Discovery Point and RRS Discovery

A captivating dive into Dundee’s maritime heritage Discovery Point and the RRS Discovery offer a fantastic experience for anyone interested in history, exploration, or maritime life. The museum is well laid out, starting with interactive galleries that take you through the story of the RRS Discovery – from its construction in Dundee to its legendary Antarctic expedition with Captain Scott and Ernest Shackleton. The displays are informative, engaging, and full of interesting artifacts, photographs, and videos that really bring the story to life. The highlight, of course, is stepping aboard the RRS Discovery itself. It’s incredibly well-preserved, and you get to walk through the actual ship – from the engine room to the officers’ quarters and the upper deck. It gives a real sense of what life would have been like on board over 100 years ago during extreme polar conditions. Kids and adults alike will enjoy the hands-on exhibits and the ability to explore freely. Another great feature is the Discovery Dome, which includes an immersive cinematic experience and often showcases large-scale art installations like Luke Jerram’s suspended globe, Gaia. It’s visually stunning and adds a modern, creative touch to the historical experience. The facilities are clean and accessible, and the staff are friendly and knowledgeable. There’s also a café and gift shop on site, and the location is ideal—right by the waterfront and next to the V&A Dundee and Slessor Gardens. It’s easy to make a full day out of the visit. Tickets are reasonably priced, with discounts for families and concession holders. It’s also worth noting that you can buy a combined ticket with Verdant Works if you’re interested in Dundee’s industrial heritage. In short, Discovery Point is a brilliant mix of education and adventure, with something for all ages. Whether you’re local or visiting Dundee for the first time, it’s a must-see attraction that beautifully tells the story of courage, science, and exploration.

Fantastic museum telling the story of antarctic explorations. Scenes have been created showing life on the ice and there is a wealth of fascinating information on the life of the explorers, with details of their food needed for the long time away and the clothes that were needed to combat the temperatures. There are separate displays of the history of whale hunting and others about the building of the Discovery and the shipbuilding history of Dundee. All these are fully accessible for a wheelchair user. After spending time here we then went outside to visit the ship itself. This too had a ramp so that the top deck was accessible. A wonderful guide was on hand to talk to my wife in her wheelchair why I went below deck to explore. In all, this was a wonderful few hours spent, which I would recommend to any visitors to Dundee

Excellent maritime museum! Loads of information on Dundee's maritime history, polar exploration and more! Spent 2+ hours reading all the information and exploring the exhibits

The museum is the beautifully laid out story of the Discovery expedition to the Antarctic in the early 20th century spread over 2 floors with the ship itself lying in drydock next to the museum as the final exhibition. Every part of the museum has been well thought out and it has plenty of information boards to tell the story of the expedition from conception to the return to the UK , videos and models give more information about the harsh living conditions of the men and the nature and flora they encountered and catalogued . The walk through of the Discovery itself is the highlight though as its only when walking the same decking as the crew you’ve just read about it brings the exhibition to life , very recommended as a way of discovering the history of an iconic ship.

A brilliant experience. We went with our two boys, aged 5 and 4, and honestly weren't sure whether it would suit their age group. However, my concern turned out to be one of the best things about the day as the museum manages to combine the experience into something for everyone. The boys followed a 'treasure hunt' style activity all the way round, which included plenty of hands on activities as well. This gave us time to read the displays and take in the history at a good pace. The price felt a little high when we booked, but you can totally see how they use the money. Each exhibit and room felt new and fresh, a great combination of artefacts and information, with both text and interactive displays, plus a small cinematic experience thrown into the mix. The ship itself was fascinating, a restoration that was clearly a labour of love and still ongoing while we were there. Even on the ship itself, there was an area for young children to play, colour and build! In my opinion it was well worth the price, not just a great experience for all of us, but it was nice to feel like we had contributed a little bit to quality preservation of this little slice of history. Highly recommend!

The museum and ship are both very impressive. I really enjoyed the range of information the museum explores, from scientific research and exploration, ship building and heritage, to the voyage of the first crew of the discovery. A massive range to discover. The exhibits are a good mix of fun and practical activities for all ages, and more detailed information. I was also happy to learn about important conservation work being done by the Whale and Dolphin Conservation charity in Scotland. As this links so closely to Dundee’s whaling history, it felt an appropriate place to have conversation about modern views on this industry and changes that are being made to safeguard Whales and Dolphins lives. Tickets are also valid for a full year so well worth it!

If at all interested in shops with historical background this is a must see. You can walk around your own or get talking tour via personal radio, can be hired from booking desk. Some items have been removed from the ship for repairs but this not a problem.

Really enjoyed my visit to Dundee today had a nice lunch in the town and then went to the V&A which was really impressive and showcased a lot of the history of Dundee and Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 with a focus on innovation and design. The V&A was free entry and well worth a visit I spent a bit of money in the gift shop just to contribute in some way. It was great to see the Discovery berthed right next to the V&A the ship looks really cool and well preserved. I was going to go into the discovery museum but felt the admission price (£17)was just a bit too high. I appreciate that it is very expensive to run the museum and you need to generate money somehow but I feel that for me £17 was just a bit above the cut off that I would be willing to pay for entry. Perhaps if the price was a little lower you would get more people through the door and could still generate the same money. No doubt I will visit Dundee again one day and might just pay the £17 now that I know that’s what it costs. Best of luck for the future and preserving the discovery.