Tickets for London’s hottest exhibition of 2026 go on sale this week

A close-up of the Bayeux Tapestry. — (Image credit: British Museum)

Tickets for what might be this year’s most important historical exhibition in London go on sale this week, but you’d better be quick as we expect them to sell fast.

We’re talking about the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition at the British Museum.

Tickets go on sale from Wednesday 1st July at 10am, while the show itself begins on 10^th September.

Latest Videos From

Watch full video here:

Members can book already, while non-members will pay £33 for an adult ticket. This one is not cheap. The initial batch of tickets sold will cover from September to December 2026 dates. Tickets for January and up until the exhibition’s closure in July 2027 will be available later in the year.

The British Museum recommends you sign up for a ticketing account before Wednesday. And we do too. Tickets will be linked to a timed slot, so it’s also a good idea to think about exactly when you’ll be able to attend.

The exhibition marks the first time the Bayeux Tapestry has returned to England since it was produced not long after the Normam Conquest, in 1066. Previously it was on display at the Bayeux Museum in Normandy. And it’s only the third time the tapestry has been moved out since it was made. In exchange for the loan, which made headlines for its sheer riskiness, France got a loan of both a selection of Sutton Hoo treasures and an ancient Lewis chessmen set of chess pieces from the UK.

The BBC will broadcast a new documentary on the tapestry and its journey from France to London to celebrate the exhibition, closer to the show’s opening, and it will be on iPlayer after the fact too.

“This documentary will help tell the story of the exhibition and why the Bayeux Tapestry has captured so many imaginations for centuries,” says Dr Nicholas Cullinan, Director of the British Museum.

“The arrival of the Bayeux Tapestry in the UK is truly historic. Hosting this extraordinary artefact at the British Museum will offer many hundreds of thousands an opportunity of a lifetime.”

The Bayeux Tapestry is roughly 70m long and visually depicts the story of the Norman Conquest, including 1066’s Battle of Hastings.

London just got a whacky new mini golf exhibition fully designed by female artists

Skip the search — follow Shortlist on Google News to get our best lists, news, features and reviews at the top of your feeds!

Andrew Williams has written about all sorts of stuff for more than a decade — from tech and fitness to entertainment and fashion. He has written for a stack of magazines and websites including Wired, TrustedReviews, TechRadar and Stuff, enjoys going to gigs and painting in his spare time. He's also suspiciously good at poker.