Bayeux Tapestry - advice for those with tickets

[TheCompactPussycat]

I took the family to see the Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum today. It was spectacular and absolutely worth going to see.

However, be prepared for the queues! The experience is supposed to be 40 minutes but don't naively think that your timed ticket means your 40 minutes starts at that time. It took half an hour of queuing after being admitted into the exhibition to actually get to the start and a further 20 minutes before we got a glimpse of the tapestry (and only then because we pushed to the front of the queue past 40 other people - apologies if that was you!).

Hopefully just teething issues at the start of such a major exhibition but I would have preferred to enjoy the tapestry without constantly looking at my watch for fear of missing our coach home.

Allow at least 2 and a half hours inside just for the Bayeux exhibition so you're not stressing!

But it was amazing!

Thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences and giving advice. I’m looking forward to seeing it soon. BTW I think most historians agree that King Harold is the one on the ground being hacked to bits . And the figure who looks like he has an arrow in the eye , has actually been reworked ( the dated the threads) and he was believed to have been holding a spear .

I have tickets for 3pm on a Monday. I was planning to arrive earlier and look at other parts of the museum. My understanding is I can bypass the main queue because I have an exhibition ticket, even if I'm there earlier than the time. But then do I need to leave the building to join the queue for the Bayeux tapestry or can I join a queue inside the building? Has anyone done this? Thanks

Once you are inside, just follow signs to the tapestry when you are ready.

IIRC from seeing the Reading replica, the verbs on the tapestry are always over what's happening: and 'interfectus est' (is killed)is above the figure being hewn down. The whole point of a battle was take out the leader, and knights charging a weakened shield wall at the end of a long day's battle to get to Harold is a much more likely scenario than 'let's fire a load of arrows and hope one hits Harold in the eye.'

Also - biblically (and it's generally agreed this was commissioned by Bishop Odo) the penalty for oath breaking was blinding. And the whole basis if the invasion was that Harold broke his oath to William, whatever that oath was..

Thank you. Is that a separate queue from the one everyone is saying they were stuck in for 2 hours though??

You skip the outdoor queue by having a Bayeux ticket. I think some visitors haven't realised that which may account for early complaints. Once you are inside the exhibit space you are in a queue-like process but there is stuff to see on the way. It flowed pretty well last Sunday afternoon.

Thank you, that is very reassuring 😀

I know but I’m not having it 🤣

Though it's pretty unlikely a bloke smacked in the eye with an arrow would be standing there trying to pull it out rather than lying there dead.

When I read about the spear that made much more sense to me.

You are destroying my child hood with your ‘tact’s’🤣

Soz. 😀

TBF that was what we learned at school. Then I did a history degree and found out that a lot of what we learn at school about kings and queens and English history generally is a load of handed down folk myth rather than actual truth.

Well that’s why the tapestry is so amazing because it is a contemporaneous record of the event - commissioned by the victors but seen by the losers!!

I just have memories as a kid of looking for Harold every summer!

It is absolutely amazing, not least the fact of it's sheer survival. Imagine being a woman who had lost menfolk in the battle and having to stitch your oppressors gloating over it.

There's a v good programme on BBC2 and almost certainly on IPlayer about the making of it and the project to bring it to London. Secrets of the Bayeux Tapestry, spoiled only by a somewhat arch narration by Michael Palin.

No.

You go to the Sainsbury Gallery (I think it's called) at your allotted time for entry. The queue we found ourselves stuck in was once you had been admitted into the exhibition gallery. No queue at all for the main museum .

No, we had no problem getting in to the museum. No queue at all. My complaint was that we had to queue for over 40 minutes (and probably would have been well over an hour) once we were inside the Sainsbury gallery.

As in over an hour to see the swords in the display case and watch some moving pictures on the wall before getting to the top of the stairs.

Ah well in that case they must have made real progress in moving people through, as there was no such delay when we went on Sunday. They’re working quite hard to chivvy people along at the tapestry itself, which I expect is as a response to teething problems experienced so far.

That's good. It was only the second day when we went so it was probably just teething troubles.

About the arrow - there was a documentary on the BBC on Sunday evening about the exhibition and they also talked about the arrow or not arrow.

Very interesting as they explain how they got the tapestry from France to London and how the display was made.

Just got back from seeing the Bayeux tapestry today and wanted to reassure people that the queue was fine . We had timed tickets for 11am, so got to the museum by 10:35. Had our tickets scanned by 10:40 . We didn’t take bags as someone said it might hold things up, but it really wouldn’t have . Woman in front of me had large tote bag on her shoulder and didn’t have it searched . I was looking at some items they had in display on the left hand side of the corridor ( after ticket scan) , so didn’t notice the window on the right hand side , through which you could see the tapestry. We went through that corridor very quickly and down the stairs, where we had to line up along a wall opposite the tapestry. Didn’t take long and we were looking at the tapestry by 11am. We moved at the pace of the queue ( would have liked it to go a wee bit slower) and were out by 11:30. Did the gift shop and having coffee by 12. Really amazing to see the tapestry ( embroidery) up close. So different to seeing it on TV or pictures in a book. BTW , you can see the Bayeux Tapestry on the British Museum website , with explanations and ability to zoom in on parts if you want. Fabulous to see it in reality though . Well worth it. Thanks again to everyone for advice

Thank you, hope it's the same on Saturday when we go 🤞

Was looking at buying a membership to then get tickets, have just seen that a membership now does not include tickets, only a 10% discount off of tickets that you may have an opportunity to purchase (if they're not already sold out). So basically buying a £120 membership to enter a raffle for tickets with an £8 discount!

No thanks! What a rip-off! Thanks George Osborne!

Get an Art Pass and the tickets are half price - there and at many other places (or free)

Can you say where you've seen that please? I can't find mention of that restriction on their website. Indeed, it seems to suggest that there are still free visits for members. To be fair, the wording on the website is not crystal clear but I read it as meaning that joining now means you're too late for the October priority booking window, but there's another one in January. And,"In addition, all Members will be eligible to book uncharged visits for any Members exclusive access to The Bayeux Tapestry outside of public hours."

But it's not a rip-off per se as there are plenty of reasons to join the British Museum outside Bayeux Tapesty access.

From their website

Every existing Member as of 26 August 2026 will be able to book two uncharged visits as part of their Membership, plus a 10% discount for further visits.
New Members joining from 27 August 2026 to 16 September 2026 will be able to book one uncharged visit as part of their Membership, with a 10% discount available for further visits.
New Members joining from 17 September 2026 will be eligible to book visits at a 10% discount as part of their Membership.
Only Members who joined up to 16 September 2026 will receive access to Members priority booking.

So, yes the membership is now a rip-off as you don't even get access to paid exhibitions. Really no difference to not having a membership.

That is naughty of them, I agree. And seems to contradict what they say elsewhere on their website. I was reading from the members page where they say something a bit different but not so clear. I guess you do get access to the other paid exhibitions though, just not this one.