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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*   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

 

Planning your visit? Remember to check our Advent and Christmas closures.

Things to discover

On top of the remains of a small Saxon church, the earliest parts of the Cathedral were built in the 1070s as a place of worship. In 1174 a fire led to a major rebuild where a master stonemason brought new techniques from France to Canterbury. Throughout the years changing fashions led to various other rebuilds, which can be seen today.

Buttresses – Outside the Cathedral

These small walls sit at right angles, helping to keep the walls straight and stop them gradually pushing outwards.

Fan vaulting – Bell Harry Tower

When standing at the top of the pulpitum steps, look up into the Bell Harry Tower and see the beautiful vaulting above.

Row of three arches – South-east transept

These three arches highlight the changing styles of architecture. Originally thought to be three Romanesque (rounded) arches, the third has been re-carved in the early gothic style.

 

Romanesque arches – Western Crypt

The western crypt is the oldest part of the existing building, including examples of the magnificent Romanesque arches which were popular at the time.

Book your tickets

Tickets start from £17.00 or free if you are a local resident and have a Cathedral Pass

Fascinating facts

9

The number of our dedicated, talented and highly skilled stained glass conservators who work their magic to restore and conserve the Cathedral’s magnificent stained glass.

The team also design and create new works, illustrating the Cathedral’s living legacy.

Come and marvel at the Cathedral’s 150 or so stained glass windows.

13

The Cathedral is served by 13 incredibly talented stonemasons, including one apprentice.

Our stonemasons are highly skilled craftspeople whose work compliments the spirit and sensitivity of the building, and their work continues a tradition and legacy which dates right back to 597.

40

It takes approximately 40 tonnes of stone a year to maintain the Cathedral.

We use Caen and Lepine stone, which is French limestone, continuing the medieval tradition.

Medieval stonemasons created ‘mason marks’: a combination of their initials on each piece of stone to prove what they’d worked on.

Our stonemasons still use their own mason’s marks today.

Types of tours

Inside Story

Discover the Cathedral’s history through its soaring architecture, glorious spaces, and the people who made it what it is today, told by our wonderful tour guides.

Also available in German, French, Dutch, Swedish and Russian.

Royalty Tour

As we remember the life of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II - the longest reigning British monarch - join a special guided tour, telling the stories of royals through the ages. Groups can discover monarchs immortalised in stone, wood and stained glass.

Stained Glass Tour

New techniques have established that the stained-glass windows at Canterbury Cathedral are among the oldest in the world. This new guided tour introduces the history and range of our stained glass.

Precincts Tour

From the time of Ethelbert and Bertha to our current King, discover how the Cathedral survived targeted bombing by the Luftwaffe, and the day it turned red. Hear the haunting tale of Ellen Bean and marvel at the work of our modern-day masons. 

Please note: This tour takes place outside, groups are advised to dress accordingly.

Monks, Maladies and Garden Tour

What was life like for the Benedictine monks? With archive documents recording a garden here 1,000 years ago, join us as we discover the significance of a medieval herb garden, the treatments for medieval diseases, and how the planets and zodiac influenced parts of the body.

Please note: This tour takes place outside, groups are advised to dress accordingly.

Other highlights

If you look straight up whilst stood on the top of the Pulpitum Steps, you can get a –dizzying – view of the beautiful fan vaulting on the ceiling of Bell Harry Tower.

Make sure you watch your step though!

These three arches show how the style of architecture has changed over time.

Thought to have originally been three Romanesque (rounded) arches, the third was re-carved in the early gothic style to demonstrate the new style of architecture to the monks.

Located on the west end of the Cathedral, the statues of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and The Duke of Edinburgh were created by sculptor Nina Bilbey and were installed in 2015 to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee.

No bigger than your thumbnail, this teeny tiny cat carving is hidden in the stonework of the North Quire Aisle!

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