How to See the Bayeux Tapestry

Embroidered around the 11th century, the Bayeux Tapestry is a must-see. Find out how to get tickets, what are the visiting hours, how you should dress to go to this place and, above all, it is important that you know what is the price of tickets and if it is possible to take guided tours. All this and a little more, I will tell you below.

The Bayeux Tapestry is located at the Musée de la Tapisserie, located at 13B Rue de Nesmond in Bayeux. The price of tickets, which can be purchased online through the official website and at the box office, costs 12 € for adults and 5 € for children from 10 to 18 years, below this age the little ones get in for free.

Of course, the best option to visit this work of art is to book a guided tour of Bayeux which includes a visit to the Bayeux Tapestry. Wondering why? An expert guide will give you all the details of this large canvas depicting the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England. Which is very practical because if you decide to do the visit on your own, you will miss many interesting facts.

The museum offers an audio guide that is included in the ticket price. One of the advantages of this audio guide is that you can choose from about 16 languages, including French, English, Spanish and Italian. It is also possible to find the guide in Japanese, Dutch, Norwegian, Russian, and many others.

In addition, it is possible to take a guided tour that will take you to know the museum and will tell you all the curiosities of the most important works, including the tapestry. This guided tour, which you will have to register at least one hour in advance at the ticket office, can last just over an hour and a half.

However, if you want to make sure you do not run out of places and miss all the interesting details about this tapestry and its history, you also have the opportunity to book a tour of this French city with a visit to the Bayeux Tapestry.

Anyone with a ticket can see the Bayeux Tapestry, but please note that it is important to present an official ID to be allowed access to the museum, either a passport or identity card if you are European.

In the case of children, although they are welcome on the premises, they must be accompanied at all times by an adult for safety reasons.oportu

As for animals, whether pets or assistance animals of any kind, it is important to know that they are not allowed to enter the museum, so if you are traveling with pets, you should take this rule into consideration.

As you know, it is very easy to get to the Bayeux Tapestry Museum. In fact, it is very close to the other three important museums of the city, so you will be able to move between them on foot. However, in case you are coming from a distant place, you have to use public transport or a private car.

Private car

In case you travel by private car, you should know that there is a parking lot near the museum where you can park your car. You can travel by private car to get there from any point in the city of Bayeux, or you can travel from Caen using the N13 route leaving at 36 to Bayeux.

The parking is free if you use it to go to the museum. Paid parking is also available nearby. The museum parking lot is also available for those traveling to the museum on a guided tour and traveling by private car.

Train

If the Bayeux Tapestry Museum is one of your first choices to visit Bayeux, you should know that once you are at the Paris Airport, you can board the train to get to the city of Bayeux. It will not be very difficult because the Saint-Lazare station is the closest to the airport and takes you to the Bayeux station, from where you can easily reach the Tapestry Museum.

The good thing about going by train is that the station is really close to the three museums of Bayeux, so once you arrive at the Bayeux train station, you can walk to visit each of them. The walking tour can take between 10 and 15 minutes.

The opening hours of the Bayeux Tapestry Museum are as follows:

• Between January and October, it opens from 9 am and closes at 6:30 pm.
• Between May and August, visiting hours are extended by half an hour and close at 7 pm.
• In November and December, the museum is open to the public from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm and from 2 pm to 6 pm.

You have the opportunity to enter the museum up to 45 minutes before closing time, so that you can enjoy your visit to the fullest. As for holidays, the museum is closed on December 24 and 25, in addition to December 31 in the afternoon.

Another fact to keep in mind is that in January the museum is closed, so if you plan your trip to Bayeux during the first month of the year, you will not be able to visit the famous tapestry.

Children have a special price:

• If they are under 10 years old they enter the grounds for free.
• Children and young people up to 18 years old have to pay approximately 5 euros per ticket.

However, this activity is not recommended for the youngest members of the family. As it is basically an interpretative work that can be enjoyed much more by history and art lovers, it is likely that children so young prefer much more entertaining and educational plans than going to see the Bayeux Tapestry.

If after that you still think that the children who will go with you on the trip to Bayeux will really enjoy this experience, or you just don't want to stop taking them on your trip, try to talk to them about the tapestry before arriving at the museum, read with them the history of this embroidery and explain why it is so important. Another possibility is to book a tour with a visit to the Bayeux Tapestry so that the guide can entertain them.

It is a masterpiece with an impressive quality and attention to detail. It has embroidered more than 600 human beings, 200 equines, almost 60 dogs and 500 other animals and beasts, 37 fortifications and 41 boats. Made of wool, it is a total of 68.38 meters long and half a meter wide.

One of the most interesting details of this tapestry is that it has great historical importance, because it not only shows the great medieval battles, including the battle of the Norman Conquest, but also shows part of the preparations for this battle, which differentiates it from other historical documents.

You cannot miss the other areas of the museum that will undoubtedly surprise you.

It is important that you go to see the Bayeux Tapestry with enough time, so I recommend that you set aside at least an hour and a half to two hours to explore the Tapestry Museum.

Considering that the audio guide can last approximately an hour to an hour and a half and the guided tour can be extended for up to two hours, a visit on your own can last approximately two hours, although it all depends on the depth in which you want to know the place and appreciate the work.

• Before going to the Bayeux museum, I recommend you to make a reservation well in advance, taking into account that it is a very visited place, so it is a perfect option if you want to save time when you arrive at the place.
• Another option is to book a tour with a visit to the Bayeux Tapestry in which you will have free access without queues. And, in this way, you can learn all the history that hides the tapestry.
• If you go with children, try to talk to them about the tapestry and its importance for everyone before going to see it. It might give them an idea of what they will see when they arrive, so they won't get bored.
• You can bring your camera without flash to document everything you see inside the enclosure.
• And, of course, before your trip, be sure to discover the best things to see and do in Bayeux to make the most of your visit.