Castles in England

Hampton Court, just up the river or Windsor Castle both pop immediately to mind. Others will have more suggestions. I have yet to visit Windsor, but I will always remember my trip to Hampton Court. It was my first trip to Europe and I was 19 and could not believe that I was walking where Henry VIII and Cardinal Wolsey had walked. The maze was fun too. There was a lovely garden as well. Of course, technically, it's a palace.

Pam

The Tower of London is one of the best castle experiences in Europe, and I have seen quite a few. Might be crazy crowded in August though. It might be expensive to get to, but Dover Castle is fantastic. I have been to those two, Tower of London twice. I have not been to Arundel Castle, and you'd probably have to take a organized tour but Arundel Castle always looked great to me. If your definition of castle extends to stately homes, someone mentioned Hatfield House which looks awesome. Also Royal Pavilion in Brighton - we passed by in our rental car but did not have the time to visit on our 2000 England trip. Windsor would be an obvious choice. We were shut out on our 2013 trip due to a diplomatic visit. You can get a great idea of what these look like by Googling and looking at the images.

https://www.warwick-castle.com/

Warwick Castle isn't too far from London. The website makes it look like a Disney experience for kids, but this is apparently misleading. Below are some earlier RS Forum posts...

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/to-the-north/warwick-castle-suggestions

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/to-the-north/warwick-castle-you-have-to-see-it

And there are many others about WC...

http://www.leeds-castle.com/home

Leeds Castle, again not too far from London and towards Dover, so you could possibly combine the trip with Dover Castle.

Tower of London of course but super busy at the best of times. You might be early enough to book "the ceremony of the keys". A ceremony that has happened daily for over 700 years.

Hampton Court is nice. You can take a 3hr boat trip along the Thames from Westminster, costs about £12, and get the train back.

Buckingham Palace opens it's doors end July to end Sept. but you will need to book early.

Just to make clear as Americans sometimes get confused - Leeds Castle is in Kent and has no connection with the better-known city of Leeds in Yorkshire.

The whereabouts of Leeds Castle confused me for years. Maybe a petition to rename it to Kent Castle is needed.

Windsor Castle is my favorite, especially since the restoration after the fire. They have displays showing things they discovered as they re-built. And the town of Windsor is lovely with some good shopping. You can even do a short cruise on the Thames (from the bridge where you cross to Eaton) and get to see the back of the castle and some of the countryside.

The Tower of London is also fascinating. Be sure to take a Beefeater's tour- their stories are great. Get there when it opens and go to see the crown jewels first, then do the Beefeater tour. Then wander around on your own. We found a great small military museum (cost about $1.00 to enter) that had the history of a particular regiment.... as we looked at various displays, we realized that it was what we Americans know as the Red Coats!!!

Dover is easy to get to and has some great ties to WWII, also. In the summer they often have special events. When we visited there was a falconry exhibition. Just be prepared to climb the hill.

Thank you all so much. It seemed overwhelming to decide where to go, but these suggestions give me a great place to start.

Thank you all so much. It seemed overwhelming to decide where to go, but these suggestions give me a great place to start.

Castles seem to come in three varieties: ruined, restored (often full of antiques and portraits), and imitations of castles built by wealthy Georgians and Victorians. We prefer ruined ones - some that aren't more than an overnight away from London include Bodiam, Old Wardour, and Restormel.

I'm just back from 9 days in London/Paris. Took the family to see Windsor Castle and it is very impressive, delivering on just about everything you think a royal castle should have. Highly recommended. It is covered by the London Pass if you get that. Check ahead to make sure the State Apartments are not closed on the day you're going.

Blenheim Palace near Oxford is supposed to be great as well.

Blenheim is fabulous. Lots to see and history to absorb. There are 3 different tours/exhibits and you should do them all. Outside are glorious grounds and gardens. It is more of a than a palace than a castle. One of our favorite places. Leeds castle is awfully good as well but not as big.

Hi

Unsurprisingly, most comments so far have offered the usual 'Tier 1' locations that feature in most tourist guides and so are best known. These sites tend to be the largest and most expensive places to see. If size is not your main criterion for considering what to visit, there are many, many less well-known castles that are worthy of a visit. In particular, one worth considering, that is not far from London via train, is Rochester in Kent. Not only is there a historic castle there, there is also a medieval cathedral and, just a short taxi or bus ride away, is the very historic old Royal Naval Chatham Historic Dockyard, with several historic vessels and loads of other things to see, including the Royal Navy's ropemaking building. The combination is easily a whole day out, and well worth it!