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Wells Cathedral
Attractions in Wells

Wells Cathedral leads Wells’s places to visit

Around Wells, the places to visit include 3 museums, 2 attractions and a cathedral. There are 3 places to visit inside Wells’ built-up area, and 5 more within 5 km of its edge. 4 of them are within 1 km of the middle of town. Glastonbury Abbey, 8.4 km away, is the best-known day out.

Photo: Wells Cathedral, Diliff (CC BY-SA 3.0)
In Wells
3
inside the built-up area
Within 5 km
5
of the town’s edge
Museums & galleries
3
in or near town
Castles & historic places
3
in or near town
Best known

Top of the list in Wells

Then come 2 museums, a palace and an attraction, behind Wells Cathedral.

CathedralWells Cathedralin townPalaceThe Bishop's Palacein townMuseumWells Museumin townAttractionWookey Hole Caves And Mill1.1 km outside town, to the northwestHistoric houseMilton Lodge100 m outside town, to the northMuseumMuseumPaper Making Museum1.1 km outside town, to the northwest

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

Finding your way

To the northwest is where most of the 5 nearby are.

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The dashed line is Wells’ 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

By kind

3 are castles or historic places; museums or galleries come next with 3.

Museums & galleries 3 museums1 in town · 2 nearby
Castles & historic places 1 cathedral · 1 palace · 1 historic house2 in town · 1 nearby
Other attractions 2 attractions0 in town · 2 nearby

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

Every place

Place by place

It starts in town with 3 places and goes on to 5 within 5 km of its edge.

The 3 inside Wells 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.

332 listed buildings and 3 scheduled monuments are on Wells’ History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Wells →

Big names nearby

Beyond the town

Of the 12 day trips, Glastonbury Abbey (8.4 km) is the best known.

Abbey or prioryGlastonbury Abbey8.4 km southwestMuseumSS Great Britain Museum27 km northCathedralBristol Cathedral27 km northAttractionGough's Cave11 km northwestMuseumThe Roman Baths28 km northeastHistoric houseLongleat House26 km eastHistoric house · National TrustMontacute House29 km south · 120K visitors a year (2011)MuseumBristol City Museum & Art Gallery28 km north · 451K visitors a yearGarden · National TrustStourhead Park25 km southeastAbbey or prioryDownside Abbey12 km northeastAttraction · National TrustKing Alfred's Tower23 km southeastCastle · English HeritageNunney Castle19 km east

Places well known beyond Wells (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.

Your questions on Wells

What are the main attractions in Wells?

The best known inside Wells’ built-up area are Wells Cathedral, The Bishop's Palace and Wells Museum. In all, 3 places to visit are mapped inside the town, and 5 more within 5 km.

Does Wells have a museum?

3 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Wells: Wells Museum, Paper Making Museum and Cave Diving Museum.

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

None within 5 km. The nearest well-known one on our list is Montacute House (National Trust), 29 km south.

What are the best-known days out near Wells?

Within 40 km: Glastonbury Abbey (8.4 km), SS Great Britain Museum (27 km), Bristol Cathedral (27 km), Gough's Cave (11 km).

Where are Wells’ historic buildings listed?

Wells has 332 listed buildings, 23 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 Wells 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 (17)

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.