Visit the memorial by day. Return for the show.

Short answer: treat Cellular Jail as two separate parts of one day. Visit the National Memorial and galleries during the day, then return for the sound-and-light show if it matters to you. The entry ticket and show ticket are separate. Book the show for the right language first, but recheck the daytime opening before fixing the rest of your Port Blair plan.

The reason for that caution is unusual but important: current official pages disagree about daytime hours and Monday closure. The ticket portal is clear about current prices and evening shows. The daytime timetable is not equally clear.

Official Tourism ticket pages and South Andaman District visitor information checked on 14 September 2026. Current government pages disagree on daytime hours and closure days.

Current Cellular Jail tickets and show times

The Andaman Tourism e-Tourist portal displayed these prices and show times when checked. They are current portal entries, not permanent promises.

Do not add the ₹30 or ₹100 memorial entry to the show ticket and assume one confirmation covers both. Keep each service visible in your plan and payment record. The official portal may change a show, language, child category or price after this checked date.

The daytime-hours problem

Three government pages currently give three different versions. That makes a confident one-line timetable less useful than it looks.

Practical decision: do not make Monday your only possible daytime visit unless the Tourism office or memorial confirms it is open. On any day, recheck the current opening and last-entry arrangement before leaving. This guide will not pretend that one of the three official versions is settled.

How to book the sound-and-light show

Use the official e-Tourist portal, not a reseller. Its published workflow is:

1. Register the visitor details requested by the portal.
2. Keep the acknowledgement number generated after registration.
3. Select the service, visit date and show time.
4. Check the language before payment. The 6:50 pm language changes by day.
5. Complete payment and save or print the confirmation slip.
6. Use the portal's payment-verification and booking-search tools if the confirmation is unclear.

The official portal also has a near-term seat-availability page. Treat the displayed number as live information, not a reason to delay or rush. Availability can change after you check.

A sensible way to plan the day

If the evening show matters most

Book the correct date and language first. Keep the daytime memorial visit in a separate block and leave the middle of the day flexible. That way, a changed daytime opening does not automatically waste the show ticket.

If you only want the daytime memorial

Confirm the opening before going, especially on Monday or a national holiday. Give the museum and galleries priority over adding another distant attraction. The complex is a place of incarceration and resistance, not a quick photo stop.

If you have one usable Port Blair day

Make Cellular Jail the fixed city commitment. Add only one flexible nearby stop around it. A South Andaman road outing or boat excursion belongs on another day because its return can make the evening show fragile. The Port Blair guide shows how to choose the second part of the day.

What is inside the memorial?

The South Andaman District page lists a museum, art gallery and photo gallery within the visitor experience. The current Tourism museum page also describes prison cells, records and photographs, exhibits connected with the freedom struggle, and the sound-and-light presentation.

Only three of the original seven wings survive, according to the Tourism museum page. That is why the surviving layout can feel smaller than the seven-wing plan shown in historical material. Read the site as a fragment of the former prison, not as the complete original structure.

Photography rules can change by equipment and area. The official ticket page currently publishes separate video-camera charges, but the official pages are not consistent enough to state one complete photography rule here. Check the instruction at the entrance before recording.

Why Cellular Jail matters

Cellular Jail was a British colonial prison used to isolate Indian freedom fighters in individual cells. It is also known as Kala Pani and is now preserved as a National Memorial.

This page stays focused on planning the visit. The memorial's own galleries and official district history should carry the detailed story. A short travel summary should not flatten the prisoners, punishments and resistance into a sightseeing list.

Getting there without inventing a transfer time

Cellular Jail is at Atlanta Point in Port Blair, also officially called Sri Vijaya Puram. The district page says public and private transport is available within the city. A cab or auto-rickshaw can be considered for a point-to-point visit, but agree the destination, fare method and return before leaving.

No airport-to-jail duration is promised here. Traffic, hotel location and the exact starting point change the journey. Use the Andaman local transport guide for cab and auto checks, or the airport arrival guide if you are deciding whether landing day is usable.

Children, older travellers and limited mobility

The official show tariff defines a child ticket for ages 5 to 11. It does not establish that every part of the complex is step-free or suitable for every visitor. Ask the memorial about the route to the galleries, seating, steps, rest points and toilet access if any of these control the visit.

• Do not rely on a late show if it breaks a child's sleep, dinner or next-morning ferry plan.
• Keep the daytime and evening visits separate if a long continuous outing would be difficult.
• Ask which areas can be visited without stairs before accepting a general accessibility assurance.
• Carry only what the current security and entry instructions allow.

The Andaman with kids guide helps fit this city visit into a slower family itinerary.

Common mistakes

• Treating entry and the show as one ticket. They are separate services and prices.
• Copying one timetable from an old article. Even current official pages disagree on daytime hours.
• Booking the wrong language. The second show changes between Hindi and English on different days.
• Using Monday as the only possible visit. Two official pages say closed; another says open all days.
• Squeezing it between fixed transfers. A memorial visit deserves more than the spare minutes before a ferry or flight.
• Quoting one ticket as the whole day's cost. Add transport, food and both memorial services that you actually choose. The Andaman trip cost guide shows how.

Questions answered

Is Cellular Jail open on Monday?

The official answer is currently inconsistent. The South Andaman District and Tourism museum pages say the daytime museum is closed on Monday. The Tourism FAQ says the jail is open all days. Confirm directly before making Monday your only option.

How much is the Cellular Jail ticket?

The official portal listed daytime entry at ₹30 for Indian visitors and ₹100 for foreign visitors when checked on 14 September 2026. The sound-and-light show is separate at ₹300 per adult and ₹150 per child aged 5 to 11.

Which sound-and-light show is in English?

The current portal lists the 6:50 pm show in English on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. On Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, the 6:50 pm show is listed in Hindi. Recheck your date before payment.

Should I visit during the day if I have a show ticket?

Yes, if you want the museum, cells and galleries. The evening presentation does not replace the daytime memorial visit. Plan the two parts separately.

Sources checked

Prices, schedules and access can change. These primary sources were checked on 14 September 2026:

• Andaman Tourism e-Tourist show details and prices
• Andaman Tourism official booking workflow
• Andaman Tourism seat-availability page
• South Andaman District Cellular Jail page
• Andaman Tourism Cellular Jail Museum page
• Andaman Tourism FAQ