**This isn't really exclusive to cathedrals. Cathedrals just sound cooler than churches.
Want to see Notre Dame? Of course you do, you're in Paris. I happen to know that it's free to walk into the sanctuary and that it costs five euros to climb the tower and see the gargoyles and pretend you're Quasimodo, but you might not, so you should check the website. (En normally means English) Want to see St. Peter's Basilica? Of course you do, it's a sacrilege to be in Rome and not head over to Vatican city to look at that. I happen to know that if your shoulders are uncovered or your knees are showing, you'll be turned away, but you might not, so you should check thewebsite. (Surprisingly, one of the least attractive church websites I've seen in a while.) Want to go to church on Easter? It's a nice thought, so you might. I happen to know that if you don't believe that the host is transformed into the body of Christ that you shouldn't take communion in a Catholic church, but you might not, so you should check the website.
Most large churches and cathedrals will have a pretty decent website. If you don't want to troll the internet, Sacred Destinations gives you a description of the sacred space you're planning on visiting, the times the place is open and any fees or dress or action restrictions. They'll often have a link to the website so you can check and see that the information is up-to-date and everything's listed by country and city, so you can check here to see if there are other places that would be good to visit while you're in a place.
Ever heard of Ascension Day? It happens forty days after Easter and in some countries it can mean that everything's closed except for churches and they'll often have extra services on that day. Most churches aren't going to allow you to come in and take pictures while a mass or service is going on and it can be awkward to wander into a church in the middle of a service. If you're planning your visit ahead and want to be a part of a service on a holy day, you can check the church's website to see if they have anything special up their sleeve. It can be an interesting perspective to go to a service or mass based around a saint. I was in St. Paul's in London on the feast for St. Joachim and St. Anne, the parents of Mary better known as the mother of Jesus, and I got a little historical background on the saints' story in England that I wouldn't have known. All the same, it's good to be aware of the events in the church's calendar, like Pentecost and the like, so you can appreciate the service, even if it's not in your language. And, of course, it's always good to be aware of the holy days of religions everywhere.
The international service in Notre Dame consisted of a bulletin with the scripture readings printed in English and Italian. The rest of the order of service was in French and the entire service was in French. The priest did pause and thank the choir in English as they were visiting from England, but that was the only moment of the most internationally-recognized tongue in the world. The mass I went to that the pope led was in Latin and Italian and there were pilgrims from all over listening to that. Most countries are proud of their language and even in big cities where they expect and even depend on tourism for the upkeep of their churches they'll keep to their native tongue. I know as thinking people we don't expect a greeting in English as we walk into a service, but you should be aware that if you sit down for mass in La Sagrada Familia, there will be no one around to tell you when to kneel.
At the same time, there will often be guided tours, especially in the bigger places, in English, though they may leave less often than tours in the native language. There should be pamphlets that you might have to pay money for in English, or it could be Sainte Chapelle where a stand held large laminated boards in a variety of languages explaining what visitors were seeing. The staff of the church will often speak at least limited English, especially if they're expecting tourists, and they all know how to tell you how much money to pay. Still, if you really want to know what you're seeing, your best bet is a guide book brought with you or some research online. Which brings me to my next point…
With the internet today, there's almost no excuse not to check up on some place you want to see. Sacred Destinations is a good place for quick hits about place. Wikipedia can be a good guide for a short history of a space and it will certainly hit the most famous things about any place. The church's own website might have some interesting history on it- Notre Dame has an explanation of the figures above the three front entrances plus tons of other information. (It may seem that a theme is developing, but really, I cannot recommend any Gothic cathedral so heartily as I can recommend Our Lady of Pairs.) Beyond just visiting practicalities, the internet can help you get an appreciation for the things you're seeing.
The internet can also tell you what to expect in a service, if you want to attend one. If the country is mostly Roman Catholic but you yourself have never been to a mass, you may find yourself a little out of the loop. (PS- Here's a map of European countries by religion, right above the map of the frequency of fair hair, goodness, I can't laugh enough at that.) It's easy enough to stand when everyone else stands and kneel when everyone else kneels, but if you want to know why all of this is happening and don't have a parent or priest to pass on this knowledge to you, you can use the internet. More than likely, you're not going to get an order of service in the church because the priest will assume that anyone actually there for the service knows what's going to happen as mass is pretty much the same everywhere. You can check up on which Protestant denominations are going to do things that look Catholic-y, if you're not already a member of that denomination, and you can check and see if you should expect some speaking in tongues. Most of the places you'll want to see, though, are Catholic, so learning about a mass is a good priority, though figuring out which churches it's best not to cross yourself in might also be a good idea.
While the internet is wonderful, It can also lie worse than Dan Brown in the middle of a Robert Langston chase scene (honestly, the guy tells you that Venus is rising as the sun is setting- you can't trust him at all), so double check something before you go looking for that hidden doorway into the secret upper story.
Looking for a hidden doorway into a secret upper story isn't exactly what I'd call respectful. Most of the time, if you're interested in visiting a place, chances are no less than a hundred other people are interested in visiting that place the same hour in which you want to visit. There will at the very least be staff around to guide people and to make sure the sacred place stays sacred. Don't be the guy that the guard has to call out "No photo!" to. Don't be the girl who has to be asked to leave because there's doubt as to whether her shorts qualify as outer garments. Even in countries less religiously conservative than Spain and Italy, appropriate attire is good. All churches are used as places of prayer and your voice should be kept down, even if the sheer number of tourists creates a dull roar that you feel you need to speak over. And for heaven's sake, don't take a picture in the Sistine Chapel. The guard may be angry, but you will have killed a little piece of Michelangelo's soul. Please. Put your camera away. For the sake of the ninja turtles.
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