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 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 sold out in a day. The second, for 1 January to 31 March 2027, went on public sale on 21 October 2026 and has also sold out. More tickets are due in 2027.

Are tickets sold out?

The first release — 10 September to 31 December 2026 — sold out after tickets went on sale on 1 July. The second has also gone: bookings for 1 January to 31 March 2027 opened to the public at 10.00 on 21 October 2026, and the British Museum website now lists those dates as sold out. Patrons and schools (29 September) and Members (6 October) had earlier windows, and the Member allocation was already full before the public release.

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 you book, 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 ticket checkout is not your route at all, and for January to March 2027 the deadline has already passed. Groups of 11 to 30 applied through the Museum's online group request form, which closed at 17.00 on 18 October 2026: up to six visits, a maximum of 30 tickets per visit, and anything over fifteen people split across two time slots. The Museum confirms those reservations by email on 21 October, and from 26 October you call the Box Office on +44 (0)20 7323 8181 (weekdays 10.00 to 16.50) to pay, with 2 November as the deadline before the hold lapses. Group requests for dates after March 2027 open with the next release. Two things groups ask about and the Museum rules out: you cannot stack an online booking on top of a group booking to build a bigger party, and 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. For January to March 2027 the Museum admits ICOM, ICOMOS and NMDC reciprocals on Tuesdays only, 10.00 to 17.00, booked in advance online with the promo code published on its page, one reciprocal ticket per transaction, and ID checked on site.

What if you missed out?

The public release on 21 October went the way the first one did. One reader who clicked the booking link at 10.00 on the dot wrote to tell us she was 152,700th in the queue, and by the time it moved the January to March dates were gone. If that was you, there are two honest options left, and neither involves a resale site.

Wait for April to July 2027. That release opens to the public in early 2027, with Members booking in January. The waitlist above sends one reminder the morning it opens. There is no legitimate way to get ahead of the queue now: the Member window is restricted to people who joined by 16 September 2026.

See the full tapestry in Reading instead. Reading Museum, on Blagrave Street, holds a complete replica of the Bayeux Tapestry stitched in the 1880s by a group of Victorian embroiderers, all 70 metres of it, in a gallery built for it. Admission is free (the museum suggests a £5 donation), there are no timed slots, and you will not be queueing behind anyone. The museum opens Tuesday to Friday 10.00 to 16.00 and Saturday 10.00 to 17.00, closed Sundays and most Mondays. Reading is under half an hour from London Paddington by train. One caveat from the museum itself: the Bayeux Gallery is popular with school groups and guided tours this year, so it is occasionally closed to the public, and the opening times page links to a calendar of those closures. Check it before you travel. It is not the original, and it does not pretend to be. It is also the only way to stand in front of the whole story in England right now without a ticket.

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.

January–March 2027 has sold out too. September–December 2026 went first, and the Member priority window for January–March was already fully booked before the public release. The next chance is April–July 2027, which opens to the public in early 2027 and to Members in January. Get the alert and you won't have to watch for it. One thing to rule out: joining as a Member now does not get you into the January window. The Museum limits priority booking to Members who joined by 16 September 2026; later joiners get 10% off tickets only.

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 second release, covering 1 January to 31 March 2027, went on public sale on 21 October 2026 and has also sold out; Patrons and schools booked from 29 September and Members from 6 October, and the Member allocation was already full. April to July 2027 follows in early 2027, with Members in January. Maximum 10 tickets per booking, one booking per email address, and ID may be checked. Groups of 11 to 30 cannot use the ticket checkout: the request window for January to March closed on 18 October, with payment through the Box Office (+44 (0)20 7323 8181) between 26 October and 2 November; requests for later dates open with the next release. Join the alert list above and you'll hear the morning April to July opens. 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 who joined by 26 August 2026 get two visits at no extra cost, then 10% off, and Members who joined from 17 September 2026 get the 10% discount only.

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 — September–December 2026 and January–March 2027 have sold out, and April–July 2027 follows in early 2027 — 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: 24 October 2026