Did you know
Inspired by sea cliffs.
Kengo Kuma drew the building from the cliffs of north-eastern Scotland, as if earth and water had made the shape together.
Dundee
V&A Dundee
Scotland's design museum on the Dundee waterfront, in Kengo Kuma's cliff-like building, with the Mackintosh Oak Room inside; free.
Welcome
V&A Dundee is Scotland's design museum, and its building is the first thing to see: a great, leaning mass of horizontal concrete ribs that juts out over the River Tay like the prow of a ship, designed by the Japanese architect Kengo Kuma to echo the cliffs of Scotland's north-east coast.
It opened in September 2018 at the heart of Dundee's new waterfront, beside RRS Discovery.
Walk through the arch beneath it, where shallow pools lap at the base, and into a tall, light-filled hall lined with wood, which Kuma called a living room for the city. The free Scottish Design Galleries hold some 300 objects, from fashion and furniture to engineering and video games, and at their heart is the Oak Room that Charles Rennie Mackintosh designed for Miss Cranston's tearooms in Glasgow, restored and rebuilt. Major exhibitions change through the year, and there is a café and a shop. It opens daily, 10am to 5pm, and entry is free.
Before you go
Open daily, 10am to 5pm.
Free admission; some major exhibitions are ticketed. 1 Riverside Esplanade, Dundee.
- Hours
- Daily 10:00 to 17:00.
- Price
- Free; some exhibitions ticketed.
Opening hours
- Monday
- 10am–5pm
- Tuesday
- 10am–5pm
- Wednesday
- 10am–5pm
- Thursday
- 10am–5pm
- Friday
- 10am–5pm
- Saturday
- 10am–5pm
- Sunday
- 10am–5pm
Did you know
Did you know
2,429 concrete slabs.
The ribbed walls are made of 2,429 pre-cast concrete slabs.
Did you know
Like the prow of a ship.
The building leans out over the River Tay like the prow of a ship.
Did you know
A Mackintosh tearoom inside.
The Oak Room, designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh for Miss Cranston's Ingram Street tearooms in Glasgow, was restored and rebuilt inside the museum.
Did you know
Scotland's largest column-free gallery.
It opened with the largest column-free exhibition space in Scotland.
Did you know
A living room for the city.
Kuma described the wood-lined hall as a living room for the city.
Hidden Scotland
From our guide to Dundee
V&A Dundee is the building everyone comes to see first, and it's easy to see why. The Japanese architect Kengo Kuma designed it to echo the sea cliffs of the north-east coast, and its ribbed concrete walls lean out over the Tay like the bow of a ship. It opened in 2018, the first V&A museum outside London. Inside, a tall timber-lined hall leads to the free Scottish Design Galleries, where the centrepiece is the Oak Room that Charles Rennie Mackintosh designed for Miss Cranston's tearooms in Glasgow. Big exhibitions change through the year, and the café looks straight down the river.
Read more
What is on
What is new across Dundee, day by day.
New places, news and stories, as we find them.
What is on in DundeeWhere it is
1 Riverside Esplanade, Dundee, DD1 4EZ.
Close byOn the waterfront.
Discovery Point and RRS DiscoveryCaptain Scott's Antarctic ship of 1901, built in Dundee and berthed again at Discovery Point, with a museum of her voyages.Under a mile 1 min by road
Fisher & Donaldson, DundeeThe Dundee shop of the Fife family bakers founded in 1919, home of the famous fudge doughnut.Under a mile 2 min by road
Bird & BearA bar and restaurant on Whitehall Crescent by Slessor Gardens, with copper-topped bars, cocktails, brunch and a beer garden.Under a mile 3 min by road
The Desperate Dan & Minnie the Minx StatuesBronze statues of Desperate Dan, his dog Dawg and Minnie the Minx on Dundee's High Street, home of the Dandy and the Beano.Under a mile 2 min by road
Heather Street FoodA little white horsebox coffee van outside the V&A on Dundee's waterfront, with fresh doughnuts and its own roasted coffee.Under a mile 3 min by road
Wee MexicoA small Tex-Mex café on the Nethergate in a pink building where the game Lemmings was dreamed up, with tacos, burritos and nachos.Under a mile 3 min by road
The Daily
Arrives at 5am every day.
A free morning email to see what’s on this week, catch up on what’s happening in Scotland and find somewhere new to go.
Stay nearby
Places to stay near the museum, and when each is next free.
Bracken Treehouse at Airdit- Sleeps 2
- In Balmullo
- 6 miles from V&A Dundee
The Glasshouse- Sleeps 6
- In Newburgh
- 12 miles from V&A Dundee
The Arches- Sleeps 2
- In Newburgh
- 12 miles from V&A Dundee
West Cottage- Sleeps 6
- In Newburgh
- 12 miles from V&A Dundee
Hidden Scotland, the magazine
Scotland, in print.
We want to show you the best that Scotland has to offer. The makers and the creatives, the enduring experiences, the evocative tales, the concealed corners. The roads less travelled that take you to places that matter. The adventures that gather you up and sweep you away. The blend of the wild and the artistic that makes Scotland what it is. We’d love for you to join us.
Find out more
For further reading, before you go.