Cellular Jail Port Blair, Andaman: timings, tickets and what to see
Cellular Jail in Port Blair, Andaman, is the old British prison at Atlanta Point, in the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The British built it between 1896 and 1906 to hold political prisoners shipped over from mainland India. For most of them a sentence here meant years of solitary confinement, more than 1,200 km from home.
This page has the timings, entry fee, light and sound show schedule and a short history, so you can plan a visit without hunting through five other sites.
Updated October 2026 by the Blue Bubble Andaman team in Port Blair
About Cellular Jail
On the mainland people called it Kala Pani, or "black water", because being sent across the sea to the Andamans was a punishment in itself. Today the building is the National Memorial Cellular Jail. Prime Minister Morarji Desai declared it a national memorial on 11 February 1979, and it now has a museum, photo galleries and a library on the freedom movement.
For most people on an Andaman trip it is the first stop after landing, since it is close to the airport and to the hotels around Aberdeen Bazaar. In September 2024 the Government of India renamed Port Blair as Sri Vijaya Puram, so you will see both names on signboards and tickets. Most people, us included, still say Port Blair.
Cellular Jail, Port Blair, from the front
The name comes from the design. Every prisoner had a cell of his own and there were no shared dormitories. The jail had seven wings spreading out from a central watchtower, like the spokes of a cycle wheel, with 696 cells in all. Each cell is about 4.5 by 2.7 metres, with one small ventilator set roughly 3 metres up the wall. The wings were laid out so the front of one faced the back of the next, which meant a prisoner could never see or speak to anyone in the next block.
The walls are a dull reddish brick, and the story told locally is that the bricks came from Burma. Only three of the seven wings stand today. The Japanese pulled down two of them while they occupied the islands from 1942 to 1945 and used the bricks for bunkers. Two more were demolished in the 1950s to make room for what is now G.B. Pant Hospital, which still sits right next to the jail.
Cellular Jail Port Blair timings and entry fee
Short on time? Go in the morning for the museum and the cells, spend the afternoon at Corbyn's Cove Beach , and come back after dark for the 6:50 pm light and sound show. The jail is closed on Mondays.
Open days Tuesday to Sunday Morning session 9:00 am to 12:30 pm Afternoon session 1:30 pm to 5:00 pm Closed Mondays and national holidays Entry fee, Indian visitors ₹30 per person Entry fee, foreign nationals ₹100 per person Still camera ₹50 per camera Video camera ₹200 per camera Time to allow About 2 hours
Fees and timings are taken from the Andaman tourism e-Tourist portal and the visitor guide at cellularjail.com, and they can change, so confirm on the day. The afternoons get hot on the open walkways, which is one more reason to go in the morning.
Light and sound show at Cellular Jail
The evening show tells the story of the jail through narration, music and projections on the front of the building. It was upgraded in 2023 with laser projectors and new lighting, and a tree in the compound is part of the show, so it seems to speak along with the narration. Each show runs for about 40 minutes.
Show Time Language Days Adult Child (5 to 11)
First show 5:50 pm Hindi Every day ₹300 ₹150 Second show 6:50 pm English Mon, Wed, Fri ₹300 ₹150 Second show 6:50 pm Hindi Tue, Thu, Sat, Sun ₹300 ₹150 Third show 7:50 pm Hindi Every day ₹300 ₹150 Fourth show (busy season) 8:50 pm Hindi Added in peak season ₹300 ₹150
The jail itself is closed on Mondays, but the official portal still lists light and sound shows on Monday evenings. Check the booking page for your date before you plan around it.
Seats fill up in the busy winter months, so book a few days ahead on the Andaman tourism e-Tourist portal instead of hoping for tickets at the gate. Carry mosquito repellent, as you sit outdoors.
The evening light and sound show
What to see inside Cellular Jail
Give yourself about two hours if you want to walk through properly. The museum near the entrance has old photographs, letters and boards listing prisoners' names by region. You will also see the oil mill (kolhu) that prisoners were made to turn by hand to press coconut oil, the wooden frame used for flogging, and the room where the gallows stood.
The central tower is where all seven wings used to meet, and the three surviving wings still branch off from it. The Swatantrya Jyot, an eternal flame for the freedom fighters, burns in the open area inside the complex.
Guides wait near the ticket counter. Hiring one is worth it here, because the corridors look alike and most of the stories are not written on any board.
A row of cells inside the jail
How to reach Cellular Jail in Port Blair, Andaman
First you have to get to Port Blair. Flights land at Veer Savarkar International Airport from Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad and a few other cities. There are passenger ships from Kolkata and Chennai as well, but they take three to four days and sail on an irregular schedule.
The jail is a short taxi or auto ride from the airport. If your hotel is near Aberdeen Bazaar you can simply walk. We usually bring our guests here on their first afternoon in Port Blair, then back in the evening for the show.
Best time to visit Cellular Jail
You can visit in any month. October to May is the most comfortable stretch, with dry weather and clear evenings for the show. The monsoon runs from about June to September. The jail stays open, but rain can cut short your time on the terraces, and heavy rain can interrupt the outdoor show. The time of day makes more difference than the season: the museum in the cooler morning, the show after sunset.
The jail in the monsoon
Places near Cellular Jail in Port Blair
The jail fits easily into a day of Port Blair sightseeing . These are the stops people usually add, and our Andaman sightseeing guide covers the rest.
Short boat ride from Aberdeen Jetty
Now called Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Island, it has the ruins of the old British headquarters.
Read about Ross Island
Boat trip from Aberdeen Jetty
Where most people try a glass bottom boat or their first snorkel.
Read about North Bay Island
Closest beach to the city
The only proper beach inside city limits, and an easy way to spend the afternoon between the jail and the evening show.
Read about Corbyn's Cove Beach
Junglighat, a short drive away
A small museum on the islands' tribal communities, close to our Port Blair office.
Read about the museum
In 2026 India added the Colonial Penal Settlement of the Andaman Islands to its UNESCO World Heritage tentative list. The entry covers Cellular Jail along with Ross Island, Viper Island and Chatham Island, so you can see a good part of it in one or two days in Port Blair. If you are heading on to Havelock, read about Radhanagar Beach too.
Want Cellular Jail and the evening show built into your Andaman trip?