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Best cathedrals to visit worldwide

A cathedral is the church that holds a bishop’s throne, and that one fact explains why so many of them are the largest and richest building in their city. The ones travellers book most are the great Gothic and Renaissance names: Florence, with Brunelleschi’s dome and its timed climb; Milan, where the ticket that matters is the one for the roof terraces; Seville, with the Giralda bell tower included; Wawel in Kraków, the coronation church of Poland; and Notre-Dame de Paris, reopened after the fire. Spain adds the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba, Toledo, Santiago de Compostela and Palma, and Sicily adds the gold mosaics of Monreale.

Cefalù Cathedral

Cefalu, Italy

Cefalù Cathedral stands on a square in the town of Cefalù, on the northern coast of Sicily, about an hour east of…

2 tickets & tours

Church of Saint Sava

Belgrade, Serbia

The church stands on the Vracar plateau above central Belgrade, about twenty minutes on foot from the main pedestrian…

2 tickets & tours

Cuenca Cathedral

Cuenca, Spain

Cuenca Cathedral stands on the Plaza Mayor in the old town of Cuenca, Castile-La Mancha, Spain, about an hour from…

2 tickets & tours

Elgin Cathedral

Elgin, United Kingdom

The ruins of Elgin Cathedral stand in the town of Elgin in Moray, in north-east Scotland, and they are managed by…

2 tickets & tours

Girona Cathedral

Girona, Spain

Girona Cathedral stands at the top of a monumental flight of ninety steps in the old town of Girona, Catalonia, and a…

2 tickets & tours

Grace Cathedral, San Francisco

San Francisco, United States

Grace Cathedral stands at the top of Nob Hill in San Francisco, California, facing Huntington Park, and a ticket is…

2 tickets & tours

Jaén Cathedral

Jaen, Spain

Jaén Cathedral stands on the Plaza de Santa María in the centre of Jaén, Andalusia, Spain, and a ticket is required,…

2 tickets & tours

Lima Cathedral

Lima, Peru

A modest ticket covers the cathedral and its museum of religious art in the rooms behind the nave;

2 tickets & tours

Mainz Cathedral

Mainz, Germany

Mainz Cathedral, the Cathedral of Saint Martin, stands on the market square in the centre of Mainz, on the Rhine, in…

2 tickets & tours

Oliwa Cathedral

Gdansk, Poland

Oliwa Cathedral stands in the Oliwa district of Gdańsk, Poland, about ten kilometres north-west of the historic centre,…

2 tickets & tours

Oslo Cathedral

Oslo, Norway

Oslo Cathedral stands on Stortorvet square in the centre of Oslo, Norway, near the main shopping street, Karl Johans…

2 tickets & tours

Oviedo Cathedral

Oviedo, Spain

Oviedo Cathedral stands on the Plaza de Alfonso II el Casto in the old town of Oviedo, the capital of Asturias,…

2 tickets & tours

Roskilde Cathedral

Roskilde, Denmark

Roskilde Cathedral stands in the town of Roskilde, Denmark, about twenty-five minutes by train from Copenhagen, and a…

2 tickets & tours

Sedlec Cathedral

Kutna Hora, Czech Republic

This is the large church in Sedlec, on the northern edge of Kutna Hora, and it is almost always bought as part of a…

2 tickets & tours

Speyer Cathedral

Speyer, Germany

Speyer Cathedral stands at the end of the main street, Maximilianstrasse, in the old town of Speyer,…

2 tickets & tours

St Giles’ Cathedral

Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Entry is free with a suggested donation; the paid extras are the photography permit, sold at a desk inside, and the…

2 tickets & tours

St Vitus Cathedral

Prague, Czech Republic

The front section of the nave is free to enter, and the view from there is the one most visitors get;

2 tickets & tours

Stavanger Cathedral

Stavanger, Norway

Stavanger Cathedral stands in the centre of Stavanger, Norway, beside the Breiavatnet lake and a short walk from the…

2 tickets & tours

Tarragona Cathedral

Tarragona, Spain

One ticket covers the cathedral, the cloister and the diocesan museum, which occupies rooms around the cloister and…

2 tickets & tours