Christ Church shuts from midday on 24 December, all Christmas Day and from 11.30am on 17 December. Winter hours, ticket prices and the £10 residents' card.
Christ Church is open to visitors through most of December 2026, but it is fully closed from midday on Thursday 24 December and all day on Christmas Day, and it closes from 11.30am on Thursday 17 December. In the Christmas vacation, from 13 December, it opens at 10am Monday to Saturday and 2pm on Sunday, with everyone out by 5pm.
Those dates are from Christ Church’s own known closures page, which already lists the 2026 Christmas vacation. As a working college and cathedral, it adds closures at short notice, so check that page on the morning you go.
The quick answer
- Closed: Christmas Day, and from midday on Christmas Eve. Also closed from 11.30am on 17 December.
- Winter hours: 10am to 5pm Monday to Saturday, 2pm to 5pm on Sunday.
- Adult tickets bought in advance cost £20.95 on weekdays in Michaelmas Term and £22.95 in the Christmas vacation.
Closures from November to Christmas
The Cathedral is part of the visitor route, so a Cathedral closure means that part of the visit is missing, not the whole site.
| Date | What is closed |
|---|---|
| Saturday 7 November | Cathedral until 1pm |
| Thursday 26 November | Cathedral all day |
| Saturday 28 November | Cathedral from 3pm |
| Saturday 5 December | Cathedral from 12pm |
| Monday 14 December | Cathedral from 4.45pm |
| Tuesday 15 December | Cathedral from 1.30pm |
| Wednesday 16 December | Cathedral from 2pm |
| Thursday 17 December | Cathedral all day; whole site from 11.30am (Hall viewable from the door until then) |
| Friday 18 December | Great Hall from 12.30pm |
| Monday 21 December | Cathedral from 4pm |
| Tuesday 22 December | Cathedral from 4.30pm |
| Wednesday 23 December | Cathedral from 1pm |
| Thursday 24 December | Cathedral all day; whole site from midday |
| Friday 25 December | Fully closed |
On top of those, the Cathedral closes at 4.45pm every Saturday for choir practice. In Michaelmas Term, which runs to 12 December, the Great Hall also shuts from 12pm to 2pm on weekdays and 10.30am to 2pm on Saturdays while students eat. On Wednesdays 4 November, 25 November and 2 December the Cathedral closes from 11.45am to 12.10pm.
Christ Church has not yet listed anything after Christmas Day. The page covers the vacation to 31 December, so 26 to 31 December show no extra closures at present.
Opening times
| Period | Monday to Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|
| Michaelmas Term, 4 October to 12 December | 10am, exit by 5pm | 2pm, exit by 5pm |
| Christmas vacation, 13 to 31 December | 10am, exit by 5pm | 2pm, exit by 5pm |
Christ Church Meadow is free and open all year except 25 December.
Ticket prices
Entry is by a multimedia guide ticket. These are the on-the-day prices from the daily multimedia tours page; booking online or at the Visitor Centre in advance saves £2 a ticket.
| Ticket | Michaelmas Term weekday | Michaelmas Term weekend | Christmas vacation weekday | Christmas vacation weekend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult (18 to 64) | £22.95 | £24.95 | £24.95 | £26.95 |
| Senior (65+) or student | £20.50 | £22.50 | £22.50 | £24.50 |
| Child (5 to 17) | £17.50 | £19.50 | £19.50 | £21.50 |
Children under 5 go free with a paying adult. Carers of disabled visitors get a free ticket with proof of entitlement. Tickets are released each Friday for the following week, and guided tours (40 minutes for the college, 60 minutes with the Cathedral, ages 11 and over) are released the same way on the guided tours page.
Oxford residents get in for £10 a year
If you live in OX1 to OX4, the Oxford Residents’ Card gives free entry during visitor hours for 12 months. It costs a one-off £10 for adults and £5 for children aged 5 to 17. You apply online with a photo and collect the card from the Visitor Centre with proof of ID and an OX1 to OX4 address; allow up to 14 days. It does not cover guests, and cardholders enter by Meadow Gate. University of Oxford and OUP cardholders get in free with one guest a day, according to the concessions page.
Christmas at Christ Church: what last year looked like
The 2026 Christmas programme has not been published. Last year:
- A Christmas Tree Festival ran from 1 December to 3 January: a trail of trees around the site, each telling part of the college’s story, included in the normal ticket. Lantern-led festive tours were offered too. (2025 festival page)
- Nine Lessons and Carols ran as four services from 21 to 24 December at 6.05pm, and public tickets were fully booked. Two were streamed live on the Cathedral’s YouTube channel. (2025 carols page)
- Christmas Day had four services in the Cathedral: Holy Communion at 7.35am, Choral Matins at 9.35am, the Choral Eucharist at 11.05am and Said Evening Prayer at 6.05pm. (Christmas Day page)
The site is closed to sightseers on Christmas Day. The Cathedral’s Christmas page will carry the 2026 guide.
Getting there
Tickets are checked at the Visitor Centre in the Meadow. Bags larger than 40cm by 30cm by 20cm and suitcases are not allowed on site, and there is no left luggage. Dogs, except assistance dogs, can go in the Visitor Centre but not the college. For driving and parking, see our parking in Oxford page and roadworks and travel page. If you are coming by train over Christmas, the Paddington line is disrupted from 27 December: our Christmas trains page has the detail.
What is still to be confirmed
- The 2026 Christmas Tree Festival and lantern tours.
- The 2026 Nine Lessons and Carols dates and how public tickets are released.
- Christmas Day 2026 service times.
- Any closures from 26 December and into January.
We will update this page in late October. Also on in Oxford this season: Christmas lights switch-on and Light Festival, Christmas market and pantomime.
Sources: Christ Church known closures, tickets and information, multimedia tour prices, guided tours, Oxford Residents’ Card, concessions and 2025 Christmas event pages. All checked 25 September 2026.
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