With over 70,000 tons of medieval craftsmanship to admire and nearly 800 years of history to explore, we suggest you allow between 1.5 – 3 hours for your visit. If you don’t have that long, you can see most of the highlights in 45 minutes. Occasionally the Cathedral, or parts of it, may need to close or offer restricted access so please check before you travel. We warmly invite you to join one of our services to hear our talented choirs in action – you can find all the information and times you need by clicking on the button below. You can also download our latest event leaflet at the bottom of this page.

Please scroll to the bottom of this page to see details of restricted access/closures 

View services

View latest event leaflet

Opening hours

Our standard opening hours can be seen in the table below. We suggest arriving at least one hour before closing to make the most of your visit.

Restricted access/closures

Occasionally the Cathedral, or parts of it, may need to close or only offer restricted access for a service, special event or day to day maintenance. We try to minimise these periods as much as we can, as we know that people travel long distances to visit us. Please remember to check for last minute changes prior to your visit as some events, such as funerals, are only arranged at short notice.

1215 Magna Carta

We regret that our original Magna Carta is not currently on display while repairs are made to its casing, however, a high-quality facsimile is on display. The case, which was damaged, is being thoroughly inspected by a specialist manufacturer so that they can advise us about repair or replacement.  We are working to get Magna Carta back on display as soon as we can.

Wednesday 12th December Group Carols at 14:00 - 15:00
The Cathedral floor will be closed for visitors from 13.15 - 15.15. The Chapter House will be open as normal.

Thursday 13th December School Service at 09:30 - 10:30 and Group Carols at 14:00 - 15:00
The Cathedral floor will open to visitors at 11:00
The Cathedral floor will be closed for visitors from 13:15 - 15:15. The Chapter House will be open as normal.

Friday 14th December School Service at 11:00 - 12:00 and School Service at 14:00 - 15:00
The Cathedral floor will be closed to visitors between 10:00 - 12 noon and 13:00 - 15:00. The Chapter House open as normal

Saturday 22nd December Evening Prayer at 16:00
The East End of the Cathedral, from the Spire Crossing will close at 16:00. The rest of the Cathedral floor and Chapter House will close at 16:30. The Refectory Restaurant and Gift Shop will be open as normal throughout the day.

Sunday 23rd December

The Refectory and Gift shop will be open between 10:00 - 16:30.

Sunday 23rd December Evening Prayer at 15:00
The East End of the Cathedral, from the Spire Crossing, will close at 15:00. The rest of the Cathedral floor will close at 15.30. The Chapter House closes at 15.30.

Sunday 24th December
The Refectory and Gift Shop will be open between 10:00 - 15:30.

Monday 24th December A Family Service for Christmas Eve 15:30 - 16:30
The Cathedral floor and Chapter House will be closed to visitors from 14:00

Tuesday 25th December
The Cathedral will be open between 12:00 -13:45. The Chapter House, Refectory Restaurant and Gift Shop will be closed.

Wednesday 26th December 
The Chapter House, Refectory and Gift Shop will be closed all day. Evening Prayer at 16:00 The East End of the Cathedral will close at 15:30. The rest of the Cathedral will close at 16:15. 

Thursday 27th December - Monday 31 December
The Refectory and Gift Shop will be open from 10:00 - 16:30.

Thursday 27th December Evening Prayer at 16:00
The East End of the Cathedral will close at 15:30. The rest of the Cathedral will close at 16:15. The Chapter House will close at 15:30.

Friday 28th December Evening Prayer at 16:00
The East End of the Cathedral will close at 15:30. The rest of the Cathedral will close at 16:15. The Chapter will  House close at 15:30.

Saturday 29th December Evening Prayer at 16:00
The East End of the Cathedral will close at 15:00. The rest of the Cathedral will close at 16:15. The Chapter House will close at 15:30.

Tuesday 1 January 2019
The Refectory and Gift Shop will be open from 11:00 - 16:30.

Wednesday 2 January 2019 

The Refectory and Gift Shop will resume their regular opening hours from today.

7 January 2019 to 15 February 2019
There will be disruption to the Main Quire, Quire aisles and North Transept due to essential repair work to our Father Willis Organ. Click here for more details. 

16 February 2019 to 19 August 2019
There will be minor disruption to the Quire aisles due to essential repair work to our Father Willis Organ. During this time there will be a temporary exhibition in the North Transept about this project. Click here for more details. 

Friday 31st May 2019
The Cathedral Floor will be closed to visitors. The Chapter House, Shop and Refectory will be open as normal.

Salisbury Cathedral Events Aug-Oct2018 Website.pdf