Alnwick: Alnwick Castle Ticket
- LengthValid 1 day from first activation
- Departs fromAlnwick
- CancellationFree up to 24 hours before
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before it starts, for a full refund.
Entry is the product
The only listing here where getting through the gate is what you are buying.
The State Rooms
Canaletto, Titian, Van Dyck, Turner and Dobson, and the cabinets made for Louis XIV.
The Outer Bailey
The courtyard where the flying lesson was filmed, and where broomstick training runs.
Wheelchair accessible
The one listing here that carries an accessibility attribute.
The whole day, not a slot
No coach waiting, no departure time, and last entry at 3:45pm.
Everything a coach stop has to skim
The State Rooms and their paintings, the restored Great Kitchen, three museums and two exhibitions, the Artisans Courtyard, Dragon’s Quest, Broomstick Training, Have-a-Go Archery and the grounds. The castle recommends allowing at least two to three hours for it, and a ticket gives you from opening until closing rather than the ninety minutes to three hours a coach can spare. The full list is on the things to do page.
Last entry is 3:45, and the State Rooms stop sooner
Two deadlines, an hour apart. The grounds take their last entry at 3:45pm and close at 5pm. The State Rooms stop admitting at 4pm and close at 4:30pm, and the Great Kitchen shuts at 4:45pm.
Go to the rooms first, whatever time you arrive. Almost everyone turns left into the courtyard because it is in front of them, and that is the one way to run out of afternoon.
Getting to the gate without a tour
Alnwick sits less than a mile off the A1, thirty-five miles north of Newcastle and eighty south of Edinburgh, with parking on site. There is no station in Alnwick itself; the East Coast Main Line stops at Alnmouth, about three and a half miles away, and a taxi or the local bus covers the rest. The routes, including the ones with no tour attached, are in the getting-here guide.
One ticket, sold two ways
Worth knowing before you choose a channel. Booked directly with the castle online, a ticket is an annual pass — valid twelve months from your first visit with unlimited returns during opening hours. This listing is sold as a one-day ticket. Both are the castle’s own terms on different channels, and the difference only matters if you expect to come back inside the year.
Who this suits, and who should book something else
Book this if
Anyone with a car, or a night anywhere in Northumberland. Visitors who came for the interiors, the art or the film locations rather than for a tour of the county. Families — under-fives are free and there is no coach age limit to clear. Wheelchair users.
Book something else if
You are based in Edinburgh without a car. This ticket does not move you, and eighty miles each way is the problem a coach day exists to solve.
The Holy Island and Alnwick day trip from Edinburgh is the one to look at instead.
What’s included
What the fare covers
- ✓ Entrance fee to Alnwick Castle
What it does not
- —
Know before you go
- Last entry to the grounds is 3:45pm. And the State Rooms stop admitting at 4pm, half an hour before they close.
- The Alnwick Garden is not included. It and Lilidorei are separate attractions with separate tickets next door.
- The season ends 22 October 2026. The castle reopens at the end of March; there is no winter opening.
- No photography in the State Rooms. Video too, and no drones anywhere on the site.
- Assistance dogs only. Guide, hearing and registered assistance dogs on a short lead.
- Picnics are allowed in the grounds. There are also the Courtyard Cafe, the Pizzeria and The Armoury Takeaway.
What travellers said about this one
Booked the Alnwick Castle ticket, drove up, walked in. A quarter of the price of a coach day and we had the whole afternoon rather than a slot.
Couple · October 2025
The State Rooms are the reason to come. Canaletto on the wall of a house somebody still lives in is not something you see often, and the guides in each room clearly enjoy being asked.
History enthusiast · May 2026
Last entry at 3:45 arrives sooner than you think if you start with the grounds. We did the courtyard first and had to hurry the State Rooms, which was our own fault but worth flagging.
Family · June 2026
Read all reviews on the booking page
Frequently asked questions
How much is admission to Alnwick Castle?
Adult admission in 2026 is £22.00 online and £24.45 at the gate, with a summer band between 25 June and 1 September at £19.25 online. Children aged 5 to 16 are £11.60 online and under-5s are free.
How long should I allow?
The castle recommends at least two to three hours. A ticket gives you from opening until closing, so the only real constraint is the 3:45pm last entry and the State Rooms closing at 4:30pm.
Is The Alnwick Garden included?
No. The Alnwick Garden and Lilidorei are separate attractions with their own tickets, on ground adjoining the castle.
Is the castle wheelchair accessible?
The castle provides wheelchair access, accessible parking, accessible toilets and scooter hire, and this ticket carries an accessibility attribute. The coach departures do not — the Holy Island day trip will carry a collapsible chair only if a companion travels to help with boarding.
Can I do broomstick training on this ticket?
Yes. Broomstick Training and Have-a-Go Archery run on the Outer Bailey and are included in admission. Both are timetabled on the day, so ask as you come through the gate.
Other ways in
- From Edinburgh: Holy Island, Alnwick Castle & Northumbria — From $78 per person
- Harry Potter's Alnwick Castle and Scottish Borders Day Trip — From $75 per person
- Alnwick Castle Tours — every option compared