You cannot take a camera inside. It has to be left in a cabin in the car park before you go in.
“Small (palm-sized) purses and wallets are allowed into the building. Cameras are not. Please deposit all large bags and cameras in the Baggage Cabin in the car park prior to entering the complex.”
For one of the most photographed buildings in London, that is the rule nobody expects. The exterior is yours to photograph. The interior is not, and the camera does not come through the door.
Note what counts as a permitted bag: palm-sized purses and wallets only. Anything larger goes in the Baggage Cabin too, which means a day bag, a rucksack or a shopping bag.
Also banned: sharp, dangerous and incendiary objects and substances, including knives, matches and lighters.
Open all day, but the shrine is not
The contradiction that catches visitors, and resolving it is the difference between a good trip and a wasted one.
The temple’s timings page says “The Mandir and Haveli are usually open to the public from 9.00am to 6.00pm throughout the year, including Bank Holidays.”
Its own home page gives the opening hours as 9.00am to 12.15pm and 4.00pm to 6.00pm.
Both are right, because they describe different things. The building is open 9 to 6. Murti darshan, which is seeing the sacred images in the shrine and the reason most people come, runs in three separate windows:
9.00am to 11.00am.
11.45am to 12.15pm.
4.00pm to 6.00pm, opening earlier at 3.30pm on weekends and bank holidays.
So there is a gap from 12.15pm to 4.00pm on a weekday when the building is open and the shrine is closed. Nearly four hours.
Arrive at two o’clock on a Tuesday and you will see the architecture and the exhibition, and not the thing you came for.
The exhibition runs straight through
Which is what makes the middle of the day worth anything at all.
The ‘Understanding Hinduism’ exhibition is open 9.00am to 6.00pm, continuously, with no closure.
It occupies 3,000 square feet on the lower floor of the Mandir, with 3D dioramas, paintings, tableaux and traditional craftwork covering the origins, beliefs and values of Hinduism.
There is also an 11 minute documentary on the Mandir’s significance and how it was built, from inception to consecration.
So the sensible shape of an afternoon visit is: exhibition first, then wait for the 4pm darshan.
A strict dress code, spelled out
More specific than most religious sites publish, and it is enforced.
“Tops must cover the shoulders, chest, navel, and upper arms. Leg-wear must be at least below knee-length.”
Upper arms is the clause people miss. A short-sleeved t-shirt does not meet it. Nor do shorts or a skirt above the knee, on anyone.
Footwear is removed on entering any part of the Haveli complex, with shoe racks provided. Wear socks you are happy to be seen in.
Free, and that is unusual at this scale
Admission is free.
The Mandir is a traditional Hindu place of worship “designed and constructed entirely according to ancient Vedic architectural texts, using no structural steel whatsoever.”
No steel frame, in a building of this size, in north-west London. That is the fact worth carrying round the building with you, and it is why the stone is doing work rather than cladding a frame.
It holds a Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice award for 2024, and the complex also contains the Haveli, with an assembly hall, a souvenir shop and a gymnasium.
The other daily rituals
Worth timing a visit around if you want to see the temple working rather than resting.
Rajbhog Arti at 11.45am, the ritual waving of lighted wicks before the deities. It falls exactly at the start of the second darshan window.
Abhishek, the ritual pouring of water over the sacred image of Shri Nilkanth Varni: 9.30am to 12 noon and 4.00pm to 6.00pm.
There is also a Live Arti Webcast every evening from 6.35pm to 7.20pm, after the building has closed, which is the way to see the evening arti without being there.
One standing caveat from the temple: timings and access to any part of the Mandir are subject to change, sometimes without notice, because of special services through the year.
Getting there, and it is not near a station
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Pramukh Swami Road, Neasden, London NW10 8HW.
There is no station at the door. Four are within reasonable distance and all need a bus or a walk:
Wembley Park, on the Metropolitan and Jubilee lines. Cross the road and take the 206 bus from Stop O towards Kilburn Park, getting off at Stop J on Brentfield Road opposite the Mandir. Black cabs wait at the station.
Stonebridge Park, on the Bakerloo line and Overground. Take the 112 bus from Stop B towards Brent Cross, four minutes to Stop N by the McDonald’s on the North Circular, then a nine minute walk down Brentfield Road. Walking the whole way takes 15 to 18 minutes.
There is a car park, which is where the Baggage Cabin is.
How to plan it
Leave the camera in the car park. Only palm-sized purses and wallets come in.
Darshan windows: 9 to 11, 11.45 to 12.15, and 4 to 6. Nothing between 12.15 and 4 on a weekday.
Weekends and bank holidays: the afternoon window opens at 3.30pm, half an hour earlier.
Afternoon visit: do the exhibition first, which runs 9 to 6 without a break.
Dress code covers shoulders, chest, navel and upper arms, with legwear below the knee.
Shoes come off, so mind the socks.
Entry is free.
Getting there: Wembley Park then the 206, which stops opposite.
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir
- Address
- Pramukh Swami Road, Neasden, London NW10 8HW
- Nearest
- No station at the door. Wembley Park on the Metropolitan and Jubilee lines, then the 206 bus from Stop O to Stop J opposite. Or Stonebridge Park on the Bakerloo line and Overground, then the 112 bus or a 15 to 18 minute walk
- Hours
- The Mandir and Haveli are open 9.00am to 6.00pm year round including bank holidays. Murti darshan runs 9.00 to 11.00am, 11.45am to 12.15pm, and 4.00pm to 6.00pm, opening at 3.30pm at weekends and on bank holidays. The Understanding Hinduism exhibition runs 9.00am to 6.00pm continuously. Rajbhog Arti at 11.45am. Abhishek 9.30am to noon and 4.00 to 6.00pm
- Booking
- None needed for general visits. Guided tours, school visits and group visits bookable
- Price
- Free admission
- Standing
- A traditional Hindu mandir designed and built entirely according to ancient Vedic architectural texts using no structural steel at all, with a 3,000 square foot permanent exhibition on Hinduism and a Haveli containing an assembly hall, shop and gymnasium
How to get in
Cameras are not permitted inside and must be left, with any bag larger than a palm-sized purse or wallet, in the Baggage Cabin in the car park. A strict dress code requires tops covering the shoulders, chest, navel and upper arms and legwear below knee length, and footwear is removed on entering the Haveli complex. The building is open 9 to 6 but the shrine itself closes between 12.15pm and 4.00pm on weekdays, so an early afternoon visit sees the architecture and exhibition but not the darshan. Timings can change without notice because of special services.
Where to go next
Free things to do in London covers what else costs nothing, and Wembley Stadium is a few stops away on the same lines.
London dress codes covers where else you will be turned away, and unique things to do covers the rest.
Questions we get asked
Can you take photos inside Neasden Temple?
No. Cameras are not allowed inside the complex and must be deposited in the Baggage Cabin in the car park before you enter, along with any bag larger than a palm-sized purse or wallet. The exterior can be photographed freely.
What are Neasden Temple's opening hours?
The Mandir and Haveli are open 9.00am to 6.00pm year round, including bank holidays, but murti darshan, which is viewing the sacred images, runs only from 9.00 to 11.00am, 11.45am to 12.15pm and 4.00pm to 6.00pm. At weekends and on bank holidays the afternoon window opens half an hour earlier at 3.30pm. The exhibition stays open 9 to 6 throughout.
What is the dress code at Neasden Temple?
Strict and specific. Tops must cover the shoulders, chest, navel and upper arms, so a short-sleeved t-shirt does not qualify, and leg-wear must be at least below knee-length. Footwear is removed on entering any part of the Haveli complex, with shoe racks provided.
Is Neasden Temple free?
Yes, admission is free, including the 3,000 square foot Understanding Hinduism exhibition on the lower floor with its 3D dioramas, tableaux and 11 minute documentary. Guided tours, school visits and group visits can be booked separately.
How do you get to Neasden Temple?
There is no station at the door. From Wembley Park on the Metropolitan and Jubilee lines, cross the road and take the 206 bus from Stop O to Stop J on Brentfield Road, opposite the Mandir. From Stonebridge Park on the Bakerloo line and Overground, take the 112 bus from Stop B, or walk the whole way in 15 to 18 minutes.
What time is arti at Neasden Temple?
Rajbhog Arti is at 11.45am, which coincides with the start of the second darshan window. Abhishek runs 9.30am to noon and 4.00 to 6.00pm. There is also a Live Arti Webcast every evening from 6.35pm to 7.20pm, after the building closes.
Is Neasden Temple built without steel?
Yes. The Mandir states it was designed and constructed entirely according to ancient Vedic architectural texts, using no structural steel whatsoever, which is unusual for a building of its size.
Written by Robert J Wills, no. 364 in the guide.
Last checked 6 October 2026 against the venues' own published information. Nobody pays to appear here and we take no bookings.
