Bayeux Tapestry tickets spark nine-hour queues for London show

Tens of thousands of people faced online queues of up to nine hours when tickets for the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition at the British Museum went on sale on 1 July. The 11th-century embroidery, normally housed in Normandy, will be displayed in London from September 2026 to July 2027 for the first time on British soil. Source: BBC

Queue and demand

By mid-afternoon, over 75,000 people were in the virtual queue, with wait times stretching to nine hours. The British Museum warned of "exceptionally busy" phone lines and encouraged online booking despite delays. Some users reported timeouts after long waits. Source: The Guardian Source: Euronews

Ticket pricing and access

Peak tickets cost £33 (€38.50), nearly triple the €12 charged in Normandy. Off-peak tickets are £27, and children under 16 go free. The museum’s director, Dr Nicholas Cullinan, defended the pricing, noting that most tickets are off-peak and that young people's access was a priority. The exhibition could generate over £8.6 million. Source: The Guardian

Transport and conservation

The 70-metre tapestry will be transported via the Eurotunnel in a specially designed shock-absorbing container with humidity controls. It will be displayed flat in a custom glass case to ensure conservation. The piece is insured for £800m under the UK Government Indemnity Scheme. Source: BBC Source: The Guardian