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Heritage Open Days 2026: book now to get free entry to hundreds of UK tourist attractions in September
An Orwell prize-nominated investigative journalist, Kate lives in Portugal and covers news, travel rules, tourist taxes and visas.
Unlock visits to National Trust sites, HMS Medusa and HMS Sultan, swim in an art deco lido and more
A series of upcoming Heritage Open Days in England, Scotland and Wales means you can visit castles, historic houses and museums across the UK, and attend tours, performances and workshops – all without spending a penny in September.
Although not all attractions have been confirmed yet, the festival has already announced free entry to many buildings, including popular National Trust sites from Killerton in Devon to Wallington Hall in the North East.
In Wales, dozens of cathedrals and castles, including Penryhn and Powis, have announced participation. And in Scotland, every weekend in September, a different part of the country offers free days out at heritage properties, from the Shetland Islands to Edinburgh, from Aberdeen to Glasgow.
Besides fee-free entry and drop-in days, there are thousands of events taking place across the UK. These range from tours and talks at national monuments, stately homes and fascinating museums, to behind-the-scenes looks at Air Ambulance bases, national archives, the English National Ballet school and more.
Though the festival isn’t until September, many events and drop-in tickets are limited, with some popular events already fully booked. We recommend checking the festival programme as soon as possible and booking tickets now for anything you’d like to attend.
While admission is free, you may wish to make a donation, which you can do on the website for the national or local branch Doors Open Day you’re attending. London’s version, Open House, for example, encourages a suggested donation of £7 on its website.
Read on to find out more.
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Who organises Heritage Open Days?
Heritage Open Days festival is a collaboration between the National Trust and a ‘festival community’ of more than 2,200 organisations and many volunteers, along with funding from the People’s Postcode Lottery, European Heritage Days and several other smaller partners and collaborators.
Is Heritage Open Days free?
Yes, all of the events, tours, walks, workshops and drop-ins are free.
Some are ticketed, require prebooking and may sell out. The Heritage Open Days site has a helpful tool that allows you to filter out sold-out events when browsing.
You can also select other filters, such as event type and accessibility requirements.
What is the theme of Heritage Open Days 2026?
This year’s Heritage Day theme is ‘everyday histories’. It will ‘explore stories of working lives, from learning a craft to establishing routines and cherished rituals’.
You can read more about the 2026 theme on the Heritage Open Days site.
When are the free Heritage Open Days in the UK?
Heritage Open Days are on various dates throughout September. See below for details on when you can gain free entry to tourist sites and historic attractions across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The dates vary by nation, and even London has slightly different Open Day dates from the rest of England.
Plus, not every attraction offers free entry on all days of the festival, so you'll need to check, and for some places, booking in advance (still free) is required.
If you’d like to attend an event in a house or garden as part of London Open House Days, you’ll need to register for an account, and act fast to nab tickets when bookings open to the public at midday on 19 August.
Which tourist attractions are free in England during Heritage Open Days festival?
Across England, the festival is called Heritage Open Days. It runs from 11-20 September, and more than 1,000 buildings – many of them not usually open to the public – are expected to take part. There are also thousands of other visitor attractions, including talks, exhibitions, workshops and performances.
A selection of the sites confirmed so far with slots available, or which are open for bookings soon, include:
Hertford Castle, Hertfordshire – free, no booking required
Killerton House, Devon – free, no booking required
Wallington Estate Rothley Lakehouse, Morpeth – free tickets via National Trust website
Ormesby Hall, North Yorkshire – free, no booking required
Little Moreton Hall, Cheshire –free, no booking required
Washington Old Hall, County Durham –free, no booking required
Wightwick Manor and Gardens, Wolverhampton – free, no booking required
Tintagel Old Post Office, Cornwall –free tickets via email events@nationaltrust.org.uk or telephone on +443442491895
National Waterways Museum, Gloucestershire –free, no booking required
Horton Court, Gloucestershire –free, no booking required
Wanstone Battery, Kent – free, no booking required
Felbrigg Hall, Gardens & Estate, Norfolk – free, no booking required
Nymans, West Sussex – free, no booking required
The Charles Rennie Mackintosh House, Northamptonshire – free tours for up to two guests when booked by calling 01604 603407
The Sainsbury Centre and Sculpture Park, Norfolk – free tickets via website at 10am on 29 August.
Families can also get a behind-the-scenes look at East Anglian Air Ambulance's Base in Norfolk (waiting list on its website), swim for free at Peterborough’s historic art deco lido, attend a guided walking tour of the White Cliffs of Dover, operate a Victorian printing press in Oxford, learn about Cumbria’s Acorn Bank Watermill or explore a history exhibition at Newcastle's iconic Grainger Market.
Which tourist attractions are free in London?
In London, the festival is called London Open House and runs from 12-20 September.
For many of the activities, such as watching the English National Ballet performers take their morning class and participating in a Ceilidh (19 September), trying out print making at Hackney Gallery, or visiting a 1505 Manor House in Ruislip (12-13 September), you can just turn up on the day — though you may be expected to queue.
Check the London Open House website and use the search filters to find drop-in sessions that don't require advance booking.
Other events, such as going up the BT Tower or taking a tour of Kew House, may require you to book tickets.
There is also a ballot running for guided tours around 10 Downing Street, which is open until Monday 17 August.
Which tourist attractions are free in Scotland during Heritage Open Days festival?
In Scotland, the festival is known as the Doors Open Days festival and runs throughout September across the country. Dates vary by city and by region, and you can check when your closest city or town will participate on the Doors Open Days timetable page. You can see a full map of events via the Doors Open Day ‘search for a building’ tool.
The most famous attractions require advance booking, but there are hundreds of buildings to visit, many of which allow you to drop in.
These include free entry to the National Library of Scotland, a great number of buildings and rooms belonging to the National Galleries of Scotland, the Museum of Scottish Fire Heritage, the National Camera Obscura & World of Illusions, and many more historic houses, churches, cathedrals, mosques and monuments.
If you're not around for the festival, several of Scotland's best tourist attractions are free all year, including the National Museum of Scotland, which is rated one of the UK's best museums.
Which tourist attractions are free in Wales during Heritage Open Days festival?
The Open Days festival runs throughout September in Wales, and includes free entry to more than 200 attractions, historic sites and tours.
There's free entry (13 and 14 September) to the National Trust’s Penrhyn Castle and Garden, which, alongside the surrounding Slate Landscape, is the UK’s newest Unesco World Heritage Site. Booking isn't required.
Or you could visit Powis Castle — Wales’ top-rated historic attraction according to Which? members, with a score of 83%. There's no need to booktheir either.
Missed the dates? St Fagan's open-air museum in Cardiff, including 40 buildings from different historical periods, was rated the best museum in the UK. It's completely free.
Free National Trust attractions
You can check on the Heritage Open Days website by filtering for the keyword ‘National Trust’.
The National Trust also regularly offers free passes to many of its historic houses, castles and gardens – we’ll always let you know when we spot these giveaways.
Which tourist attractions are free in Northern Ireland during the European Heritage Open Days festival?
The European Heritage Open Days festival in Northern Ireland takes place on the weekend of 12-13 September. This year’s theme is ‘Heritage at Risk: Revive, Resist, Reimagine’, and the festival says it invites organisers to explore the stories behind the places they value most.
Confirmed venues taking part include Hillsborough Fort and Courthouse, Ulster Aviation Society, Dunluce Castle in Portrush, and even a 12th-century Augustinian tomb in Dungiven.
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