Glastonbury Abbey

Legend and grounds

Glastonbury Abbey is owned and run by Glastonbury Abbey, a registered charity. Its grounds cover 36 acres, and a walk around the perimeter is nearly a mile. The abbey has had legendary standing since medieval times, linked in tradition to Joseph of Arimathea and to King Arthur’s burial. Treat those stories as legend rather than record.

Practicalities

Tickets are booked through the abbey’s website. Under-16s are free all year, and each paying adult can bring two under-16s free for general admission. The abbey is open daily, with last entry in the late afternoon, but it will be closed to visitors on Mondays from 2 November 2026 to 15 February 2027 inclusive. Opening arrangements change, so confirm them before you set out.

Dogs, food and access

Dogs on short leads are welcome in the grounds, but may enter the Yard Gift Shop and Cafe building only while ordering. The Yard Cafe and gift shop are in the Abbey Yard, along with St Patrick’s Chapel, and you do not need an admission ticket to use the cafe. A seasonal Garden Cafe operates in the grounds in spring and summer. The abbey’s accessibility page describes gravel paths across the grounds that suit wheelchairs and other mobility aids, with a manual wheelchair to borrow from the ticket office. The abbey runs a pay and display car park on Silver Street, and St Dunstan’s car park on Magdalene Street is the nearest for accessible parking. Check the abbey’s accessibility page for the current entrance arrangements.

Longer walks

The abbey’s own site suggests other walks from the grounds, including the Glastonbury Way at about 7 miles. For a short outing, the grounds themselves give a perimeter loop of nearly a mile, which is easy to fit around a cafe stop in the Abbey Yard.

The abbey and the Tor

Glastonbury Tor is a separate place run by the National Trust, with concrete paths up the hill and no car park of its own. The abbey’s site describes the walk to the Tor and back as about 3 miles, and says to follow the signposted route along Glastonbury High Street because there is no way through the abbey grounds, so you can do both on foot in one day if you plan for it. For the town and what else is nearby, see Glastonbury.