europeannovice

Hi again,

When is the best time of day to visit St Paul in order to climb the galleries? Would first thing in the morning be best or later in the afternoon?

We would like to avoid the hordes of bus tours but I don't know if that is possible. Someone posted a long while back that they arrived at the same time as a bus tour and the stairs and gallery landings were very crowded. Do the buses typically come in the afternoon or the morning or do they arrive all day long?

At a larger site it doesn't matter about bus tours because the area is large enough to absorb the crowds but on the narrow stair cases that is not possible.

I know the galleries close fairly early too. I think they close around 4PM and if you wanted to climb you have to start much earlier than that. How long does it take to climb up and back down? We are not marathon runners. Thanks.

jorgetxu

Well, the best time would be at 12:30 when they have the Holy Communion and you can go for free.

Anyway, the crowds usually arrive early in the morning, so a visit in the afternoon is more recommendable.

You will have to climb up 259 steps to reach the whispering gallery.

Iowa_Redhead

I would almost say go first thing in the morning. Depending on your interests you might want to take the Supertour (I think it's about 3 pounds for adults). The tour guide gives really good information and gets you into areas that others can't, like the geometric staircase. You can either go straight for the top and take all your pictures and then take the tour (sign up for a time when you get there) or you can take the tour and then head for the stairs.

Michel_Paris

I did the London Walks afternoon tours, crowds were fine and timing was such that it finished just as evensong was starting

janisj

Tour groups arrive all day long -- but don't worry about them on the climb. Members of bus tours don't get long enough in the bldg to climb to the top -- and the guides wouldn't want to have to wait for laggers. They pretty much have to stick w/ their guide walking around the main floor and don't have a chance to separate -- they usually don't get into the Crypt either. Some tours (but very few) do allow folks to go up to the Whisperers gallery but I wouldn't worry about that.

I wouldn't leave it too late in the afternoon because they start closing off areas as they prepare for Evensong

europeannovice

Would 2PM be okay if we went in the afternoon to allow enough time to climb? If we go in the morning I guess we will try for first thing. How long does it take on average to climb all the way up to whispering, to stone, to golden and then back down? An hour is sufficient?

Iowa_Redhead

An hour for the climb up and down should be fine. It simply depends on how long you want to stand around up top and look around.