Plan your visit

Please note during Christmas opening times for the Undercroft Restaurant, Museum, Gift Shop and Visitor Desk will have different opening and closing timings.

If you haven’t visited the cathedral before, or if you’re visiting with someone with sensory or access needs, you may want to know a little bit more detail when planning your visit. By sharing what you can expect from different area of the cathedral, we hope to ensure everyone has the best possible experience they can.

The narrow, medieval streets mean there is no parking at the cathedral itself or nearby. There is also a congestion charge if you drive onto the Durham City peninsula. We recommend using public transport to reach the city centre, such as the Cathedral Bus or Park and Ride schemes.

There are toilets by the café, which can be reached through the cloister and toilets within the museum. There are also two accessible toilets.

Visitors are welcome to take photos inside the cathedral. The view down the nave of the cathedral, looking towards the beautiful rose window, makes a great picture, and we also recommend the cloister as a good selfie spot on a sunny day. The carved pillars of the cathedral and the beautiful medieval clock photograph wonderfully on a smartphone, and you won't want to miss the Illumination Window, a vibrant modern stained glass window near the Shrine of St Cuthbert. We love to see your photos, so be sure to tag us on social media.

When you're taking photos inside the cathedral please check that your flash is switched off, and please respect other visitors' privacy. We ask visitors not to use tripods, monopods and selfie sticks inside the cathedral, as in narrow aisles and darker areas of the building they might be hard to see and cause an accident.

Visitors are also welcome to take photos in the museum. Please make sure your flash is switched off in the museum, as some of the objects are sensitive to bright light. It's for this reason that we ask visitors not to take photos in the Great Kitchen, which displays wooden objects and textiles that are over 1000 years old. We appreciate your help in ensuring these precious objects look their best in another 1000 years.

Please don't take photos or video during services. Worship is a quiet time spent in a conversation with God, and flashes and shutter clicks can disrupt this. Another reason we don't allow photography during services is to protect the children who sing in Durham Cathedral's Choir, which is part of our safeguarding commitments.

If you would like to take photographs or capture footage at the cathedral for media or commercial use, please contact the cathedral's Marketing & Digital team in advance. This includes flying drones, which need permission in advance to fly from the cathedral's grounds.

Large bags and wheeled suitcases cannot be brought into the cathedral. The maximum size for bags is the standard airplane hand luggage size: 56cm x 45cm x 25cm (22" x 17.7" x 9.8").

The cathedral does not offer luggage or bag storage facilities.

Bag searches may be carried out as part of security procedures for events.

For a trial period from 18 November 2024 to 31 March 2025, dogs are welcome inside Durham Cathedral and must be kept on a short lead throughout your visit.

Dogs are welcome to accompany worshippers to services. If your dog is disruptive during a service, you will be asked to step out of the service with your dog.

Dogs are welcome inside the cathedral, cloisters and on riverside paths. Due to the nature of the different spaces around the cathedral, dogs are unable to enter the following areas;

• The Shrine of St Cuthbert (Feretory)
• The Library and Durham Cathedral Museum
• The Central Tower
• The Learning Centre
• The Undercroft Restaurant
• Priors Hall

Dogs are unable to accompany visitors on the following activities;

• Tours of the cathedral
• Tower climbs
• Ticketed events

Please keep your dog close and pick up after them, so that all our visitors have an enjoyable time here.