Visiting Warwick Castle: Tickets, Opening Times, Parking & What’s On

Warwick Castle sits on the River Avon at the bottom of the town: a 64-acre site with towers, ramparts, live shows and a bird of prey display, run by Merlin Entertainments. Here’s what a visit costs, what’s included, where to park and what’s on, checked against the castle’s own website.

Quick answers

• Tickets: from £26 a person booked online in advance, or £39 on the day. Family tickets (3 to 5 people, up to 2 adults) start at £86. Under-2s go free. Book on the castle’s website.
• Opening times: they change through the year. In October 2026 it’s 10am to 4pm until 23 October, then 10am to 5pm for half-term (24 to 31 October). Check the castle’s opening times calendar before you go.
• Parking: the castle’s Stratford Road car park is £7.50 for the day; the Stables car park by the entrance is £10 until 5pm. The council’s car parks are cheaper. See our Warwick parking guide.
• By train: Warwick station is about a mile away; the castle says to allow 15 minutes to walk.
• Carers: go free with proof of need (the castle lists the documents it accepts), booked in advance.

What’s included in a ticket

A day ticket covers the castle, grounds and gardens and the daily shows. In 2026, those include:

• The Falconer’s Quest: the castle calls it the UK’s largest bird of prey display, with over 60 birds. 28 March to 1 November 2026, at 12pm and 3pm.
• The Legend of the Trebuchet: a show around a working siege machine, on selected dates to 1 November, at 10.30am and 1.30pm.
• History talks: free tours with a historian, every day.
• For younger children: the Horrible Histories Maze and Zog Playland (open every day, weather permitting).

Extra charges: the Castle Dungeon, a live-actor horror show about plague and punishment, isn’t suitable for children under 10, and under-18s must be with an adult. Have-a-go archery is seasonal. Show times can change, so check each show’s page on the castle’s website on the day.

Halloween and Christmas at the castle

• The Haunted Castle, 24 October to 1 November 2026: half-term Halloween shows and mazes, with a new Scarecrow Disco and a “Spirit Hotel” walk-through for 2026.
• Christmas at the Castle, 21 November 2026 to 3 January 2027: a light trail through the grounds (from £17), an open-air ice rink under Guy’s Tower (from £8 for 45 minutes), Stories with Santa (from £29), a food and drink village and a family pantomime. See our Christmas in Warwick guide.

What’s on at Warwick Castle

Coming up, from the castle’s own event listings:

Food and drink

Inside the castle there’s the Conservatory Tea House in the Peacock Garden (light lunches, cream teas, ice cream, and afternoon tea to book), and the Undercroft Café in the castle’s old cellars (hot and cold snacks, with takeaway). Courtyard refreshments and fish and chips are open seasonally. Each outlet has an allergen guide: ask the staff. For lunch in town, see every restaurant, café and pub in Warwick.

Accessibility

Carers go free with proof such as a Blue Badge, a benefits award letter or an Access Card with the +1 symbol (the castle’s accessibility page has the full list), booked in advance. There’s a drop-off area and a few spaces close to the entrance for Blue Badge holders; ask the parking team. Ask for the accessibility leaflet and map when you arrive, or email the castle’s accessibility team before your visit (the addresses are on its accessibility page).

A short history

William the Conqueror built a wooden motte-and-bailey fort here in 1068. It was rebuilt in stone in the 12th century, and the towers facing the town date from the 14th. James I gave it to Sir Fulke Greville in 1604, who turned it into a country house. The Greville family, Earls of Warwick from 1759, owned it until 1978, when it was sold to the Tussauds Group; Merlin Entertainments runs it today.

Make a day of it

The castle is a few minutes’ walk from the Market Place, the Lord Leycester Hospital and St Mary’s Church. See what’s on this weekend and the full events calendar.

Alex Harrington