Christ Church Cathedral

What makes it special

Look down when you enter the nave: under the high ceilings, the tiled floor is medieval. Most of the stone around it is Victorian, from the heavy restoration by the architect George Edmund Street in the 1870s.

Strongbow's tomb is the monument to find, and it is not the original. The tomb you see is a replacement of the same period, brought from Drogheda after the falling nave vault smashed the first one in 1562.

Also on show are the heart of St Laurence O'Toole, a rare copy of Magna Carta and the cathedral's famous mummified cat and rat. In the crypt, the Treasures of Christ Church exhibition centres on the rare church silver, led by a set of royal plate.

Overhead, the belfry holds more bells hung for full-circle ringing than any other, a world record.

Visiting

Open every day, the cathedral is entered by the southwest door, which has a ramp. Buy your ticket online for the lower rate, or at the welcome desk on the day. At the desk, ask for the day's guided tour times and choose an audio guide in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Irish Sign Language or audio description.

Start in the nave and the monuments around it, then take the internal stairs down to the crypt. The stairs have a handrail on one side only, and the old building has steps and uneven floors throughout. A manual wheelchair can be borrowed free at the desk; contact the cathedral ahead to reserve one.

The belfry is not on the self-guided route. You reach it only on a scheduled Tower Tour with a cathedral guide.

Guided or on your own

Guided tours run in English only and cannot be booked online, so ask at the welcome desk when you arrive. The Tower Tour is the one that takes you into the belfry: a guide leads you up 86 narrow spiral steps in two flights and across an open gangway, and you can ring the bells once you are there. Visitors must be 12 or older to go up.

Tips

Families and first-time visitors can pick the simpler ACE audio guide, written for adults, children and everyone. It suits you if churches and Irish history are new to you, and children's leaflets in English are at the welcome desk.

Ear defenders can be borrowed at the desk if noise is hard for you. The cathedral also keeps quiet times for visitors who find a busy room difficult, so ask there when the next one falls.

If you plan to see Dublinia as well, buy the combination ticket at the welcome desk or at the Dublinia ticket office.