St Paul's Cathedral is Sir Christopher Wren's domed church in the City of London, built after the Great Fire of 1666. A sightseeing ticket (£27 for an adult, or £29.70 with an optional donation) covers the cathedral floor, the crypt and all three Dome Galleries, including the Whispering Gallery 257 steps up. Sightseeing is Monday to Saturday, and services, including Choral Evensong on most days, are free.
There has been a cathedral dedicated to St Paul on this hill since 604. The building you see today was designed by Wren after the medieval cathedral burned down in the Great Fire. Its dome has been part of London's skyline for more than 300 years and famously survived the Blitz in 1940.
A visit has two very different halves. Down below you have the vast, bright interior and the crypt, where Nelson and Wellington lie. Up above you have the climb: first to the Whispering Gallery inside the dome, then outside to the Stone Gallery and the Golden Gallery at the top. This guide covers both, with prices, opening times and how to hear the choir without buying a ticket.
St Paul's Cathedral: the essentials
- Sightseeing days
- Monday to Saturday; doors usually open 8.30am, last entry usually 4pm
- Adult ticket
- £27, or £29.70 with an optional 10% donation
- Child aged 6-17
- £10.50; under-6s free
- Included
- Cathedral floor, crypt, Dome Galleries and multimedia guide
- Steps
- 257 to the Whispering Gallery, 376 to the Stone Gallery, 528 to the Golden Gallery
- Dome Sundays
- Galleries only, 12.30pm to 2pm, until 25 October 2026; £13.50 adult
- Nearest station
- St Paul's (Central line), about 3 minutes' walk
From Old St Paul's to Wren's masterpiece
St Paul's was first consecrated in 604. The cathedral that stood here in the Middle Ages, known today as Old St Paul's, was a huge building, and it was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666.
Christopher Wren was appointed to rebuild it in 1668. Building took decades: the first service was held in the Quire in 1697, and the new cathedral was officially declared complete in 1711, within Wren's own lifetime. The dome is his great achievement, and it is not a single shell: the dome you see from inside is not the same as the outer dome you see from the street.
Since then St Paul's has been the stage for national occasions. The Duke of Wellington's funeral and burial took place here in 1852, Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee was celebrated here in 1897, and Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer here in 1981. In 1940 the cathedral survived the Blitz, when much of the surrounding City burned, and photographs of the dome rising through the smoke became a symbol of wartime London.
Climbing the dome: Whispering, Stone and Golden Galleries
For most visitors the climb is the highlight, and it is included in the standard ticket. There is no lift: all three galleries are reached by stairs only.
| Gallery | Steps from the floor | What you get | Photos allowed? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whispering Gallery (inside the dome) | 257 | A view down into the cathedral and the famous whispering walls | No |
| Stone Gallery (outside) | 376 | Wide views across London from an open-air gallery | Yes |
| Golden Gallery (outside, at the top of the dome) | 528 | The highest and narrowest viewpoint, with a 360-degree panorama | Yes |
The Whispering Gallery gets its name from its acoustics. Stand with your face close to the wall and whisper, and a person on the far side of the circle can hear you. It works best when the gallery is quiet, so early in the day is ideal.
The route includes narrow passages, and the final stretch to the Golden Gallery is a spiral staircase. The cathedral recommends that anyone with a medical condition, mobility difficulties or a fear of heights or confined spaces does not attempt the climb. If you stop at the Whispering Gallery, you have still seen the most famous part. A video fly-through of all three levels is on the multimedia guide for those who stay below.
Children need an adult beside them on the dome stairs. Child ticket holders must be accompanied and supervised by an adult aged 18 or over in the Dome Galleries. Pushchairs cannot go up and there is no cloakroom to leave them in, so bring a front-worn baby carrier if you are visiting with a baby.
The cathedral floor and the crypt
Back on the ground, take time under the dome itself, then walk east towards the Quire and the High Altar. The cathedral's first monument was placed on the floor in 1795, and there are now memorials to figures from British history throughout the building.
The crypt runs under the whole cathedral, and St Paul's describes it as the largest in Europe. It is the resting place of Admiral Lord Nelson, whose tomb forms the centrepiece of the Nelson Chamber, and of the Duke of Wellington. Wren himself is buried here too, fittingly in the building he designed. The crypt also has the café, the shop and the toilets, and it is reached by lift as well as stairs.
Free tours included with your ticket
Two guided tours in English are free for ticket holders and booked on the day at the Guiding Desk, subject to availability. Both usually run at various times between 11am and 3pm, Monday to Saturday:
- Highlights tour, 20 to 30 minutes: a quick introduction to the history and architecture.
- Cathedral floor and crypt tour, about 90 minutes: a fuller tour that includes the Geometric Staircase and the Quire, areas not usually open to visitors.
The paid Treasures tour (£16 per person on top of admission, 60 minutes) goes up 141 steps into the triforium to see the 18th-century library and the Great Model of Wren's original design. It is best for visitors aged 12 and over and must be pre-booked online. Multimedia guides are included for everyone, with commentary in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, Japanese and Korean, plus family, audio-description and BSL versions.
St Paul's tickets and prices
These are the cathedral's standard sightseeing prices for Monday to Saturday visits, valid after the summer discount period ended on 1 September 2026. The "with donation" column adds an optional 10% that goes to the cathedral, which receives no regular state funding.
| Ticket | Without donation | With donation |
|---|---|---|
| Adult (18+) | £27 | £29.70 |
| Senior (65+) or student | £24 | £26.40 |
| Child (6-17) | £10.50 | £11.55 |
| Infant (0-5) | Free | Free |
| Family: 2 adults + 2 or 3 children | £64.50 | £70.95 |
| Family: 1 adult + 2 or 3 children | £37.50 | £41.25 |
Disabled visitors and an accompanying carer or companion get free tickets, which can be booked in advance or requested on arrival. Students need a valid photo ID from their place of study or an ISIC card. Always check the official ticket page before you buy.
With three children, the family ticket saves the most. Two adults and three children aged 6 to 17 would pay £85.50 at individual prices, but the family ticket covers all five for £64.50. Even with two children the family ticket (£64.50 against £75) is cheaper.
You can book up to six months ahead, and on the day. Walk-up visitors are welcome and can pay by card or cash, but booking online gives the fastest entry. You can change the date or time of a sightseeing booking up to 24 hours before your visit, but tickets are not refundable.
Opening times and Dome Sundays
Sightseeing is Monday to Saturday. On most days the doors open at 8.30am, last entry is usually at 4pm, and sightseeing ends 30 minutes after the last entry. Times change for services and events, so check the cathedral's calendar for your date.
On Sundays the cathedral is for worship, but between 15 March and 25 October 2026 the three Dome Galleries open from 12.30pm to 2pm under the name Dome Sundays. A Dome Sunday ticket costs £13.50 for an adult (£14.85 with donation), £12 for seniors and students, and £5.25 for children. It covers the galleries only, not the cathedral floor or crypt, and photography is not allowed on the main floor on Sundays.
Evensong and other free services
You do not need a ticket to worship at St Paul's. There are around thirty services a week, the regular ones are free, and for most you simply turn up. You pass through the same security check as sightseers.
The service we recommend to visitors is Choral Evensong: sung prayers, psalms and anthems, usually led by the cathedral choir. The published schedule for autumn 2026 shows it at 5pm on most weekdays and Saturdays and at 3pm on Sundays, although the pattern varies on some days. Most services take place under the dome, and seating is not reserved. It is a wonderful way to hear the building's acoustics, but it is not a tour: you stay in your seat, and photos and filming are not allowed. Check the service schedule for your day.
Photography, bags and accessibility
Personal photography without flash is welcome on the cathedral floor, in the crypt and on the Stone and Golden Galleries. It is not allowed on the Whispering Gallery, in St Dunstan's Chapel or during services, and video is not allowed anywhere. Tripods, monopods, gimbals and selfie sticks are banned.
Bags must be no larger than 45 × 30 × 25 cm, including wheels and handles, and there is no cloakroom. If you are coming straight from a station with luggage, store it first; our guide to left luggage in London lists the options.
The North Transept entrance has a ramp and is the recommended step-free way in. From the cathedral floor you can reach the crypt by lift and the Quire by stair lift, and there is a Changing Places toilet in the crypt. Wheelchairs can be borrowed on request, and assistance dogs are welcome. The Dome Galleries remain stairs only.
Getting to St Paul's
St Paul's Underground station on the Central line is about 270 metres from the cathedral, around three minutes on foot. City Thameslink is about four minutes away and Blackfriars (Underground and rail) about seven. By river, the Uber Boat river bus stops at Blackfriars Pier, around nine minutes' walk away, and Bankside Pier, about twelve minutes. There are Santander Cycles docking stations within a few minutes' walk.
The cathedral stands in the City of London, the old financial district, which is quiet at weekends. That makes Saturday a good day for the whole area.
How to combine St Paul's with the rest of the City and Bankside
From the cathedral steps, walk south down to the Millennium Bridge. It gives a classic view back to the dome and leads straight to Tate Modern, which is free, and to Shakespeare's Globe. Our walking guide to London's bridges continues east along the river.
For views of St Paul's from above, try the free Sky Garden, which needs a booked ticket, or see our list of free viewpoints. The Tower of London is a short Tube ride or a longer walk east. From 28 November 2026 the new London Museum site at Smithfield Market, with free galleries, will also be within walking distance.
If you are deciding between London's two great churches, Westminster Abbey is the one for royal tombs and coronations, while St Paul's wins for architecture and the dome climb. There is even a link between them and Parliament: the old bell from Westminster's medieval clock tower hangs in St Paul's south-west tower and would stand in if Big Ben could not strike. With children, the dome climb is often the part they remember; see our tips for London with kids. St Paul's fits naturally into day two of our three-day itinerary.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to go inside St Paul's Cathedral?
A standard Monday to Saturday sightseeing ticket costs £27 for an adult, or £29.70 with an optional donation. Children aged 6 to 17 pay £10.50 and under-6s are free. The ticket includes the cathedral floor, the crypt, the three Dome Galleries and a multimedia guide.
Can you visit St Paul's Cathedral for free?
Yes, if you attend a service. Services are free and most need no booking, including Choral Evensong, usually at 5pm on weekdays and 3pm on Sundays. You cannot sightsee or climb the dome during a service, but you will hear the choir under Wren's dome.
How many steps are there to the top of St Paul's?
There are 257 steps to the Whispering Gallery, 376 to the Stone Gallery and 528 in total to the Golden Gallery at the top of the dome. There is no lift to the galleries, and the cathedral advises people with health, mobility or height concerns not to climb.
Is St Paul's Cathedral open on Sundays?
Sundays are for worship, and the cathedral floor is not open for sightseeing. Between 15 March and 25 October 2026, however, the Dome Galleries open on Sundays from 12.30pm to 2pm with a separate Dome Sundays ticket, costing £13.50 for an adult.
Can you take photos inside St Paul's Cathedral?
Yes, non-flash photos for personal use are welcome on the cathedral floor, in the crypt and on the Stone and Golden Galleries during sightseeing hours. Photography is not allowed on the Whispering Gallery, in St Dunstan's Chapel or during services, and video is not allowed.
Sources
- St Paul's Cathedral - Ticket types and prices (checked September 2026)
- St Paul's Cathedral - Planning your visit (checked September 2026)
- St Paul's Cathedral - Dome Sundays (checked September 2026)
- St Paul's Cathedral - Guided and self-guided tours (checked September 2026)
- St Paul's Cathedral - Accessibility at the Cathedral (checked September 2026)
- St Paul's Cathedral - Our timeline (checked September 2026)
- St Paul's Cathedral - How to find us (checked September 2026)
- St Paul's Cathedral - Our service schedule (checked September 2026)