There’s so much to do at Beaulieu that we didn’t even manage to do it all, despite being there for a full day.
We started on the Monorail ride which is a great way to get an aerial view of the grounds and figure out where everything is. It also goes straight through the museum building which was brilliant. We actually went on this again at the end of the day because the girls enjoyed it so much.
Next we went to the Screen Cars exhibition, which, despite being small has some brilliant cars that have featured on tv and film. The girls were particularly impressed with Mr Beans car!
Our next stop was the ‘main’ Beaulieu motor museum which is huge and is probably considered the main Beaulieu attraction. It features everything from historic sporting motors and early motor carriages, to vintage cars, legendary F1 cars and motorbikes. There were convenient arrows on the floor to help you get around the space and lots of information about what you were looking at. My personal favourite was jack tucker’s garage which is a 1930’s replica garage full of artefacts from a bygone era. As with most children, the girls favourites were the interactive displays, as well as the cars that they could climb in.
After this we decided it was time for a little play so headed to the enchanting new play area ‘Little Beaulieu’ which is nestled in Beaulieu’s grounds. It is one of the best playgrounds I’ve seen for children. Grab yourself a drink from the small takeaway cafe and sit and watch the children let their imagination run wild.
After stopping for lunch (discussed below) we got an ice cream from the park and walked through the beautiful Beaulieu grounds and kitchen gardens, to the Beaulieu estate and the Montagu Family home. It’s a really lovely Victorian Country House with lots to explore. The girls were really interested in the working kitchen as well as the hats they got to try on!
As we were leaving the Palace House we watched a bit of a falconry show that was on over half term before jumping on board the brilliant open top veteran bus. Another highlight for the girls this takes you back through the museum grounds back to the main entrance (which is just perfect when you have tired legs!)
Once back to near the main entrance the girls wanted to go to the World of Top Gear which featured loads of cars (and more) from Top Gear. Even though we’re not avid watchers of Top Gear I do remember some of the cars on show, and others had descriptions or videos next to them to explain what they did. The girls found them hilarious, especially the Reliant Robin Space Shuttle! We also went to see the short Top Gear montage thats shown in a studio that gives you the feel of the top gear studio.
After this, as I mentioned above, we went on the Monorail again! It was a lovely way to end the day with some last views of the grounds of Beaulieu. Before we had a browse of the shop (car fans heaven!) and headed home.
What about food and drink?
The main restaurant at Beaulieu is large and it was easy to find somewhere to sit. They have options of either inside or outside seating. We shared a lunch of pizza and chips and it was good value and tasty.
There is also the small takeaway cafe at Little Beaulieu that is brilliant for a snack or drink whilst the children have great fun playing in the playground. There is limited seating near this cafe but lots of benches scattered around.
Anything else?
We didn’t get to see everything (which is a great excuse to go back!) but there is also the Secret Army Exhibition which uncovers Beaulieu’s history as a top secret training establishment for special agents of the Special Operations Executive during World War Two. There is also Beaulieu Abbey which was founded by King John in the 13th Century before being destroyed on the orders of King Henry VIII in 1538. To stretch your legs there is the Mill Pond Walk.
There is also an opportunity to get a ride on Chitty Chitty Bang Bang which looked great. This runs during school holidays and weekends from March to October and comes at an additional cost of £40 for the whole car.
They do also hold a variety of events at Beaulieu during the year including Classic Cars, Land Rover and a Hot Rod and Custom Show. Click here for more information.
We had a superb day at Beaulieu national motor museum, and I can whole heartedly recommend it for a trip when you’re in the beautiful new forest national park.
Another great place to visit in the area is Paultons Park, home to Peppa Pig World – check out our review here.
