Ticket timing for Westminster Abbey and Queens Galleries

Hello, Mike. You will need to purchase your tickets for Westminster Abbey and the Queen’s Jubilee Galleries at the same time (can’t purchase separately). The abbey is a popular tourist spot and the queue for tickets will be long for those who didn’t purchase their tickets in advance online.

Hey Mike!
Here's what happened to us.
We bought the tickets at the window and then added on the Queen's Jubilee right then and there.
We went right over to the back corner, hopped on the elevator, and went straight up and did the Queen's Jubilee first.
That leaves PLENTY of time to do the Abbey, and there was no rush to get us out of the upstairs either.
You had it straight, do the upstairs first then the Abbey itself.
Have Fun!

Kilts and Viking,

Thanks for confirming that the tickets have to be bought together. And it's good to hear that doing the gallery first worked out well. That sounds like the surest way to make sure we don't waste time or waste a ticket!

Thanks again!

HI Mike,

I visited the Abbey this past December right before Christmas and I purchased the tickets for the Queen’s Jubilee Galleries after our verger tour. It worked out as the verger made sure that we were on time for our entry. Because there were limited hours that week, however, we did not get as much time as we would have liked in the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries. I wish had the advice from Kilts and Viking and took the tour before.

If you have time, I would highly recommend the verger tour. I have toured the Abbey a number of times, and this tour was fantastic. With a verger, you’ll get to see special parts of the Abbey, such as the Tomb of St Edward the Confessor, not accessible to general visitors. The verger will also take you to see Poets' Corner, royal tombs, the Lady Chapel and the nave – and provide an expert commentary.

Space is limited for these tours and commentary is in English only.
You book the tours at the Abbey.

Tour times
April to September

Monday-Friday: 10.00am, 10.30am, 11.00am, 2.00pm, 2.30pm

Saturdays: 10.00am, 10.30am, 11.00am

October to March

Monday-Friday: 10.30am, 11.00am, 2.00pm, 2.30pm

Saturday: 10.30am, 11.00am

Sandy,

Thanks for the advice about the Verger's tour. I've heard a lot of excellent reviews about it. I'm definitely considering it.

Mike

For the record, I just heard back from Westminster Abbey. The rep suggested waiting 90 minutes after the Abbey tour to time the Gallery ticket. She said that if my time in the Abbey were to run short, I could take a break to see the Gallery and then return to the Abbey. She also said that if I chose not to buy a Gallery ticket online with my Abbey ticket, I could purchase one on arrival, but warned about possible time slot unavailability.

I'm going to stick to the plan of buying both tickets now and seeing the Gallery followed by the Abbey, which seems like the most efficient way to me.

Thanks for everyone's advice!

Mike

Great thread-I wonder if I can jump in and ask a couple related questions-we are planning a visit to Westminster in early June. I wanted to go when they open (9:30) and do a verger tour (I think the first one is at 10) and also see the Jubilee galleries. How long do the verger tours last? And how much time do you think the Jubilee galleries will take, approximately (I know some ppl like more time and some less, but what is the average-over an hour?) Should I book the Jubilee for 11? Or is that too early? Thanks!

For all those planning to visit on a certain day, check the Abbey calendar. For instance, tomorrow (Wednesday) is the Florence Nightingale Celebration and the Abbey is closed to visitors.

Good advice Dougmac! I had to rearrange my itinerary based on the abbey being closed on a Monday when they are usually open on Mondays. I have checked opening times and closures etc but just not sure of the timing of things.

Ferrin, the verger tours takes about an hour and a half. We got tickets for the 10am verger tour and entry to the Jubilee Galleries at 11:30-12:00. We ran over a little bit on the verger tour (GREAT experience BTW!) but with the 30 minute window to enter the Galleries, this was no problem. It worked out perfectly.

Ferrin, the verger tours takes about an hour and a half. We got tickets for the 10am verger tour and entry to the Jubilee Galleries at 11:30-12:00. We ran over a little bit on the verger tour (GREAT experience BTW!) but with the 30 minute window to enter the Galleries, this was no problem. It worked out perfectly.

Thanks julie! That is great because I purchased the exact same tickets for our visit coming up! :) How long did you spend in the Jubilee galleries? Not sure how long to plan for being there. :)

Hi Ferrin! I think it was probably around 45 minutes to an hour. I had anticipated enjoying the displays in the gallery; I didn't realize how much I would enjoy standing at the openings and enjoying the birds-eye perspective of the cathedral. The design and atmosphere of the space was very well done and a great place to just be for a while. Definitely recommend it. :)

I visited Westminster Abbey 3 weeks ago for the first time in many years mainly because I wanted to see the Queen’s Gallery. It worked well for me to do Gallery first then the rest of the abbey. I was in the gallery around 30 minutes and was very impressed by it.

Thank you Elizabeth and Julie! I am really excited to get that view (in addition to seeing the gallery of course). And 30-45 minutes sounds like it will be perfect. thanks again!