Tapestries in London, fall 2026

I think you would have to contact whatever tour company you are thinking about using.

Which ancient tapestries are you interested in seeing? Are you referring to the Bayeux Tapestry? It will be available as a special exhibit at the British Museum beginning in September next year. Tickets are required, but have not yet gone on sale. You will need to monitor the website for an announcement. At a guess, that exhibit will be highly popular, with tickets in demand, so it might be wise to plan your London free time around whatever day you can get a ticket. I wouldn't hold my breath on tour companies including such an exhibit, but you could contact them directly.

Yes, it’s the Bayeux Tapestries I hope to see. I was wondering if a Rick Steves tour would include a visit within an England tour.

OP call or email the RS tours office in Edmonds, WA. .

All you can do is call them and ask. Contact information is at the bottom of the page.

As noted, call the RS office, but my hunch is if the exhibit costs extra they won't provide it for the group. Given the requirement to get tickets ahead of time and the fluctuating nature of a tour group (some dropping out or being added at last minute, the guide's need to change plans due to outside forces, etc.) they're unlikely to commit to a special exhibition for all the tours they have going.

FWIW I went to the special Stonehenge exhibit several years ago and it was well worth the extra 20 pound admission fee. It was also extremely crowded even mid-week.

I think it is unlikely tickets to the Bayeaux Tapestry exhibition will be included in a tour.
It is guaranteed to be very popular and oversubscribed. Even though I believe ticket prices will be high they will be like gold dust. I don’t see how a company would be able to get tickets for tour groups.

Do call the office to ask but as a veteran of 13 RS tours, I'll say no, a special exhibition will not be included on the tour. The tickets will be too hard to get so it will be left up to you to visit in your free time. Which tour are you taking or are you doing both?

I also recommend looking into a British Museum Membership. They do not have the parameters for the Bayeux Tapestry visit on the website yet and I suspect even members will need timed entries as this is bound to be popular, BUT if you will be there twice in a year or will want to make multiple visits this might be a good investment.

Several years ago (before covid) I was doing the Belgium and Holland tour and called the office to ask about the timing of the Rijksmuseum visit so I could book the nearby Van Gogh Museum afterwards. In talking with the staff member she also said...."Did you know there is a big Rembrandt exhibition on at the Rijksmusuem when you are there? You should book that too". Well, her advice was wonderful! I did the Rijksmuseum with the tour group, the Rembrandt special directly afterwards on my purchased ticket and then the Van Gogh.

Just another idea, but the Raphael cartoons, which were painted as designs for tapestries, are huge and wonderful and you can see them in London at the Victoria and Albert Museum. I sat in this huge darkened mysterious place for 45 min or more. Lovely.