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Gloucester Cathedral
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Gloucester Cathedral

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3,611
#1 of 74 things to do in Gloucester
Architectural Buildings • Churches & Cathedrals
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10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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The area
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Restaurants
269 within 3 miles
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Attractions
74 within 6 miles
Gloucester Antiques Centre
112
419 ftAntique Shops
St Mary de Lode Church
5
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Westgate Gallery
2
391 ftArt Galleries • Antique Shops
St Mary's Congregational Church
1
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St Michael's Tower
42
0.1 miPoints of Interest & Landmarks
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9
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1
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
3,611 reviews
Excellent
2,816
Very good
681
Average
86
Poor
18
Terrible
10
drewedmin999
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK1,048 contributions
Fantastic Harry Potter Film Location
Mar 2022 • Family
The purpose of our visit was to visit the entrance to the Gryffindor common room and to see various other Harry Potter areas of the cathedral and we weren’t disappointed

On entering this huge and very impressive building you have to queue up and speak to people on the desk. The ‘voluntary’ donation doesn’t feel very voluntary at this point but I was happy to pay the £5 each which was ‘suggested’

We picked up a fantastic little Harry Potter guide and also booked a tour of the crypts for no extra charge

Although I’m agnostic, the building is hugely impressive and we had a fantastic hour here as we got what we came for and much more

It almost feels like religion is usurped by history and culture and you don’t often feel like you are in a place of worship

The crypt your was fantastic and it felt a privilege to go underneath and explore the building with lots of interesting stories and facts

The toilets were clean and plentiful. the cafe looked nice, the little shop was more than adequate, and all staff/volunteers were friendly

Overall a really nice atmosphere and well worth the fiver
Written March 16, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
ldawk
Southampton, UK24 contributions
A must, even if it won't be for Harry Potter
Jul 2022
Very impressive architecture, beautiful stain-glass windows, intriguing whisperers corridor with good top views of the ground floor and ceiling's decorations. Plenty of information on the signs provided. The cloisters are another piece or art, really worth visiting, no wonder they were used in the Harry Potter film!
One question for the Church of England: it's not the first time when we visited a cathedral where they say "free entry", but you are asked for a £5 "suggested donation", well then it is not really free is it? A donation is made by a free will and not in this way. Why aren't you honest and leave it as "entrance fee"?
Written July 25, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
GCCommsTeam
Hello, thank you for your review - we're so glad you enjoyed your visit to the Cathedral and we hope to welcome you back again soon. The £5 suggested donation is voluntary, and visitors as welcome to give however much they feel able to. It costs £7,600 per day to keep the Cathedral open. We don’t receive any regular Government funding and rely on the generosity of our visitors to look after this ancient building.
Written August 10, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Voyager2
Chippenham, UK389 contributions
Take a guided tour
Sep 2022
Visited Gloucester primarily to go to the cathedral. Easy to find and lovely, helpful staff at the entrance. We noted a guided walk was taking place shortly after we arrived and decided to take it. Recommend you do the same as we were treated to bags of history and information about the building we would never have picked up by ourselves in a 50 min session. We went around again by ourselves and visited the whispering gallery which takes yo up a couple of levels, really worth the effort.

Strongly recommend a visit, by take a tour, you won’t regret it.
Written September 29, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Allan J
Corby, UK279 contributions
Very informative tour - free of charge!
Mar 2022
We visited on a cold afternoon and were greeted by the offer of a free highlights tour leaving 10 minutes after we arrived. As we were the only 2 on the tour we received excellent service and entertainment from 'Richard' who had been involved with the cathedral for 25 years.
A beautiful building with fascinating history from many periods over the past 900 years
Thanks to all concerned.
Written March 31, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Jonathan W
Cheltenham, UK3 contributions
Lovely building, horrible experience.
Jun 2021 • Family
We are regular visitors here and often donate on entry and spend more money whilst in the building but the somewhat aggressive demands for a donation on entry are now sadly meaning that we will stay away in future. I see a lot of responses saying that this is voluntary but they need to tell the staff that. This morning a lady stopped taking to her customers to run over and stop us just walking in without being presented with a card machine. I can appreciate that it costs money to run and keep open but if you embarrass regular visitors just because they do not donate to you every single time that they visit then they will just stop visiting.
Written July 30, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
GCCommsTeam
Dear Jon, Thank you for your email and taking time to share your thoughts with us. I was sorry to hear about the negative experience that you had at the Cathedral on Friday. The team who have been employed to ask visitors for a donation have undergone extensive training in how to encourage giving whilst still being welcoming. I'm sorry to hear that this was not your experience. I will certainly feed this back to the team and we will include your comments in the ongoing training that we are giving to staff. As a regular visitor, we would be very pleased to register you for a free 'Your Cathedral' card which when shown will allow you to enter the Cathedral quickly, without having to be asked for a donation. Next time you come to the Cathedral, please do ask one of the team at the Welcome Desk and they will be happy to provide you with one. I’m grateful for the support that you have given to the Cathedral in the past through donations and spending money whilst you’re here. I hope that you will have the opportunity to visit the Cathedral again soon and that you will find the welcome a warm one. Kind regards, Lorna Giles
Written August 19, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
TauntonBob
West Parley, UK854 contributions
A beautiful building and grounds
Jul 2022
Although we had once before been to Gloucester, this was the first time that we had visited the Cathedral. I like that there is no set outrageous admission charge, and we were very happy to make a generous donation in lieu.

Lovely architecture both internally and externally. Peaceful Cloisters and the grounds around the Cathedral were also lovely.

Well worth an hour or two.
Written July 21, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
michelle n
6 contributions
Stunning
Aug 2021 • Couples
Stunning! I thoroughly recommend downloading the app using the free WiFi inside the cathedral using it as personal guide.
The architecture is amazing and truly awe inspiring. A must see if in the area. There is no charge but they recommend a donation of £5 per adult - you won't be sorry to donate this.
Written August 27, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Kspeller
Enfield, UK869 contributions
Wow.
Feb 2022 • Couples
We decided to take a look round the cathedral while we were in Gloucester for the day. I'm glad we did as it's breathtaking. The entry fee is based on a donation so pay what you will, There were lots of staff in hand to provide background and history on the building and it's collections. As with most cathedrals it's really quite spectacular to look at, Gloucester has its on treasury and a 'whispering gallery'. But ultimately it's still a place of worship and there was space for reflection. It wasn't busy and didn't feel rushed at any point.
Written February 17, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Russy3024
Surrey, UK416 contributions
Beautiful Place - a must see!
Oct 2021
Visited here a couple of weeks ago on a Saturday morning - we only planned to go and have a look at the outside but once we were there it looked so pretty that we had to have a closer look. Entrance is essentially free, but a donation is advised (and completely fair enough). We spent a good two hours wandering around the grounds and looking at the various memorials and tombs. My personal highlight was getting to see the resting place of Edward ll, and the tomb of one of William the Conquerors sons. The architecture is amazing, and we also learned that some scenes from one of the Harry Potter films were shot here.
There is a lovely little cafe inside where we stopped for refreshments - very friendly staff.
All in all - a perfect way to spend a couple of hours and a definite must do if in Gloucester.
Written October 29, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Sus1952
Palmerston North, New Zealand2,084 contributions
A very fine cathedral especially the cloisters
Jun 2022
Gloucester Cathedral is a very fine cathedral with a truly magnificent ornate tower. The cloisters have wonderful fan-vaulted ceilings and the garden in the centre of the cloisters was exquisite. I thought that the many chapels and the various tombs are very interesting. It is nice that only a donation is suggested rather than an expensive entrance fee. Definitely to be recommended.
Written June 16, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Gloucester Cathedral

Frequently Asked Questions about Gloucester Cathedral
Gloucester Cathedral is open:
  • Sun - Sat 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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