Beaulieu Motor Museum is located in the New Forest, and is in fact the National Motor Museum in the UK. So it’s a pretty important place when it comes to classic cars and other historic vehicles.
If you want to visit Beaulieu National Motor Museum, then this guide is for you! This makes a great day out for all ages, and the gorgeous New Forest location is simply the cherry on top of the cake.
The National Motor Museum in Beaulieu is packed with attractions. You can even visit Palace House, the historic seat of the Montagu family, as this is included with your ticket. There’s a even a new play area for kids – and a few pheasants wandering around the grounds.
Whether you’re what the presenters in the Top Gear studio (or indeed during the filming of The Grand Tour) call a petrol head or not, rest assured. The Beaulieu car museum is packed with beautiful vehicles and photo opportunities, so there really is something for everyone. Plus of course there’s historic Palace House.
From Little Beaulieu or the World of Top Gear to the beautiful grounds and Beaulieu Abbey ruins, this is the ultimate guide to the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu.
Beaulieu Motor Museum Opening Times
- Mid September to late May: 10 am to 5 pm
- Late May to mid September: 10 am to 6 pm
Local’s tip: Get there for opening time so you can see more sights without the crowds.
Beaulieu Motor Museum is open daily, apart from Christmas Day. It’s open between 10 am and 5 pm, and you can stay for an extra hour during the summer season. The museum stays open until 6 pm from late May to mid September.
Saturday and Sunday are the busiest days. There are more visitors at Beaulieu between 12 pm and 2 pm than there are before midday, or from 2 pm to closing time.
Beaulieu Motor Museum Prices
- Adult eTicket: £24
- Child eTicket (5 to 16): £13
- Family eTicket (2 adults + 3 kids or 1 adult + 4 kids): £61
Local’s tip: You need to pre-book your ticket and an arrival time slot via the Beaulieu website.
Beaulieu Motor Museum tickets are available at reduced rates for seniors and disabled visitors. Carers and kids aged 4 or under get free entry.
What’s included
- National Motor Museum – 285+ vehicles
- World of Top Gear – Cars and more from the TV show
- On screen cars – Vehicles from TV and films
- Palace House – Victorian life in the Montagu family home
- Beaulieu Abbey – Ruins over 800 years old
- Little Beaulieu – Kids’ adventure play park
- Monorail – ‘Skytrain’ rides
- Veteran bus – Open top bus
- Secret Army Exhibition – World War II in Beaulieu
- Art Russe – Soviet Russian art at the Clock House
- Grounds – Victorian gardens, Mill Pond, Alice in Wonderland topiary and more
You can easily spend a full day at Beaulieu – even when it’s raining. There’s so much to see and do, and in the grounds you can discover local wildlife, Victorian kitchen and flower gardens, the Love Lock Tree sculpture, tree carvings, an Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland area and even the Rufus Memorial Cairn.
How to Get to Beaulieu
Local’s tip: Cycling to Beaulieu is lovely if you have a bike, or you can hire one at Brockenhurst station.
By car
- SO42 7ZN
- Free parking
Follow the brown tourist signs from junction 2 of the M27, or use the postcode SO42 7ZN. Once you arrive, you can park for free, and there’s about 1,000 spaces.
For Beaulieu Motor Museum events there’s also extra overflow parking. No height restrictions are in place, so you can drive a caravan or camper van onto the site.
By bus
The open top New Forest tour bus operates in summer, and Beaulieu is on the Green Route. This stops at the Motor Museum and can pick you up in Ashurst, Lyndhurst, Brockenhurst, Lymington and more.
By train
Brockenhurst is the nearest station to Beaulieu, and there are regular services from London Waterloo, Weymouth and more. Beaulieu is around seven miles from the station. You can take a taxi, the New Forest tour bus, or hire a bike from Cyclexperience at their station rental centre during opening hours.
Where to Eat at Beaulieu
Local’s tip: Pack your own picnic by visiting one of the New Forest farm shops in advance, and/or eat at The Montagu Arms later on.
- Cafe: Open daily from 10 am for snacks, sandwiches, cakes and drinks
- Restaurant: Serves food between 11.30 am and 2.30 pm daily, including main meals and kids’ lunch boxes
- Picnics: Picnic benches, lawns and a covered area
There’s a cafe, a restaurant and picnic benches at Beaulieu – plus lots of grass to spread out on. A covered area is also available on wet weather days.
Shopping at Beaulieu
Local’s tip: As the main gift shop is in the main museum’s reception area, you can shop here without a ticket.
- Gift shop: Model cars, motoring gifts, clothing, accessories, homeware, books and toys
- Kitchen shop: Sells local produce, kitchen and homeware
The Kitchen shop can be found at Palace House, while the main gift shop is right there when you enter the museum. In the village, don’t miss the Beaulieu Chocolate Studio.
Where to Stay in Beaulieu
Local’s tip: You can walk from the Montagu Arms to the Motor Museum via a path connecting the two.
The Montagu Arms
The Montagu Arms is the number one place to stay when visiting the National Motor Museum. It’s directly connected in more ways than one, for starters. Palace House is the Montagu family seat.
Best of all is the path right opposite the hotel’s front door. This is accessed via a gate in the brick wall, and leads you directly to the museum. So it makes getting there a cinch.
The Montagu Arms is a lovely place for lunch, dinner or afternoon tea. It has Monty’s pub as well as a The Terrace restaurant on site. The garden at the back is glorious too.
Accommodation is decorated in a contemporary yet classic style. Rooms and suites are available. For a special occasion, book one of the secluded Hayloft Suites in the grounds. I’ve been inside these duplexes, and they’re gorgeous.
Click here to book The Montagu Arms
Other places to stay
The Master Builder’s House – Buckler’s Hard
You could take the two mile Beaulieu to Buckler’s Hard walk in reverse to reach the Motor Museum from here. This waterside hotel is in a natural, peaceful location by the Beaulieu River.
Click here to book the Master Builder’s
The Balmer Lawn – Brockenhurst
I’ve cycled between Balmer Lawn and the Motor Museum on a spring day – and my, what a lovely ride it was. This luxurious yet laid-back four star is one of my favourite New Forest hotels, and places for afternoon tea or a drink.
Click here to book the Balmer Lawn
Carey’s Manor – Brockenhurst
Guests at the Montagu Arms can use the Thai-style spa at Carey’s Manor, also in Brockenhurst. It also has French and Thai restaurants, and very pleasant rooms and grounds.
Click here to book Carey’s Manor
Crown Manor House – Lyndhurst
The smart Crown Manor House is right in the centre of town, so it’s great in terms of local amenities. You can catch the New Forest tour bus from Lyndhurst to Beaulieu in summer.
Click here to book Crown Manor House
The Mayflower – Lymington
This stylish nautical pub with rooms is in Lymington, on the New Forest coast. In summer you can also take the New Forest tour bus from Lymington to Beaulieu.
Click here to book The Mayflower
Find more places to stay in the New Forest in this complete guide.
Beaulieu Motor Museum FAQs
How long does it take to go around Beaulieu Motor Museum?
I’d recommend allowing at least four hours for your visit. It’s easy to stay longer, though, as there’s so much to see and do. Including the World of Top Gear, Palace House, Little Beaulieu, further exhibitions and much more. There’s also the expansive grounds to explore, plus two eateries and a couple of shops.
Can you park at the National Motor Museum for free?
Yes, you can. There’s around 1,000 parking spaces, plus a dedicated car park for disabled visitors. Camper vans and caravans can also park in the coach park. On event days, overflow car parking is also provided. The car park postcode is SO42 7ZN.
What cars can I see at Beaulieu?
Some of the more historic vehicles to see include a 1901 Columbia Electric, an 1899 Daimler, a 1903 De Dion Bouton, a 1914 Ford Model T, the 1875 Grenville Steam Carriage, an 1895 Knight, and a 1903 Mercedes.
You can also see cars used for advertising, commercial vehicles, Grand Prix cars, old motorcycles, luxury cars, vehicles featured on Top Gear and cars that have starred on the small and silver screen.
Can you buy discount tickets for Beaulieu Motor Museum?
As the museum is so popular, discounted tickets aren’t offered as a rule. They are also sold only directly, rather than via third parties.
Disabled visitors, seniors and children under 16 pay less than the regular adult rate, however. Kids aged 4 or under and carers go free. Family tickets can also offer better value for money, so in effect these represent a discount as compared to buying separate adult and child tickets.
A day at Beaulieu Motor Museum
If you want to know what a visit to Beaulieu is really like, read on for my personal account. This also includes a post-museum visit to The Montagu Arms.
Not far to drive
I’m ashamed to say that our home is about half an hour’s drive from Beaulieu (pronounced “Bew-ley”) for over 15 years, but we’d not yet been to Beaulieu Motor Museum. We’d had various sojourns into the New Forest – picnics at Horseshoe Bottom (our favourite bottom). Tea, cake and ice cream at a few places in Burley and afternoon tea in Brockenhurst.
Walks on the heathland and shopping trips to Ringwood, Lymington and Lyndhurst. Yet, despite its excellent reputation as a great place to visit, we remained inexperienced in terms of Beaulieu’s charms – of which we had not yet taken advantage.
That all changed on an unseasonably cold weekend at the end of April – which also happened to coincide with our wedding anniversary. We were booked into the lovely, 4-star Balmer Lawn hotel in Brockenhurst, and had a trip to Beaulieu planned for the Saturday. At last!
Cycling New Forest
The day dawned chilly, but mercifully rain-free. Being a keen cyclist, I opted to ride between Brock (as it is locally known) and Beaulieu. It was a decision I lived to celebrate, as the route took me through as yet unseen parts of the New Forest.
I shuddered my way over cattle grids – the trick here is not to slow down. (Something I already knew after growing up with grandparents who owned a static caravan in Warkworth, Northumberland, complete with cattle-gridded entrance.)
I looked out for signposts and landmarks, keen not to bother checking my phone again to find my way. I was immersing myself in nature and history, and modern technology could take a back seat for once, I reckoned. Luckily, the route was literally as simple as “turn left out of the hotel and keep going till you get there”.
I arrived at Beaulieu much too early. Despite frequent stops for picturesque photo opportunities, I arrived long before our arranged rendezvous at the Motor Museum.
No matter, I took a right at the “Beaulieu” sign – you really (really) couldn’t miss it – and made my way into the village. It’s a charming little spot, with plenty of olde-worlde shops and cottages to take photos of. There was a shimmering lake to my left, as I rolled down the slight incline to the village.
The grass was prettily and appropriately adorned with several New Forest ponies, happily grazing. On the far side, you could clearly see what I later found out to be Palace House. You can visit this along with the Motor Museum, at no extra cost.
Seeing cars, by bicycle
The ticket price includes entry to various attractions – the National Motor Museum, World of Top Gear, Palace House & Gardens, Beaulieu Abbey, The Secret Army Exhibition and – joy of joys – rides on the Monorail (& Veteran Bus). I hadn’t been on a Monorail in over 30 years; since a family holiday to Butlin’s in Skegness, circa 1985. I saw one of the old carriages at Butlin’s in Minehead a few years ago, but that was as close as I’d come in recent times.
The Hampshire site is very big, far larger than I’d imagined, so you might well to take Beaulieu up on their offer of unlimited free rides. You can park for free too. If you have mobility issues, there are wheelchairs and scooters available to hire for free; reserving these in advance is recommended. Something to bear in mind if you have small children, too – do bring that buggy!
Top Gear
The ‘World of Top Gear’ collection was a highlight for me, especially seeing the ‘Old People’s car’ for real, after that episode was filmed in Christchurch, where we live. I loved seeing the old Volkswagen Campervan that James May converted into a boat-of-sorts, during one memorable episode. (We are keen VW van fans.)
The bikes they rode in the unforgettable Vietnam extended episode were on show too. That brought back amusing memories of the incorrigible three’s awkward, bulky ‘gifts’ to one another, and the subsequent hilarity that ensued when they tried to strap them onto their mopeds. All played out to the cringe-worthy tune of Springsteen’s ‘Born in the USA’.
An eclectic collection of classics
We saw clapped-out automobiles worth many millions of pounds. A red, double-decker London bus. The “small ones are more juicy” Outspan car.
A Sainsbury’s store front that resembled the one local to us in absolutely no way whatsoever. Old school milk floats and ice cream vans, and lots of AA (that’s the Automobile Association, of course) memorabilia. My favourite? A classic Beetle.
Pheasants & Palace House
We were a little tired and out of sorts to really appreciate Palace House properly, but it is beautifully done – complete with guides in period costume. I was nice to spy (and hear) a couple of pheasants as we wound our way there. A particular blast from my past, as I used to live on a Northumbrian country estate where pheasants roamed free – along with red squirrels a-plenty. (How the young fail to appreciate such things, or was that just me?)
The Montagu Arms
To revive our flagging spirits, we popped into the Montagu Arms in Beaulieu village for a small glass of something delicious and refreshing. Very relaxing it was, too – the pub has gorgeous gardens and great views of them. People were having afternoon tea in the lounge and it looked delectable.
Maybe next time. The chef there has stayed for over a decade, apparently just overseeing a huge kitchen extension and refit.
So they take their food very seriously. From what we saw, it shows. When Harry and Meghan got married, they were doing a ‘Royal Afternoon Tea’ to celebrate the Royal wedding; the Lemon and Elderflower drizzle cake and Rhubarb and Custard choux sounded very tempting to the tastebuds.
Why not read more about what to do in the New Forest, Beaulieu and other villages and towns in the New Forest, or how you can reach the motor museum via the New Forest bus.
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