Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum 2026: Tickets, Dates & What to See
The Bayeux Tapestry hasn't left Normandy in almost 1,000 years. From September 2026 it's at the British Museum — and the first ticket release has already sold out. The next public release is dated 21 October 2026.
The Bayeux Tapestry hasn't left Normandy in almost 1,000 years. From 10 September 2026 to 11 July 2027, it's in London at the British Museum — the first time it's been in the UK since it was made. The first ticket release has already sold out. The next one is now dated: 21 October 2026.
Are tickets sold out?
The first release — 10 September to 31 December 2026 — sold out after tickets went on sale on 1 July. The next batch has a date. Bookings for 1 January to 31 March 2027 open on 21 October 2026, on the British Museum website. Three groups get in before that, on different days: Patrons and supporters on 29 September, schools on 29 September, and Members on 6 October.
A third release covering April to July 2027 comes after that. The Museum says "early 2027" for the public and January 2027 for Member priority booking, without naming a public day yet.
Three conditions worth knowing before the 21st, because they change how you plan the order. Maximum 10 tickets per booking. Multiple bookings from the same email address get cancelled, so you cannot open two tabs on two accounts and keep both. And tickets can only be used by the person who booked them, with ID checked at the door, so you cannot buy for a friend who is arriving separately.
If you are more than ten, the website is not your route at all. Groups of 11 to 30 book through the Box Office on +44 (0)20 7323 8181, weekdays 10.00 to 16.50, up to six dates at a time. There are no group discounts, and anything over fifteen people gets split across two time slots. Work this out before the 21st, not on the morning: a phone line that opens at 10.00 is a different race from a checkout page. One more thing groups ask about and the Museum rules out: no guided tours or talks can take place inside the Tapestry gallery.
You will see "7.5 million visitors" quoted everywhere. Read it carefully: that is the British Museum's own forecast for the whole Museum across its biggest year on record, from the Chair of Trustees, and not the number of people who will get into the Tapestry. The Tapestry is one gallery on timed 40-minute slots, so the places are a fraction of that. The gap between the two numbers is the whole reason tickets vanish. The BM's biggest previous exhibitions — Tutankhamun, Ming Dynasty, Vikings — sold out well in advance, so set a reminder rather than hoping for returns. One trap worth naming: reciprocal entry and ICOM, ICOMOS, MA and NMDC passes are not valid for the Tapestry between September and December 2026, and the Museum says details for 2027 will follow later.
Get the reminder on 21 October
September to December 2026 is gone. The next public release, for 1 January to 31 March 2027, opens on 21 October 2026 — and the first one sold out in a day.
Leave your email and you'll get three things and nothing else: a short confirmation now, one email with what you need to know before the release, and the reminder the morning it opens, with the direct booking link.
One shortcut worth knowing: Members book on 6 October, a full fifteen days before everyone else, and the first release sold out in about a day. If you want a specific date in early 2027 rather than whatever is left, Membership from £82 buys you that head start — and it pays for itself against two adult tickets at £33.
Where to book
Our take: Book direct on britishmuseum.org — no third party will get these allocations, so ignore any resale listing. Standard adult entry is £33, but off-peak slots drop to £27 and super off-peak (term-time weekday afternoons) to £25, so a flexible date saves real money. The whole game on 21 October is deciding your slot before you sit down, not while the clock runs: the first release cleared in about a day. Know which month you want, know whether you can take a term-time weekday afternoon, and remember the cap is 10 tickets in a single booking because a second order from the same email gets cancelled. If you want to skip the scrum, Membership from £82 puts you in on 6 October instead.
The Bayeux Tapestry guide — scene by scene
- The 7 scenes most visitors walk past without understanding what they show
- Where Halley's Comet appears — and what Harold's face says about it
- The moment the tapestry's story turns: how to spot it in the first minute
What is the Bayeux Tapestry?
It's not technically a tapestry — it's a 70-metre embroidery in wool thread on linen, created in the 1070s to tell the story of the Norman Conquest of 1066. Fifty-eight scenes, 626 characters, 202 horses, and one Halley's Comet. It has been in Bayeux since at least the 15th century. The museum there is closed until October 2027, which is why the British Museum loan exists.
How long is the Bayeux Tapestry?
Nearly 70 metres, and the exact figure is disputed. The Bayeux Museum in Normandy, its usual home, states 68.3 metres; most accounts round it to 70. The height varies as well: the original linen is 50cm tall, and backing fabric added in later conservation pushes it to 70cm in places. At the British Museum it hangs in a straight line rather than the U-shape used in Bayeux, so you walk the whole length end to end.
What should you look for?
Where is Halley's Comet in the Bayeux Tapestry?
Scene 32, in the upper border. After Harold's coronation, a crowd of figures points upward at a streaking object. The comet was an omen — an alarm. The artist placed it immediately after the coronation rather than in its correct historical sequence (it appeared four months later). The rearrangement was deliberate.
What is Harold's oath to William?
Early in the tapestry, Harold swears an oath on holy relics to support William's claim to the throne. The scene is small. What matters is that the English audience watching this embroidery would have understood immediately: everything that follows is framed as Harold breaking his word.
What do the border figures show?
Below the main narrative runs a continuous border of animals, fables, and figures that comment on the action above — some satirical, some obscure, some still unexplained after 950 years. Most visitors ignore the borders. Don't.
What happens in the Battle of Hastings sequence?
The last 15 metres accelerate — horses fall, shields splinter, figures are cut down in detail that has no parallel in contemporary art. The final scene is missing. The tapestry ends abruptly, and nobody knows what was on the piece that's gone.
How does Harold die in the Bayeux Tapestry?
The figure below the words Harold Rex interfectus est is struck in the eye by an arrow, and that image has shaped nine centuries of retellings. The British Museum's own account complicates it: the arrow is a later addition, probably 19th century, and the original figure held a spear. Most written sources from the period say Harold was hacked down in the fighting rather than shot. The tapestry is why everyone pictures the arrow, and the arrow may never have been stitched by the people who made it.
What do most visitors wish they knew about this exhibition?
The audio guide will be essential. Scenes build on each other — miss the oath in scene 23 and the battle sequence at the end loses its weight. At the Bayeux museum, guides were free in 16 languages. The BM's arrangement isn't confirmed yet, but carry earphones.
The layout is different from Bayeux. In France, the tapestry wraps in a U-shape. At the British Museum it's displayed in a straight line — 70 metres, walked left to right like a book.
The first window is gone — 21 October is the next one. September–December 2026 sold out. Bookings for January–March 2027 open to the public on 21 October 2026, and to Members on 6 October. Get the reminder and you won't have to watch for it. If you're considering membership (from £82/year), this is the year it earns back immediately — Members book fifteen days early, get two visits included, and enter the rest of the Museum free.
- Exhibition
- The Bayeux Tapestry · Room 30, Sainsbury Exhibitions Gallery · British Museum
- Dates
- 10 September 2026 – 11 July 2027
- Tickets
- Sep–Dec 2026 sold out · Jan–Mar 2027 on sale 21 Oct 2026 (Patrons and schools 29 Sep · Members 6 Oct) · Apr–Jul 2027 early 2027 (Members Jan 2027) · max 10 per booking, ID checked · groups of 11–30 by phone only, +44 (0)20 7323 8181
- Admission
- Adults £33 standard / £27 off-peak / £25 super off-peak · Same tickets shown as £36.50 / £30.50 / £28.50 with the optional £3.50 donation · Students, 16–18s, jobseekers £25 · Disabled visitors £25, assistant free · National Art Pass £12.50–£16.50 · Under-16s free with paying adult (max 4 per adult) · Members two visits at no extra cost, then 10% off
- Exhibition hours
- Sun–Wed 10.00–18.00 · Thu–Sat 10.00–21.00 · timed entry, later than the Museum's own 10.00–17.00
- How long
- Allow 40 minutes · one-way route · tickets emailed 4 days before your slot
- Getting there
- British Museum · Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG · Tube: Holborn or Tottenham Court Road
- Official site
- britishmuseum.org/exhibitions/bayeux-tapestry
Prices may vary by date and are confirmed on the official British Museum site — always check before booking.
Last verified: 29 August 2026
Frequently asked questions
Are Bayeux Tapestry tickets at the British Museum sold out?
The September–December 2026 release sold out after going on sale on 1 July 2026. The next public release opens on 21 October 2026, covering 1 January to 31 March 2027; Patrons and schools book from 29 September and Members from 6 October. April to July 2027 follows in early 2027. Maximum 10 tickets per booking, one booking per email address, and ID may be checked. Groups of 11 to 30 cannot book online at all and go through the Box Office on +44 (0)20 7323 8181. Join the reminder list above and you'll hear on the morning of the 21st. The 7.5 million figure quoted everywhere is the Museum's forecast for the whole institution in its record year, not for the Tapestry gallery.
How much are Bayeux Tapestry tickets at the British Museum?
Adults £33 standard, £27 off-peak, £25 super off-peak. At the checkout you will also see £36.50, £30.50 and £28.50: those are the same tickets with an optional £3.50 donation added, not a different rate. Concessions £25; National Art Pass £12.50–£16.50; under-16s free with a paying adult; Members get two visits at no extra cost, then 10% off.
Where is the Bayeux Tapestry in 2026?
At the British Museum, London, 10 September 2026 – 11 July 2027, in Room 30. The Bayeux museum in Normandy is closed for renovation until October 2027.
How long does it take to see the Bayeux Tapestry?
The British Museum says to allow 40 minutes. One-way route, timed entry, no re-entry once you leave the space. The 1066 context sits in the Museum's free permanent galleries, so plan the rest of the day around those.
The Bayeux Tapestry will be back in Normandy by August 2027. Between September 2026 and July 2027, it's ten minutes from Holborn station. Book tickets at the British Museum — the September–December window sold out, and January–March 2027 goes on public sale on 21 October 2026 — and see the full British Museum visit guide for everything else on site that day, or what to do near the British Museum for the rest of the afternoon.
Last verified: 29 August 2026
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