South Kensington is a cultural hub, home to three world-famous museums and our main university campus. Find out more about our campus and what life is like at the College by attending one of our campus tours.

You'll be shown around by a current student, giving you the chance to ask questions about what it's like to live and study here.

Tours are free and take place on most Wednesday afternoons with extra dates added throughout summer. However, you have to book your slot in advance, and places fill up quickly.

Please note these are general tours of our South Kensington Campus. You will not be able to enter most buildings and the tours are not guaranteed to be led by a student studying your course of interest, but they will be happy to answer any questions.

Book a student-led campus tour

One-to-one information appointments

Alongside our tours, we also offer one-to-one information appointments with a member of our Student Recruitment team. These also take place on Wednesdays in our on-campus Visitor Centre.

Find out more and book an appointment.

Please note: campus tours and one-to-one information appointments need to be booked separately. 

Frequently asked questions

Find answers to some of our frequently asked questions about our campus tours.

About our guided tours

When are the tours?

Our tours run most weeks on Wednesdays at 1:45pm and 3:00pm.

What's covered on the tour?

You’ll be shown around the campus grounds, seeing teaching spaces, Imperial College Union, and our Ethos Sports centre. You won’t be able to enter most buildings, but hopefully you’ll get a feel for what it’s like to be a student at the College.

There will be plenty of opportunities for you to ask questions about our facilities and campus life on the tour.

How long do our tours last?

The tours last about an hour.

Can I bring a guest?

Yes. You can book for up to three people, which includes yourself.

Can I visit a department on the tour or enter any buildings?

Our tours are general tours of the campus and are not tours of specific departments. However, if you contact the relevant department in advance they may be able to welcome you outside of this tour.

Our tours will take place in mostly outdoor spaces to ensure the safety of everyone. You will not be able to enter buildings before, during, or after the tour.

Independent visits

If you can’t make one of our tours or simply want to visit campus on your own, you’re welcome to explore and go on a self-guided tour.

We now offer a self-guided tour through the 'Welcome to Imperial' app allowing you to tour the main spaces in our South Kensington Campus at your own pace.

You won’t be able to access buildings during your visit. Our Virtual Tour gives you full access to different department’s learning spaces, lecture halls and labs.

Unfortunately we do not offer private tours.

What language are the tours in?

The tour is in English. We’re unfortunately not able to provide translators, so we recommend you have an intermediate level of English to attend one of our tours.

Can I visit with my school?

These tours are for individual visitors and their guests.

If you're interested in visits for schools, please see our visits for school groups page.

I cannot attend a campus tour on a Wednesday, can I take a tour on an alternative day?

Please see our questions on independent visits to find out how you can conduct your own self-guided tour. Unfortunately we do not offer tours on alternative days and cannot offer private tours.

I cannot see a date I want to visit on

Bookings for tours usually open around four to six weeks in advance, so please check back to see if bookings have gone live.

If the date is within six weeks, the tour may be fully booked. Check back closer to the date to see if there have been any cancellations and if spaces become available.

We also may not be providing a tour on certain weeks. This may be because of an Open Day or College closures.

I can only book for three people, and I want to bring more than two guests

While we would love for everyone to be able attend one of our tours, we limit numbers for safety and to ensure as many prospective students as possible can attend.

Please do not make more than one booking so that more than your allotted two guests can attend. There are plenty of cafes and seating areas on campus that guests can wait at while you enjoy your tour.

Are the tours accessible?

Please do contact visit@imperial.ac.uk with any accessibility requirements.