Leeds Castle Tickets: Five Castle Days From London

1. Leeds Castle tickets: a full day in Kent

Leeds Castle is the best castle day from London if you want one place to fill the whole day. It sits near Maidstone in Kent, and it works well as part of uk tours packages from london when you want a quieter day than the big sights. On Leeds Castle's site, an adult ticket is £34.50 online, a child ticket is £24.50 and a family ticket starts at £87.

The ticket covers the castle, the maze and grotto, falconry displays, the bird of prey centre, three playgrounds, the Dog Collar Museum, the gardens and a multimedia guide, says Leeds Castle. Inside, you walk a self-paced route through rooms styled as Lady Baillie's 1930s house: the library, dining room, games room, writing room, salon, drawing rooms and the servants hall. The ferry, the castle train and Go Ape are not in the standard ticket, and adventure golf is only in the Ultimate Explorer ticket. Leeds Castle gives no visit length or group size, so plan most of a day: the castle is open 10:30 to 15:30 and the grounds 10:00 to 17:00. There is no meeting point, because you travel on your own. A direct Southeastern train from London Victoria takes about 70 to 75 minutes to Bearsted or Hollingbourne, then it is a five-minute taxi or a 30 to 40 minute walk, says Leeds Castle's directions page. By car it takes about an hour from London, at Junction 8 of the M20, and parking is free.

Arrive by train, bus or bike and you get 20% off at the Visitor Centre with proof of travel. The castle is closed from 6 to 11 November 2026 and for the fireworks weekend on 7 and 8 November, but the grounds are open on the days in between. Last entry is at 15:00. Leeds Castle does not say that you must pick a timed slot, so booking online just gets you the lower price. Under Leeds Castle's terms, a ticket cannot be refunded, exchanged or passed to someone else, but it lets you return free for 12 months if you show the original ticket.

Pro Tip Book online before you go, because the £34.50 adult price is the online price, and show your train ticket at the Visitor Centre to ask for the 20% off.

2. Hever Castle: a shorter day by train

Hever Castle is the easiest castle to reach by train, and it suits a half day or a short full day. Hever Castle's directions page puts it about 30 miles from central London. Hever station is the nearest, and the castle is about a one-mile walk from it along a rural path.

The Transport for London journey planner shows 50 to 55 minutes from London Victoria, with a change at East Croydon. The station is unmanned and has no taxis, so wear walking shoes. Edenbridge Town is about three miles away and needs a taxi.

An adult ticket costs £25.50 online and £28.40 on entry, and a child aged 5 to 17 costs £14.05 online, says Hever Castle's price page. Children under five go in free. From 25 October to 1 November the castle is open daily, with the grounds opening at 10:30 and the castle at 12:00. From 4 to 19 November it is open Wednesday to Sunday only.

Hever has no tour in the GetYourGuide list we checked with any reviews. One listing combines Hever and Hampton Court, but it shows no reviews yet, so we leave it out. Go by train, or by car with free parking.

3. Arundel Castle: a castle and a Sussex town

Arundel Castle suits you if you like a day that mixes a castle with a small town. The castle was founded in 1067 and still has its Norman keep and gatehouse. Arundel Castle's own site says the house was rebuilt in the Gothic style in the 1800s and holds paintings by Van Dyck, Gainsborough and Canaletto.

The Transport for London journey planner shows a direct Southern train from London Victoria to Arundel that takes about 87 minutes. The castle is closed on Mondays, except on bank holidays and in August. You can buy tickets online or at the ticket office. The page we could read does not show the ticket prices, so check the site for the current price.

There is no Arundel tour in the GetYourGuide list we checked. That makes the train the simple choice, and it is a fair reason to go on your own.

4. Dover Castle: the best fit for a Canterbury day

Dover Castle is the one castle on this list that pairs well with a second stop. The usual plan is Canterbury in the morning and Dover in the afternoon, which is why our guide to london to canterbury covers both. A fast Southeastern train from London St Pancras reaches Dover Priory in about 67 minutes, says the Transport for London journey planner.

English Heritage lists Dover Castle as open daily from 10:00 to 17:00, with last entry at 16:00. It was also due to close on Sunday 25 October 2026 because of high winds. Winter hours can be shorter, so check the dates for the day you plan to go. On site you find the Great Tower, the Siege play area and the Underground Hospital. The Operation Dynamo part of the Secret Wartime Tunnels is closed for maintenance.

English Heritage gives 20% off entry if you arrive by bus, train or bike. Booking online ahead of the day saves up to 15%.

Dover has no castle tour in the list, but Canterbury does. The Canterbury walking tour with a Green Badge guide is listed from €19 per person, rated 4.8 from 887 reviews, and lasts 1.5 hours. It meets at the Butter Market and does not include entry to attractions. The Canterbury Cathedral ticket with audio guide is listed from €27 per person, rated 4.6 from 345 reviews.

Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide on 2026-10-24

5. Windsor Castle: the nearest castle and the easiest tour

Windsor Castle is the closest castle to London, and the one with the most tours. A South Western Railway train runs direct from London Waterloo to Windsor and Eton Riverside in under an hour, generally every 30 minutes. Windsor lies outside the London fare zones, so Oyster and contactless do not work and you buy a rail ticket.

According to the Windsor tourism site, an adult ticket is £32 in advance and £36 on the day. The castle is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. From 1 November 2026 it opens Thursday to Monday, 10:00 to 16:15. As a working palace, it can close at short notice. Our guide to Windsor Castle tours has the full detail.

For a day you plan yourself, the Windsor Castle admission ticket is listed from €38 per person, rated 4.7 from 8,242 reviews, with free cancellation. It is run by Royal Collection Trust and does not include transfers or a guide. For a guided day, the Windsor Castle and Hampton Court Palace tour is listed from €106 per person, rated 4.6 from 157 reviews, runs 7 to 9 hours and excludes food and drink. It is run by Golden Tours - Gray Line London.

Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide on 2026-10-24

A castle is a whole day out, not a stop between two other sights.

How to choose between the five castles

Choose Leeds for a full day, Hever for a short train trip, Arundel for a castle and a town, Dover for a Canterbury day, and Windsor for the nearest castle. A tour is only worth it where one exists, which means Windsor and Canterbury. For Leeds, do it on your own, because no tour is listed. For the other three, the train or a car is the plan, and no tour is listed.

Key Takeaway Of the five castles, only Windsor, and Canterbury on the way to Dover, have tours with reviews, so Leeds, Hever and Arundel are best done by train or car.

A castle tour is the wrong choice if you want Leeds, Hever or Arundel, because none is listed with reviews. Things to Do in London's count of GetYourGuide listings in October 2026 found 19 with "castle" in the title, and 11 of them are Windsor Castle tours.