English Heritage

What you need to know

We've made some changes to help keep you safe, and things might be a little different when you visit. Here's everything you need to know.

• Do we need to Book?

  Advance booking is now essential. We have introduced limits on visitor numbers to help keep everyone safe, and you won’t be able to visit without your booking confirmation. If you’re a Member, your ticket will be free, but you still need to book in advance. Make sure you've read our ticketing FAQ before you book.

  Book Tickets

  Booking FAQs

• What parts of the site are closed?
  • House - Due to the need to maintain social distancing, the upper floors of Osborne remain closed. The ground floor of the House will be open with social distancing measures in place. The Grand corridor, State Rooms and Durbar Wing will be open with a one-way system in place. Some areas including the Exhibition Room, Council Room Corridor and Table Deckers will be closed.
  • Swiss Cottage and Museum - The Swiss Cottage and Museum remain closed.

• What changes have you made to your facilities?
  • Café - The Beach Café will be open for takeaway service offering snacks and refreshments. The Orangery is open for hot and cold snacks, local butchers pork and leek sausages, pasties, soup of the day, baguettes and sandwiches and cream teas and cakes. The Gazelle house cake stop adjacent to Swiss Cottage is also open for takeaway drinks and snacks.
  • Playgrounds - The play area located near Swiss Cottage is open.
  • Shop - Osborne’s shop will be open with a one way system in place.
  • Toilets - Toilet facilities will be available in the gardens. Additional hand sanitising stations will be available in various locations.

  Plan your Visit

• Is the mini bus service available?
  • Mini bus service - We are operating a limited mini bus service between the house and Queen Victoria’s Beach. As the service is running at reduced capacity, we kindly ask that visitors who are able to explore the site without making use of this service do so. Please speak to a member of staff upon arrival for further information.

• How are you keeping us safe?

  We've made a number of changes to help keep you safe. Although things might be a little different when you visit, you’ll still be able to enjoy exploring the places where history really happened. And you’ll still be given a warm and safe welcome by our friendly – if socially distant – staff and volunteers.

  You can visit our reopening page for information on general safety measures we've taken to help keep you safe.

  General Safety Information

• Do I need to wear a face covering?

  Face coverings must be worn in all indoor areas. We won't be able to provide you with a face covering, so please come prepared so you don't miss out.

• I still have questions.

  The answers to all frequently asked questions can be found on our FAQ page.

  Read our FAQs