Travel bucket list idea:

Highclere Castle

Newbury, Berkshire, United Kingdom (UK)

|www.highclerecastle.co.uk|

Bucket List Experience

Landscape view of Highclere Castle on a sunny blue sky day

Credit Shutterstock.com/Ion Mes

Last updated: 28 May, 2023

Perhaps best known as the setting for the hugely popular drama series Downton Abbey, Highclere Castle sits amidst 1,000 acres of greenery and is a paragon of aristocratic heritage. This marvel of Victorian architecture boasts majestic staterooms complete with baroque ceilings, Italian embroideries and an exhibition of Egyptian antiquities.

The castle’s imposing beauty is best viewed from the glorious parkland that surrounds it, dotted with fruit-laden trees, exotic topiary and six 18th century follies.

Don’t miss

In 1922, the 5th Earl of Carnarvon famously discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun and uncovered one of the most extraordinary ancient Egyptian collections.

The current owner of Highclere, the 8th Earl of Carnarvon, has created an exhibition at Highclere displaying the remaining fascinating antiquities that escaped sale to museums worldwide.

Logistics

Price from: £24

Minimum age: Any

Age suitable: 13+

When: All year around

Duration: 3 hours

Getting there & doing it

Highclere Castle lies in Hampshire, about 67 miles west of London. Trains from London Paddington to Newbury takes less than an hour, followed by a 15-minute taxi ride to the castle.

Booking in advance is recommended, although there are some ‘walk-in’ tickets available each day after 2pm. Tickets are divided into morning and afternoon sessions, granting entry according to the assigned 2.5-hour time frame.

You are free to wander unguided within this time slot, and informative stewards are on hand to answer questions. Admission tickets for the gardens have no time limit. There’s a café on-site, or take a picnic – there are picnic areas with views of the castle.

When to do it

Only open on specific days from July to September (with occasional other events throughout the year), generally Sundays to Thursdays but check the website for available dates.

Who to go with: organised tours

Our selection of the best Viator tours of this attraction or activity

Downton Abbey and the Cotswolds

Oxford

Take a trip back in time to the set of Downton Abbey on our full-day tour to Highclere Castle and the Cotswolds. Our tour departs from Oxford and takes you first to Highclere Castle, the splendid home of the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon. You have a chance to visit the castle and see where the filming took place and also to visit the beautiful castle grounds. We then take you to the delightful village of Bampton which was the backdrop for the village of Downton. Enjoy lunch in the charming market town of Burford and then an enchanting drive stopping in some of the quaint villages of the North Cotswolds before returning to Oxford.

Price: £110

Min age: 12

Rating 5 / 5 [11 ratings]

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Downton Abbey and Village Tour from London by Mini Coach

London

Enjoy a day trip into the world of Downton Abbey on a 9-hour coach tour from London. The tour features behind the scenes information, scenes from the show itself played on the bus as you head out of London. Your first stop on tour will be the charming village of Bampton used as Downton village where you will receive a guided tour before heading to the jewel in the crown of the popular TV show - Highclere Castle or Downton Abbey as fans of the show will know it as.

Price: £150

Min age: 3

Rating 4.67 / 5 [78 ratings]

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'Downton Abbey' TV Locations and Blenheim Palace Tour from London

London

Learn about the lives and love interests of the fictional Crawley family on a full-day 'Downton Abbey' filming location tour! Depart from London and travel to the county of Oxfordshire to explore villages such as Cogges, Bampton and Swinbrook where the British period TV drama has been filmed. In the afternoon, tour Blenheim Palace — a UNESCO site not used in the series but magnificent nonetheless — for an insight into the daily lives of upper-crust English aristocracy.

Price: £164

Min age: 0

Rating 4.44 / 5 [45 ratings]

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Small Group Tour: Downton Abbey and Village Tour of Locations from London

London

Take a journey back to the early nineteenth century on this fully guided small group tour from London that includes a tour of Downton Village and entry to Highclere Castle.

Price: £175

Min age: 16

Rating 4.68 / 5 [233 ratings]

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Small-Group 'Downton Abbey' and Highclere Castle Tour from London

London

Visit Highclere Castle, the Cotswolds village of Bampton and other sites on a full-day 'Downton Abbey' tour from London! After traveling to Oxfordshire with an expert guide, knowledgeable about the hit British TV series, visit a farm near the village of Cogges, and then continue to Bampton — the setting of Downton village. See the church and the popular Grantham Arms pub, and then spend the afternoon at Highclere Castle aka the Grantham family home. Tour the state rooms and gardens and learn all about the real-life Carnarvon family who own the estate. Numbers are limited to 18 on this small-group tour, ensuring personalized attention from a guide.

Price: £199

Min age: 3

Rating 4.75 / 5 [164 ratings]

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Private Tour: 'Downton Abbey London Locations by Taxi

London

Immerse yourself in the London of 'Downton Abbey' on this 3-hour, 4-hour or full-day black cab tour with a friendly driver-guide. The private tour visits the locations where the series was filmed, as well as the exclusive gentlemen’s clubs and haunts typically frequented by early 20th-century English aristocrats, such as the fictional Crawleys, in Belgravia, Mayfair, Westminster and the City. Visit the shops where the likes of Lord and Lady Grantham might have bought their hunting outfits and hear behind-the-scenes truths and trivia as you go!

Price: £485

Min age: 0

Rating 4.87 / 5 [8 ratings]

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Private Downton Abbey with Castle Taxi Tour

London

Be treated like Royalty, which is what you deserve on this special tour. Become Lord or Lady Grantham for the day as we visit the film locations of the period drama Downton Abbey. Discover ‘Downton Abbey’ filming sites and learn about the lives of the fictional Grantham & Crawley families from the hit TV series and films. Hear about Britain’s present-day aristocracy, too. The must-do tour is only available at certain times of the year, so early planning and booking is essential.

Price: £829

Min age: 0

Rating 4.90 / 5 [51 ratings]

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Destination guides

Destination guides including or relevant to this experience

Oxford

Oxfordshire, United Kingdom (UK)

External view of the beautiful round building, in golden stone, with domed roof

One of Britain’s most beautiful and historic cities, graced by heartstopping architecture and home to the world’s second-oldest university.

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