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St. Paul's Cathedral: Traveler Reviews

St. Paul's Churchyard, London EC4M 8AD, England (City of London)
020 7236 4128
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Ranked #53 of 889 attractions in London
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Type: Religious Sites, Architectural Buildings, Historic Sites, Landmarks/ Points of Interest, Churches/ Cathedrals
Fee: Yes
Recommended length of visit: 1-2 hours
Owner description: Rebuilt by Christopher Wren after the great Fire of 1666, St. Paul's has been the site of many historic state occasions, including Winston Churchill's... more » Owner description: Rebuilt by Christopher Wren after the great Fire of 1666, St. Paul's has been the site of many historic state occasions, including Winston Churchill's funeral and the marriage of the Prince and Princess of Wales. « less
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1,380 reviews from our community

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Montreal, Canada
Contributor
20 reviews 20 reviews
12 attraction reviews
Reviews in 11 cities Reviews in 11 cities
4 helpful votes 4 helpful votes
“Beautiful but expensive”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed November 18, 2012

We decided to not enter because of the price : 20£ ! It's very beautiful but we weren't sure that it was worth the price. The architecture is great but we stayed outside to observe that attraction

Visited November 2012
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Dublin, Ireland
Senior Contributor
27 reviews 27 reviews
14 attraction reviews
Reviews in 9 cities Reviews in 9 cities
18 helpful votes 18 helpful votes
“Not the same as Westminster Abbey”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed November 18, 2012

Quite disappointed by a visit to St Paul's Cathedral. No sense of history or a feeling of spirituality. The building was more like a museum and lacked any atmosphere. Quite a shock after visiting the beautiful Westminster abbey!

Visited November 2012
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Stoke-on-Trent, United Kingdom
Reviewer
4 reviews 4 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
“Better than the Eye”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed November 18, 2012

Like skwid, I was somewhat staggered at the £14 entrance fee - however, unlike him, we paid the money and went in. We spent an amazing four hours there, going up past the Whispering Gallery, right to the very top of the dome - and what a view awaited us - a far better and more extensive view of London (and beyond) than we got from the London Eye.
One caution, you need to be fit enough to scale the 550+ steps, but the reward for the effort is more than worthwhile.
On top of all that is the magnificent artwork, as good as any cathedral in the world - and all the history too.
A great experience which will linger long in the memory.

Visited November 2012
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Rye Park
Top Contributor
57 reviews 57 reviews
38 attraction reviews
Reviews in 19 cities Reviews in 19 cities
16 helpful votes 16 helpful votes
“Impressive but pricey”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed November 18, 2012

I suppose saying that what we liked most was sitting on the steps singing ' Feed the birds' from Julie Andrews film Mary Poppins might seem nutty but we loved the movie and being in the exact place it was filmed was very nice. The street in front of the Cathedral is interesting and the Cathedral itself is interesting if you use the audio tour supplied. There is a lot to listen to but they provide chairs so you can sit down to take it in. Having been to Rome we had seen cathedrals that were more spectacular than this one but it was still a nice visit and we learned a lot. Best kept for a rainy day as it is a good wet day activity.

Visited October 2012
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Twickenham, United Kingdom
Senior Contributor
40 reviews 40 reviews
17 attraction reviews
Reviews in 26 cities Reviews in 26 cities
51 helpful votes 51 helpful votes
“Didn't go in !”
2 of 5 stars Reviewed November 17, 2012

I've always wanted to have look at St Paul's, especially the 'whispering gallery', so I made the effort and ended up with a wasted journey !
After entering the main door they ask for a whopping 14 quid entrance fee !!
I refused and left as did many others, (who'd travelled a damn sight further than I had !)

Visited October 2012
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StPaulsLondon, Public Relations Manager at St. Paul's Cathedral, responded to this review
November 19, 2012
Many thanks for taking the time to leave your thoughts on Trip Advisor.

St Paul’s very much regrets the need to charge visitors, but remaining open and available all year round as a place of worship and a place to visit represents a huge annual cost, running into millions. No public or State funding is provided for this. The Cathedral is self-funding and relies entirely on visitor fees and donations.

We believe our current sightseeing fee offers very good value-for-money as it does not just include entrance to the Cathedral, but also access to crypt, the Whispering Gallery and two upper galleries (one at the top of the dome) offering fine views across London, as well as an audio/visual tour and also, if desired, a guided tour by highly-trained, knowledgeable and enthusiastic tour guides.

We never charge to enter the Cathedral for services or private prayer; we have four services every weekday and five on Sunday.

We are sorry if you felt your time was wasted on this occasion but we do encourage you to return at another time in the future to experience everything St Paul’s Cathedral has to offer.
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