Durham is a picturesque city in the north west of England full of beautiful bridges that span the River Wear. No trip to Durham, England is complete without a visit to it’s spectacular cathedral.

Durham Cathedral was built in 1093 to host St. Cuthbert’s shrine. It was home to a community of Benedictine monks and is one of the most well preserved monastic buildings in England.  In 1986 it was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Cathedral has been voted Britain’s Best Building by reader’s of “The Guardian”, surpassing even Stonehenge.

This is a Rick Steve’s video on the Cathedral with some good interior footage.

Admission to the Cathedral is free, unless you want to see the Open Treasure exhibition. Open Treasure features many artifacts displayed in the 14th century priory kitchen, one of only two surviving monastic kitchens in England. No photos are allowed inside the Cathedral. Most of the photos below were provided courtesy of Durham Cathedral.

Any Harry Potter fans out there? well, you may recognize some of the following photos of the Cathedral since two Harry Potter movies had scenes filmed there. It was featured in the 2001 “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” and the 2002 “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”.

Even if walking in the footsteps of Harry Potter is not a reason for your visit, the Cathedral provides some truly awe inspiring history, beauty and architecture.