Do you need tickets for Westminster Abbey?
Updated October 27, 2026
Quick answer
Yes, if you want to look around: sightseeing needs a timed ticket, £32 (about $43) for an adult on the Abbey's own site, and the Abbey advises booking ahead because only a few tickets may be sold on the door. You do not need a ticket to attend a service, including Evensong, which is free and enters through the Great West Door.
The Abbey is a working church with two ways in. The sightseeing route, through the North Entrance on Parliament Square, is ticketed and timed, and it runs Monday to Saturday only. Worship is open to everyone without a ticket, but a service is not a tour: you sit for the service and do not walk the visitor route. Prices and rules on this page were read on the Abbey's site on 27 October 2026.
Who needs a ticket and who does not
Anyone who wants to walk the visitor route needs a ticket, and that includes the Cloisters, College Garden, Chapter House and Pyx Chamber, which the general ticket covers. Children aged 0 to 5 enter free. People coming to worship need no ticket at all: services are free, unticketed and open to everyone, and you enter through the Great West Door after a security check. Sunday is for worship only, so on Sundays a service is the only way in. The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Galleries are the exception that needs a second ticket, £5 for adults, bought together with an Abbey ticket.
Book ahead or buy on the day
Book ahead. The Abbey's own FAQ says pre-booking online is advisable and that only a limited number of tickets may be sold on the door, so a walk-up visit can fail on a busy day. Booking also fixes your entry time, which matters because last admission is 3:30pm on weekdays and 3:00pm on Saturdays. The quietest slots, by the Abbey's account, are weekday mornings, especially Tuesday to Thursday before midday. Late mornings, early afternoons, weekends and school holidays are the busiest. One reason to buy on the door: the National Rail 2-for-1 offer only works on full-price adult tickets bought there.
What happens if you are late for your slot
Tell a member of staff. The Abbey's FAQ says that if you miss your timed entry slot, staff will try to help you get in, so a late arrival is not an automatic loss. What you cannot do is get your money back for a ticket you do not use: tickets bought from the Abbey are non-transferable and non-refundable. The Abbey contacts you about a refund or a new date only if it has to close unexpectedly. Guided tours are stricter, because the group leaves without you; the Big Ben and Buckingham walking tour listing says late arrivals get no refund.
Where tickets are sold
Three places sell sightseeing entry. The Abbey's own website charges £32 for an adult with no booking fee, but the ticket is non-refundable. The same entry ticket is listed on GetYourGuide at $43, supplied by Westminster Abbey itself, with free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead; it is not a skip-the-line ticket, and its listing warns of a possible long line. Guided tours include entry and use the priority group entrance. A Go City London Explorer Pass covers the Abbey too, but you must reserve the slot in the Go City app.
- Official website — £32 adult, no booking fee, non-refundable; can be upgraded free to an annual pass.
- Entrance ticket on GetYourGuide — $43, the Abbey's own ticket, free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead, not skip-the-line.
- Guided tour — From $100, priority group entrance and a live guide.
- Go City London Explorer Pass — From $87 for two attractions; reserve the Abbey slot in the Go City app.
Frequently asked questions
Can you just walk into Westminster Abbey?
Only for a service or to pray. To look around you need a timed ticket, and the Abbey sells only a limited number on the door, so booking ahead is safer.
Is there a booking fee on the Abbey's website?
No. The Abbey's FAQ says there is no fee for booking online or in person.
Can I change or refund an official ticket?
No. Tickets bought from the Abbey are non-transferable and non-refundable unless the Abbey itself closes. The listing on GetYourGuide allows free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Do children need a ticket?
Children aged 6 to 17 pay £14 and under-6s are free. One adult with one child pays £32 in total, the family ticket.
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