Top 10 Must-See Castles in England – Ranked Guide Ranked by historical importance, architecture, preservation, and setting
Top 10 Must-See Castles in England – Ranked by History, Architecture, Preservation and Setting
Our honest ranking with scores out of 40: the Tower of London, Dover, Windsor, Bamburgh, Warwick and more – what makes each great, what it costs, and what the brochures leave out.
How we ranked England's castles
Rankings of castles are usually rankings of photographs. Ours tries to be fairer. Each castle is judged out of 10 in four categories, giving a score out of 40:
- Historical importance – did things happen here that changed England?
- Architecture – is the building itself remarkable, as engineering or design?
- Preservation – how much survives, and how honestly is it presented?
- Setting – what does it feel like to arrive?
The scores are our own judgement, not an official measure – argue with them. Each entry also has an honest note on price and crowds. For all castles by region, see our post on castles of England; for Wales, our Castles of Britain guide.
Numbers 1 to 3
1. Tower of London – 37/40
History 10 · Architecture 9 · Preservation 9 · Setting 9
William the Conqueror's White Tower, begun within a few years of 1066, was the building that told London who now ruled. For nine centuries the Tower was royal palace, fortress, mint, armoury, menagerie and prison; Anne Boleyn, Lady Jane Grey and Thomas More were executed or imprisoned here. The Crown Jewels are in the Jewel House. No castle in England matters more.
Honestly: it is one of the most expensive tickets in Britain, the Jewel House queue can take an hour in summer, and the crowds are relentless. Arrive at opening and go straight to the jewels. Full guide: Tower of London – an honest guide.
2. Dover Castle, Kent – 36/40
History 10 · Architecture 9 · Preservation 8 · Setting 9
The largest castle in England has guarded the shortest crossing to the Continent for almost a thousand years. Henry II's great tower of the 1180s, rebuilt inside with medieval furnishings, stands inside concentric walls; on the same hill are a Roman lighthouse and a Saxon church. Below, the Secret Wartime Tunnels were the headquarters from which the 1940 evacuation of Dunkirk was directed.
Honestly: it needs a full day and the site is steep. English Heritage uses seasonal pricing – roughly £20–30 for an adult; cheaper online and off-peak.
3. Windsor Castle, Berkshire – 35/40
History 9 · Architecture 9 · Preservation 10 · Setting 7
The largest and oldest occupied castle in the world, a royal home since William the Conqueror. The State Apartments and St George's Chapel – burial place of ten monarchs including Henry VIII and Elizabeth II – are magnificent.
Honestly: it is a working palace, so parts close at short notice, and Heathrow flights roar overhead. See our honest Windsor guide.
Numbers 4 to 6
4. Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland – 34/40
History 9 · Architecture 7 · Preservation 8 · Setting 10
On a basalt crag above one of the finest beaches in England, Bamburgh was the royal centre of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria. The medieval castle was in ruins by the 18th century and was largely restored in the 1890s by William Armstrong, the Newcastle arms manufacturer whose guns and warships were sold across the world. Much of what you see inside is Victorian.
Honestly: privately owned, about £18 for adults with a separate parking charge. The beach below is free and the view of the castle from the dunes is the best thing about it.
5. Warwick Castle, Warwickshire – 33/40
History 9 · Architecture 9 · Preservation 9 · Setting 6
Founded by William the Conqueror in 1068, home to Richard Neville, "the Kingmaker", during the Wars of the Roses, and one of the most complete medieval castles in England, with Caesar's Tower and Guy's Tower above the River Avon.
Honestly: owned by Merlin Entertainments and run as a theme park – actors, shows, a giant trebuchet, a dungeon experience and gate prices that punish anyone who did not book online. Great for families; history lovers should go early, before the shows begin.
6. Alnwick Castle, Northumberland – 32/40
History 8 · Architecture 8 · Preservation 9 · Setting 7
Home of the Percys, Earls and Dukes of Northumberland, for over 700 years, and the second-largest inhabited castle in England. The medieval shell hides lavish Italianate state rooms of the 1850s with paintings by Titian, Van Dyck and Canaletto. Its fame today comes from playing Hogwarts in the early Harry Potter films.
Honestly: about £23 for adults, and 20% off if you arrive by bus or train. Closed in winter. The broomstick lessons are fun for children and baffling for everyone else.
Numbers 7 to 10
7. Kenilworth Castle, Warwickshire – 31/40
History 9 · Architecture 8 · Preservation 6 · Setting 8
In 1266 rebels held Kenilworth against Henry III for six months, one of the longest sieges in English history. In 1575 Robert Dudley entertained Elizabeth I here for 19 days in the most extravagant party of her reign; his reconstructed Elizabethan garden is open again. The red sandstone ruins were slighted after the Civil War. English Heritage, good value.
8. Corfe Castle, Dorset – 30/40
History 8 · Architecture 6 · Preservation 6 · Setting 10
A Saxon king, Edward the Martyr, was murdered at Corfe in 978. The later castle was held for the King in the Civil War by Lady Mary Bankes until it was betrayed from inside in 1646; Parliament then blew it up, leaving towers leaning at crazy angles over the village. National Trust; arrive by the Swanage steam railway.
9. Tintagel Castle, Cornwall – 29/40
History 7 · Architecture 5 · Preservation 6 · Setting 10
Tintagel's fame rests on legend: medieval writers placed the conception of King Arthur here. The ruins you see were built by Richard, Earl of Cornwall, in the 1230s, partly to cash in on that story. Archaeology shows a genuinely important trading settlement from the 5th–7th centuries, with pottery from the Mediterranean. A footbridge opened in 2019 crosses to the island.
Honestly: very steep steps, timed tickets in summer, and the village is a strip of Arthurian souvenir shops.
10. Leeds Castle, Kent – 28/40
History 7 · Architecture 7 · Preservation 8 · Setting 6
Set on islands in a lake, Leeds was a palace for six medieval queens and for Henry VIII, who made it a home for Catherine of Aragon. Most of the interior reflects its last private owner, the Anglo-American heiress Lady Baillie, who restored it in the 20th century. Today it is owned by a charitable foundation and run as a full day out, with gardens, a maze and falconry.
Honestly: expensive, but the ticket is valid for a year.
Near misses
- Bodiam Castle, East Sussex – the perfect moated outline, but a shell inside.
- Framlingham Castle, Suffolk – walk the full circuit of the walls.
- Lincoln Castle – walls walk and one of the four surviving 1215 copies of Magna Carta.
- Durham Castle – World Heritage, but by guided tour only.
- Dunstanburgh Castle, Northumberland – the best castle walk in England.
- Ludlow Castle, Shropshire – a great border fortress in a great small town.
The Africa link inside the top 10
Two threads tie England's top castles to Africa. In the Tower of London's Jewel House, the Sovereign's Sceptre holds Cullinan I, the "Great Star of Africa", cut from the largest gem-quality diamond ever found, discovered in 1905 at the Premier Mine near Pretoria in what was then the British Transvaal colony and presented to Edward VII. Many South Africans have called for its return.
And the word "castle" itself crossed the sea: on the Gold Coast, Cape Coast Castle and Elmina Castle held enslaved Africans in their dungeons before the Atlantic crossing. Read more on our page about the Royal African Company and the Gold Coast forts and about African treasures in British museums.
Planning a castle trip
- From London by train: Tower (Tube), Windsor (35–55 minutes), Dover and Leeds (about 1–1.5 hours), Warwick and Kenilworth (about 1.5 hours).
- Northumberland: base yourself in Alnmouth or Bamburgh and combine Alnwick, Bamburgh, Dunstanburgh and Holy Island in two days.
- Dorset and Cornwall: Corfe and Tintagel are far apart and best done by car or on a longer West Country trip.
- Memberships: four of our ten are English Heritage or National Trust sites – a membership or visitor pass can save a lot.
Castle tours
Day tours from London combine Windsor, Leeds Castle, Dover and Warwick; tours from Edinburgh and Newcastle cover Bamburgh and Alnwick.
Tours and experiences
Entrance fees are included in the tour price; tips are not included but are always welcome.
Read next
Over 40 castles, who runs them, and which are free.
The castles of Wales, region by region.
Number 3 on our list, in detail.
The castle in Wales paid for by sugar and slate.
All our guides to England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Castles on the Gold Coast
Our partner sites tell the story of the castles built by Europeans in West Africa: Cape Coast Castle, Elmina Castle and James Fort in Accra.
The African side of the story
Britain Adventures is an independent partner website. Our partner sites on Africa and its history are where the stories on this page continue:
- Pan-African: African Independence · Uganda · Egypt · Sierra Leone · All African Radio Stations
- Ghana: Ghana-Net · Cape Coast Castle · Elmina Castle · James Fort, Accra · They Made Ghana · War Cemetery Cape Coast
- Across Africa: Kenya Web News · Explore Nigeria · Gambia Vibes · Zambia Vibes
- European history: V2 Rocket and Peenemünde · Tannenberg Memorial
Search our Network. Start here.
After visiting the top castles of England, a well served cup of coffee.