Do we have to book in advance?
Yes. All visiting groups from organisations, even small ones, should book their visits to Durham Cathedral in advance. This includes nurseries, international schools, specialist schools, Scouts, Girlguiding etc. This forms part of our Safeguarding Policy.
We’ll help make sure you’re prepared for your visit, make sure you’re aware of any financial relief for your organisation, let you know if there are any closures on the day of your visit and help ensure your visit is a success. We want every group to arrive reassured that everyone in the Cathedral is abiding by the same safeguarding rules and that they can have confidence in the measures we have in place.
What does the booking process look like before the visit?
Enquiry
Send an enquiry form via our website. Include any learning objectives or additional needs.
Date agreed
Our team will let you know if the date you've requested is available or offer alternatives. You can accept the provisional date and learning offer by return email.
Confirmation
Our team will issue a confirmation form with timings and offer further planning help.
After this step, we look forward to welcoming you to the cathedral, at the agreed date and time.
Safeguarding pledge
You need to return a completed safeguarding pledge using a link we send you with the confirmation form.
This is an agreement that your organisation complies with the principles of our safeguarding policy.
Do we have to pay?
Yes, there is a charge for all organised group visits. These charges go towards booking administration and upkeep of our facilities. Your support helps our Learning & Engagement team offer free activities for young people and families, and provides outreach projects for schools and local communities.
• Full day visits with three guided sessions cost £8.00 per young person.
• Visits with two guided sessions cost £6.50 per young person.
• Visits with one guided session cost £4.50 per young person.
• Self-led visits cost £3.50 young person. You may be eligible for a reduced rate if you’re planning a drop-in visit or a short visit (less than an hour).
There is a minimum group charge of £30.00 for guided visits of under six participants. We don’t have a minimum group charge for self-guided visits.
There is no charge for supervising adults.
How and when do we pay?
You can pay:
• By card or bank transfer (BACS/IBAN) in advance of your visit.
• By cash or card at the Visitor Desk when you arrive. If you need a receipt, you can ask for one.
• By bank transfer after your visit, once we issue a final invoice. This is the most popular option for UK schools.
Check with your organisation if a purchase order number needs to be raised, you might need to supply this for us before we issue an invoice.
Will we get charged if we need to change or cancel our confirmed booking?
Your booking is confirmed once we have sent your confirmation form, which includes the cost of the visit. If you have not already paid the invoice before your visit, and you have to cancel, charges after this time are:
• less than 2 weeks notice — 25% of your visit cost
• less than 24 hours notice — 50% of your visit cost
What happens if I need to significantly reduce the number of young people attending the visit?
We understand that participant numbers can change. Please let us know as soon as possible if your numbers increase or decrease.
When your visit is confirmed, we allocate guides and prepare resources specifically for your group. Late reductions mean we are unlikely to be able to reallocate staffing at short notice and, more importantly, we aren’t able to host other groups who want to come.
To make this fair for everyone, reducing the number of young people at short notice is reflected in the final invoice.
If you reduce the number of young people visiting with less than 2 weeks notice, you will be charged the cost of the young people attending, plus 50% of the difference to the cost of the visit as stated in the confirmation form.
If you reduce the number of young people visiting with less than 24 hours notice, you will be charged the full cost of the visit as stated in the confirmation form.
What if I bring more young people than I booked for?
Please let us know if the number of young people in your booking changes significantly as soon as possible.
If more people attend than originally booked, we may not have additional guides or resources available and we might not be able to deliver your visit as planned.
We will add the additional costs to your invoice or issue an additional invoice if you have already paid.
Is there a break?
Our lunchtime for guided groups is 12:30pm.
If your group is timetabled for a mid-morning break, we recommend you pack some snacks separately for this, and keep drinks somewhere easily accessible.
Can we buy food?
If you wish to go to the cafe, please let us know in advance so we can plan your time and our staffing accordingly. Typically there is not enough time in a guided visit to go to the cafe and most groups choose to bring a packed lunch.
Where can we eat?
Only food bought in the cafe can be eaten in the cafe.
Packed lunches can be eaten in the cloisters and the Monk’s Garden. These spaces are offered on a first-come first-served basis.
We have a very limited amount of indoor lunch space. Guided groups are given priority for these spaces.
Where can we not eat?
Eating, drinking and chewing gum is not permitted in the nave and chapels of the Cathedral or Durham Cathedral Museum.
Can the coach drop us off at Durham Cathedral?
Coaches can't drop off at Durham Cathedral due to the historic nature of the city. Most coach companies will offer a nearby drop-off in the city, and you will need to plan a short walk uphill to the cathedral entrance.
Palace Green is owned by Durham University, and the barriers are operated by Durham County Council please direct any enquiries regarding drop-off and pick-up: security@durham.ac.uk.
If you are a small group arriving by car or minibus, we can sometimes arrange an exemption to the congestion toll for using the Bailey, but we can’t reserve parking on our site except for wheelchair access.
What are the toilets like?
Toilets at the cathedral are public facilities. There are 12 cubicles in the female toilets and the equivalent in the male toilets. We have two wheelchair accessible toilets.
We are not able to supervise your pupils in the toilet block. Please make sure that you have considered your school’s supervision policy and be sensitive to the comfort and safety of our visitors in these shared facilities.
Can we take photos?
Yes, we encourage children with their own cameras to take photos to remember their learning visit, however please consider:
• Photography of children from outside your group and photography of acts of worship is prohibited.
• Photography in certain areas of the museum is also prohibited to help preserve some of the artefacts.
• We don’t allow the use of drones, tripods or flash without a commercial photography permit.
• The cathedral is open to the public; it's possible that your children will walk in front of someone taking a picture. If you believe someone is taking pictures of your children let a member of cathedral staff know.
If your organisation has a no-phone or no-photography policy, please let us know when you arrive.
What should we wear?
Generally, school uniform is fine. Some of our sessions are outdoor (e.g. Cuthbert’s Challenges, Riverbanks tour) and so weather-appropriate clothing is essential.
Accompanying adults will also need to be reminded to wear weather-appropriate clothing and sturdy footwear. Open-toed shoes and high-heeled shoes are discouraged due to the uneven surfaces at the cathedral.
High visibility items are useful to keep track of your group quickly.
Can we drop off our bags?
For guided groups, we provide space in our Learning Centre for bags (subject to availability). We are unable to take responsibility for damage or loss of belongings stored in the Learning Centre.
For self-led visits, please plan to keep your belongings with you.
Please note that suitcases larger than aircraft cabin baggage are not permitted in the Durham Cathedral. If you have large luggage with you, please make arrangements to leave it at your accommodation.
Culture, spirituality and sensitivity
Durham Cathedral is a Christian place of worship. Public visiting continues during standard daily services, and you can continue to explore the Cathedral while these take place. Or if you would like to take part in an act of worship on your visit, we are happy to help arrange this. On weekdays and Saturdays, services are held at 8.30am, 12.30pm and 5.30pm.
During prayers on the hour, or in the vicinity of services, we ask for quiet as a mark of respect to our Christian community.
It is common for difficult topics including death, gender politics and interreligious dialogue to arise when visiting the Cathedral with young people. Please consider their need for support whilst engaging with these themes.
Durham Cathedral is a burial ground. This is a key consideration for visitors from some faiths, including Judaism. We often get thought-provoking questions from young people visiting us. We love answering these together as a group. Your enthusiasm in helping young people understand and talk about difficult questions is a way in which everyone can get the most out of their visit.
