My parents (ages 70 & 67), myself and a friend will be in England at the end of July and are thinking of visiting Blenheim Palace or Highclere Castle or both while we are in the area. We are Downton Abbey fans and my mom would really like to see Highclere Castle for that reason. I am not sure if it will be worth the time or if we should go to Blenheim Palace instead or try to fit both in. We live in Western NC and love going to the Biltmore Estate and we have visited numerous palaces and castles in Europe on other trips.
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Singapore
718 posts
That's a tough one. Highclere Castle is not particularly outstanding as a stately home, and if it were me I wpuld definitely go for Blenheim Palace. However, I have to admit I quite liked Highclere Castle - it's relatively small and has a nice feel, and if you're into Downton Abbey then there's that too, plus the Egyptian connection.
I think it comes down to what exactly you're looking for. If it's a magnificent English stately home, then Blenheim Palace, or somewhere like Hatfield House (residence of the Marquess of Salisbury) would be my suggestion. If you're Downton fans, then you'll enjoy Highclere Castle.
I do feel English stately homes are quite different from the European castles you have seen on previous trips.