Planning a visit to Westminster Abbey? Here’s everything you need to know before you go, from tickets and opening times to the best way to see it, plus a few details even regular visitors walk straight past.
These are the questions we get asked most on tour. The answers come from our own Blue Badge guides, who are inside the Abbey most weeks of the year.
Plan your visit
The eight things visitors ask us most, answered in one place. Full detail on each is further down the page.
Monday to Saturday, 9.30am to 3.30pm (last entry). Closed to sightseeing on Sundays.
Adults £30, children £13, free for Abbey members.
Free for worship and Evensong. A ticket is needed to look around outside of services.
No formal dress code, but modest and respectful clothing is expected. Shoulders and knees covered where possible. It gets cold inside in winter.
At least an hour on your own. Our guided tour spends about 2 hours inside, 3 hours in total with the Westminster walk.
Free to attend and lasts about 45 minutes. Arrive at the West Door around 30 minutes before.
Monday afternoons between 1pm and 3pm are usually quietest, when tour groups break for lunch.
Personal photos are fine. No flash, tripods or selfie sticks. No photography during services.
Westminster Abbey is perhaps the most famous church in the UK noted for its royal weddings, coronations, and burials.
With a long and varied history, the Abbey has functioned as a working religious site for nearly 1000 years. What began as a Benedictine Monastery has become one of the most popular London attractions.
If this brief history has whet your appetite, check out our Westminster Abbey podcast to learn more!
The Abbey is open to visitors Monday to Saturday, outside of religious events and holidays, like Easter and Christmas. During these religious events, the Abbey is only open to those who wish to worship, but it is free to do so.
The normal Westminster Abbey visiting hours are, Monday – Saturday: 9.30 am – 3.30 pm (last entry).
Westminster Abbey is a working church and there is never a charge to enter for worship. The services, including Evensong, which is popular with tourists, are also free to attend. Tourist entry prices are: Adults £30, Children £13, Members of the Abbey – free. Find out more about Westminster Abbey Tickets.
The Evensong service lasts about 45 minutes. We would recommend arriving at the West Door of Westminster Abbey about half an hour before the service starts to join the queue of worshipers. This service is free to attend.
Yes, visitors may take personal photographs whilst in Westminster Abbey. Please don’t use flash, selfie sticks, or tripods. You cannot take video recordings. During services, you cannot take photos.
Most visitors need at least an hour to walk round on their own, and you could easily spend longer. On our private tour we spend about 2 hours inside the Abbey, which is enough time to see the main sights properly without rushing, then about another hour walking the Westminster area outside. Three hours in total.
There is no defined dress code when visiting Westminster Abbey. However, visitors are asked to dress in a “respectful manner”. It is worth bearing in mind that it gets quite cold inside the Abbey during winter.
Yes, there are toilets at Westminster Abbey. Located in the Cloisters, they are clearly marked on the map provided to visitors when purchasing entrance tickets.
Find the entrance fee to Westminster Abbey below
Every ticket includes a multimedia guide, and it does a good job of covering the headline sights. What it can’t do is answer your questions, adjust to what your group finds interesting, or point out the details that aren’t on the script. That’s where a private Blue Badge guide earns their keep, as you’ll see below.
Absolutely, you are welcome to visit for private prayer and there is no charge.
Enter through the West door and ask for directions from the Abbey staff.
Westminster Abbey Sunday services take place at several times through the day, usually 3 in the morning at 8,10 and 11:15 am, followed by three in the afternoon at 3,5 and 6 pm. You can check the exact Sunday service times on the official website.
By Underground: Westminster or St James’s Park, both a five-minute walk.
By rail: Victoria or Waterloo, then around 15 minutes on foot or a short bus ride.
By bus: Routes 11, 24, 88, 148 and 211 all stop close to Parliament Square.
On foot: A pleasant 15 to 20 minute walk from Buckingham Palace or the London Eye, both well signposted.
Most of the main areas, including the Nave, Quire and Cloisters, are accessible to wheelchair users. Step-free access is through the Great North Door, which has a ramp. Some areas have small steps or uneven flooring, and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries are reached by stairs. Assistance dogs are welcome. If you are visiting with us, let us know in advance and we will plan the most accessible route for your group.
Everyone passes through airport-style security on arrival, so allow a little extra time at busy periods. Large luggage is not permitted inside.
The Abbey is not open for sightseeing on Sundays. You are very welcome to attend a service, and there is no charge to do so, but you will not be able to walk round with a ticket or a guide.
Choosing how to visit
All three are good ways to spend a morning. Which one suits you depends on how much you want to understand what you are looking at.
You can absolutely visit Westminster Abbey by yourself, ticket in hand, multimedia guide round your neck. One tip from our guides: aim for a Monday afternoon between 1pm and 3pm, when many tour groups break for lunch and the Abbey empties out a little.
Included in every ticket, the audio guide covers the main sights well and at your own pace. Its limits show once you start asking questions it can’t answer, or want to spend longer on the bits that interest you and less on the bits that don’t. Our guides notice something else too: it’s easy to get absorbed in the device and stop looking up at the building around you. Nobody is there to remind you to lift your head.
What we do
Blue Badge is Britain’s highest professional tourist-guiding qualification, and it’s what lets our guides take you beyond the standard route: side chapels, quieter corners, and stories that never make it onto an audio script. Guided visitors also enter through Dean’s Yard, which isn’t available if you’re visiting on your own.
There’s no set pace and no set script. You ask, your guide answers, on the spot. And because everything is arranged in advance, your guide will help you minimise time spent queuing on arrival.
It’s not just our view either: storytelling and guide knowledge are the two things guests mention most often across our reviews.
What our guests say
Storytelling and keeping every generation engaged are the two things guests mention most often about our Westminster Abbey tours. Here are six, in their own words.
“Denisa brought every location to life with fascinating stories, historical context and little details I never would have discovered on my own.”
Stephanie Titcombe
Guide: Denisa · Google
“We were able to get into Westminster Abbey first with not a single person there yet. We learned about the history in such a fun way.”
Shannon Gannon
Guide: Denisa · Google
“She made our visit to Westminster Abbey fun and interesting and managed to keep our children engaged throughout the entire day.”
Vicky Prybe
Guide: Marina · Google
“We saw and learned so much and Galina was able to answer any questions we had. It’s definitely going to be a highlight of this trip.”
Beth Carlton
Guide: Galina · Google
“Dan was patient and knew so much about the monarchy, the abbey’s history and London in general. He also has a wicked sense of humour!”
Julie_H
Guide: Dan · Viator
“Knowledgeable and enthusiastic, she made both tours great. Even I, who has been to London numerous times, thoroughly enjoyed the tour.”
Sharon L
Guide: Marianna · TripAdvisor
44 of the 45 reviews that name Westminster Abbey are five stars. See what a private Blue Badge tour looks like.
Westminster Abbey, formally known as the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is located in the City (Borough) of Westminster in central London.
Situated on the west side of Parliament square. You will find the River Thames, the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace are within walking distance. It’s definitely worth adding it to your London itinerary
Check out our blog offering a sample London itinerary if you’re feeling overwhelmed with the options.
A visit to Westminster Abbey is a must for anybody with an interest in history and/or royalty.
It is also one of the main London attractions and should be on the itinerary of every first-time visitor to London.
We’ve prepared a list of other “Must-See London attractions” so you don’t miss out!
Yes, Westminster Abbey is included in the London Pass. It’s one of the most popular tourist destinations in London, so it’s a great place to visit with your London Pass.
If you’re curious about the London Pass take a look at our London Pass- Is it worth it article.
There are so many incredible things to see at Westminster Abbey, but here are the top highlights we recommend all tourists explore:
The Abbey’s real magic is in the details almost everyone walks past.
Here’s one, free. Look closely at the Coronation Chair and you’ll spot scratched graffiti: “P. Abbott slept in this chair 5-6 July 1800.” It’s genuine, over two hundred years old, and most visitors never notice it’s there.
That’s one of seven. The other six include a piece of wartime damage hiding in plain sight, the oldest door in Britain, and the truth about who’s really buried in Poets’ Corner. We’ve put all seven, with the stories behind them, into a free guide written by our own guides.
Seven details almost everyone walks straight past, with the stories behind them. Written by the guides who point them out. Free, no strings.
Planning more than just the Abbey? Denisa personally helps our clients build their whole London itinerary and stays reachable throughout your stay if plans change. Just ask when you get in touch.
An abbey usually has a monastic background, with an abbot in the leading role (Westminster Abbey was originally home to Benedictine monks). A cathedral is a grand church led by a bishop.
Interestingly, London has its famous Westminster Abbey and Westminster Cathedral, which is located near Victoria Train Station.
Westminster Abbey started as a monastery and has always been linked with Royalty. It is a “Royal Peculiar,” meaning it’s under the jurisdiction of the monarch. St Paul’s Cathedral, on the other hand, is the principal church of the Diocese of London, with a bishop and a dean leading the church.
Of course, we think both are worth visiting!
Take a look at our St Paul’s Cathedral Guide for more details on this extraordinary London landmark.
Only a very small group of people may celebrate weddings at Westminster Abbey:
The most recent Royal wedding was that of Prince William and Kate Middleton in 2011.
No, these are two separate buildings, however, they are very close to each other. Westminster Palace is the old official residence of the Kings and Queens of England.
It’s situated next to Westminster Abbey, but it’s a separate building (it has its own church!). You may also know this building as the Houses of Parliament.
Yes, the Henry VII Lady Chapel, now more often known just as the “Lady Chapel”, is a large and impressive structure inside Westminster Abbey. Separated from other parts of this historic church with brass gates and stairs leading up to it in order for security purposes- so that only those who have been granted access may enter.
Yes, King Charles III’s coronation took place on Saturday, the 6th of May 2023. The coronation was a grand state occasion, the first many people in Britain and the World witnessed in their lifetime!
The current church was consecrated in 1269. However, there was a monastery here from 960AD, so it has a long history as a religious site. Only small parts of the cloisters remain from the original building today.
Westminster Abbey is famous for hosting the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Katherine Middleton in 2011. In September 2022, it hosted the state funeral of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the first state funeral since Sir Winston Churchill in 1965
It is also the venue for Royal Coronations, including that of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 and King Charles III in 2023, and for the burials of notable people throughout British history.
-During WW2, some effigies and other treasured artefacts were stored in Piccadilly Tube Station, to ensure their safety during air raids.
-The cloisters contain a simple wooden door, which is actually the oldest door in the country, dating back to the 1050s.
-Visit the Henry VII Lady Chapel to find a statue of Saint Wilgefortis, the bearded lady. She didn’t wish to marry and prayed to become unattractive. Overnight, she grew a beard and her fiancé called off their engagement. A dubious miracle?!
-Whilst in the Lady Chapel, check out the damage to the walls, dating back to WW2!
-Oliver Cromwell was originally buried at Westminster Abbey. However, his body was exhumed several years later. He was posthumously executed by hanging and then beheaded. His head was kept on a spike near the Houses of Parliament as a warning.
-Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most celebrated civil rights leaders in American history. His statue can be seen above the West door, in the Modern Martyrs collection.
What started as a Catholic Monastery converted to the Church of England denomination (Protestant) during the Reformation of the 16th Century. Today, it describes itself as a working and inclusive church celebrating the Christian faith.
Many famous Britons, both Royalty and not, are buried at Westminster Abbey. In total, there are around 3,300 tombs scattered across the church.
Some names you might recognise include:
Learn the dramatic tales of those buried here on our private tour
Ben Johnson, the poet, playwright, and actor, is the only person buried in an upright position. The story goes that he couldn’t afford the space required for a regular horizontal grave, so the Dean at that time agreed to him being buried standing up.
The plans in place for Her Late Majesty’s funeral arrangements were under the name “London Bridge”.
Her Majesty’s state funeral took place at Westminster Abbey, with her body then being moved to Windsor Castle. A burial spot is reserved in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle for Queen Elizabeth II.
Yes, Mary Queen of Scots is buried at Westminster Abbey. Her remains were moved from Peterborough Cathedral to Westminster Abbey in 1612 on the order of James I.
Her tomb can be found in the South Aisle of the Lady Chapel, opposite her cousin Elizabeth
Very few bodies are in individual memorials/tombs in Westminster Abbey; some, however, do lie directly under them.
There are communal vaults below the church, and most bodies rest in peace in there. In some cases, bodies were cremated and the ashes placed in the tomb.
William Shakespeare has a life-size marble memorial within the walls of Westminster Abbey in Poets’ Corner. However, he is actually buried in his home town of Stratford-upon-Avon, at the local Holy Trinity Church.
There are some 3,300 people buried within the walls of Westminster Abbey. These tombs are scattered around the church as well as beneath the floor of the Abbey.
As you might imagine, there is limited space remaining for burials, the most recent burial was that of renowned scientist Steven Hawking.
Seven Abbey details most visitors walk straight past, with the stories behind them. Written by the guides who point them out on tour.
Seven details almost everyone walks straight past, with the stories behind them. Written by the guides who point them out. Free, no strings.
Ready to experience Westminster Abbey like never before? Our private tours reveal the Abbey’s secrets through expert storytelling and personalised attention. Book your unforgettable journey through 1,000 years of history today!
Last updated August 2026
