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Tickets and opening times

We can’t wait to welcome you to Canterbury Cathedral. Tickets can be booked online or are available to buy on the day at our visitor centre. Please check our website prior to your visit as opening times may be subject to change.

Monday to Saturday 09.00 - 17.00 (last admission at 16.00)

Sunday 11.30* - 17.00 (last admission at 16.00)
*Between 11.30-12.30, access is available to the Cathedral grounds and Shop only. The Cathedral church opens at 12.30.

 

 

Adult

£17.00

Our standard visitor ticket is valid for 12 months, meaning you can re-visit the Cathedral as often as you want during that time at no extra cost.

Children (aged 17 and under)

Free

Children go FREE when accompanied by a paying adult. (Max 2 children per paying adult; does not apply to group bookings or school visits). Children must be accompanied at all times.

 

Canterbury Students

Free

Students studying full-time at local universities - Canterbury Christ Church University, University of Kent, University for the Creative Arts - enjoy FREE entry with their student ID.

English Heritage Members

20% discount on visitor entry

  • Not valid with other promotions or offers.
  • Discount applies to tickets bought on the door at our Visitor Centre only. Discount is not available for online booking. Standard price admission tickets cannot be refunded and exchanged for discounted tickets.
  • Valid until 31 March 2024. T&Cs apply.

Cathedral Pass

Locals can enjoy unlimited visits for the equivalent of just 10p per month!

You may be eligible for a Cathedral Pass if you:

  • work in the old city of Canterbury
  • live within 4 miles of Bell Harry tower, including within The Precincts
  • are a member of the Cathedral Congregation
  • are immediate family of a Cathedral staff member
  • are a member of any church in the diocese (on the parish electoral roll or equivalent)

Our Cathedral Pass cannot be used in conjunction with other promotions or offers.

Apply for The Cathedral Pass

Event calendar

Have a look at the range of events Canterbury Cathedral has on offer below.

 

 

What's on

There’s something for everyone – see what exciting events are currently taking place.

See what's on

Service times

Daily Eucharist   08:00
Lunchtime Eucharist   12:30 (Wednesdays and Feast Days only)
Daily Choral Evensong or Said Evening Prayer with Organ Meditation*   17:30
Sunday Choral Eucharist*  11:00
All are welcome and there is no charge to attend a service. *Live streamed online.

Services

Online worship

Every day the Cathedral’s services are broadcast on our YouTube channel. It’s perfect for when you are unable to be here in person. 

Explore 

Find us

We can't wait to welcome you to the Cathedral

Monday to Saturday 09.00 - 17.00 (last admission at 16.00)
Sunday 11.30 - 17.00 (last admission at 16.00)

Between 11.30-12.30, access is available to the Cathedral ground and Shop only. the Cathedral church opens at 12.30.

Address

Cathedral House
11 The Precincts
Canterbury
CT1 2EH
United Kingdom

Parking 

Parking in the Cathedral grounds is only available for Blue Badge holders, subject to limited availability and prior arrangement. There are several public car parks nearby. 

Find out more

 

Easter Sunday worship

Whether in-person, online or by TV and radio, there are lots of ways you can share with us in this celebration of Christ’s resurrection.
Find out more.

 

Major New Cathedral Exhibition tells the complex and violent history of Church-State relations

A major new exhibition in Canterbury Cathedral’s Crypt allows visitors to explore up close, for the first time, a unique collection of artefacts – including the battle shield, gauntlets and jupon of medieval warrior Edward The Black Prince, and fragments of Thomas Becket’s shrine – that tell the complex, and often violent, story of Church-State relations.

On Monday 14 February Canterbury Cathedral will open its highly-anticipated exhibition, ‘Making History: Church, State and Conflict’. The exhibition focuses on the complex relationship between Church and State and the struggles between archbishops and kings, with a particular focus on Canterbury Cathedral’s important role within this relationship, illustrated in the Cathedral’s buildings, collections, and the stories of its people.

The exhibition explores the national and international dimensions of Church-State relations and how they have changed and developed over the centuries – from the Cathedral’s 6th-century origins, through the upheaval of the later Anglo-Saxon period, to the remodelling of both buildings and religious practice forced by the Norman Conquest, and beyond.

Amazing objects that visitors will be able to see in the exhibition include:

  • Grant from William de Tracy – one of the four knights who murdered Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170, de Tracy made this grant of 100 shillings (equivalent of approx. £10,000 today) as a penitential gesture for his role in the killing very soon after Becket was made a saint.
  • The Accord of Winchester – this 11th-century document, witnessed by William the Conqueror, his queen, Matilda, and Lanfranc, the Archbishop of Canterbury, amongst others, records the settlement establishing the supremacy of the Archbishop of Canterbury over the Archbishop of York. Each witness subscribed to the agreement by marking crosses, presumably in their own hand.
  • Papal Mandate from Innocent III – in this document from 1205, Pope Innocent III orders King John to accept Reginald, sub prior of Christ Church Priory, as elected Archbishop of Canterbury. However, John refused and the country was cast out of the Church.
  • The Lyghfield Bible – the finest example of a complete illuminated book from the collection now held at the Cathedral, The Lyghfield Bible is a late 13th-century, 690-leaf, pocket Bible, written on high quality parchment or vellum.
  • 21 pilgrim badges featuring Thomas Becket’s likeness. On loan from Canterbury Museums and Galleries.
  • The Liudhard Medalet – the first known piece of Christian art made in England after the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons, this 6th century gold medalet shows Bishop Liudhard, whose arrival in Kent from the Frankish court started the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity. On loan from National Museums Liverpool.
  • The Canterbury Cross – a significant example of Anglo-Saxon Christian art with deep connections to the religious and cultural heritage of the city of Canterbury and the wider Anglican Communion. On loan from Canterbury Museums and Galleries.

Dr Sarah Turner, Collections Manager at Canterbury Cathedral, said of the new exhibition:

“This exhibition has been a long time in the making; it is a small treasure at the heart of the Cathedral building. Each object tells a story, sometimes of faith or trust, of anger or repentance, and each one shines a light onto the complex history of the Cathedral. The care and attention of conservators, researchers, our generous lenders and the wider cathedral team, has ensured we can bring these stories to all the visitors to the Cathedral and we are excited to do so.”

The Dean of Canterbury, The Very Revd Dr Robert Willis, said:

“We have waited for this wonderful exhibition to be a part of our Cathedral life for some years now and I am thrilled that we have come to the opening day on Monday 14th February. I hope that it will bring interest and much joy to our many visitors.”

This new permanent exhibition at Canterbury Cathedral is part of The Canterbury Journey, a multi-million-pound project supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Canterbury Cathedral Trust, The Friends of Canterbury Cathedral, and other major donors.

Project Director of The Canterbury Journey, Mark Hosea, commented:

“This exhibition is an amazing new addition to the visitor offering, arising from the major conservation and restoration project undertaken at the Cathedral over the last few years. It joins the Cathedral’s new Visitor Centre, Viewing Gallery, Community Studio, exhibition spaces, and landscaping as one of the many things for the public to explore and enjoy, and we look forward to welcoming them.”

 

Find out more about The Black Prince’s Cap of Maintenance – one of the artifacts being exhibited – in the video below.

Related News

Archbishop of Canterbury supports groundbreaking project to reintroduce iconic bird linked to St Thomas Becket

Today, on the anniversary of Thomas Becket’s murder in Canterbury Cathedral, the present day Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Revd Justin Welby, lent his support to a groundbreaking conservation project to bring back the iconic bird linked to his most famous predecessor.

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