• Last entry for temporary exhibitions is one hour before the Museum closes.
• Last entry for the permanent exhibition halls is 30 minutes before the Museum closes.
• On the 24th and 31st of December, the Museum will close at 15.00.
• The Museum is closed on the 25th of December, 1st of January, and 1st of May.
• Consult the dates of the Belgian school holidays.
• Please note: the library is open Monday to Friday, between 9:00 and 12:00 and between 13:30 and 16:00. It is closed on national holidays and between Christmas and the New Year. The library may be accessed via the RBINS’ reception (the stairs going up on the left). You do not need to present your Reader’s Card at reception, but a librarian will come to fetch you.

Lots of visitors for ANTARCTICA: be prepared and avoid the queue!

For safety reasons and for the comfort of the visitors, access to the exhibition ANTARCTICA is limited. During weekends and school holidays the afternoon block is usually quickly overbooked. Therefore, we suggest you to come in the morning or to come and buy your ticket in advance at the ticket desk (mention day and preferred time of visit - not possible for the free first Wednesday of the month from 13.00). 

For groups (+15 individuals) reservation is obligatory, even if it's not a guided tour. You can book your visit via reservations@naturalsciences.be or +32 (0)2 627 42 52 (on a weekday from 9.00 to 12.00 and from 13.00 to 16.30).

Individual visitors

* Belgian students aged 17-26 with a valid student card

Free entry

Entrance to the permanent exhibition halls and the temporary exhibitions is free:

• for everybody on the first Wednesday of every month, after 13:00
• for children under four (for Antarctica) and under six (for the permanent exhibitions), accompanied by at least one paying adult
• for Museum annual pass holders
• for one accompanying person per disabled visitor
• for ICOM members
• for teachers with professional ID

Workshops

PaleoLAB: entry + € 2
After a very short introduction in French or Dutch, it’s all about touching, testing, and handling the objects in this discovery zone. Parents can also help children if necessary.

Annual pass

Are you a fan of the Museum’s galleries and exhibitions? Pick up an annual pass to get a year's unlimited access to 10,000 m2 of permanent and temporary exhibitions. You’ll also receive a 20% discount on our Holiday Camps and 10% off all of your purchases, such as books, games or souvenirs, at the MuseumShop. The pass also entitles you to discounted tickets at other great attractions (pdf in FR) such as Antwerp Zoo, Planckendael and Technopolis. Subscribe now!

€ 30: adults
€ 20: children aged 6-17 (accompanied by a paying adult), students, seniors (65+), Friends of the Institute and disabled visitors | Until the end of the exhibition Antarctica the annual pass is available for children from 4 years old.

Register now online to enjoy a year of unlimited access to our exhibitions!

Groups and Guided Tours

Admissions

(Minimum group size of 15 people)

• Advance booking is required for all groups. This includes free visits in the permanent exhibition halls scheduled for the first Wednesday of the month, after 13:00. Bookings must be made via reservations@naturalsciences.be or +32 (0)2 627 42 52 (weekdays between 9:00 and 12:00 and between 13:00 and 16:30).
• Admission is free for one accompanying adult with every 15 paying visitors, for teachers with professional ID, and for everyone on the first Wednesday of the month, after 13:00.

Guided tours

Guided tours can be provided in English, subject to the availability of our guides. For more information or to book, please send a mail to reservations@naturalsciences.be or call +32 (0)2 627 42 52 (weekdays between 9:00 and 12:00 and between 13:00 and 16:30)

Activities

Workshops and birthday parties can be provided in English, subject to the availability of our guides. For more information or to book, please send a mail to reservations@naturalsciences.be or call +32 (0)2 627 42 52 (weekdays between 9:00 and 12:00 and between 13:00 and 16:30)

Combined tickets

B-Excursions: Train + Museum

Visit the Museum with B-Excursions! The SNCB offers tickets combining a train fare with admission to the Museum that are on sale in all Belgian railway stations. There are several options:

To visit the permanent exhibition halls only:

• B-Excursion for individuals
• B-Excursion for secondary school groups (note: it may be more advantageous to buy train tickets at group rate and Museum tickets at group rate separately if the school is located near Brussels, the price of B-Excursions depends on the distance between the departure station and the destination)
• B-Excursions are no longer available for primary schools, as children under 12 years old benefit from the group rate of 1€ per person. Train tickets and entrance tickets must therefore be purchased separately.

To visit the permanent exhibition halls and the Antarctica exhibition: B-Excursion for individuals and groups in French

Please note:

• The B-Excursion tickets have to be exchanged for entrance tickets at the Museum’s ticket desk. Please print your online B-Excursion ticket.
• Groups are always required to book in advance, first with the Museum, and then with the SNCB. For more information on travelling as a group, please visit the SNCB website.

• Admission to the permanent exhibition halls and the temporary exhibitions is free on the first Wednesday of every month, after 13:00. Therefore we advise you not to buy B-Excursion for those afternoons.

The Brussels Card

The Brussels Card opens doors all over Brussels. For either 24, 48, or 72 hours, this card gives you free admission to the permanent exhibitions in over 30 Brussels museums, free travel on STIB public transport, and incredible discounts in designer boutiques, shops, exhibitions, restaurants, and other attractions in the city. You also receive a map of Brussels when you buy the Brussels Card. There are six options: the 24 hour Brussels Card (€26), the 48 hour Brussels Card (€34), the 72 hour Brussels Card (€42), the 24 hour Brussels Card + Hop on Hop off (€40), the 48 hour Brussels Card + Hop on Hop off (€52), and the 72 hour Brussels Card + Hop on Hop off (€64). If you have a “Brussels Card + Hop on Hop off”, your Brussels Card also allows you to ride on the Hop on Hop off buses for free during 24, 48 or 72 hours (check the timetable at www.citysightseeingbrussel.be). The Brussels Card is available at the Museum tills.

Address

Museum of Natural Sciences
29 Rue Vautier
1000 Brussels
Tel: +32 (0)2 627 42 11 (Monday to Friday, between 7:30 and 17:00) 

• Bus stop for coaches and school buses: 260 Chaussée de Wavre/Waversesteenweg, 1050 Brussels.
• List of tourist coach parking locations in Brussels
• Map: see Google Maps or our printable plan.

We strongly recommend to use public transport. The parking possibilities are limited in the area of the Museum (important information for car and coach drivers below).

Public transport

Find your way to the Museum by public transport (Belgian Rail, STIB/MIVB, TEC and De Lijn) with the journey planner of the Belgian Rail.

Train

Brussels-Luxembourg station is a five-minute walk from the museum (see the “Admissions” section above for details on B-Excursions)

Bus
Bus 38 or 95 to “Idalie” or “Luxembourg” bus stops which are a five-minute walk from the museum
Bus 34 or 80 to “Museum” bus stop, opposite the museum

Metro
Line 1 or 5 to “Maelbeek/Maalbeek” station, a ten-minute walk from the museum
Line 2 or 6 to “Trône/Troon” station, a ten-minute walk from the museum

Villo!
There are several Villo! bike rental stations near the museum. The nearest, station no. 102, is located just outside the Museum, at the base of the outside staircase, facing 229-233 Chaussée de Wavre.

More information
For more information, please see the following websites:

• Belgian rail (trains)
• Europe by train (Thalys, Eurostar etc.)
• STIB/MIVB (metros, trams, and buses in Brussels)
• TEC (metros, trams, and buses in Wallonia)
• De Lijn (metros, trams, and buses in Flanders)
• Villo! (self-service bicycles for rent in Brussels)

Cars and tourist coaches

Low Emission Zone (LEZ) in Brussels

Since January 1st of 2018, the Brussels-Capital Region has become a Low Emission Zone (LEZ). The regulation affects cars, vans ≤ 3.5 tonnes, and buses and coaches, whether registered in Belgium or abroad. If you are entering the city in a car or van, check here to find out whether you are allowed to drive your vehicle within the LEZ (Belgian number plate) or register your car (foreign number plate). If a vehicule has not been registered in advance, a fine of 150 € can be levied. If you do not meet the conditions, we remind you that there are park-and-ride car parks on the access routes leading into Brussels as well as alternatives to the car. Thank you for taking part in the regional effort aimed at improved air quality!

Partial closing of Wiertz Street

The part of Wiertz Street near the European Parliament is closed for vehicles. As a consequence there is no direct connection anymore between Belliard Street and the Museum. You can reach us via Chaussée de Wavre.

Parking lots nearby

• Parking Forte Dei Marmi: Avenue du Maelbeek 61, 1040 Etterbeek
• Parking Jourdan: Place Jourdan 1, 1040 Etterbeek
• Parking Tulipe: Rue de la Tulipe 39a, 1050 Ixelles
• Parking des 2 Portes (Porte de Namur): Boulevard de Waterloo 2, 1000 Brussels

List of tourist coach parking locations in Brussels

The Museum is accessible to disabled visitors and the purchase of a concession ticket for a disabled visitor includes free admission for one accompanying adult.

Access and Parking

There are two spaces in the main Museum car park reserved for those with disabled parking badges. For those arriving by public transport, there is a colour-coded street map that shows the accessibility of footpaths in the “Bruxelles en fauteuil” guide. You can download this guide at www.bruxellesenfauteuil.be.

The Entrance

There is a ramp that connects the car park with the entrance to the Museum. The doors to this ramp are not automatic, so please do not hesitate to ask for help from the car park attendant. There is a lift in the entrance hall that is specially designed for wheelchairs to allow you to descend to the cloakroom floor. A note to groups of visitors with reduced mobility: taking the lift from the entrance hall to the cloakrooms takes a certain amount of time, so we recommend that you use the external walkway, accompanied by a member of our Security staff*.

The impressive external walkway located between the car park railings and the Museum entrance allows visitors with reduced mobility, accompanied by a member of our Security staff*, to directly access the cloakroom floor. It does not replace the main entrance, where the entrance desks are located, but it does optimise entrance into the Museum.

The floor of the walkway is fitted with orange LEDs, and there are direction signs on the road side, for blind or partially sighted visitors. The incline of the wooden floor is designed to limit momentum for wheelchairs. The lobby that connects the walkway to the Museum is fitted with sliding doors (the external doors are automatic in both directions, while the internal doors are automatic when exiting).

* If you would like to enter the Museum using the external walkway, please ask the car park attendant or send an email in advance to security@naturalsciences.be (there you can also reserve a parking spot).

Wheelchair for visitor use

A wheelchair for visitor use is kept in the entrance hall. It can be reserved at the Reception:

• by email: visitors.services@naturalsciences.be
• by phone: +32 (0)2 627 41 98

Lifts

There are two main lifts (A and B) that are accessible to everyone, as well as several lifts for wheelchair users. In the event that one of the lifts is unavailable, please ask one of the museum attendants to show you which way to go.

Toilets

You will find disabled toilets in the toilets by the Mineral Hall (Floor -1), in the excavation section of the Dinosaur Gallery (Floor -2), and below the main staircase that connects the Dinosaur Gallery and the 250 Years of Natural Sciences Hall (Floor -1).

Activities for blind and partially sighted visitors

For children over the age of 5, we recommend a visit to the paleoLAB, which offers a wide variety of fun activities, as well as lots of objects, particularly fossils and minerals, that can be handled (in fact, this is what this discovery zone was designed for!).

More information on the paleoLAB for individual visitors and for groups.

The Museum received the Accessibility Award in the 2013 Brussels Tourism Awards.

Dino Café

Whether you're feeling a bit peckish or thirsty, or if you could eat a dinosaur, head for the Dino Café! Here you will find a wide range of products to eat in or take away. Our menu is a hit with children and includes sandwiches, salads, soups, hot meals and hot dogs.

Ask about our special options for groups or birthdays. For more information (about the Dino Café only), call or fax on +32 (0)2 640 21 60 or send a mail to catering@horeto-museum.com.

Picnic areas

Indoors
Groups can eat their own food in the picnic area next to the Dino Café, if they book in advance on +32 (0)2 627 42 52. This area also has vending machines for drinks and snacks.

Outdoors
There is a picnic area with ten picnic tables near the entrance, amongst the trees behind the statue of the Ishango bone.

Whether you’re looking for museum branded T-shirts and mugs for the whole family, figurines of your favourite animals, a fluffy toy, a beautiful book, a field guide, genuine rocks and minerals, or a nature sounds CD, you will find all of this and much more in our MuseumShop (Tuesday to Sunday).

Explore our range of products in French or Dutch.

The MuseumShop is accessible without an admission ticket and is open from 10 AM to 5 PM, Tuesday to Friday (outside school holidays), and from 10 AM to 6 PM on weekends and during Belgian school holidays.

For more information, please call 02 627 44 00 or email museumshop@naturalsciences.be.

Baby rooms

You will find baby-changing tables in the toilets by the Mineral Hall (Floor -1), in the excavation section of the Dinosaur Gallery (Floor -2), and below the main staircase that connects the Dinosaur Gallery and the 250 Years of Natural Sciences Hall (Floor 0).

First Aid

The Museum is equipped with a cardiac defibrillator (at the entrance to the building), and a first aid point. In the event of an incident, please inform one of the Museum attendants. Help will be provided by people trained in first aid.

Free cloakroom and lockers

You can leave your coats, bags and umbrellas in the cloakroom free of charge. For valuables, we recommend you to use the coin-operated lockers (€ 1 coin).

The cloakroom and the lockers are located on the ground floor, just before the entrance to the Dinosaur Gallery.

Lost something (teddy bear, scarf, umbrella etc.)?

• Send an email to security@naturalsciences.be.
• Security and guard service (authorisation n°: 18.1245.07)

Wheelchair for visitor use

A wheelchair for visitor use is kept in the entrance hall. It can be reserved at the Reception by email: visitors.services@naturalsciences.be.

Museum and visitor code

So that everyone can have a pleasant visit please respect the guidelines outlined in our Visitor Regulations.

Library

The library is open to all, subject to registration (€ 2.50 a year, see regulations). It is open Monday to Friday, between 9:00 and 12:00 and between 13:30 and 16:00. It is closed on national holidays and between Christmas and the New Year. The library is located on level -1 of the Museum. It may be accessed via the RBINS’ reception (the stairs going up on the left). You do not need to present your Reader’s Card at reception, but a librarian will come to fetch you.

Taking photographs and filming in the museum is allowed, as long as flashes and tripods are not used, and on the condition that the resulting images are for personal use only and are not for professional or commercial purposes. The filming or taking photographs must also be done in such a way as not to disturb other visitors.

Filming or taking photographs for professional purposes is allowed subject to the prior authorisation of the Communication Service (Tel: +32 (0)2 627 45 41).

Low Emission Zone (LEZ) in Brussels

Since January 1st of 2018, the Brussels-Capital Region has become a Low Emission Zone (LEZ). The regulation affects cars, vans ≤ 3.5 tonnes, and buses and coaches, whether registered in Belgium or abroad. If you are entering the city in a car or van, check here to find out whether you are allowed to drive your vehicle within the LEZ (Belgian number plate) or register your car (foreign number plate). If a vehicule has not been registered in advance, a fine of 150 € can be levied. If you do not meet the conditions, we remind you that there are park-and-ride car parks on the access routes leading into Brussels as well as alternatives to the car. Thank you for taking part in the regional effort aimed at improved air quality!

List of tourist coach parking locations in Brussels

Other museums in the area

There are other museums nearby, notably:

• The Wiertz Museum
• The Museum of Ixelles
• The Parlamentarium
• The Belvue Museum
• The Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium (including the Old Masters Museum, the Modern Museum, and the Magritte Museum)
• BOZAR
• The BIP and its exhibition
• The Royal Museums of Art and History (including the Cinquantenaire Museum and the Musical Instruments Museum)
• The Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History

The Brussels Card

The Brussels Card opens doors all over Brussels. For either 24, 48, or 72 hours, this card gives you free admission to the permanent exhibitions in over 30 Brussels museums, free travel on STIB public transport, and incredible discounts in designer boutiques, shops, exhibitions, restaurants, and other attractions in the city. You also receive a map of Brussels when you buy the Brussels Card. There are six options: the 24 hour Brussels Card (€26), the 48 hour Brussels Card (€34), the 72 hour Brussels Card (€42), the 24 hour Brussels Card + Hop on Hop off (€40), the 48 hour Brussels Card + Hop on Hop off (€52), and the 72 hour Brussels Card + Hop on Hop off (€64). If you have a “Brussels Card + Hop on Hop off”, your Brussels Card also allows you to ride on the Hop on Hop off buses for free during 24, 48 or 72 hours (check the timetable at www.citysightseeingbrussel.be). The Brussels Card is available at the Museum tills.

To find out more about what Brussels has to offer in the way of culture, tourist attractions, fine dining, and hotels, please don’t hesitate to visit the following:

• The Brussels Museums Council
• The BIP
• Visitbrussels
• Wallonie-BruxellesTourisme
• ToerismeVlaanderen
• 365.be

Museum of Natural Sciences
29 Rue Vautier
1000 Brussels
Tel: +32 (0)2 627 42 11 (Monday to Friday, between 7:30 and 17:00)

If you would like more information about our exhibitions and activities you can:

• Email us at info@naturalsciences.be
• Call us on +32 (0)2 627 42 27(during office hours).

If you would like to book a guided tour, a workshop, an activity, or a group visit:

• Send an email to reservations@naturalsciences.be.
• Call us on +32 (0)2 627 42 52 (weekdays from 9:00 to12:00 and from 13:00 to 16:30)

Lost something (teddy bear, scarf, umbrella etc.)?

• Send an email to security@naturalsciences.be.
• Security and guard service (authorisation n°: 18.1245.07)

If you would like to contact a member of our staff, ask a question about natural science, report a ringed bird you have found, or for any other enquiries:

• Visit our Contact us page

If you would like to know more about organizing an event or to discuss a possible partnership:

• Consult our page Events.
• Send an email to Isabelle Van Loo.

If you would like to make a complaint about any of our services:

• Complete the online form provided in Dutch of in French or use the paper form in Dutch or in French.

If you are not satisfied with the handling of your complaint:

• Contact the Federal Ombudsman (in French or Dutch). The Federal Ombudsman helps you to solve your disputes with federal administrative authorities in a reliable and rapid manner.

Leaflet 'Complaint management'