Visitor tips
Tips for visiting St Paul's Cathedral
When you arrive, what you wear and what you carry change the visit more than most people expect. For the 528-step climb, use the dome guide.
Field notes
Before you go
Arrive at opening
The first hour after opening is the calmest of the day, especially midweek outside school holidays. Wednesdays usually open at 8:30 unless a service or event changes the day's schedule.
Book online
Advance online tickets secure your preferred time slot and help you avoid the ticket desk queue, which is longest between 10:00 and 14:00.
Plan the climb early
The 528-step dome route is one-way and narrows near the top. Do it before your legs are tired and the stairwell is busy. The galleries close at 16:15.
Dress respectfully
St Paul's is a working cathedral. Covered shoulders and knees are appreciated, and hats are removed inside.
Attend a service instead
Evensong is free to attend and one of the finest ways to hear the choir, though sightseeing access is limited.
Allow two hours
Ninety minutes covers the floor and crypt; add another hour if you climb to the Golden Gallery.
Travel light
Bags larger than 45 x 30 x 25 cm (including handles and wheels) are not allowed inside. There is no cloakroom or luggage storage.
The ascent
Climbing the dome: what to expect
The dome climb is included in a standard sightseeing ticket, but the route is one-way, narrow in places and reached only by stairs. Read the full guide before you decide whether to climb.
Dome climb: 528 steps to the Golden GallerySecurity
Bags and entry checks
Bag size limit
Bags must be no larger than 45cm x 30cm x 25cm, including handles, wheels and outside pockets. Larger bags cannot be brought in.
No cloakroom
There is no cloakroom or luggage storage on site. Because anything over the bag-size limit cannot be brought in, it is safest to travel light.
Entry checks
All visitors are subject to bag and security checks at entry. Temporary "no photography" zones may occasionally be designated and will be clearly signed.
Inside the cathedral
Quick etiquette notes
- Cameras, phone and tablet cameras are fine. Flash photography, extra lighting, tripods, monopods, gimbals and selfie sticks are not.
- Photography is welcomed during sightseeing hours (Monday to Saturday) on the Cathedral Floor, in the Crypt, and on the Stone and Golden Galleries. Do not photograph during services, out of respect and privacy for worshippers.
- The Whispering Gallery and St Dunstan's Chapel are the two exceptions: photography is not allowed on the Whispering Gallery for health and safety reasons, or in St Dunstan's Chapel because it is set aside for private prayer and reflection.
- Temporary "no photography" areas may occasionally be designated and will be clearly signed — watch for these as you move through the building.