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Saint Paul's Cathedral is a spiritual, historic and architectural place of interest. The entrance price to the cathedral covers entitles you to free audio tours, guided tours and an introductory talk. Saint Paul's Cathedral is a large space with an outstanding deal of history - with so much to learn, it is worth making the most of the extra services that are on offer.

This page will provide the different tours that are on offer, prices for tours, how to arrange the tours and activities and contact details for the tours. If you would like to visit the church to attend a mass you will not need to pay for entrance - see the Official Saint Pauls Website FAQs page for more information.

If you attend the cathedral and would like to worship, but there is no mass taking place, you will not need to pay an entrance fee to come in and pray. However, you will need to head to Saint Dunstan's Chapel, as the rest of the cathedral is out of bounds unless you pay the entrance fee. See the Official Saint Pauls Cathedral website FAQs page for more information.

Cathedral tour options

When you come to Saint Pauls you can be visiting for a number of reasons. The reason for your visit can also determine whether you will need to pay to enter. Here are your options:

Mass: if you are visiting to attend a mass (see link to times below) you will not need to pay to enter the museum. However, throughout the duration of the mass, you will not be allowed to sightsee at the cathedral - you must be there to take part in the service (i.e. sit, listen to the Priest and pray if you wish).

Prayer: if you are coming to Saint Paul's Cathedral to pray outside of mass times you will be allowed to enter the Cathedral free of charge. However, you will not be allowed access to the whole cathedral, only to Saint Dunstan's chapel in the cathedral - for more details, see the Official Saint Pauls Cathedral FAQs page Also, if you would like to come to the cathedral for independent prayer, you can do this during mass times - simply head to Saint Dunstan's chapel for some peace and quiet.

Your own tour: when you enter Saint Paul's Cathedral you are not obligated to take part in one of the guided tours (see below). You will still need to pay to enter the cathedral, but you are free to wander around (when masses are not on) and explore on your own.

Guided tours: once you have paid to enter Saint Paul's Cathedral you are entitled to a variety of free guided tours - see below for more details.

At Saint Paul's Cathedral there are a variety of tour options. The tour options are included in the ticket price.

Audio guides: these are called 'multimedia guide'. When you arrive at the front desk, after having bought your entrance ticket you will see a desk where audio guides are distributed. The guides offer a touchscreen that shows you images relating to the cathedral. This coincides with interviews and commentary from experts and film footage of major events in the history of the cathedral.

Audio guide languages: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Russian, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean and British sign language (for more details on the sign language option see the Official Saint Paul's Cathedral website BSL page).

Introductory talks: these talks are useful if you do not have a considerable deal of time to spend at the cathedral. They last for 15 to 20 minutes and provide a brief introduction to the history and architecture of the building. The talks take place at regular intervals throughout the day so you can enquire at the front desk when you buy your ticket as to when and where the next talk will be taking place.

Guided Tours: Full tours of the cathedral lasting approximately 90 minutes. The tour will take you to the cathedral church floor and the crypt. You will also visit the Geometric staircase, the chapel of Saint Michael and Saint George and the Quire. You will not be standing throughout the entire tour - you will be given opportunities to sit down. If you would like to join in on the tour you will need to book your place when you arrive and buy your ticket at the front desk - there are limited places on the tours so you will need to get in there early for a place.

Start times for Guided Tours: 13:00, 13:30, 14:00, 14:30

If you are heading to the cathedral as part of a group (of more than five people) there are other tour options available to you. These include the group tours and the Triforium tours. For further information on these tours, including prices and what they include, see the Official Saint Paul's Cathedral Guided Tours page.

How to get tickets

It is not necessary to buy separate tickets for the tours at Saint Paul's Cathedral. Once you have bought your entrance ticket to the cathedral, you will be entitled to take part in any of the tour options listed above. For details on how to buy tickets for entrance to the cathedral see our Guide to Ticketing at Saint Paul's Cathedral.

Tour ticket prices

After you have paid for the entrance ticket, all tours at Saint Paul's Cathedral are free. For listings of entrance prices to the cathedral see our Guide to Ticketing at Saint Paul's Cathedral.

Contact details for cathedral tours

For contact details for Saint Paul's Cathedral, including a general enquiries line that you can call if you have any questions about the tours at the cathedral see our General Guide to Saint Paul's Cathedral.

There is no need to book your tour tickets in advance. However, if you would like a place on the full length guided tour, ensure that you ask at reception as soon as you arrive at the cathedral as there are limited places.