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Gloucester Cathedral
Attractions in Gloucester

The best known in Gloucester: Gloucester Cathedral

Gloucester’s list takes in 5 museums, 4 abbeys or priories and 4 attractions. Mapped inside Gloucester’s built-up area are 14 places to visit, and within 5 km of its edge another 8. Among them, 3 are cared for: 2 by English Heritage and 1 by the National Trust. Out of town, Monmouth Castle is 34 km away.

Photo: Gloucester Cathedral, Geni (CC BY-SA 4.0)
In Gloucester
14
inside the built-up area
Within 5 km
8
of the town’s edge
Museums & galleries
6
in or near town
Castles & historic places
10
in or near town
Cared for
3
National Trust, English Heritage, Cadw and others
Best known

The first to see in Gloucester

Gloucester Cathedral aside, the next best known are 3 abbeys or priories, a castle and a museum.

CathedralGloucester Cathedralin townCastleGloucester Castlein townAbbey or priorySt Oswald's Priory, Gloucesterin townAbbey or priory · English HeritageGreyfriars, Gloucesterin townAbbey or priory · English HeritageBlackfriarsin townMuseumGloucester Waterways Museumin town

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

Where to find them

At the edge of the map sits Crickley Hill Country Park, 8.8 km out.

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The dashed line is Gloucester’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

Kinds of place

Castles or historic places lead the count with 10; 6 are museums or galleries.

Museums & galleries 5 museums · 1 art gallery4 in town · 2 nearby
Castles & historic places 4 abbeys or priories · 3 historic houses · 1 cathedral · 1 castle · 1 historic ship6 in town · 4 nearby
Gardens & estates 1 park or estate0 in town · 1 nearby
Zoos, theme parks & days out 1 zoo0 in town · 1 nearby
Other attractions 4 attractions4 in town

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

3 places are cared for: 2 by English Heritage and 1 by the National Trust (Greyfriars, Gloucester, Blackfriars and Crickley Hill Country Park).

Every place

All of it

After the 14 in town come 8 more within 5 km of its edge.

The 14 inside Gloucester 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.

442 listed buildings and 18 scheduled monuments are on Gloucester’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Gloucester →

Big names nearby

For a day out

Start with Monmouth Castle, 34 km off, the best known of 12.

Castle · CadwMonmouth Castle34 km westAbbey or prioryTewkesbury Abbey16 km northCathedralCathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Mary, the Virgin of Worcester37 km northAbbey or priory · CadwTintern Abbey35 km southwestHistoric houseGatcombe Park18 km southAbbey or prioryMarlmesbury Abbey and Grounds31 km southCastle · English HeritageGoodrich Castle27 km westHistoric houseHighgrove House26 km southCastleSudeley Castle22 km northeastCastleBerkeley Castle24 km southwestCastle · CadwChepstow Castle39 km southwestAbbey or priory · English HeritageHailes Abbey24 km northeast

Places well known beyond Gloucester (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.

Planning a visit to Gloucester

What are the main attractions in Gloucester?

The best known inside Gloucester’s built-up area are Gloucester Cathedral, Gloucester Castle, St Oswald's Priory, Gloucester and Greyfriars, Gloucester. In all, 14 places to visit are mapped inside the town, and 8 more within 5 km.

Does Gloucester have a museum?

6 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Gloucester: Gloucester Waterways Museum, Museum of Gloucester, Soldiers of Gloucestershire and The Folk of Gloucester.

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

Yes. In or within 5 km of Gloucester, 3 places are cared for: 2 by English Heritage and 1 by the National Trust (Greyfriars, Gloucester, Blackfriars and Crickley Hill Country Park).

What are the best-known days out near Gloucester?

Within 40 km: Monmouth Castle (34 km), Tewkesbury Abbey (16 km), Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Mary, the Virgin of Worcester (37 km), Tintern Abbey (35 km).

Where are Gloucester’s historic buildings listed?

Gloucester has 442 listed buildings, 34 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 Gloucester 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 (26)

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.