Bayeux Tapestry tickets go on sale again tomorrow. Here’s how to get them

Thousands are flocking to London for a rare opportunity to witness the historic Bayeux Tapestry, with tickets for its exhibition at the British Museum set to go on sale again tomorrow.

This marks the first time the iconic artwork has been displayed on British soil in nearly 1,000 years.

Those visiting the museum this year will be able to the 70-metre long tapestry, which is being tipped to become one of the museum's most popular attractions ever.

George Osborne, chair of trustees at the British Museum, hailed the tapestry as “a defining piece of our nation’s history and a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience”.

The initial tickets for entry between September and December were released on 1 July, with tens of thousands queuing for up to nine hours online to be in with a chance of getting them.

The British Museum marked its single biggest day of ticket sales, with over £2.5 million generated through worth of ticket sales, more in one day than any other exhibition ever held.

When are tickets next on sale for the Bayeux tapestry?

The next release of tickets is scheduled for Tuesday, 21 October at 10am, covering viewing periods from January to March 2027.

A subsequent release is planned for January, covering April to July 2027.

How do I buy tickets to see the Bayeux tapestry?

To get tickets, you should log on to the British Museum website here on 21 October from 10am.

It will most likely be extremely busy, and you will be entered into a queue until there is a slot for you to enter the website. Once you are on the website you will have 10 minutes to complete your purchase.

During the last ticket release in July, the online queue reached a peak of over 80,000 customers and the website saw 4.7 times its average daily traffic as hundreds of thousands of people tried to access it across the day.

You can book a maximum of 10 tickets per booking. Multiple bookings from the same email address will be cancelled.

Tickets can only be used by the booker and ID may be checked.

Visitors are advised to sign up to the British Museum newsletter to receive further ticket updates.

What is the history of the tapestry?

The tapestry depicts the 1066 Norman invasion and Battle Of Hastings, which saw William the Conqueror take the English throne from King Harold and become the first Norman king of England.

Polling carried out for the museum reveals more than three-quarters (76 per cent) of the public believe that “1066 is an important part of British history and people should learn more about it”.

Meanwhile, four out of five (82 per cent) are supportive of school trips and encouraging of visits to the museum to see the tapestry while it is in the UK.

Former Conservative chancellor Mr Osborne said: “This will be without doubt the biggest year in the museum’s history – as we expect 7.5 million people to visit as the Bayeux Tapestry returns to UK soil for the first time in 1,000 years.

“It is a defining piece of our nation’s history and a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“I hope people mark their calendars and seize the chance to see it when it arrives, in what promises to be an extraordinary moment for the country.”

British Museum director Nicholas Cullinan said: “The Bayeux Tapestry is one of the most important cultural artefacts from the medieval world and has been a source of inspiration and wonder for generations.

“It’s difficult to capture just how exciting and rare the opportunity to display the tapestry in the UK is.

“I’m glad we’ll now all be able to share in that excitement as people book their tickets and travel to London to take part in what is undoubtedly going to be one of the biggest cultural events the British Museum has hosted – one for the ages.”

The piece has been on display at the Bayeux Tapestry Museum in Bayeux in the Normandy region of France since 1983.

The site is now closed for renovation and the tapestry will return there once it is finished.