Visit Westminster Abbey: What to Know Before You Go

Short answer: sightseeing visitors enter by the North Entrance on Parliament Square, pass a walk-through security check, and follow a set route through the church, the Cloisters and the Chapter House to the exit at the West Towers. Bags must be no bigger than 40 × 30 × 20 cm, there is no cloakroom, entry is single-use, and there is no parking. Plan on 1.5 to 2 hours for the highlights.

The Abbey is open for sightseeing Monday to Saturday. On weekdays it opens at 9:30am with last admission at 3:30pm. On Saturdays the Abbey’s own pages differ, so plan on 9:30am with last admission at 3:00pm. Sunday is for worship only. It is a working church and can close at short notice for special services, so check the Abbey’s day listing before you go. Full hours are on our opening hours page.

Which entrance do you use, and what is the security check like?

Visitors with a sightseeing ticket use the North Entrance on Parliament Square, also called the North Door. It is step-free. The Great West Door is the entrance for services, and there is a third step-free way in through the cloister entrance in Dean’s Yard.

Every door has walk-through security, and bags are inspected. Tickets are timed: if you miss your slot, tell a member of staff rather than walking away.

Most people book ahead. The Abbey’s own site sells adult tickets at £32 (about $43), £29 for over-65s and students, £14 for children 6 to 17, and free entry for under-6s. A child goes free with one paying adult on the family ticket. Tickets bought on the Abbey’s site are non-refundable. The same timed entry is sold as a Westminster Abbey entrance ticket for $43 with free cancellation up to 24 hours before. That ticket is not skip-the-line. The guided tours use the priority group entrance. Our ticket prices page lists every discount.

Groups are not admitted between 12:00 and 1:00pm.

What can you bring: bags, food and luggage?

The bag limit is 40 × 30 × 20 cm. That is roughly a small daypack or a handbag. Large bags, backpacks, suitcases and anything with wheels are turned away.

There is no cloakroom and no left luggage at the Abbey. The nearest left-luggage services are at Charing Cross and Victoria stations, so drop a suitcase there first if you are coming straight from a train.

Other rules at the door:

• Food and drink: no outside food, except sealed items, medical needs or food for young children. Bottled water is fine. No alcohol.
• Not allowed: folding bikes, scooters, large umbrellas and pets. Assistance dogs are welcome.
• Pushchairs: welcome on the main step-free routes.
• Cameras: personal photos are allowed in most areas. Flash, video, tripods, monopods, selfie sticks and drones are not. Photos are banned entirely in the Shrine of St Edward the Confessor, St Faith’s Chapel and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries, and during any service. More on our photo rules page.

There is no strict dress code for sightseeing, but the Abbey asks for modest clothing. Wear flat shoes: the floors are old stone and uneven.

What is the route through the church?

The visit follows a set route from the North Entrance to the exit at the West Towers. Marshals stand along it to keep people moving and to answer questions. It takes in the nave, the quire, the Coronation Chair, the Lady Chapel and its royal tombs, Poets’ Corner, the Cloisters and the Chapter House. General admission also covers the College Garden and the Pyx Chamber. Our guide to what you will see inside Westminster Abbey walks through each stop.

A multimedia guide is included with every ticket. It has commentary in 14 languages, plus audio-described and British Sign Language versions and printed transcripts.

Some parts of the route have steps. The Lady Chapel and the tombs of Elizabeth I, Mary I and Mary, Queen of Scots are up 12 steps plus 3 more. The side chapels around the ambulatory have one step each. The Cloisters are 5 steps down from the church, or step-free from Dean’s Yard. Free manual wheelchairs are lent on arrival by a Marshal, and a hearing loop runs throughout. See our accessibility guide.

Two things are not on the standard ticket:

• The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries, in the triforium high above the floor: a separate timed ticket at £5, bought with your Abbey ticket. Reached by 108 steps or a lift.
• Verger-led tours: about 90 minutes, Abbey entry plus £10, Monday to Saturday, English only, booked on arrival. They include the Shrine of St Edward the Confessor, which general visitors cannot enter.

If you would rather have a guide from the start, a skip-the-line guided tour of the Abbey costs from $100 and is rated 4.9 from 549 reviews of that tour on GetYourGuide.

Toilets, cloakroom and the café

Toilets are in the Cloisters and in the Galleries lobby. Baby changing is in the Cloisters, and accessible toilets are in the Cloisters too.

Food is at the Cellarium Café and Terrace, which serves breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea and is reached by lift. It opens from 8:00am and closes between 4:00 and 4:30pm. A kiosk runs from 8:00am to 5:00pm. For more options, see our list of places to eat near the Abbey.

As noted above, there is no cloakroom.

Leaving, and can you come back in?

Entry is single-use. If you want to leave for the café or the shop and come back, ask a Marshal before you go out. Do not assume you can walk back in.

The visitor exit is at the West Towers. The shop is at Broad Sanctuary, London SW1P 3JS, beside the exit. It opens 9:15am to 6:30pm on visitor days and on Sundays.

How long to allow, from the Abbey’s own FAQ:

Plan	Time
Main highlights	1.5 to 2 hours
With the Galleries, Cloisters and full audio guide	2 to 3 hours
Relaxed visit	3 hours or more

The quietest time is a weekday morning, especially Tuesday to Thursday just after the 9:30am opening. Late morning, early afternoon, weekends and school holidays are busiest. Our page on the best time to visit has the month-by-month picture.

Is there parking at Westminster Abbey?

No. There is no car parking at the Abbey, only a drop-off space outside the West Doors.

Public transport is quicker:

• Westminster station (Jubilee, District and Circle lines): about 300 m, a 4-minute walk.
• St James’s Park station (District and Circle lines): about 500 m, 6 minutes.
• Charing Cross rail station: about 1,100 m, 16 minutes. Waterloo: about 1,400 m, 19 minutes. Victoria: about 1,700 m, 24 minutes.

The address is Westminster Abbey, Dean’s Yard, London SW1P 3PA. Step-by-step directions are on our how to get to Westminster Abbey page.

A free alternative. If you only want to see the inside of the church and hear the choir, services are free and unticketed. Come in by the Great West Door for Evensong at Westminster Abbey. You will not be able to sightsee during the service. For a full visit with a ticket, compare the options on our Westminster Abbey tours page.