Big Pit National Coal Museum

What a lovely place.

The staff/guides on site are extremely friendly, passionate and informative about the site and the history of the mines.

There is lots of buildings to visit on the site and if you get the chance be sure to go in the cage 90m down into the caves - an amazing experience.

Lots of interesting facts, illustrations, equipment and machinery to learn about.

A great day out.

Would recommend bringing your own food, as canteen on site offers limited food cater to limited tastes (not a hit with the kids).

Would definitely visit again, even if it were to learn more from the staff/guides.

Fascinating insight into the industry that defined South Wales. The mine is in a beautiful area with original buildings and equipment preserved, making for an interesting walk around especially if weather is good to you. However the crown jewel is the underground mine tour which gives you first hand insight into what working in these mines would've been like.

Our tour guide Pete was incredible! He was a retired miner himself, from generations of Welsh miners. He was extremely informative and entertaining, and could give us his own experience of working in a mine.

The tour lasted around 45 minutes and covered a lot of important aspects of the mine. There are very low ceilings at some parts, at nearly 6ft I found myself almost at a right angle at some parts to get through, but the bits where you have to duck are quick and you won't be walking for more than a minute or so in those parts. However due to this, uneven ground, and the dark setting, I don't recommend the tour for those with mobility impairments or those who are claustrophobic.

Parking is £5 which I think is more than fair when the museum is free. Staff are friendly and there's a gift shop with a good mix of tourist novelties, information, and independent artist goods.

If you are able bodied I would definitely recommend going to the Big Pit!

Second time here and enjoyed it as much this time as I did last time. Very knowledgeable tour guide and just a fabulous experience. Tour lasts around 50 mins. Then we went to the pit head baths and other ancillary buildings before having a cup of Welsh tea in the canteen. We finished off by checking out the modern mining experience which was also great. Kids really enjoyed it. Great learning experience. Highly recommended.

This is a fantastic Living History experience. Dramatic, poignant and a true memorial to Welsh History. You have an underground tour of the mines, an above ground interactive museum experience, and a walk around the site which is full of machinery and Industrial heritage.

You have the freedom of the grounds too walk around, and the underground tour gives you a 40 minutes guided tour, where you wear a hard hat, electric light, gas mask and battery. It is very exciting!

The Big Pit is a must see museum, parking is £5 and entry is free into the museum. I think you have an option to fast track the queue for £5 a person which could definitely be worth it if you happen to be there when it’s really busy (wait times can be up to an hour.)

All the staff are super friendly and really thorough on the knowledge when giving you a tour of the mines. I learnt a lot about the history of mining in general in the early to mid 1900’s.

Worth noting that you are not allowed anything with a battery down into the mine. These are collected and locked away in a safe place.

When the tour is finished make sure you climb up the steps and check out the building at the top. The views are incredible and all the lockers, showers etc are up there (plus a cafe.)

I would honestly recommend this to anyone. Definitely worth the few hours you spend there! Thank you to all the staff for such an amazing experience.

Such a cool museum! The mine tour was amazing. All the tours are led by former miners and they do a great job conveying the atmosphere while making everyone feel safe and comfortable. The sensation of being lowered into the mine was so creepy! But it was awesome learning about the history of the mine and getting a former miners perspective on what it was like to work in one.

This is a great place for all the family. (children less than 1metre tall aren't allowed down the mine for safety reasons). Before we went down the mine we were kitted out with lamps and safety gear. Our guide was an ex-miner who gave an excellent tour. His stories about life below ground for the men, children and animals who worked there really gave us food for thought. The trip down the mine lasts about 50 minutes; you should wear sensible clothing and shoes as it is cold, and slippery in parts. We had to wait a bit for our tour as we went on a Sunday. You can also book a time for your tour online for 5 pounds. Otherwise the whole museum is free. As well as the mine tour, I really enjoyed seeing the baths, canteen and medical centre. Highly recommended!

A fascinating and informative experience. Deep tour guide Emma really brought the very harsh realities of working underground to life. The King Coal exhibit is very clever and the bathhouse exhibition is very good as well as an interesting piece of modernist architecture. You'll need sensible shoes for the underground tour. It seems to be worth booking a timed tour at the weekend, but we only had a short wait on a wet Friday afternoon.