Royal Air Force Museum Midlands — Attraction in Donington

Great artefacts with areas for improvement. Visited on Wednesday, 03rd September 2025. Booked our free entry tickets in advance and paid for parking in advance, as there is a discount. There is a suggestion you make a voluntary contribution, but having had snacks and a sandwich and parking for circa £50+ you may want to hold fire as they get you one way or another. Easy to find, but watch you don't accidentally pull into the operational base, which is in advance of the museum entrance. There appears to be a dedicated train station a stone's throw from the entrance, and plenty of parking. As I say, parking is chargeable, which is unusual for a site where the parking has no alternative purpose. There is an entry building and 3 airframes to visit around the car park. The description boards for these airframes are completely faded and cracked, which is a shame. Once inside the entrance building, there is a café with a convoluted mobile ordering system and a very limited range of hot food options, but what there is inc chilled is way overpriced. There is a decent little shop opposite as well as toilets. Once through this building (you walk through to the rear, which is un-signposted and feels a little strange) or leave from the entrance and walk around the building. Behind the building, you come across a Nimrod, which wasn't open on my visit, as well as a PBY and Neptune. Again, faded signage felt strange compared to the money spent on the entrance building. You then enter a RAF 100 building, a Second World War display and then the massive but poorly designed Cold War Hangar. The first 2 hangars are brilliant and display stunning examples of airframes and artefacts brilliantly, but the Cold War Hangar is awful. The 3 V Bombers are located in it, but due to the lack of an elevated walkway, you have access to both the equivalent Fleet Air Arm Museum and Duxford; you can't really see the airframes at their best, as everything is crammed in, due in part to the frankly stupid style over substance shape of the building. Not aided by the last third of the building being closed off for no valid reason, it appeared. Still a wonderful museum, but with scope for...

My family and I have been frequent visitors to RAF Cosford over the past 8 years, having had many happy visits. Unfortunately, our last visit left a bit of a bitter taste, especially after speaking to the ‘Customer Care Team’.

We booked tickets for the Space Odyssey Planetarium event during the Easter Holidays. Due to the weather, we turned up 2 minutes late to the event start time and were told that we could no longer enter the event. This was obviously upsetting for my son, and we asked if there was any way we could go in quietly and sit at the back. Unfortunately, we were told that once the doors are closed, they don’t open again, and you can’t leave or enter unless it is an emergency. This was new information to us, and it was not mentioned when we purchased the tickets. The only piece of information I could find was in the fine print at the very bottom of the email suggesting visitors turn up early, but this is not obvious. There was no warning to say if you come late, you will not be allowed in to the event. The member of staff on the front desk told us that we were not the only people who had been caught out by this detail!

I spoke to the ‘Customer Care Team’ and suggested that this type of critical information should be made clear to visitors on their booking email. Unfortunately, they referred to their ‘no refund’ policy and offered no other help, not even a gesture of goodwill to refund the £7.50 parking charge we spent for the pleasure of standing at the front desk for 5 minutes.

If you’re looking to book onto an event in the future, just be warned that there may be rules you don’t even know about before you go, and don’t expect ‘Customer Care’ to care about any issues after the fact.

Reply: We did not decline moving our tickets as has been suggested by RAF Midlands. They checked for another time but it was fully booked, yet they keep saying we declined an offer that was never there. I have explained this in email, which they have...

What a cracking day out the Royal Air Force Museum makes! Honestly, for a completely free family adventure, it's an absolute triumph. From the moment you step inside, you're surrounded by incredible flying machines that spark the imagination of young and old alike. We were utterly captivated by the sheer variety of aircraft on display. Wandering through the hangars, you come face-to-face with iconic planes that have shaped history. My little ones were wide-eyed looking up at the colossal bombers and darting between the sleek fighter jets. It's not just static displays either; the way the exhibits are presented, often with interactive elements and engaging information boards, really brings the stories of these aircraft and the people who flew them to life. What makes it truly brilliant for families is that there's so much to do as well as see. We spent ages in the interactive areas, letting the kids (and let's be honest, the adults too!) get hands-on with flight controls and learn about the principles of aviation in a fun and accessible way. There are often special events and activities running too, so it's worth checking their website before you go. Even the practicalities are spot on for a family day out. There are plenty of spaces to take a break, and the café offers reasonable options for refueling little explorers. Knowing that all this fascinating history and engaging entertainment comes without an entry fee is just the icing on the cake. If you're looking for a fantastic, educational, and thoroughly enjoyable free day out for the whole family, the Royal Air Force Museum should be right at the top of your list. We left feeling inspired and buzzing with everything we'd seen and learned – we'll definitely be back for another flight through...