Big Pit National Coal Museum

Blaenavon
Visitors wearing helmets and headlamps during an underground visit to Big Pit.
A guide talking to helmeted visitors in a dark mine passage.
A group wearing helmets and lamps beneath low timber supports in the mine.
See all photos
Visitors wearing helmets and headlamps during an underground visit to Big Pit.
A guide talking to helmeted visitors in a dark mine passage.
A group wearing helmets and lamps beneath low timber supports in the mine.
A guide in orange workwear beside mining equipment underground.
A guide talking to visitors among the shower partitions in the Pithead Baths.
Visitors talking beside the red steel winding gear at Big Pit.
Red steel winding gear with a Welsh flag and views across the town below.

Welcome to Big Pit, National Coal Museum

Big Pit National Coal Museum in Blaenafon explores Wales’s coal-mining history at a former working mine. Part of Amgueddfa Cymru, it is set within the Blaenavon Industrial Landscape World Heritage Site.

The underground tour takes visitors around 300 feet below ground with a mining guide. Above ground, the Mining Galleries, Pithead Baths exhibition and historic colliery buildings tell the stories of mining work and the communities around it.

Museum entry is free, but underground tours have a separate charge. Advance Jobaknock tickets provide a timed tour slot; tickets bought on arrival are subject to availability and may involve a wait. Check current arrangements before travelling.

The site is on a steep hillside, with uneven surfaces and steps. Children must be at least one metre tall for the underground tour, and under-16s must be accompanied by an adult. Read the museum’s access and underground-tour guidance, including equipment and permitted-belongings rules, before booking; wheelchair users should arrange underground visits in advance.

There is a coffee shop, gift shop and space for picnics. Dogs on short leads are allowed outdoors only; trained assistance dogs are welcome in museum buildings but not underground. Check the official site for current opening hours, events, parking arrangements and visitor guidance.

Show more
Visit our website
bigpit@museumwales.ac.uk
0300 1112333

Big Pit, Blaenavon, Torfaen, NP4 9XP

A guide talking to visitors among the shower partitions in the Pithead Baths.

Amenities

  1. Cafe on Site
  2. Family Friendly
  3. Shop on Site
  1. Easy Access / Accessibility
  2. On-Site Parking
  3. Wi-fi

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How to book

Check the museum website for current tour availability, charges and opening times. You can book a timed Jobaknock underground tour in advance; on-the-day tours depend on availability. Contact Big Pit before a group or wheelchair-accessible underground visit, and read the tour requirements before booking.

Book now
bigpit@museumwales.ac.uk
0300 1112333

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