Around 7.5 million people are expected to see the tapestry in London when it goes on show from September to July 2027
The Bayeux Tapestry has returned to the United Kingdon for the first time in almost 1,000 years. Overnight, the 70-metre-long (229ft) tapestry, which is linen with embroidered images of the Norman Conquest, arrived in London at the British Museum from France.
It was created around 960 years ago and around 7.5 million people are expected to see the tapestry in London when it goes on display from September 10 through to July 11, 2027. The British Museum has said demand to see the “once-in-a-generation exhibition has already been unprecedented” with tickets sold out until the end of 2026.
When general admission tickets went on sale last week, the museum recorded the single biggest day of ticket sales in its history, generating more than £2.4 million in sales in the first 24 hours. Over the coming weeks the tapestry will undergo condition checks before being carefully installed within a custom showcase ahead of the exhibition opening.
The Metropolitan Police Service and Kent Police transported the 11th-century embroidery from Folkestone to London in what the British Museum has called “one of the most significant international museum loans ever undertaken between the two countries”.
Director of the British Museum Dr Nicholas Cullinan said: “This has been a monumental effort from colleagues at the British Museum and our partners in the UK and France. Watching the Tapestry arrive at the Museum is a moment I will never forget and I look forward to seeing the exhibition take shape over the coming weeks and welcoming the first visitors through our doors this September.”
Over the past year the British Museum has worked with colleagues from the Ministry of Culture (General Directorate of Heritage and Architecture and the Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs of Normandy), the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the specialised transport company Hizkia to arrange the transport of the tapestry.
French president Emmanuel Macron has also said the loan of the Bayeux Tapestry to the British Museum shows what the two countries “can achieve when they join forces”.
Writing in The Times, Macron said the loan was a “tangible expression of long-standing friendship and a sign of our shared desire to see France and the United Kingdom build their future together”.
He said the two nations recognise what sets each other apart, but also “their natural affinity and what they can achieve when they join forces”.
The Bayeux 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.
It has been on display at the Bayeux Tapestry Museum in Bayeux in Normandy since 1983 and will return there when the museum reopens after renovation.
How to get tickets to see The Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum
The Bayeux Tapestry will be on display at the British Museum from September 10, 2026 until July 11, 2027. Tickets are sold out until the end of 2026 and further tickets for 2027 will go on sale later this year. You can sign up for the British Museum newsletter to get information on when tickets will next go on general sale.
There will be a maximum of 10 tickets per booking and a warning that multiple bookings from the same email address will be cancelled. Tickets can only be used by the booker and ID may be checked on arrival.
Given the unprecedented levels of demand, the British Museum has introduced a priority booking process to give Members the best chance to see the tapestry in 2027. An individual membership costs £82. There are other membership packages available.
Members will have two further priority booking windows ahead of future general sales.
- October 2026 for January 2027 to March 2027 dates
- January 2027 for April to July 2027 dates
Every existing Member will be able to book two separate visits during the full run of the display at no additional cost, plus a 10 per cent discount for further visits during public opening hours.
The British Museum is advising phone lines are exceptionally busy, so it is recommended to email [email protected] for the quickest response.
Stay up to date about London’s hottest events, latest restaurant openings, and best deals with our Going Out Out newsletter. Sign up HERE!
