How to visit Highclere Castle from London independently plus tours
Visiting Highclere Castle (Downton Abbey) from London
The TV series Downton Abbey has been a worldwide success triggering an explosion of interest in people wanting to visit Downton Abbey itself, in real life Highclere Castle.
Highclere Castle is situated about 45 miles (72km) west of central London. The nearest large town of any consequence is called Newbury which is connected to London by train.
Highclere Castle is only open for between 60 and 70 days each year. Two weeks over Easter, for each of the May Bank holidays, and for two months (Sunday to Thursday) over the summer months, July to September. There are a few special events days but these are rare.
When you purchase your ticket you will need to select an am. or pm. admission time. The castle will open its doors at 10.30am, afternoon admission to the castle will begins at 1pm.
In past years demand hopelessly exceeds supply, you needed to be very organised and plan well in advance to get your hands on the much sought after admission tickets. However now that the last series of the TV show has been screened perhaps this will change. Tour companies only get a fraction of the tickets they ideally would like.
Highclere tours Getting to Downton Abbey independently Downton Abbey film locations tours Downton Abbey tour dates - at a glance
Highclere Castle tours and tickets 2024
Highclere Castle has limited opening throughout the year, focused mainly on April, May, July, August and September.
There are also some special events at the Castle throughout the year.
As tickets are scarce, even more so after the Downton Abbey film, it is recommended to book your tour early to avoid disappointment.
Highclere Castle tours
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Visiting Highclere Castle from London independently
Tickets for Highclere Castle
First thing of course is to get some tickets for Highclere.
The only place you can do this is at the official Highclere Castle website, linked below.
Highclere Castle official website
Highclere by public transport from London
Highclere Castle is around 5 miles (8km) south of Newbury. There is a very limited local bus service (around 3 or 4 buses a day) between Newbury and the village of Highclere, then a very long walk. In practice most people will take a taxi from Newbury Station taxi rank.
Trains from London's Paddington Station run broadly at hourly frequencies throughout the day to and from Newbury. A taxi from the station forecourt should cost about £15-£20 in each direction to/from Highclere Castle.
Can I see Highclere Castle from the public road to take a picture?
The short answer is no, unless you have an entrance ticket the nearest public road is far from Highclere Castle itself.
However there are public footpaths through the Highclere Estate as well as some seasonal footpath openings which allow you to catch glimpses of Highclere. Details of these walks are on the main Highclere website (link above) or Google “Highclere Castle footpaths”.
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Downton Abbey filming locations day tours from London
Although Highclere Castle is the star of the show, being Downton Abbey itself, much of the TV series was shot elsewhere, mostly to the north of Highclere Castle close to Oxford and the Cotswolds.
There is a choice of tours with much better availability than the Highclere Castle tours that visit these filming locations and explore the whole Upstairs, Downstairs era.
It should be emphasized that these tours do not visit Highclere Castle, Downton Abbey itself.
There are two tours to choose from below, both similar formats, both visiting the iconic Blenheim Palace as well as Bampton, the village which featured as 'Downton Village' in the popular series. The differences are highlighted below:
Downton Abbey Filming locations, Cotswolds & Blenheim Palace
The first is a small group tour which visits Sir Winston Churchill's grave in Bladon village as well as Cogges Manor Farm which was used for "Yew Tree Farm" in the Downton series.
Blenheim Palace, Downton Abbey Village & The Cotswolds
The second tour is a normal sized coach tour and replaces Bladon and Cogges Manor Farm with a visit to the stunning Cotswolds riverside village of Bourton-on-the-Water.
SMALL GROUP DOWNTON ABBEY FILM LOCATIONS & BLENHEIM PALACE WITH COTSWOLDS
Tour of Downton Abbey film locations, Cotswolds and Blenheim Palace - International Friends
Flexi adult from £174 • Best rate adult from £156.60 • Flexi child (3-15 years) from £154 • Best rate child from £138.60
• Private visit to Yew Tree Farm • Entry to Bampton library • Entry & tour of Blenheim Palace • Churchill's grave at Bladon • Small group - max 16 people
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BLENHEIM PALACE, DOWNTON ABBEY VILLAGE & COTSWOLDS
Blenheim Palace, Downton Village and Cotswolds Day Tour from London
Adult from £72
• Option to add on Blenheim Palace & Gardens • Walking Tour of Bampton - 'Downton Village' • Visit to riverside Bourton-on-the-Water • Return transport from London • Expert guide
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DOWNTON ABBEY TOUR DATES 2024 + DOWNTON LOCATIONS TOUR WITH BLENHEIM PALACE
IMPORTANT: THESE ARE THE TOUR DATES ONLY AND DO NOT REPRESENT TICKET AVAILABILITY
ALL TOURS | ||||
Available dates | Oxford, Bampton & Highclere | Blenheim Palace, Downton Abbey Village & Cotswolds (no visit to Highclere Castle) | Downton Abbey filming locations and Highclere Castle (Small Group) | |
| Jan 24 | N/A | 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 15, 19, 21, 22, 26, 28, 29 | N/A | |
| Feb 24 | N/A | 2, 4, 5, 9, 11, 12, 16, 18, 19, 23, 25, 26 | N/A | |
| Mar 24 | 30, 31 | 1, 3, 4, 8, 10, 11, 15, 17, 18, 22, 24, 25, 29, 31 | 30, 31 | |
| Apr 24 | 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 | 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29 | 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 | |
| May 24 | 4, 5, 6, 7, 28, 29 | 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29, 31 | 4, 5, 6, 7, 26, 27, 28, 29 | |
| Jun 24 | N/A | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, 28, 29, 30 | N/A | |
| Jul 24 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 28, 29, 30, 31 | 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29, 31 | 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 30, 31 | |
| Aug 24 | 1, 4, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 | 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 23, 24, 25, 26, 28, 30, 31 | 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 | |
| Sep 24 | 1 | 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30 | 3, 4 | |
| Oct 24 | N/A | 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30 | N/A | |
| Nov 24 | N/A | 1, 3, 4, 8, 10, 11, 15, 17, 18, 22, 24, 25, 29 | N/A | |
| Dec 24 | N/A | 1, 2, 6, 8, 9, 13, 15, 16, 20, 22, 23, 27, 29, 30 | N/A | |
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Highclere Castle day tours from London are few and far between, normally opening dates are restricted to the month of April, with a couple of dates in May then July and August and just into September. If you want to visit Highclere on a day tour from London it is not a matter of picking and choosing your tour, it's just grab the tour when available for your dates before it sells out! | ||||
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