Opening Times

We are open 365 days a year and look forward to welcoming you.

Times, Services and Restrictions

In the winter we open at 7.15 am in time for morning prayer at 7.30. We then close at 6.00pm. Evensong is at 5.30. On Sunday Evensong is at 3.45 and so we close earlier at 5.00pm

You can find details of our services by following the link to the Music and Services page.

Sometimes access is restricted because of a special service or event. Follow this link to check.

Charges

Everyone is free to enter and gaze at the glory of the nave; you can sit in the peace of the Morning Chapel or visit the shop. If you want to explore further, we do ask you to pay.

Adults            £6
Concessions  £4.75
Children        £1

If you Gift Aid your payment, this then entitles you to entry with no further payment for the ensuing year.

Tours

Unlike many tourist destinations, all of our tours are included in the entry charge, subject to places being available. From Monday to Saturday we run Floor Tours, which are suitable for all. They usually last around an hour and cover all aspects of the Cathedral: from architecture to history, with a few interesting stories thrown in along the way!

We also run Roof Tours throughout the year excluding Sundays. We would always recommend to people that they book onto a Roof Tour either in advance or as soon as they enter the Cathedral. This is because we are limited to the number of visitors we can take in a group and, as you can imagine, these tours are very popular. This tour takes approximately 90 minutes and will give you fantastic views of the inside of one of the Cathedral roofs as well as getting up close to our wonderful stained glass windows.

Starting on the first Saturday in April and finishing on the last Saturday in October, we offer the opportunity for visitors to climb one of the towers of Lincoln Cathedral on the Tower Tour. This tour takes you up the highest tower and once at the top you will get an amazing 360 degree view of the surrounding area. Again, we always recommend you either book in advance or as soon as you entry the Cathedral as spaces are limited and cannot always be guaranteed.

Alternatively you can pay for an audio guide of the Cathedral, which can be purchased at the entry desk. These are available in English, French and German.

Please click on the link to find out more information on our tours: FLOOR TOURS, ROOF TOURS AND TOWER TOURS

The Library

In the summer we offer tours of the library; in the winter it is too cold (the books like to be cold and dry), although we can arrange group tours by appointment. We are open to all from the beginning of April (2nd this year) until the end of October (31st).  Monday to Friday 1pm to 3pm and Saturdays 11am to 3pm. The Reading rooms are open to researchers throughout the year on Mondays and Tuesdays, by appointment only, between 10am and 12.30 and 2pm and 4pm. Readers should follow this link.

Why do we ask you to pay?

Well, we’d be happier if we didn’t have to. The truth is that the very beauty of this place has a cost attached. Every time we need to replace a stone or carry out a repair, if we are to take our custody seriously, our stone masons must carve replacements of the same intricacy as the original. This costs a lot. There is then the requirement for the Health & Safety of those who do the work, and we take this very seriously. The money you pay matters and helps us to meet our annual running costs of £3 million and we are very grateful for it. Most of our spending on the building is on the wages of our crafts men and women, including apprentices and those learning traditional craft skills.

We look forward to welcoming you

If you would like any further information, please telephone our visitor services team on 01522 561600 or e-mail visitors@lincolncathedral.com