St. pauls cathedral with red double decker bus in London, United Kingdom

©zefart/Shutterstock

St Paul's Cathedral

Top choice in London


Why you should go

Sir Christopher Wren’s 300-year-old architectural masterpiece is a London icon. Towering over diminutive Ludgate Hill in a superb position that's been a place of Christian worship for more than 1400 years (and pagan before that), St Paul’s Cathedral is one of London’s most magnificent buildings. For Londoners, the vast dome is a symbol of resilience and pride. Seeing this stunning structure from the inside and climbing to the top for sweeping views of the capital is a celestial experience.

A huge church building with a single large dome with columns around the outside
The dome rises 85m above the ground © Lukasz Pajor / Shutterstock

The dome

Inside, rising more than 85m above the floor, is the dome, supported by eight huge columns. It actually consists of three parts: a plastered brick inner dome, a nonstructural lead outer dome visible on the skyline and a brick cone between them holding it all together. The walkway around its base, accessed via 257 steps from a staircase on the western side of the southern transept, is called the Whispering Gallery. A further 119 steps brings you to the exterior Stone Gallery, your first taste of the city vistas, and 152 iron steps more bring you to the Golden Gallery at the very top, with unforgettable views of London.

The crypt

The crypt has memorials to around 300 of Britain's great and the good, including the Duke of Wellington and Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson, whose body lies directly below the dome. But the most poignant is to Wren himself. On a simple tomb slab bearing his name, part of a Latin inscription translates as: "If you seek his monument, look around you".

A vast room of white marble with gold finishings and huge vaulted ceilings
Admission includes access to the cathedral floor, crypt and dome © Kotsovolos Panagiotis / Shutterstock

History

Following the destructive Great Fire of London in 1666, which burned 80% of the city, Wren designed St Paul's to replace the old church, and it was built between 1675 and 1710. The site is ancient hallowed ground, with four other cathedrals preceding Wren's English baroque masterpiece, the first dating from 604 BCE.

The cathedral dome, inspired by St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, is famed for surviving Luftwaffe incendiary bombs in the "Second Great Fire of London" of December 1940, becoming an icon of London resilience during the Blitz. North of the church is the simple People of London Memorial, honouring the 32,000 civilians killed.

A view over city rooftops, with a nearby large clock tower topped with gold dominating the shot
Enjoy the views over the City of London from the dome © Israel Hervás / Getty Images

Tickets and other practicalities

Book tickets online in advance for a slight discount and faster entry. Admission includes access to the cathedral floor, the crypt and the dome galleries, as well as multimedia guides. Free 1½-hour guided tours run daily; reserve a place at the tour desk, just past the entrance. For an additional charge, there are also tours to the geometric staircase, Great Model and library, offering impressive views down the nave from above the Great West Doors. Check at the tour desk for details.

There's no charge to attend a service, but not all areas of the cathedral are accessible. To hear the cathedral choir, attend Sunday Eucharist or Evensong. Check the website in advance for timings and information on visiting choirs.

Transportation

  • underground: St Paul's

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby London attractions

1. St Vedast-alias-Foster

0.12 MILES

At street level, it's easy to accidentally hurry past St Vedast, but it's worth slowing down and stepping back to admire the three-layered baroque church…

2. St Nicholas Cole Abbey

0.13 MILES

The first of Sir Christopher Wren's churches to be rebuilt after the Great Fire, St Nicolas was bombed down to its skeleton in the Blitz. The interior is…

3. Central Criminal Court

0.19 MILES

Taking in a trial in what's nicknamed the Old Bailey leaves watching a TV courtroom drama for dust. Even if you end up sitting in on a fairly run-of-the…

4. St Mary-le-Bow

0.21 MILES

It's said that a true Cockney is born within earshot of the Bow bells, and they ring out from the delicate steeple at St Mary-le-Bow, designed by…

5. Postman's Park

0.21 MILES

This serene patch of green, north of what was once London's General Post Office, contains the unusual Memorial to Heroic Self-Sacrifice, a loggia with 54…

6. St Mary Aldermary

0.23 MILES

A Christoper Wren reconstruction, the church of St Mary Aldermary (1682) is unusual for the architect: it was built in Gothic style, and it's the only…

7. Roman Fort & City Wall

0.25 MILES

London’s roots lie in the walled Roman settlement of Londinium, established in 43 CE on the northern bank of the River Thames. Few traces of the 3rd…

8. Holy Sepulchre

0.26 MILES

After being gutted in the Great Fire of 1666, the church approached Sir Christopher Wren but apparently got tired of waiting on him so it sourced another…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "england/london/the-city/attractions/st-paul-s-cathedral/a/poi-sig/370377/1321940",
      "destination": "London",
      "continent": "Europe",
      "country": "England",
      "city": "London",
      "position": "superzone"
    }