Salt Lake City: Tabernacle Choir & Temple Square Bus Tour

360 Voices & 11,632 Pipes: Inside the Tabernacle Choir's Historic Sunday Broadcast

You hear 360 voices and an 11,632-pipe organ fill a room with acoustics so perfect it feels like the sound is coming from inside your chest. Then you ride an air-conditioned bus past the granite temple, the State Capitol with its mountain views, the Cathedral of the Madeleine, and the exact spot where pioneers declared they'd found home in 1847. Your guide handles all the history and timing. You just show up with your ticket already secured and minimal walking ahead.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each6 stops

1. Temple Square10m
2. Utah State Capitol20m
3. This is the Place Heritage Park20m
4. Utah Olympic Park1m
5. Joseph Smith Memorial Building1m
6. Fort Douglas Military Museum1m

Tabernacle Choir and Salt Lake City Tour

• Attend Tabernacle Choir live broadcast
• Explore Salt Lake Tabernacle interior
• Admire Salt Lake Temple exterior
• Visit LDS Conference Center
• Tour Temple Square grounds
• Visit Utah State Capitol building
• View City and County Building
• See Mormon Battalion Monument
• Marvel at Cathedral of the Madeleine
• See City Creek Center
• Visit This is the Place Heritage Park
• Experience Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail
• View Salt Lake City Public Library
• See Utah Governor's Mansion
• View Beehive House
• View Council Hall
• Gaze at Olympic Cauldron
• See Delta Center arena
• Admire Joseph Smith Memorial Building
• Explore the Gateway district
• View Family History Library
• Glance at Fort Douglas parade grounds
• Admire Abravanel Hall exterior
• View Church Office Building
• Glance at McCune Mansion
• See Rice-Eccles Stadium
• Admire Kingsbury Hall
• Take in Washington Square park
• Experience Temple Square overview
• See Assembly Hall
• Pass beneath Eagle Gate
• View Brigham Young Monument and Meridian Marker
• View Salt Lake Masonic Temple exterior
• See Deuel Pioneer Log Home

The experience

You've just landed in Salt Lake City, and the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square starts in a few hours. If you booked Sunday, your seat is already held: walk-ins don't get in anymore. The demand is real: this is the world's longest-running continuous broadcast, on air since 1929, and the 360-voice choir plus that iconic organ fill a room built in 1867 with acoustics so perfect you can hear a pin drop from 170 feet away. The building itself is the story: a self-supporting dome spanning 150 feet with zero interior pillars, hand-built by Mormon pioneers who had no modern tools. You'll sit inside that acoustic miracle and listen to what President Reagan called America's Choir: they've sung at six presidential inaugurations.

After the broadcast (or rehearsal, if you chose Thursday), you step onto an air-conditioned bus for the 2.5-hour city tour. Your guide takes you through Temple Square first: the 10-acre spiritual heart where the granite temple rises with six soaring spires, the tallest reaching 210 feet. The stones were hand-cut by pioneers over 40 years, 1853 to 1893. You'll see the Assembly Hall with its Gothic spires built from leftover temple granite, the Eagle Gate marking where Brigham Young's property began, and the Seagull Monument commemorating Utah's pioneer miracle story. The guide shares how this square became Utah's #1 tourist attraction, welcoming millions annually, and you understand why the moment you see it.

Then the bus climbs to the Utah State Capitol, a Neoclassical masterpiece finished in 1916 with a copper dome rising 285 feet. You get out for photos: the view frames the entire Salt Lake Valley against the Wasatch Mountains, and on a clear day you see all the way to the Great Salt Lake. The guide points out the City and County Building, that red Romanesque Revival structure from 1894 with its 256-foot clock tower, and tells you it nearly got demolished before someone recognized it as a treasure worth saving. You pass the Cathedral of the Madeleine, a Gothic Revival cathedral completed in 1909 with twin spires reaching 220 feet: the only Catholic cathedral in Utah, built in a predominantly Latter-day Saint city by European craftsmen who brought medieval architecture to the American West.

The route includes the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, once the grand Hotel Utah that opened in 1911 as the city's first luxury hotel, and the LDS Conference Center: the world's largest religious auditorium, completed in 2000, seating 21,000 with a 7,667-pipe organ. You'll see where Brigham Young stood in 1847 and declared "This is the right place," ending the pioneers' 1,300-mile journey from Illinois. The 60-foot monument marks that exact spot, and the panoramic view shows you the same landscape they saw: the valley spread below, mountains rising dramatically, the Great Salt Lake visible in the distance. The guide explains how over 70,000 Latter-day Saint pioneers followed that same route between 1846 and 1869, one of the largest voluntary migrations in American history.

You'll also pass the modern Salt Lake City Public Library, designed by Moshe Safdie and opened in 2003: an $84 million architectural landmark with a striking curved glass wall and rooftop garden that earned international recognition. The Family History Library, the world's largest genealogical library, sits on Temple Square with billions of ancestral records. The guide explains how Utah became the global center for family history research, and how FamilySearch now carries that mission forward. If you're traveling on a Sunday, children under 8 sit in a separate section due to the sensitive acoustics and recording equipment. The guide will explain the logistics when you arrive. The entire experience takes about six hours from start to finish, and you're back at your hotel by early afternoon.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup (if booked with that option), entry to the Tabernacle Choir live broadcast on Sunday or open rehearsal on Thursday, a fully-guided 2.5-hour city tour on an air-conditioned premium bus, photo stops at Temple Square, the Utah State Capitol with panoramic valley views, the Cathedral of the Madeleine, the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, and the historic site where Brigham Young declared "This is the right place" in 1847. The guide shares stories about pioneer history, the temple's 40-year construction, the acoustic engineering of the 1867 Tabernacle, and the landmarks that shaped Salt Lake City from a remote valley into a thriving capital.

Information

Lasts 3h 30m, runs Thursday and Sunday at 17:00 and 08:30, from US$ 89 per person, with a live guide in English and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.

Days and timesThursday: 17:00Sunday: 08:30Another time? ›

GroupUp to 301 private ›

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.1 with pickup ›

Book up to1h before

AgesAdult (8 and older) · Child (2 to 7 years)

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 2 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by City Sights, Inc.

Is this one for you?Book this if you want the Tabernacle Choir experience without the uncertainty of walk-in entry, plus a structured overview of Salt Lake City's most significant landmarks in one morning: the fixed schedule and included tickets mean you skip the logistics and focus on the history.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (2 to 7 years).

Do I need a ticket for the Tabernacle Choir on Sunday?

Yes. Tickets are included with this tour. Walk-ins are turned away because demand far exceeds the Tabernacle's capacity. Your seat is held when you book.

What's the difference between Sunday and Thursday?

Sunday includes a ticketed live broadcast of Music and the Spoken Word. Thursday is an open rehearsal with no tickets required. Both include the 2.5-hour city tour.

How long is the entire experience?

The Tabernacle Choir performance is about 1 hour, followed by a 2.5-hour guided bus tour. Plan for roughly 4 to 5 hours total, depending on traffic and photo stops.

Is there a lot of walking?

No. You sit in the Tabernacle for the broadcast, then ride an air-conditioned bus for the city tour with photo stops at key landmarks. Walking is minimal.

What if I use a wheelchair or walker?

Folding wheelchairs and walkers can be accommodated, but you must call at least 24 hours before the tour to arrange it.

Is public transportation available nearby?

Yes. Public transportation options are available near Temple Square and downtown Salt Lake City attractions.

What's included in the tour price?

Tabernacle Choir tickets (Sunday broadcast or Thursday rehearsal), the 2.5-hour guided city bus tour, and entry to all viewing areas. Lunch is not included.

Can infants attend?

Yes. Infants must sit on an adult's lap during the Tabernacle Choir performance.

Is this suitable for all fitness levels?

Yes. The tour is designed for all physical fitness levels, with minimal walking and an air-conditioned bus for most of the experience.