Guided Tours
Discover 900 years of history
Our guided tours are the best way to discover the history, architecture, and hidden details of Bristol Cathedral. Led by knowledgable and passionate guides, every tour brings the building to life in ways you wouldn’t expect.
- We offer two guided tour experiences, each giving you a different way into the Cathedral’s story.
- Led by expert volunteers who know and love this building deeply.
- We offer two guided tour experiences, each giving you a different way into the Cathedral’s story.
- Led by expert volunteers who know and love this building deeply.
- We offer two guided tour experiences, each giving you a different way into the Cathedral’s story.
- Led by expert volunteers who know and love this building deeply.
- We offer two guided tour experiences, each giving you a different way into the Cathedral’s story.
- Led by expert volunteers who know and love this building deeply.
Highlights Tour
There is more to Bristol Cathedral than meets the eye.
On a Highlights Tour, your guide will take you through nearly 900 years of history – from the talks of St Jordan of Bristol, the city’s own saint, to the ordination of the first women priests in 1994. You will discover the stories behind the architecture, the people who shaped this place, and the details that most visitors walk straight past.
Tower Tour
Step behind closed doors and climb the soaring tower of Bristol Cathedral. All 172 steps of it.
On the way up, your guide will tell you how the Cathedral has evolved over nearly a millennium — the engineering feats, the mysteries, and the moments that shaped it. You will come face to face with some of the finest medieval bells in the world, hear tales of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and uncover the secrets of the original 12th-century abbey that once dominated College Green. At the top, the views across Bristol are worth every step.
Practical information
Meeting point
All tours begin at the Welcome Area inside the main entrance on College Green.
- Some areas of the Highlights Tour involve uneven floors and steps, particularly around the Norman Chapter House.
- The Tower Tour involves climbing 172 steps up a narrow spiral staircase with low doorways and pipes along the route.
- Comfortable, flat-soled footwear is recommended for both tours.
- If you have any questions, please get in touch before booking and we will do our best to help.
Exclusive Tour Offer
Why not make a day of it?
Our friends at Pinkmans Café offer a delicious afternoon tea package alongside out Tuesday Highlights Tours – perfect for birthdays, celebrations, or simply enjoying a leisurely afternoon after exploring the Cathedral.
A cream tea can be added to any tour.
Both options are available when you book your ticket.
Upcoming Tours
Highlights Tour
Highlights Tour
Tower Tour
Tower Tour
Afternoon Tea & Tour
Optional Afternoon Tea
Afternoon Tea Add-On (Tuesday Highlights Tour only) A selection of sandwiches, freshly baked scones with clotted cream and jam, and a pot of tea, served by Pinkmans Café in our cloister. A relaxed way to finish your Tuesday Highlights Tour. The entrance to Bristol Cathedral is level access. However, some areas of the Cathedral included in the highlights tours involve uneven floors and steps, particularly when accessing the Norman Chapter House. Sensible footwear is advised. If you have any accessibility requests or concerns and you would like to go on a highlights tour please contact Bristol Cathedral at [email protected] before booking your tickets.
Tower Tour
Tower Tour
Afternoon Tea & Tour
Optional Afternoon Tea
Afternoon Tea Add-On (Tuesday Highlights Tour only) A selection of sandwiches, freshly baked scones with clotted cream and jam, and a pot of tea, served by Pinkmans Café in our cloister. A relaxed way to finish your Tuesday Highlights Tour. The entrance to Bristol Cathedral is level access. However, some areas of the Cathedral included in the highlights tours involve uneven floors and steps, particularly when accessing the Norman Chapter House. Sensible footwear is advised. If you have any accessibility requests or concerns and you would like to go on a highlights tour please contact Bristol Cathedral at [email protected] before booking your tickets.
Tower Tour
Tower Tour
Interested in learning more about Bristol Cathedral’s past?
GROUP AND PRIVATE TOURS
Planning a visit for a group, organisation, or special occasion? We offer tailored tour experiences for groups of all kinds — from corporate away days to society visits, school groups to international tour operators.
We can build a tour around your interests, combine a Cathedral visit with the Lord Mayor’s Chapel nearby, or create a bespoke itinerary for a truly memorable experience.
Get in touch!
Small in size. Extraordinary in detail.
The Lord Mayor’s Chapel
A short walk from the Cathedral on College Green, the Lord Mayor’s Chapel is one of Bristol’s most extraordinary historic buildings. Filled with remarkable stained glass, medieval tiles, and monuments spanning centuries of Bristol’s civic life, it is well worth a visit in its own right. The Chapel is open to the public on Saturdays from 10.30am to 4pm. It can also be included in a bespoke group or private tour itinerary on request.