Colonial Williamsburg is a 301-acre living-history city in Williamsburg, Virginia, restoring the 18th-century capital of colonial Virginia with 89 original buildings and hundreds of faithful reconstructions. Single-day adult admission now costs $37.50, down sharply from $49.99 just a couple of years ago — the biggest price cut the attraction has made since 2006. You can book your admission ticket in advance through Viator.
Quick facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Address | 101 Visitor Center Drive, Williamsburg, VA 23185 |
| Hours | Open 365 days a year; Historic Area and Art Museums 10am–5pm daily |
| Visitor Center opens | 9:30am |
| Single-day admission (adult, 13+) | $37.50 |
| Single-day admission (youth, 6–12) | $10.00 |
| Children under 6 | Free |
| Nearest transport | Complimentary Route 15 shuttle from the Visitor Center |
| Typical visit duration | A full day at minimum; two to three days to see everything |
Why book Colonial Williamsburg tickets?
- 🏛️ 89 original buildings: A real, walkable 18th-century city, not a replica village, backed by decades of archaeology.
- 🎟️ Prices cut sharply: Single-day adult admission is $37.50, well below the $49.99 rate charged before 2025.
- 🌿 Two art museums, free daily: The DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum are free to enter 365 days a year.
- 📜 Over 20 historic trades: Master craftspeople demonstrate blacksmithing, printing, millinery, and more using authentic 18th-century tools.
- 💰 Free for kids on Family Weekends: Selected summer weekends offer free single-day admission for children 12 and under.
Colonial Williamsburg opening hours
Colonial Williamsburg is open all 365 days of the year. The Historic Area and the Art Museums run from 10am to 5pm daily, and the Visitor Center opens earlier, at 9:30am. The Campbell Archaeology Center keeps shorter hours, Tuesday through Saturday, 10am to 5pm. Evening programmes, including the popular Haunted Williamsburg ghost tour, run separately after the Historic Area closes and need their own ticket.
Colonial Williamsburg ticket prices
Admission is priced by age, with several multi-day and multi-attraction options for longer stays. Prices shown do not include tax: the City of Williamsburg adds a 10% admission tax on the first $10 of any ticket, and a 3% service fee applies to card payments (avoidable by paying with cash or cheque on site).
| Ticket type | Price |
|---|---|
| Single-day adult (13+) | $37.50 |
| Single-day youth (6–12) | $10.00 |
| Multiday, 3 days, adult (13+) | $55.00 |
| Multiday, 3 days, youth (6–12) | $28.00 |
| Annual Pass adult (13+) | $75.00 |
| Annual Pass youth (6–12) | $35.00 |
| Good Neighbor Pass, local residents, adult | $35.00 |
| America’s Historic Triangle Ticket, adult (16+), 5 days | $126.00 |
The Historic Triangle Ticket bundles Colonial Williamsburg with Jamestown Settlement, Historic Jamestowne, and Yorktown for five consecutive days. On select summer weekends, children 12 and under receive free single-day admission through the Family Weekends offer. Book in advance through Viator to lock in your date.
How to get to Colonial Williamsburg
By car, take Exit 238 off I-64 and follow signs to the Colonial Williamsburg Regional Visitor Center. By air, Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport is about 20 minutes away, with Norfolk and Richmond airports each roughly 45 to 50 minutes further. By train, Amtrak serves a Williamsburg station a short drive from the Historic Area. Once you’ve arrived, the complimentary Route 15 shuttle bus handles getting around.
Parking at Colonial Williamsburg
Ticketed guests are encouraged to park at the Visitor Center, where parking costs $10 per day, subject to change during special events. Most other parking lots use the free Passport Parking app and offer free 30-minute parking in most cases. A complimentary shuttle, Route 15, runs every 15 minutes between the Visitor Center and Historic Area stops, Monday to Saturday 9am–9pm and Sunday 9am–6pm.
How long to spend at Colonial Williamsburg
Most visitors need at least a full day to see the highlights, and many find that too rushed. With 89 original buildings, more than 20 historic trades, two art museums, and staged performances throughout the day, a two- to three-day visit using the Multiday Ticket lets you see far more without feeling hurried.
Accessibility at Colonial Williamsburg
Colonial Williamsburg welcomes guests with disabilities, though 18th-century architecture can present genuine difficulties. Streets, most gardens, and outdoor activities in the Historic Area are wheelchair accessible, and interpreters can direct guests to accessible entry points. Many historic buildings still involve a few steps, and some upper floors have steep, narrow stairs. Free folding wheelchairs are available at the Visitor Center on a first-come basis, though no motorised chairs are offered, and Colonial Williamsburg’s buses are wheelchair accessible. Guests with disabilities can buy discounted Single-day and Annual Pass tickets (50% off) at on-site ticketing centres, and a signing interpreter can be arranged for hard-of-hearing guests with two weeks’ notice.
What to see inside Colonial Williamsburg
The Governor’s Palace was the residence of Virginia’s royal governors and later of Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson as the state’s first elected governors, and remains one of the most visited guided sites.
The Capitol building housed Virginia’s colonial legislature, where debates over independence and rights played out in the years leading to revolution.
Historic Trades and Skills brings more than 20 crafts to life, from blacksmiths and printers to milliners and wigmakers, all using 18th-century tools and techniques passed down through apprenticeship.
The Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg, comprising the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum and the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum, are free to enter every day and hold British and American antiques alongside bold folk art.
The Williamsburg Bray School, established in 1760, is the oldest extant building dedicated to educating Black children in the United States, and now anchors the Historic Area’s Stories of Black Life programming.
The African Baptist Meeting House and Burial Ground marks the archaeological site of the congregation’s mid-19th-century church, uncovered through recent excavations with First Baptist Church and the Let Freedom Ring Foundation.
Practical visitor tips
| Tip | Detail |
|---|---|
| Buy tickets online in advance | Online purchase gets you e-tickets and skips the ticket-counter queue. |
| Ride the free shuttle | Route 15 runs every 15 minutes between the Visitor Center and the Historic Area. |
| Budget for extra fees | A 3% card service fee and a 10% city admission tax apply on top of ticket prices. |
| Visit on a Family Weekend | Selected summer weekends offer free admission for children 12 and under. |
| Consider the Multiday Ticket | Three consecutive days cost only $17.50 more than a single day for adults. |
Colonial Williamsburg FAQ
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What are Colonial Williamsburg’s opening hours? | Open 365 days a year; the Historic Area and Art Museums run 10am to 5pm daily. |
| How much does admission cost? | Single-day tickets are $37.50 for adults and $10 for youth ages 6–12, plus tax and fees. |
| Is Colonial Williamsburg wheelchair accessible? | Most streets and grounds are accessible, though many historic buildings have steps; free folding wheelchairs are available at the Visitor Center. |
| Do I need a car to get around? | No, a complimentary shuttle bus connects the Visitor Center to the Historic Area every 15 minutes. |
| Is one day enough to see everything? | Most visitors need at least a full day; book tickets in advance and consider the three-day Multiday Ticket to see the museums too. |
Things to do near Colonial Williamsburg
Merchants Square, right at the edge of the Historic Area, offers shops, restaurants, and galleries within easy walking distance.
The College of William & Mary, adjacent to the Historic Area, is home to the historic Wren Building, one of the oldest college buildings in the United States.
Busch Gardens Williamsburg, a short drive away, combines European-themed rides and roller coasters with its own seasonal events calendar.
Water Country USA, next door to Busch Gardens, is Virginia’s largest water park and a popular warm-weather stop for families.
Yorktown Beach and Riverwalk Landing, about 15 minutes away, pair a small sandy beach with waterfront shops and dining on the York River.
What to visit tomorrow
Jamestown Settlement, about 10 minutes away, recreates the first permanent English colony in America with reconstructed ships, a fort, and a Powhatan village.
Historic Jamestowne, right next door, is the actual archaeological site of the 1607 settlement, with ongoing excavations open to visitors.
The American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, about 15 minutes away, covers the Revolutionary War through immersive galleries and a re-created Continental Army encampment.
Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s mountaintop home near Charlottesville, is about a two-hour drive and sits right at the edge of a comfortable day trip, but rewards the journey for those interested in the founding generation.
More Virginia travel
Other Virginia travel guides on Planet Whitley include:
- Guide to Sherwood Forest – President John Tyler’s plantation.
- Discovering presidents and the first Thanksgiving at Berkeley Plantation.
- Virginia’s best presidential homes for visitors.
- The uncomfortable slavery legacy of Mount Vernon.
- Plan your visit to the Virginia Living Museum in Newport News.
