The walls and towers of Edinburgh Castle under a blue sky
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Themed trip

Castles

Fortresses and castle keeps from the Tower of London to Edinburgh and Stirling.

8 stops on the map

Castles in the guides plus a few verified additions beyond them. Opening hours change by season: check each official site.

The interactive map needs JavaScript. The stops are listed below.

Places: Edinburgh, London, York, Oxford, Cambridge, Elsewhere in Britain. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (opens in new tab).

The stops

Use the heart on any card to save a single stop to My trip.

  1. Edinburgh Castle

    Castle · Old Town & Royal Mile

    Edinburgh Castle, Old Town & Royal Mile
    Photo: Stephencdickson, CC BY-SA 4.0

    On its volcanic rock above the city.

    Our guide to Old Town & Royal Mile

  2. Crown Jewels

    Attraction · The City & Tower

    The Crown Jewels at the Tower of London.

  3. Clifford's Tower

    Castle keep · Castle, Fossgate and Walmgate

    Clifford's Tower, Castle, Fossgate and Walmgate
    Photo: bryan..., CC BY-SA 2.0

    A castle keep on a mound.

    Our guide to Castle, Fossgate and Walmgate

  4. Oxford Castle and Prison

    Historic site · Jericho, the Castle and Port Meadow

    Oxford Castle and Prison, Jericho, the Castle and Port Meadow
    Photo: Tejvan Pettinger, CC BY 2.0

    A historic site in Oxford.

    Our guide to Jericho, the Castle and Port Meadow

  5. Castle Mound

    Earthwork · Colleges and the Backs

    Castle Mound, Colleges and the Backs
    Photo: Myself., CC BY 3.0

    An earthwork from the old castle.

    Our guide to Colleges and the Backs

  6. Warwick Castle

    Castle · Warwick

    Day visits, shows and events.

    Official site (opens in new tab)

  7. Stirling Castle

    Castle · Stirling

    A major stone castle with a Royal Palace.

    Official site (opens in new tab)

  8. Alnwick Castle

    Castle · Alnwick, Northumberland

    Used as a film location: see the film and TV trip.

    Official site (opens in new tab)

Stops marked with an official-site link are outside our city guides. Each was checked against the operator's own page, and the location comes from OpenStreetMap. Check opening times and tickets before you go.

Planning this trip

The 8 stops fall in 6 parts of Britain, and the two furthest apart, Crown Jewels and Stirling Castle, are about 573 km apart in a straight line. Treat it as a menu rather than one journey: pick the stops in one or two destinations and give each a day or more.

  • Edinburgh (1 stop): Edinburgh Castle. Edinburgh guide.
  • London (1 stop): Crown Jewels. London guide.
  • York (1 stop): Clifford's Tower. York guide.
  • Oxford (1 stop): Oxford Castle and Prison. Oxford guide.
  • Cambridge (1 stop): Castle Mound. Cambridge guide.
  • Outside our city guides (3 stops): Warwick Castle, Stirling Castle and Alnwick Castle.

To travel between destinations, see getting between regions and our rail tickets guide. For weather and daylight by month, see when to go to Edinburgh, London, York, Oxford or Cambridge. Opening times change with the seasons, so check each stop's own website before you set out.

Access and family notes come from the same data as our area guides: 1 of the 8 stops is reported as fully or partly step-free, and 0 are marked family-friendly. Reports come from venues or OpenStreetMap contributors, so confirm with the place before you travel.

More themed trips

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