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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

A space to reflect, and connect with others

A space to reflect, and connect with others

A space to reflect, and connect with others

A space to reflect, and connect with others

Our Story

Primarily this is a place of Christian community, worship and witness. We believe that God’s saving love has been revealed to us in the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus of Nazareth (see What we believe | The Church of England).

Every stone and stained glass window is shaped to give glory to Christ whose name is given to this metropolitical cathedral church. St Augustine was sent here by Pope Gregory the Great as a Christian missionary in 597. He discovered indigenous Christians and worked with them to establish a larger Christian community. In time this became the principal seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury who now leads the Church of England and the worldwide Anglican Communion. 

Here our stories of church and state intersect. This includes the martyrdom of Archbishop Thomas Becket on 29 December 1170.  He was canonised as St Thomas of Canterbury. Canterbury was already a site of pilgrimage, but St Thomas’ shrine elevated it to one of the most important in medieval Christendom. Subsequent centuries offer layer after layer, making a ‘thick story’ to discover. We sense this in the majesty of our medieval building, the quiet mystery of our crypt, and as our imagination is fired walking around our gardens, ruins and cloisters.

Today, our community is drawn from local people and Christians from across the Diocese of Canterbury and the Anglican Communion, from visitors and tourists, from refugees and those cut off from society through exclusion as well as thousands who join us online for worship. Here we are drawn together in a pilgrimage of faith. Like medieval pilgrims to Canterbury, we find it to be a place of miracle and transformation where we encounter the presence of Jesus Christ.

Dean David Monteith's signature

The Very Reverend Dr David Monteith
Dean of Canterbury

A Pilgrimage of Prayer

Holy Week and Easter

Join us for worship, Lenten event series and our Good Friday family service.

*BOOKINGS NOW OPEN for 10:00 Easter Sunday Eucharist* Free to attend, but pre-booking is essential.

Regular worship times

For more than 1,400 years God has been worshipped in Canterbury Cathedral. There’s history in every chime of our bells, and passion in every note sang by our choir. 


Whether you need a quiet time to reflect, are seeking comfort, or wish to introduce your loved ones to faith, you are warmly invited to join our worship and services at Canterbury Cathedral.
Matins

07.30 Monday - Friday

09.15 Weekends and Bank Holidays

 
Daily Eucharist 08.00  

The Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) and Counsel

12:00-13:00 Fridays, in The Holy Innocents Chapel (subject to change around events)

Outside of these time, Chaplains are always available should you want to speak with them.

 
Lunchtime Eucharist 12.30 (Wednesdays and Feast Days only)  
Daily Choral Evensong or Said Evening Prayer with Organ Meditation* 17.30 Monday - Sunday  
Sunday Choral Eucharist* 11.00 Sunday  

All are welcome and there is no charge to attend a service.

*Live streamed online.

Today's prayer

Prayers have been said at Canterbury Cathedral for more than 1,400 years and people of every age pray every day. Whether you are a child, young person or an adult, please join us in our daily prayer.

 

Send a prayer

Send your prayer via email here and continue the faith that has lasted for more than 1,400 years at Canterbury Cathedral.

 

Will I meet the Archbishop of Canterbury?

The Archbishop only visits the Cathedral at certain times of the year. You are unlikely to encounter him on your visit to the Cathedral. 

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England. He is 105th in a line which goes back more than 1,400 years to Augustine of Canterbury, sent from Rome in 597AD.

Our active community

There’s over 300 paid staff, supported by over 600 volunteers at the Cathedral, welcoming all into the grounds and building.

You may meet a range of people during your visit, from our Constables who keep the Precincts safe, to our Shepherds and guides who are always happy to answer any questions you have.

Volunteers

Our volunteers are a major part of the running of the Cathedral. Whether that’s our Flower Arrangers, Bellringers, Stewards, Servers, Sunday Club Assistants, Cathedral Guides, Chaplains or Learning Volunteers – they all make Canterbury Cathedral the welcoming and impressive place that it is.

Cathedral Constables

As well as keeping the Cathedral safe and secure, our constables are trained as first responders for fire and first aid emergencies.

Bell ringing

Listen to the Cathedral’s 20+ bells which are an important part of the Cathedral’s worship. Great Dunstan, the Cathedral’s largest bell, often commemorates services.

My Spirituality

David Holton

Volunteer

"When I did my assistants training I took part in a candlelight pilgrimage one evening around the Cathedral. It was led by Canon Clare Edwards. Her lovely voice singing prayers was truly inspirational to me. It rekindled my faith, which had been absent since my teens.

Then with the help of Clare and the Reverend Bill Hornsby, it culminated in me being confirmed by Bishop Trevor on Easter Saturday in 2018.

This has changed my life."

Stay in the loop

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