Beyond Wells Cathedral, the city's two other standout sights are the moated Bishop's Palace, home to swans that ring a bell for food, and Vicars' Close, reportedly Europe's oldest residential street still lived in by its original buildings' occupants. An adult day ticket to the Bishop's Palace is £15, or £22 for a joint ticket with the Cathedral, and Vicars' Close itself is free to walk.
The Bishop's Palace
The Bishop's Palace has been the residence of the Bishops of Bath and Wells for more than 800 years, and it is still in use today, set within 14 acres of gardens accredited as an RHS Partner Garden. It is a genuinely defended building, with a moat, a drawbridge and a gatehouse with a portcullis, though the fortifications were built more for show than for real sieges. Inside the grounds you can see the medieval Palace and its Undercroft, the ruined Great Hall, the Bishop's Chapel, and gardens that include wells, springs and a croquet lawn. A children's play area, the Dragon's Lair, sits within the gardens too.
The Palace's best-known residents are its swans. The tradition of swans on the moat dates back to around the 1850s, when a bishop's daughter is thought to have first taught them to ring a bell at the Gatehouse for food. A rope still hangs beside the window for them to pull. The current pair, Grace and Gabriel, arrived from Swan Rescue South Wales in 2019 and have nested successfully most years since; cygnets typically hatch in spring and Gabriel teaches each new brood to ring the bell before they leave the moat the following year.
It is free to visit the on-site cafe and the croquet lawn area without a ticket. For the gardens, Palace, Undercroft, Great Hall and Chapel, a day ticket is required.
Bishop's Palace tickets and hours
In summer 2026 (29 March to 24 October) the Palace opens daily 9.30am to 5.30pm; in winter, 10am to 4pm. An adult day ticket is £15, a child day ticket (5-17) is £7, and a student day ticket is £12; under-5s go free. A joint day ticket covering both the Bishop's Palace and Wells Cathedral costs £22, which is worth it if you plan to see both on the same visit. There is also a 12-month annual pass, £25 for an adult, which suits anyone likely to return during the year. There is no on-site parking, so check the Palace's own travel page for nearby options before you arrive.
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult day ticket | £15 |
| Child day ticket (5-17) | £7 |
| Student day ticket | £12 |
| Joint day ticket (Palace + Cathedral) | £22 |
| Adult annual pass | £25 |
Vicars' Close
Vicars' Close sits just north of the Cathedral, reached through the Chain Gate, and is reportedly the oldest street in Europe still lined with its original buildings serving broadly their original purpose. It was built between 1348 and 1430 for the Vicars Choral, the men employed to sing the daily services on behalf of the Cathedral's canons, and it still houses members of the Cathedral community today. The close comprises 27 Grade I listed houses (originally 44), a communal Vicars' Hall and medieval kitchen at the southern end nearest the Cathedral, and a chapel and library at the northern end, added in the 1420s.
Part of its charm is a deliberate optical trick: the street is about 140 metres long, but its width tapers by roughly three metres from one end to the other, making it look longer than it is when viewed from the Cathedral end, and shorter when viewed from the other. It is a public street, free to walk down, though the houses themselves are private residences, so visits are a matter of walking through and looking rather than going inside. Wells Cathedral has recently begun a major restoration project on the buildings, so expect to see some conservation work in progress.
Seeing both in one visit
Because Vicars' Close and the Bishop's Palace both sit right next to the Cathedral precinct, they are easy to combine into one stop without much extra walking. A reasonable order is the Cathedral first, then Vicars' Close on your way out through the Chain Gate, and the Bishop's Palace last, since its gardens and moat are a good place to end an afternoon rather than rush through. Together, expect to spend two to three hours across the three sights if you want to see them properly rather than pass through quickly.
For the practicalities of getting from Bath to Wells itself, including bus and driving times, and for pairing Wells with Cheddar Gorge as a full day out, see our existing guide to Bath to Wells and Cheddar Gorge. This article is about what to do once you are in Wells and have finished with the Cathedral itself.
Other Somerset day trips from Bath
If you are building a bigger day out around Wells, two other Somerset attractions pair naturally with it. Wookey Hole Caves is a few miles outside Wells and makes a family-friendly add-on if you have a car. Further afield, Glastonbury, with the Tor and the Abbey, is a different kind of day trip again, better suited to its own visit than squeezed onto the same day as Wells.
Practical tips
Wells is compact, and the Cathedral, Vicars' Close and Bishop's Palace are all within a few minutes' walk of each other and the Market Place. Wear comfortable shoes for the Palace grounds, which include grass and gravel paths, and check the swan cam or recent news before visiting in early spring if seeing cygnets is part of the appeal, since hatching dates vary year to year.