How the free ticket release works
The Sky Garden FAQs say free tickets go online every Monday morning, three weeks in advance, covering a whole week at once. Bank-holiday Mondays are excluded; the FAQ does not say which day the release moves to in those weeks.
In practice, a Monday release opens the week that starts three weeks later. On Monday 26 October 2026, for example, that would be the week beginning Monday 16 November. If your trip is fixed, put a reminder in for the Monday three weeks before your arrival week and book then, especially for Saturday and Sunday, which the booking page singles out as the days to book ahead.
Your ticket is valid only for the date and time printed on it, and the date cannot be changed on the day. If plans change, Sky Garden asks you to cancel so someone else can use the slot.
| Rule | What Sky Garden says |
|---|---|
| Ticketed hours | Mon–Fri 10:00–18:00; Sat, Sun and bank holidays 11:00–21:00 |
| Length of visit | One hour from entry |
| Arriving late | More than 15 minutes after your slot: entry unlikely, rebook |
| Walk-ins | Daily during public hours if space allows; none after 17:00 on weekdays |
| Children | Under 16s with an adult aged 18+; one adult per three children |
Walk-ins: when they are worth trying
Sky Garden accepts free walk-ins every day during public hours, but only at its discretion and subject to availability, so ask the team at the entrance. The FAQs call walk-in slots limited and not guaranteed. On weekdays the door stops taking walk-ins at 17:00.
A weekday morning walk-in is a reasonable gamble if you are already in the City. For a weekend or a sunset slot, book. If the free slots are gone, the how-to-visit page says any restaurant booking gives you access to Sky Garden even when regular tickets are sold out.
Security, bags and ID
Everyone is screened on arrival, and staff can refuse entry to anyone carrying prohibited items. The rules that most often catch visitors out, from the FAQs:
- Luggage: large bags and suitcases are not allowed in the building. Airport-size cabin cases are accepted only if they fit through the X-ray machines, and there are no lockers or storage. If you are between hotel and airport, use one of the options in our London luggage storage guide first.
- Food and drink: only what you buy at Sky Garden, apart from baby food and milk.
- Cameras: handheld cameras are fine for personal use; tripods and other large photographic equipment are not.
- ID: adults who look under 25 are encouraged to carry a PASS-hologram card, photographic driving licence or passport, and evening walk-ins need physical ID.
Closure dates to check
Sky Garden publishes its closures on a closure dates page (last modified 19 October 2026). As a general rule it closes for maintenance until 18:00 on the first Monday of each month, subject to change. Dates listed for the public garden when checked:
- 16 November and 7 December 2026: maintenance days, closed until 18:30.
- 24 November, 3 December and 10 December 2026: closed from 16:00 for private hire.
- 25 November 2026: closed all day for private hire.
- 24 December 2026: closed from 18:00. 25 December: closed.
No closures were listed for January 2027 at the time of checking. Several other dates list partial closures of individual restaurants and bars, which do not stop a garden visit.
Getting there
The public entrance is on Philpot Lane, at the south-west corner of 20 Fenchurch Street (address: 1 Sky Garden Walk, EC3M 8AF). The visitor route is step-free, with lifts from street level via Philpot Lane and Rood Lane.
If you cannot get a slot
Two paid high viewpoints sit in the same part of London: Tower Bridge's glass-floor walkways, near Tower Hill station, and the dome galleries of St Paul's Cathedral, which are reached by stairs only. Their own guides give prices, hours and booking rules. Both charge, so if cost matters more than timing, try a weekday-morning walk-in at Sky Garden before switching.
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