Two things people get wrong about Highgate Cemetery. One ticket covers both sides, not one. And the hours drop by an hour in November, which is four weeks away.
Your ticket gives you entry to both the East and West sides. They are often written about as separate attractions and sold as one visit.
March to October: daily 10am to 5pm, last entry 4.30pm.
November to February: daily 10am to 4pm, last entry 3.30pm. Closed Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
So an hour disappears at the start of November, and the last entry moves to half past three. Access can also be restricted during funerals and in bad weather, because this is still a working burial ground.
Street parking is free after midday
The single most useful thing on their visitor page, and it is in the middle of a paragraph telling you not to drive.
There is no visitor parking. Parking restrictions apply on the surrounding streets between 10am and 12 noon, Monday to Friday only. After those times, and at any time at weekends, on-street parking is free.
Read that properly. The restriction window is two hours on five days. Arrive after midday on a weekday, or at all on a Saturday or Sunday, and you can park on the street for nothing.
The cemetery would rather you did not, and says so. They keep a small number of spaces for grave owners, and will reserve a space for Blue Badge holders on request.
There is a bicycle rack outside the West side gates and more further down the hill. There are no Santander docking stations nearby, so a hire bike is not an option for the last leg.
Group prices, and the £100 floor that cancels the child discount
The published prices are for groups, and the arithmetic has a trap in it.
Self-guided group visit, 10 or more: adult £10, children 8 to 17 £5, students £8. Minimum fee £100.
Private guided tour, minimum fee based on 10 participants: adult £18, children 8 to 17 £9, students £9.50.
Now the trap. Ten adults self-guided costs £100, which exactly meets the minimum. Ten children at £5 each is £50, which does not, so you pay £100 anyway. For a group of ten children the child rate is worth nothing and you are paying £10 a head regardless.
The guide itself costs £8 a head, being the gap between £10 and £18. And you cannot bring your own: only Highgate Cemetery guides are permitted to conduct tours of the cemetery.
Groups must book to visit during the week, and there are no private group tours at weekends. Both group types need a minimum of two weeks’ notice and payment in advance.
School groups get East side admission only, at £5.60 per student, with a maximum group size of 25 and a minimum ratio of one adult to ten pupils for anyone under 18.
Student rates apply only to booked and prepaid group visits arranged by accredited academic institutions. They cannot be bought on site.
The tours run in the rain
Tours last around 75 minutes and are in English. They go ahead even if it is raining.
Strong winds or icy conditions may cancel a tour, in which case you get a full refund. Otherwise tickets are not refundable or transferable. So bad weather is your problem and dangerous weather is theirs.
Paths are steep and often muddy. The cemetery asks for sensible footwear twice on the same page, which tells you something.
What you cannot do on a tour
No tripods. No filming. No food or drink.
Photography is allowed with a hand-held camera for personal use. Tripods are permitted in the cemetery generally but not on tours.
A permit is required, with at least two weeks’ notice, for anything involving lighting or screens, posed subjects, fashion shoots, music videos, anything with a supernatural element, funerals or people visiting graves, guided tours, commercial work, or film and video.
Two of those come with a warning attached: permission for supernatural subjects is described as most unlikely, and for funerals or people at graves as unlikely. Their rule of thumb is that if the pictures are more about you than about the cemetery, they will not be considered appropriate.
The rules that come from it being a working cemetery
Visitors must not leave the paths, or climb on or under any monument. The reason given is structural: monuments may be unstable.
The speed limit inside is 5mph and pedestrians have priority at all times.
Grave owners are discouraged from driving in except for Blue Badge holders, those less able to walk, or deliveries of heavy items.
Grave owners hold passes and do not buy tickets, and friends and relatives can get passes directly from the grave owner. Anyone coming to visit a particular grave without a pass may be asked to buy a ticket.
Children on tours
The cemetery is unusually honest about this, and it is worth repeating because it saves an awkward afternoon.
Children are allowed on tours, but the content is designed for adults. They say plainly that some children will not find it entertaining, and that if a child becomes distracting to the group, the family will be asked to stand apart until they are more receptive.
That is fair warning rather than a rule, but it is a clear signal that this is not a children’s attraction.
Where it is
Highgate Cemetery, Swain’s Lane, London N6 6PJ. Their what3words reference is window.pouch.career.
Archway and Highgate are the nearest Underground stations, both uphill walks. The cemetery asks visitors to come on foot, by bicycle or by public transport, and warns that engineering works and station closures can affect the route.
How to plan it
One ticket, both sides. You do not need two.
Going in November or later: last entry is 3.30pm, not 4.30pm.
Driving anyway: arrive after midday on a weekday, or any time at a weekend, when street parking is free.
A group of ten: self-guided is £100 whatever the ages, so the child rate only helps larger groups.
Wanting a guide: it has to be theirs, at £18 a head against £10 self-guided.
At a weekend: no private group tours, and groups must book midweek.
Wear proper shoes, and leave the tripod at home if you are on a tour.
Highgate Cemetery
- Address
- Highgate Cemetery, Swain’s Lane, London N6 6PJ. what3words window.pouch.career
- Nearest
- Archway and Highgate, both uphill walks. No Santander docking stations nearby
- Hours
- March to October daily 10am to 5pm, last entry 4.30pm. November to February daily 10am to 4pm, last entry 3.30pm. Closed Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Access may be restricted during funerals and bad weather
- Booking
- Groups must book with at least two weeks notice and pay in advance. No private group tours at weekends. Tickets are not refundable or transferable
- Price
- One ticket covers both East and West sides. Group rates for 10 or more: self-guided adult 10 pounds, child 8 to 17 5 pounds, students 8, with a 100 pound minimum fee. Private guided tour adult 18 pounds, child 9, students 9.50. School groups 5.60 per student, East side only
- Standing
- A Victorian funerary landscape on a steep wooded hill, and still an active burial ground
How to get in
Street parking restrictions apply only 10am to 12 noon Monday to Friday, so parking is free after midday and all weekend. Tours run 75 minutes and go ahead in rain, with refunds only for high winds or ice. No tripods on tours, no filming, no food or drink, and visitors must not leave the paths.
Where to go next
Hampstead Heath is next door, and Parliament Hill Lido is on the same hill.
Things to do at the weekend covers the rest, and the free museums are the no-cost alternative.
Questions we get asked
Does one ticket cover both sides of Highgate Cemetery?
Yes. Your ticket gives you entry to both the East and West sides, so you do not need to buy separately for each.
What are Highgate Cemetery's opening times?
March to October it opens daily 10am to 5pm with last entry at 4.30pm. November to February it opens daily 10am to 4pm with last entry at 3.30pm. It is closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, and access can be restricted during funerals or bad weather.
Is there parking at Highgate Cemetery?
There is no visitor car park, but on-street parking nearby is free outside the restricted window, which runs only from 10am to 12 noon Monday to Friday. After midday on a weekday, and at any time at weekends, street parking costs nothing. Blue Badge holders can request a reserved space.
How long is a Highgate Cemetery tour?
Around 75 minutes, in English. Tours go ahead in the rain, and are only cancelled for strong winds or icy conditions, in which case you get a full refund. Otherwise tickets are not refundable or transferable.
How much is Highgate Cemetery for a group?
For groups of 10 or more, a self-guided visit is £10 per adult, £5 for children aged 8 to 17 and £8 for students, with a £100 minimum fee. A private guided tour is £18 per adult, £9 per child and £9.50 per student. Because of the £100 floor, a group of ten children still pays £100.
Can you take photos at Highgate Cemetery?
Yes, with a hand-held camera for personal use. Tripods are allowed in the cemetery but not on tours, and filming is not permitted. A permit, requested at least two weeks ahead, is needed for lighting or screens, posed subjects, fashion shoots, music videos, supernatural themes, commercial work or any film.
Can you bring your own guide to Highgate Cemetery?
No. Only Highgate Cemetery guides are permitted to conduct tours, so a self-guided group booking is not suitable if you want a tour.
Is Highgate Cemetery suitable for children?
Children are allowed on tours, but the cemetery says the content is designed for adults and that some children will not find it entertaining. If a child becomes distracting to the group, the family is asked to stand apart until they are more receptive.
Written by Robert J Wills, no. 277 in the guide.
Last checked 5 October 2026 against the venues' own published information. Nobody pays to appear here and we take no bookings.
