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Ely Cathedral
Attractions in Ely

First in Ely: Ely Cathedral

Most of what there is to see is museums or galleries: 5 of 7. The built-up area itself has 4 places on our list; 3 others are within 5 km of its edge. Walking distance covers 4 of them, all within 1 km of the middle. Set 25 km out, Fitzwilliam Museum makes a day trip.

Photo: Ely Cathedral, Bs0u10e01 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
In Ely
4
inside the built-up area
Within 5 km
3
of the town’s edge
Museums & galleries
5
in or near town
Castles & historic places
2
in or near town
Best known

Highlights of Ely

Ely Cathedral aside, the next best known are 4 museums and a historic house.

CathedralEly Cathedralin townHistoric houseOliver Cromwell's Housein townMuseumThe Stained Glass Museumin townMuseumMuseumEly Museumin townMuseumPrickwillow Museum4.1 km outside town, to the eastMuseumMuseumRAF Witchford and RAF Mepal Museum800 m outside town, to the southwest

Each has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.

The map

Mapped around Ely

The map ends at Adams Heritage Centre, 6.6 km out.

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The dashed line is Ely’s built-up area; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · ONS built-up area 2022

By kind

Which kinds

Most are museums or galleries, 5 in all, ahead of castles or historic places (2).

Museums & galleries 5 museums2 in town · 3 nearby
Castles & historic places 1 cathedral · 1 historic house2 in town

Green: inside Ely. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.

Every place

Every place to visit

First the 4 in town, then the 3 within 5 km of its edge.

The 4 inside Ely come first, best known first; then the places within 5 km, close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.

191 listed buildings and 3 scheduled monuments are on Ely’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Ely →

Big names nearby

Beyond the town

Of the 12 day trips, Fitzwilliam Museum (25 km) is the best known.

MuseumMuseumFitzwilliam Museum25 km southwest · 364K visitors a yearCathedralPeterborough Cathedral39 km northwestMuseumIWM Duxford36 km south · 401K visitors a year (2019)Historic house · National TrustOxburgh Hall29 km northeast · 106K visitors a yearMuseumMuseum of Zoology24 km southwest · 139K visitors a year (2023)Abbey or priory · English HeritageDenny Abbey and Farmland Museum13 km southwestCathedralSt Edmundsbury Cathedral36 km southeastGardenCambridge University Botanic Garden25 km southAbbey or priory · National TrustAnglesey Abbey19 km southCastleCambridge Castle24 km southwestCastle · English HeritageWeeting Castle25 km eastAbbey or priory · National TrustRamsey Abbey Gatehouse (National Trust)25 km west

Places well known beyond Ely (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a National Trust, English Heritage or Cadw property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.

Questions before you go to Ely

What are the main attractions in Ely?

The best known inside Ely’s built-up area are Ely Cathedral, Oliver Cromwell's House, The Stained Glass Museum and Ely Museum. In all, 4 places to visit are mapped inside the town, and 3 more within 5 km.

Does Ely have a museum?

5 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Ely: The Stained Glass Museum, Ely Museum, Prickwillow Museum and RAF Witchford and RAF Mepal Museum.

Is there a National Trust or English Heritage property near Ely?

None within 5 km. The nearest well-known one on our list is Oxburgh Hall (National Trust), 29 km northeast.

What are the best-known days out near Ely?

Within 40 km: Fitzwilliam Museum (25 km), Peterborough Cathedral (39 km), IWM Duxford (36 km), Oxburgh Hall (29 km).

Where are Ely’s historic buildings listed?

Ely has 191 listed buildings, 25 of them Grade I. They are on its History page, from Historic England’s list, not repeated here.

How is this list made?

From OpenStreetMap (museums, galleries, zoos, theme parks and attractions, castles, forts and abbeys, and historic houses and gardens that are open to visitors) and Wikidata (what each place is, who runs it, its website and visitor counts). A place counts for Ely when it is inside the ONS 2022 built-up area, and as nearby within 5 km of its edge. Opening times and prices are not shown: check the official site.

Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the ONS 2022 built-up area (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.

Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (15)

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.