A St Paul’s Cathedral tour is rarely a tour of the cathedral. I compared the four tours with St Paul’s entry that GetYourGuide sells, from $65 to $127, and each is built around something else: an audio route through the City, two coach tours of London and a Harry Potter walk with a river cruise. The cathedral entry is a part of each, but none of them puts a guide inside. If you want the cathedral and nothing else, my page with tickets for St Paul’s Cathedral is the one to read first.
What a St Paul’s Cathedral Tour Adds Over a Plain Ticket
The plain entry ticket is the benchmark. At $36 it is rated 4.7 from 11,596 reviews, and it includes the floor, the crypt, the galleries and a multimedia guide. According to the St Paul’s Cathedral website, an adult ticket is 27 pounds, and the cathedral lets ticket holders join tours and talks on the day. So you can already get a guide inside the cathedral for the price of the ticket. What a St Paul’s Cathedral tour adds is everything outside it: transport, the sights nearby and a ride on the river.
That is also why I would not pay more for a tour only to see the interior. The tours below all start somewhere else and reach the cathedral on the way.
St Paul’s Cathedral Tour With an Audio Route
WeGoTrip sells the cheapest option at $65 for about 1 hour. It is not a guided tour in the usual sense: the listing says there is no personal guide, you get an entrance ticket and a downloadable multimedia tour through London on the WeGoTrip app or in a browser, with a live GPS map between stops. The not-included list adds headphones and, importantly, the audio tour inside St Paul’s Cathedral, so the audio covers the walk and not the interior. The ticket is shown on your phone at the access-with-ticket entrance, which the listing says skips the line.
WeGoTrip USA
St Paul's Cathedral Ticket & City Audio Tour
1 hour
Free cancellation
My pick: The cheapest St Paul's Cathedral tour at $65: ticket plus a city audio route, no live guide and no audio inside the cathedral; no reviews yet.
What you get, where you meet
Included
✓ Entrance ticket to St Paul's Cathedral – via the WeGoTrip app or web browser
✓ Downloadable multimedia tour through London – via the WeGoTrip app or web browser
✓ Detailed route from stop to stop with live GPS map on your smartphone
Not included / not suitable
✕ Personal guide
✕ Headphones
✕ Audio tour inside St Paul's Cathedral
Meeting point: Please note that this tour doesn't include a physical guide.
The ticket & digital tour are available on the WeGoTrip app only!
Skip the line and show your smartphone ticket at the "access with ticket" entrance. St. Paul's Churchyard, London, Великобритания
Duration: 1 hour
Cancellation: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
I would take this one only if you like to walk alone. It has no rating yet, and $29 more than the plain ticket buys an app route. The official site’s own multimedia guide is already in the $36 ticket.
St Paul’s Cathedral Tour by Coach With a Live Guide
Golden Tours - Gray Line London sells two coach tours that include entry, both for $94 and both in English. They leave from Bus Stop 8 on Buckingham Palace Road in Victoria, a 5-minute walk from Victoria station according to the listing, and you must be there on time.
The Half Day Tour of London with St Paul’s Cathedral entry is 3 hours, with check-in at 7:30 am and departure at 8:00 am. It lists a panoramic bus tour, admission to the cathedral, a river boat ride, an air-conditioned coach and a professional guide. It has no reviews yet on the listing.
Golden Tours - Gray Line London
Half Day Tour of London with St Paul's Cathedral entry
3 hours
Free cancellation
My pick: The 3-hour coach tour at $94 with cathedral entry and a boat ride; an early start from Victoria, no reviews yet.
What you get, where you meet
Included
✓ Panoramic bus tour of London
✓ Admissions to St. Paul's Cathedral
✓ River boat ride
✓ Transportation by air-conditioned coach
✓ Professional guide
Not included / not suitable
✕ Gratuities
✕ Food and drink
Meeting point: Check-in: 07:30am
Departure: 8:00am
Departure point: Bus Stop 8, Buckingham Palace Road, Victoria SW1W 9SZ Buckingham Palace Rd, London SW1W 9SZ, UK
Languages: English
Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
The City Tour with St Paul’s Cathedral is 4 hours and adds the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, with the boat ride only if you select it. It comes with a luxury coach and a professional guide. Its reviews are the only ones for a coach tour here, and they are critical. One reviewer said the arrangements to get to the boat were “shoddy” and that they paid extra to reach the departure point, and called the boat “just a public Water taxi”. A second review, in German, said the meeting point was chaotic and that there was no audio guide at St Paul’s even for an extra fee. Both are single opinions, but they match a pattern I would expect on a fixed-timetable coach: if the time is tight, the cathedral stop is short.
Golden Tours - Gray Line London
City Tour with St Paul's Cathedral
4 hours
Free cancellation
My pick: The longer coach city tour, 4 hours at $94, with the Changing of the Guard; the only reviews are critical.
What you get, where you meet, what reviewers say
Included
✓ Panoramic tour of London
✓ Entry to St. Paul's Cathedral
✓ Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace
✓ Boat ride (if selected)
✓ Luxury coach
✓ Professional guide
Not included / not suitable
✕ Food and beverages unless otherwise indicated
✕ Optional gratuities
Meeting point: Departure
Bus Stop 8, Buckingham Palace Road, Victoria, SW1W 9SH
what3words location: gross.mining.spout
Here is Golden Tours signage at the meeting point and a ticket office nearby for any general enquiries. The nearest tube station is Victoria, which is a 5-minute walk. You must be at the meeting point 30 minutes before your booked start time. 143 Buckingham Palace Rd, London SW1W 9TR, UK
Languages: English
Duration: 4 hours
Cancellation: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
“Organisation am Treffpunkt chaotisch und hektisch, Tourguide erweckte den Eindruck keine Lust zu haben. Bei St. Pauls gab es keine Möglichkeit eine Audioguide zu bekommen, nicht mal mit Extragebühr.” – GetYourGuide review
St Paul’s Cathedral Tour With Harry Potter and a River Cruise
Top Sights Tours LLC runs the most expensive tour at $127 for 6 hours. It is a 3-hour walking tour of Harry Potter film locations, a 40-minute Thames cruise and a cathedral ticket, with small groups and a guide who is described as a fan. The group meets in front of the stairs to the Parcel Yard at King’s Cross, next to the Platform 9 3/4 shop, and the listing suggests arriving 45 minutes early if you want a photo with the trolley. The route runs through Cecil Court, the Palace Theatre, Goodwin’s Court, Leicester Square, Westminster, Borough Market and London Bridge before St Paul’s.
Two tube journeys, about 6 pounds, are not included, and neither are food or drink. It has one review, a 5-star, so I cannot judge it from the crowd. I would book it for the film locations, and treat the cathedral as a bonus.
TOP SIGHTS TOURS LLC
London Harry Potter Tour, St Paul's Cathedral & River Cruise
★5.0 (1 reviews)
6 hours
Free cancellation
My pick: A 6-hour Potter walk with a river cruise and a cathedral ticket: $127, small groups, but only one review.
What you get, where you meet
Included
✓ 3-hour walking tour of the top Potter film locations and sights!
✓ Fun Potter-head tour guide
✓ Small-group sizes
✓ 40-minute Thames River cruise
✓ St. Paul’s Cathedral ticket
Not included / not suitable
✕ Food and drinks
✕ Hotel pick-up and drop-off
✕ Tube journeys x2 (approx. £6)
Meeting point: Platform 9 ¾ - We meet in front of the stairs leading up to the Parcel Yard (next to the Platform 9 ¾ Harry Potter shop inside King's Cross Station)
Note: Want to get your photo with the Platform 9 ¾ trolley? Queues can be big so we recommend arriving 45 mins before the tour starts - we won't have time during the tour itself. London N1C 4AH, UK
Languages: English
Duration: 6 hours
Cancellation: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
What Reviewers Say About These St Paul’s Cathedral Tours
There is little to go on. Only two of the four tours have any reviews at all, so I cannot give you a pattern. The cathedral entry ticket, with 11,596 reviews, is the product with the data, and its reviewers praise the building and an early start. One wrote:
“Arriving early is definitely a plus because it's not crowded yet. The church is fantastic, and the audio guide is super customizable depending on what you're interested in.”
— GetYourGuide reviewer
That advice applies to a tour as well: if your slot is early, the cathedral is quieter.
Guided Tour or Ticket Only?
The ticket only costs $36 and the cheapest tour with entry costs $65, so the gap runs from $29 for the audio route to $91 for the Potter tour. On the coach tours the gap is $58. What the money buys is not a better look at the cathedral but transport, a guide for the area and a boat. If your plan is just the cathedral, choose the ticket and join a talk on arrival. If you only have one day in London and want it organised, a tour is easier. For the ticket route, St Paul’s Cathedral tickets lists the options with a boat, and the official ticket page is at stpauls.co.uk.
Small Group, Private or Standard
Only the Harry Potter tour states small groups, and none of the four gives a number. I found no private St Paul’s Cathedral tour among the listings. The coach tours are standard groups.
How I’d Choose a St Paul’s Cathedral Tour
The cathedral only: the $36 entry ticket, not a tour.
A cheap city route on foot: WeGoTrip at $65.
A morning of London sights by coach: Golden Tours at $94, either 3 or 4 hours.
I think so. The $36 entry ticket is rated 4.7 from 11,596 reviews and covers the floor, the crypt and the galleries. A reviewer on that ticket wrote that the church is fantastic and the audio guide is customizable. A tour is worth adding only if you want London around the cathedral explained as well.
How much to enter St Paul's Cathedral?+
The official site lists the adult ticket at 27 pounds, 24 pounds for seniors and students and 10.50 pounds for children aged 6 to 17. On GetYourGuide the plain entry ticket is $36, and the four tours with entry I compared cost $65 to $127.
Is there a guided tour inside St Paul's Cathedral?+
Yes, but through the cathedral itself. The $36 entry ticket lets you join guided tours and talks, with limited spots you register for on arrival. None of the four tours here include a guide inside the cathedral, so a tour is about London around it, not the interior.
Does a St Paul's Cathedral tour include the Thames?+
Two do. The Harry Potter tour includes a 40-minute Thames cruise, and the Golden Tours city tour lists a boat ride if selected. The half-day coach tour also lists a river boat ride. Check the list for the one you pick, because the boat is optional on some.
Was Harry Potter filmed in St Paul's Cathedral?+
The listing of the Harry Potter tour in this comparison includes a St Paul's Cathedral ticket, but it is a walking tour of film locations from King's Cross to London Bridge. I could not confirm a filming claim for the cathedral from the sources I used, so I would not book it for that reason.
How long is a St Paul's Cathedral tour?+
From 1 hour for the WeGoTrip audio tour to 6 hours for the Harry Potter walk with a cruise. The Golden Tours city tours are 3 to 4 hours. The cathedral visit is only one stop on each.
