Palace Green Library, home to the Museum of Archaeology, Cosin's Library and World Heritage Site Visitor Centre will be open to visitors at the following times (see Cosin's Library opening times on our website):
Opening times until Tuesday 23 December:
Wednesday 24 December - Friday 2 January 2026:
From Saturday 3 January 2026:
For more information on opening times and visiting us, visit our website.
Durham Castle is open for guided tours until Monday 22 December before closing for the festive period - visit our website for more information and available dates.
The museum will close at 4pm on Sunday 21 December and reopen at 12pm on Saturday Friday 3 January 2026. Visit our website for more information on visiting us.
We run a varied exhibition programme based on our outstanding collections and cutting-edge research.
Why not take some time over the Christmas vacation to explore some of our online exhibitions from the comfort of your own home!
Be part of Durham University's annual Student Art Prize! From Monday 24 November 2025 to Monday 16 February 2026 the Art Collection will be accepting submissions under this year’s theme of EXTRACTION. If shortlisted, you will have the opportunity to have your artwork exhibited, have your work become part of the University’s Art Collection, as well as win cash prizes.
This year we are partnering with the Centre for Visual Arts and Culture (CVAC), who stimulates, strengthens, and supports wide-ranging interdisciplinary visual culture research and training, at Durham University and beyond.
For the second year running we are collaborated with the BFI to create a brand new prize - the Film Award in association with the BFI will be awarded to the best film or moving image artwork.