Planning your visit

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

We are however a busy place and some days restrictions apply, in particualr there are times when we can’t offer tours; we tell you about these on the opening times page.

Tours

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 March and finishing on the last Saturday in November, 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

Unlike many tourist destinations, all of our tours are included in the entry charge, subject to places being available and unless it is a Free Entry Day when we do ask you to pay for tours.

The Library

In 2013 the Medieval and Wren libraries will be open to the public between Monday 1st April and Thursday 31st October.  Normal opening times are Monday to Friday 1pm – 3pm and Saturdays 11am – 3pm.  The library may on occasions be closed for events, so please check the website before you visit.  Private pre-booked group tours of the library costing £60 are available throughout the year; further information is available on our tours page.  The Reading rooms are also open all year to researchers, on Mondays and Tuesdays between 10am and 12.30 and 2pm and 4pm by prior appointment. You can find out more about the reading rooms by following this link.

Misericords

Lincoln’s collection of misericords are fragile and are in the main kept down with a limited number on display. Arrangements may be made in advance for those wishing to view the collection please contact our Visitor Service Department to make arrangements – every effort will be made to provide a chaperone.

Times, Services and Restrictions

Follow this link for up to date details

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. If you are unable to Gift Aid but make a donation instead of the entry charge, again this then entitles you to entry with no further payment for the ensuing year. Gift Aiding your donation makes a big difference to our ability to pay for the maintenance of this wonderful building.

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.

What else to do?

You can enjoy the Tastes of Lincolnshire in our Refectory and choose from a wide range of goods at our Shop. We are pleased to offer our Cathedral Centre for groups who visit. Lincoln itself has been described as the best small city in Europe; follow this link to find out more.

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