What to see inside St Paul’s Cathedral
The nave and Wren’s floor
You come in through the west end and the building does the work for you. The nave runs east towards the dome, and the floor itself is part of the design rather than a surface to walk over. Stand on the black-and-white pavement under the crossing and look straight up: that is the inner dome, 69 metres high and 31 metres across, and behind it sit a hidden brick cone taking the structural load and the outer lead dome you see from Waterloo Bridge, 85 metres high and 34 across. The whole assembly weighs something like 65,000 tons.
Thornhill’s dome paintings and the quire mosaics
The painted scenes in the inner dome are Thornhill’s, and the honest truth is that you cannot see them properly from the floor. That is one of several arguments for going up: at 257 steps the Whispering Gallery puts you at their level. Walk east into the quire afterwards and look up again at the mosaics above the stalls, which are a completely different technique and a completely different century. The great organ sits here too. If you time it right, someone is practising.
The American Memorial Chapel
Behind the high altar at the far east end. It is quieter than the rest of the building and most tour groups turn round before they reach it, which is exactly why I send people there.
The crypt
The largest crypt in Europe, and the part of St Paul’s I would defend hardest to anyone who thinks a cathedral is a cathedral. Admiral Lord Nelson lies directly beneath the centre of the dome. The Duke of Wellington is here. So is Christopher Wren, whose epitaph tells the reader that if they seek his monument, they should look around them, which after an hour in this building lands rather harder than it reads on a page. There is also a 270° film down here, and it is a reasonable place to sit down after the climb.
The chapels
Seven of them. The Chapel of St Michael and St George and the OBE Chapel are the two most people ask about, and both reward five minutes each.
What works
- Everything above is covered by one sightseeing ticket, galleries included
- The included multimedia guide runs in nine languages: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean and Chinese
- Free in-house guided tours and talks run on limited spots — register when you arrive
- The ticket lasts all day, so the crypt can wait until your legs have recovered
Worth knowing
- Thornhill’s dome paintings are hard to appreciate from the cathedral floor
- Free in-house tours are not reserved in advance and can be full
- It is a working cathedral: prayers are said on the hour and everyone is asked to pause
- Parts of the building can close for services and events without much notice
Do the building in the order the architecture wants: nave, dome floor, then straight up the 528 steps while you are fresh, then quire, American Memorial Chapel and crypt on the way out. It also happens to match the gallery hours, which end earlier than the cathedral’s.
What it takes to see all of it
Two and a half to three hours covers the lot at a decent pace, and the ticket is valid all day if you want to split it. See how long you need, or what you are allowed to photograph before you start pointing a camera at the mosaics. If you would rather have someone explain the quire while you look at it, the guided options are on their own page.
Frequently asked questions
Who is buried in St Paul’s Cathedral crypt?
Admiral Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington and Christopher Wren, the cathedral’s architect, among many others, in the largest crypt in Europe. Winston Churchill’s state funeral was held here but he is not buried here. More on the complete guide.
What is painted inside the dome at St Paul’s?
Thornhill’s painted scenes cover the inner dome. They are easiest to see from the Whispering Gallery at 257 steps rather than from the floor — see the dome climb.
Is the multimedia guide included?
Yes, with a standard entry ticket, in nine languages. Free in-house guided tours and talks also run inside on limited spots, registered on arrival rather than reserved. See guided tours.
How long does it take to see everything inside?
Two and a half to three hours including the climb, or about 90 minutes for the floor and crypt alone. See how long to spend.