Visiting the Royal Armouries with kids – day out in Leeds

Heading off to explore one of the most unusual museums in Leeds, I admit I wondered if I’d allowed more time than we needed to visit the Royal Armouries with kids.

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Would there really be that much to appeal to a nine-year-old girl who loves history but isn’t exactly fascinated by guns? The short answer? Three hours was barely long enough to get a taste of everything on display here.

Between the five main galleries, special exhibitions and extra activities taking place outside throughout the day, the Royal Armouries in Leeds managed to keep us both fascinated, educated, entertained and gave us plenty to talk about too.

It’s actually part of the UK’s oldest museum collection – the Royal Armouries is also split across two other sites, the Tower of London and Fort Nelson in Fareham, with 80,000 items in the whole collection.

And while there’s only a selection on display at the free museum in Leeds, there are still thousands of objects split between the five main galleries over five floors – War, Tournament, Hunting, Self Defence and Oriental – as well as the impressive Hall of Steel.  

Look out for the latest exhibition coming to the Royal Armouries in Leeds – Gladiators: Heroes of the Colosseum runs from 28 June to 2 November 2025, bringing rare Roman artefacts, including gladiator helmets, to the UK for the first time

This glass tower contains the largest mass display of arms and armour created since the 19th century, around 2,700 pieces of weaponry and other military equipment, dating mainly from the 17th and 19th century, arranged on the walls as you walk from floor to floor.

With so much to try to see (and the main galleries are only the beginning), where better to start than at the very beginning.

The beginning of human warfare that is, with displays looking at the ways we’ve fought since the time of early man and on to the earliest empires, from the Hittites and Romans to Vikings, Alexander the Great to Napoleon.

From there we moved to medieval Europe, to the time of castles, knights and the 100 Years War – probably what comes into most people’s heads first when they think of armour.

And as well as the displays, including a longbow retrieved from the wreck of the Mary Rose, horse armour and early guns, there are plenty of interactive exhibits too: we watched videos of how famous battles of Agincourt (and later, Waterloo) played out.

I’m the sort of person who skims through battle scenes in books, but it was unexpectedly gripping watching the action, with both my daughter and I glued to the video and the battlefield model.

As you wander, you’re taken forward through time to the Tudors, the English Civil War – look out for the breastplate which could stop a bullet – and on to more modern conflicts, including the First and Second World Wars.

It’s an easy way to appreciate some of the ways that society – and warfare – changed over the centuries, with armour and weapons adapting at the same time, from heavy cumbersome metal to more intricate crafted armour, lightweight creations to allow fighters to move easily and then unwieldy solid protection as guns started to be used.

Among the unforgettable designs was a decorative helmet adorned with horns, given to Henry VIII by Emperor Maximilian – part of a trend among the rich and powerful to show off your armourer’s skill by having eye-catching armour created.

Currently in the new display on the Field of the Cloth of Gold, the meeting between the English king and Francis I of France, we also found armour engraved with Tudor roses, created to a punishing deadline to ensure Henry could show off.

With a few details missed in the process, there’s a challenge to see if you can spot the odd petal out.

Suddenly we realised we’d spent around 90 minutes exploring and had barely made it out of medieval Europe!

Incidentally, if you are feeling a little overwhelmed by just how much there is to see, you can also download a ‘Treasures’ trail, with some of the highlights picked out.

But before we headed upstairs to the other galleries, it was time to head back outside to see some of the performances and activities taking place during the summer holidays.

We didn’t have chance to watch the swordfighting displays – although catching a glimpse later, they did look fantastic if you’re visiting the Royal Armouries with kids – but we couldn’t miss the Tiltyard.

With two riders showing off their prowess with lance and sword on horseback, we got to see how Tudor knights would have trained – and entertained themselves – with a string of challenges to see who would emerge the winner, including slicing a cabbage at full gallop or hitting a target.

And after the show, a chance to briefly meet the horses themselves, highly trained stars of TV and film when they’re not trotting around the Tiltyard.

The chances are, if you’ve seen a period drama, you might have spotted one of the horses that you can meet at the Royal Armouries. There are often birds of prey here too, although for the time being just a sign to let you know which particular raptor you’d have been entitled to back in medieval times.

Back up in the Oriental gallery, a floor focused on Asia including India, China and Japan, we got to see a rather different horse standing alongside a replica Terracotta warrior.

And stumbled across the rather quirky fact that samurai helmets helped to inspire the design for Darth Vader’s famous headgear in Star Wars.

It’s not just the horses which were armoured: you can also see the only surviving example of elephant armour on display here.

For kids who love animals, like my daughter, the idea of elephants going into war was upsetting, so while it would be hard to avoid this exhibit – and a shame to miss – it’s worth being aware so you can prepare for any distress.

For the same reason, we kept our visit to the Hunting Gallery brief, although it has its own memorable items, including a decorating hunting set made for a Russian empress alongside whaling harpoons and flintlock guns.

The museum is certainly not simply a glorification of weapons and warfare though, there’s plenty to get you thinking, especially if you’re visiting with older kids.

Right from the start, the displays remind you of war’s dreadful reality, including this quote from Einstein, who lived through two world wars and saw the birth of the atomic bomb.

Other areas cover 20th century peace protests and the start of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, along with the darker chapters of the British Empire in India and the horrors of the world wars.

It’s a delicate balance but the museum does a great job trying to put everything in context.

By the time we reached the final displays, including the self-defence gallery, we were starting to run out of time – and slightly out of steam, as it was well beyond lunchtime.

Which was a shame as there are some really unexpected things to see, including an umbrella gun, an assassin’s crossbow and James Bond’s guns (or at least ones like those he used in the movies).

Even if you’re scampering through at speed, watch out for the vampire-killing kit, with its crucifix, stakes, mallet, rosary, prayer book and pistol. 

Or even better, leave yourself longer to explore. There are so many things to do in Leeds with kids that you’re spoiled for choice, but with its cleverly curated collections and entertaining shows, the Royal Armouries is definitely one not to miss.

For ideas of more things to do in Yorkshire with kids, check out my top picks

Need to know: Visiting the Royal Armouries with kids

Tickets to the Royal Armouries are free (although donations are welcome), but you’re advised to prebook an entry time to avoid waiting.

You can prebook up to 9am on the day of your visit, or it’s usually quieter during the afternoons, from 2pm onwards.

If you haven’t prebooked, you may have to wait until you’re allowed in (you can visit the shop, cafe and see the outdoor activities while you wait to get into the main galleries).

The museum is open from 10am to 5pm daily during school holidays, or from Wednesday to Sunday during term time.

There are often extra activities during school holidays. To check what’s on, you can see the latest events here.

Set on Leeds Dock, you can take the little water taxi between the Royal Armouries and the city centre, priced £3 (children aged five and under are free).

It’s also a lovely walk from the city centre along the waterfront on a sunny day – keep an eye out for some of Leeds’ street art on the way. If you’re driving, there is multistorey car parking right next to the museum and the Holiday Inn.

There is a cafe on the ground floor of the Royal Armouries, as well as toilets and baby changing available, plus lifts between floors and lockers (priced £1, non-refundable).

You can avoid the gift shop as you leave, although it’s a rather impressive one – themed around weapons and war, there’s everything from Lego to stuffed animals, stationery, homewares, books and more. Definitely somewhere to save your pocket money for.

PIN FOR LATER: THE ROYAL ARMOURIES, LEEDS, WITH KIDS

Disclosure: My entry was free for the purposes of review – all opinions on visiting the Royal Armouries with kids are my own (or my daughter’s). This post contains affiliate links – any purchases you make are unaffected but I may receive a small commission

Images copyright MummyTravels

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