New York City St. Patrick's Cathedral Tours and Tickets

No, you don’t need reservations to visit St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and there are no admission fees for visitors. Most sightseeing visits to the church are conducted independently, although visitors can pay to go on a self-led, audio-guide tour of the church, or pay for a VIP, docent-led tour.

That depends—if you opt to purchase a self-led, audio-guide tour of the church, it lasts for around 50 minutes. If you upgrade to a docent-led, VIP tour, it lasts for around one hour. Otherwise, visits to the cathedral are conducted independently, according to your own schedule.

There’s rarely a bad time to visit St. Patrick’s Cathedral, but it is likely to be especially busy during the summer high season—visit during other times of year for a calmer experience. The cathedral also hosts special masses for Christmas, Easter, and St. Patrick’s Day, which are busy and ticketed.

While St. Patrick’s Cathedral does not have a strict dress code, as it is a very active place of worship, modest dress is encouraged. Visitors should avoid wearing anything very revealing and can cover their shoulders and knees out of respect. Also, wearing hats is frowned upon.

Yes, you can take personal photos inside St. Patrick’s Cathedral—the architecture is so beautiful that it makes sense to want to capture it. However, it’s best not to use your flash, so you can avoid disturbing worshippers. Additionally, don’t take photos or videos during Mass or other church services.