St Paul’s Cathedral with kids
Ever since visiting the Fire! Fire! exhibition at the Museum of London last year, my five year old son has been keen to visit St Paul’s Cathedral which was destroyed during the 1666 Great Fire of London. My birthday falls during half term so I decided a trip to London (we live in Hertfordshire) with the kids and my folks would be a great way to spend it. So, is St Paul’s Cathedral with kids a good day out? Read on to find out.
Rebuilt in just 32 years and designed by Sir Christopher Wren, St. Paul’s Cathedral is so much more than a religious edifice; it is a great vehicle for educating children with its colourful history, famous entombed residents and the fantastic views from its dome. It also has the obligatory cafe (in the crypt) and a pretty good gift shop.
We arrived at 11am and headed straight up to the Whispering Gallery while energy levels were still sufficiently high. My sons are five and two with fairly short little legs but we made it up with only a brief pause to look out of a tiny window at the retreating churchyard below. The steps to the Whispering Gallery are modern and easy to climb, wide and not steep so although there are 257 it is a pretty easy climb.
Once at the Gallery, visitors get a great view on to the nave below. Photography isn’t allowed in the Gallery but this rule seemed to be pretty tricky to enforce by the two cathedral employees as most people had a camera phone glued to their fist. The Whispering Gallery is so-called due to the impressive acoustics which allow even the faintest sounds to travel from one side of the Gallery to the other. It was a fun concept to explore with my five year old but was it was lost on my two year old who preferred to shout at the top of his voice whilst doing circuits of the Gallery, we concluded that sound certainly does travel very effectively up there.
My five year old and I headed up another 119 steps (this time much older and steeper) to reach the Stone Gallery whilst my mum retreated back to ground level with my younger son. The Stone Gallery is outside and on the day of our visit it was a pretty clear and mild day so we were able to see the London Eye and the edge of the Houses of Parliament as well as St Pancras station and Tower Bridge as well as more prominent landmarks such as the Shard and the Gherkin.
The final climb of 152 steps up to the Golden Gallery was a bit of a trek and involved steeper metal stairs which did seem to go on and on. We were both a little weary when we made it to the top but it felt like a great adventure and the views were definitely worth it.
After all the climbing we nipped over to a nearby Pizza Express for a quick pitstop before heading back inside to explore some of the other highlights of the cathedral. My son is learning the history of nurses at school so we found the memorial dedicated to Florence Nightingale in the crypt and then found the tombs of Nelson and Wellington which prompted a brief discussion about the different roles of sailors and soldiers in war.
Whilst we were doing our climb, my father took a free guided tour and afterwards he managed to convince some officials to let us into the Chapel of St Michael and St George which Queen Elizabeth usually worships in when she’s visiting. Much of the floor is inlaid with coats of arms which my son enjoyed studying with his grandfather.
We spent a bit more time wandering around the cathedral, there’s an excellent Fire of London family trail which includes information on sculptures which survived the fire for kids to find and there are models of the two cathedrals pre and post the fire to compare. We also went to look at the high altar where a bomb struck during World War Two. I have come to discover that fires, bombs and general destruction are a great way to engage small children with history.
St. Paul’s Cathedral is the second largest church in the UK after Liverpool Cathedral so there’s quite a bit to take in. There were plenty of areas of the cathedral which we didn’t have a chance to explore, it’s a place to return to as children grow and their interests develop.
Cost: this isn’t a cheap day out at £18 per adult (£16 if booked in advance online) and £8 for kids aged 6+. However, if you’re visiting to worship there is no charge. Here is the reason the charge is so steep.
Buggy and disabled access: there is step free access through the south entrance in the churchyard. My father uses a mobility frame so we were given a special key to a lift for him to access the various floors (visitors cannot gain access to the upper floors via this lift unfortunately).
Opening hours for sightseeing: Monday-Saturday 8:30am-4:30pm
Have you visited St Paul’s Cathedral with kids? Let me know in the comments below.
For other London days out reviews, check out my posts on the National Gallery and our Thames trip on the Paddle Steamer Waverley.
It’s years since I have been to St Pauls Cathedral but you have inspired me to take my children I had forgotten how much there was to do there! Thanks for sharing with #culturedkids
Good old grandad, persuading the officials to let you into the chapel. I walk past St Pauls regularly, but I’ve never paid to take the children inside, even though they’re curious. I must change that! My son did the Fire of London last term at school, so the trail would be interesting to him. And I do love the image of your son, yelling his head off in the Whispering Gallery! Great post – thanks for linking up with #CulturedKids
Visiting St Pauls Cathedral is high on my list of things to do during our next trip to London. I have to say I’m a bit shocked at the entry fee – you’re looking at £60 for our family! Yikes! However I think it is such a beautiful, iconic building that it’s definitely worth it. Good work by your dad for getting you a special behind the scenes look 😀 #CulturedKids
It is pricey but I believe you can get a year’s pass when you pay the entrance fee. However, there are tons of free places in London which are equally rewarding!
I had no idea St Paul’s Cathedral was so fascinating. The climb to the top looks very rewarding. Most of the time when we go to London we can’t decide what to visit and just end up wandering around, so I will have to remember this! #FamilyTravelTips
London lends itself to wandering very well I find! I wish there were more school holidays so we had time to visit the capital more often for a bit of aimless meandering!
I haven’t been there for years – it is a shame it is so expensive now, I think I’ll have to wait and visit when my daughter is old enough to appreciate it! #FamilyTravelTips
Yes, it is a shame it’s so costly. If you want an alternative place to get a good view of the city, the Sky Garden is free to visit.
Oh this looks brilliant! I had no idea that St Paul’s cathedral was family friendly, I love the idea of the fire of London tour. Thanks so much for linking up to #FamilyTravelTips.
Nat.x
What stunning photos- I had no idea there was much to see and have never gone in. Quite expensive but understandable why so. #familytraveltips
Wondering how you got so many pictures from the inside – my friend and I tried to sneak ONE picture of the ceiling and we got yelled at by someone who worked there! #CityTripping – Stumbled
We were only told not to photograph in the Whispering Gallery. Hope I wasn’t photographing the rest of the place in error!
No idea but we werent allowed to take any pix! 🙁
Ages since I’ve been there. Thanks for taking me down memory lane 🙂
I took a quick peek at the Cathedral when I visited many years ago. So bad I didn’t have time for more. Will like to go to the top and check the others historical spots. Will need to start saving!
Alternatively, for a view of the city you can go to the top of the Sky Garden for free, just near by!
It’s so long since I was in St Paul’s – it is wonderful but the prices put me off a quick look around so I need to make the time for a proper visit. I wonder if my daughter might learning some London’s history next year, always fun to the the two together. Thanks for linking up with #citytripping
Yes it is a shame about the price but I guess we’re spoilt by having so many other free attractions in London.
Oh, I absolutely LOVED visiting Saint Pauls Catedral and I may just visit it again when Im back in Londen. So amazing.
I remember the views from the top, stunning!
When we toured St. Paul’s Cathedral, we didn’t go to the top because we had a full agenda. After seeing the view, I regret it. Your are right, there is a lot to see and learn at St. Paul’s.
It’s a great place, shame it’s so expensive although if it was free it would be absolutely packed!
You are right, it would be packed, but it was out first time and we loved it.
I visited many years ago but didn’t have time to go to the top. I have been wanting to go back. I wish they didn’t charge so much though. Thanks for sharing on #TheWeeklyPostcard.
Yes, it’s a shame the charge is so steep. There are so many amazing free places to visit in London that it seems wrong somehow to pay that much.
I visited St. Paul’s last year for the first time and thought it was amazing. #theweeklypostcard
Glad you enjoyed your visit!
This reminds me of the steps in the Arc de Triomphe…my eight year old thought it was the best challenge of the day! I love the photo of your little one studying the floor with his granddad…so precious! Stinks that it is so costly…but we’d still check it out if we were in the area!
I love taking my boys out exploring with their grandparents, they always have a great time together!
We love exploring cathedrals – especially when there’s a view like that at the top! Just gorgeous. You mentioned that it’s free to attend services – can you linger afterwards to explore the cathedral, or would you still need to pay the entrance to get up to the galleries? (By the way, the link to St. Paul’s isn’t working anymore.)
Sorry, to be specific, it’s the link to why St. Paul’s charges so much that’s broken.
Thanks, will check that out
Here’s a new link: https://www.stpauls.co.uk/visit/why-do-we-charge
I think it might be tricky to linger after a service…
Wow, what a privilege to be allowed inside the Chapel of St Michael and St George. Your son is one lucky boy.
Thanks to his cheeky grandfather!