Canterbury Cathedral entry with audio guide

A pre-booked entry ticket to Canterbury Cathedral, with a multimedia guide so you can go round at your own pace. Inside you can see the architecture and stained glass, and outside there are the cathedral gardens and the ruins of the former monastery.

Booking ahead saves queuing at the gate, and the guide gives enough background to make sense of a large and complicated building.

Parts of the cathedral can close for services, events or conservation work. The church opens later on Sundays. It pairs well with a tasting at one of the vineyards on the North Downs.

Best for: anyone visiting Canterbury who wants to explore the cathedral at their own speed.

The Cathedral opens to visitors from 10am to 5pm from Monday to Saturday and from 12.30pm on Sundays, when only the grounds and shop open from 11.30am. Last admission is at 4pm. Services of worship take place outside visiting hours, but parts of the building can close at short notice for services, weddings, funerals or conservation work.

The Cathedral itself suggests allowing one to three hours. The highlights it names are the spot where Archbishop Thomas Becket was murdered in 1170, the crypt with its painted chapel, the Great Cloister, the stained glass, the tombs of Henry IV and the Black Prince, and the Herb Garden among the ruins of the medieval monastery. It is part of Canterbury's UNESCO World Heritage Site, with St Augustine's Abbey and St Martin's Church.

High-speed trains from London St Pancras reach Canterbury West in under an hour, and the Cathedral is about 15 minutes' walk from the station; Canterbury East is closer to the city centre and has trains from Victoria. Step-free entry is through Christ Church Gate, and inside there are ramps to the Nave, Cloisters and Crypt and a lift to the Quire.

For a day that combines the city with wine, Simpsons' Wine Estate, Domaine Evremond and Barnsole are all a short drive from Canterbury; our map of the North Downs and Canterbury vineyards shows where they are.