Castle hotels in England

Level 5 True Castle

Thornbury Castle

Thornbury, South Gloucestershire

A Tudor castle begun around 1511 for Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham. Guests sleep in the historic inner court, including tower suites reached by the original spiral stair.

Sleep inside the walls

• Dogs allowed
• Restaurant
• Family rooms

5-star · Guests 9.5/10

Level 5 True Castle

YHA St Briavels Castle

Saint Briavels, Gloucestershire

A royal castle built in the early 12th century, with a gatehouse added in 1292. Guests stay inside the historic castle building, now run as a youth hostel.

Sleep inside the walls

Guests 9.3/10

Level 5 True Castle

Langley Castle

Hexham, Northumberland

A mid-14th-century tower house, Grade I listed. Nine bedrooms are inside the castle itself; other rooms are in separate estate buildings.

Some rooms inside the walls

• Dogs allowed
• EV charging
• Restaurant

4-star · Guests 9.0/10

Level 5 True Castle

Lumley Castle Hotel

Chester-le-Street, County Durham

Built after licences to crenellate in 1382 and 1392 for Sir Ralph Lumley. Some rooms sit in the medieval castle, others in the courtyard range.

Some rooms inside the walls

• Dogs allowed
• Restaurant

4-star · Guests 8.8/10

Level 5 True Castle

Star Castle Hotel

Hugh Town, St Mary's, Isles of Scilly

An Elizabethan star-shaped fort built from 1593 under Francis Godolphin. Some bedrooms are inside the historic fort, others are in later garden buildings.

Some rooms inside the walls

• Dogs allowed
• Pool
• EV charging

4-star · Guests 8.8/10

Level 5 True Castle

Walworth Castle Hotel

Darlington, County Durham

A Grade I listed mansion built around 1600 with corner towers, on the site of an earlier Hansard family house. Most bedrooms are inside that historic building, some in a later annex.

Some rooms inside the walls

• Dogs allowed
• EV charging
• Restaurant

3-star · Guests 8.3/10

Level 5 True Castle

Hazlewood Castle & Spa

Tadcaster, North Yorkshire

A castle built after a 1286 licence to crenellate. Nine of the 32 rooms are inside the historic castle, the rest in later courtyard buildings.

Some rooms inside the walls

• Dogs allowed
• Spa
• Restaurant

4-star · Guests 7.9/10

Level 4 Castle-Style Mansion

Acton Castle

Praa Sands, Cornwall

An 18th-century house built as a gentleman's retreat, not a fortification, and named and listed as a castle. The Garden Apartment is one of seven dwellings within the historic building.

Sleep inside the walls

Level 4 Castle-Style Mansion

Midford Castle Sport and Wellness Resort

Midford, near Bath, Somerset

Built in 1775 in Gothic style by architect John Carter, with no defensive history. One self-catering let sits on the castle's own ground floor, others are in separate former outbuildings.

Some rooms inside the walls

Guests 9.8/10

Level 4 Castle-Style Mansion

Sneaton Castle

Whitby, North Yorkshire

A castellated house built around 1830 for James Wilson, with no earlier defensive history. Some rooms sit in the original house, others in a 1914 priory extension.

Some rooms inside the walls

• Restaurant

4-star · Guests 9.3/10

Level 4 Castle-Style Mansion

Augill Castle

Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria

A Grade II listed house in castellated Gothick style, started in 1841. It was built as a grand house, not a defensive castle, and guests sleep inside it.

Some rooms inside the walls

• EV charging
• Restaurant
• Family rooms

4-star · Guests 9.2/10

Level 4 Castle-Style Mansion

Swinton Park Hotel

Masham, North Yorkshire

A house begun in 1695 and remodelled in the 1820s with turrets, castellations and a round tower, without a real defensive history. Guests sleep in the main house and a separate Coach House.

Some rooms inside the walls

• Dogs allowed
• Spa
• Pool

4-star · Guests 8.8/10

Level 4 Castle-Style Mansion

Amberley Castle

Amberley, West Sussex

A genuine medieval castle licensed in 1377, but Civil War damage in 1643 meant much of today's fabric is a later rebuild. Some bedrooms sit inside the old walls, others in later buildings.

Some rooms inside the walls

• Dogs allowed
• Restaurant

4-star · Guests 8.3/10

Level 4 Castle-Style Mansion

Tregenna Castle Resort

St Ives, Cornwall

A Grade II listed granite house built in 1774 with four castellated turrets, not a defensive castle. Some rooms sit in the original building, others in later wings and lodges.

Some rooms inside the walls

• Spa
• Pool
• Restaurant

3-star · Guests 8.3/10

Level 4 Castle-Style Mansion

Otterburn Castle

Otterburn, Northumberland

A Grade II listed castellated country house rebuilt after 1830, incorporating an 18th-century house, with a 1904 tower added. No defensive history survives in the current fabric.

Sleep inside the walls

• Dogs allowed
• EV charging
• Restaurant

4-star · Guests 8.2/10

Level 4 Castle-Style Mansion

Peckforton Castle

Peckforton, Cheshire

Built from 1844 to 1850 as a castellated country house, with no earlier defensive history. Guests sleep inside this Victorian castle building.

Some rooms inside the walls

• EV charging
• Restaurant

4-star · Guests 8.1/10

Level 4 Castle-Style Mansion

Cave Castle Hotel

South Cave, Yorkshire

A Gothick Revival house built in 1804 for a local family, with no defensive history, later remodelled around 1872. Guests sleep in this 19th-century mansion.

Sleep inside the walls

• Spa
• Pool
• Restaurant

3-star · Guests 7.9/10

Level 4 Castle-Style Mansion

Camelot Castle Hotel

Tintagel, Cornwall

A Victorian hotel built in 1894 to 1899 with three castle-style towers, not a medieval fortification. Guests sleep within this single purpose-built building.

Sleep inside the walls

• Dogs allowed
• Restaurant
• Family rooms

Guests 7.8/10

Castle hotel

Rowton Castle

Shrewsbury, Heart of England

• Restaurant
• Family rooms

Guests 9.1/10

Level 3 Tower, Fort & Folly

Grimsbury Castle

Thatcham, Sussex

An 18th-century sham castle built as a gamekeeper's lodge next to the Grimsbury hillfort. It is a folly rather than a fortified building, and local histories describe it as a private house.

Level 3 Tower, Fort & Folly

Scargill Castle

Barningham, County Durham

A three-storey gatehouse tower rebuilt around 1550 on an earlier medieval site, now a small holiday let. Guests sleep inside the historic tower itself.

Sleep inside the walls

• Dogs allowed

Level 2 Castle Estate Stay

Old Kielder Castle Cottage

Kielder, Northumberland & the North East

Listed as a stay on or beside a castle estate. Check whether your rooms are in the castle itself before you book.

• Dogs allowed

4-star · Guests 10.0/10

Level 2 Castle Estate Stay

Parr Cottage at Snape Castle Mews

Bedale, Yorkshire

Listed as a stay on or beside a castle estate. Check whether your rooms are in the castle itself before you book.

• Family rooms

Guests 10.0/10

Level 2 Castle Estate Stay

Closest Home to Windsor Castle

Windsor, Oxfordshire & Thames Valley

Listed as a stay on or beside a castle estate. Check whether your rooms are in the castle itself before you book.

• Family rooms

Level 2 Castle Estate Stay

Exceptional 4 Bed House in The Windsor Tapestries by Casa by Grace

Windsor, Oxfordshire & Thames Valley

Listed as a stay on or beside a castle estate. Check whether your rooms are in the castle itself before you book.

• Dogs allowed
• Hot tub

Guests 9.7/10

Level 2 Castle Estate Stay

Homely 6 bed Cottage 30 mins to Heathrow

Little Missenden, Oxfordshire & Thames Valley

Listed as a stay on or beside a castle estate. Check whether your rooms are in the castle itself before you book.

• Family rooms

Level 2 Castle Estate Stay

St Ia, Castle Approach, Tregenna Castle

St Ives, Cornwall

Listed as a stay on or beside a castle estate. Check whether your rooms are in the castle itself before you book.

Level 2 Castle Estate Stay

Hever Castle Luxury Bed and Breakfast

Edenbridge, Kent

Bedrooms sit in the Astor Wing and Anne Boleyn Wing, Edwardian additions from 1903, not inside the medieval castle itself.

Rooms outside the historic walls

• EV charging
• Family rooms

5-star · Guests 9.6/10

Level 2 Castle Estate Stay

The Cart House at Snape Castle Mews

Bedale, Yorkshire

Listed as a stay on or beside a castle estate. Check whether your rooms are in the castle itself before you book.

Guests 9.6/10

Level 2 Castle Estate Stay

East Lodge - Chillingham Castle

Alnwick, Northumberland & the North East

Listed as a stay on or beside a castle estate. Check whether your rooms are in the castle itself before you book.

• Dogs allowed
• Restaurant
• Family rooms

Guests 9.5/10

Level 2 Castle Estate Stay

Garden Cottage Haughton Castle

Hexham, Northumberland & the North East

Listed as a stay on or beside a castle estate. Check whether your rooms are in the castle itself before you book.

• Dogs allowed

Level 2 Castle Estate Stay

Sissinghurst Castle Farmhouse

Sissinghurst, Kent

Listed as a stay on or beside a castle estate. Check whether your rooms are in the castle itself before you book.

• Family rooms

Guests 9.3/10

Level 2 Castle Estate Stay

Leeds Castle Maiden's Tower

Maidstone, Kent

Listed as a stay on or beside a castle estate. Check whether your rooms are in the castle itself before you book.

• Restaurant
• Golf

Guests 9.2/10

Level 2 Castle Estate Stay

Leeds Castle Stable Courtyard Bed and Breakfast

Leeds Castle, near Maidstone, Kent

Bedrooms in the Stable Courtyard on the Leeds Castle estate, not inside the Grade I listed castle itself, which guests can visit during the day.

Rooms outside the historic walls

• Dogs allowed
• Restaurant

4-star · Guests 9.2/10

Level 2 Castle Estate Stay

Castle keep at Stanhope Castle

Bishop Auckland, Yorkshire

Listed as a stay on or beside a castle estate. Check whether your rooms are in the castle itself before you book.

• Hot tub
• Golf

5-star

Level 2 Castle Estate Stay

Little Vine Cottage in the grounds of Leeds Castle

Maidstone, Kent

Listed as a stay on or beside a castle estate. Check whether your rooms are in the castle itself before you book.

• Dogs allowed

Guests 9.0/10

Level 2 Castle Estate Stay

Tregenna Castle Self Catering

St Ives, Cornwall

Listed as a stay on or beside a castle estate. Check whether your rooms are in the castle itself before you book.

• Pool
• Restaurant
• Family rooms

Level 2 Castle Estate Stay

Walworth Castle Cottage

Darlington, Yorkshire

Listed as a stay on or beside a castle estate. Check whether your rooms are in the castle itself before you book.

• Dogs allowed
• Hot tub

5-star · Guests 9.0/10

Level 2 Castle Estate Stay

Muncaster Castle Coachman's Quarters

Ravenglass, Cumbria

The Coachman's Quarters occupy the old stable yard buildings on the Muncaster Castle estate. You sleep on the grounds, not inside the historic castle.

Rooms outside the historic walls

• Dogs allowed
• EV charging
• Family rooms

4-star · Guests 8.9/10

Level 2 Castle Estate Stay

Warwick Castle Hotel & Knight's Village

Warwick, Heart of England

Listed as a stay on or beside a castle estate. Check whether your rooms are in the castle itself before you book.

• EV charging
• Restaurant
• Family rooms

Guests 8.8/10

Level 2 Castle Estate Stay

Herstmonceux Castle - Bader Hall

Herstmonceux, Sussex

Listed as a stay on or beside a castle estate. Check whether your rooms are in the castle itself before you book.

Guests 8.4/10

Level 2 Castle Estate Stay

Walworth Castle Lodge

Darlington, Yorkshire

Listed as a stay on or beside a castle estate. Check whether your rooms are in the castle itself before you book.

• Dogs allowed
• Hot tub

Guests 8.4/10

Level 2 Castle Estate Stay

Vale House, Belvoir Castle

Grantham, East Midlands & Peak District

Listed as a stay on or beside a castle estate. Check whether your rooms are in the castle itself before you book.

• Dogs allowed
• Hot tub

Level 2 Castle Estate Stay

Belvoir Lodge - Sleeps 18 - Belvoir Castle

Redmile, East Midlands & Peak District

Listed as a stay on or beside a castle estate. Check whether your rooms are in the castle itself before you book.

• Dogs allowed
• Hot tub

Level 2 Castle Estate Stay

Bickleigh Castle

Bickleigh, Tiverton, Devon

A medieval fortified manor site with a moat and a Saxon chapel, according to the hotel. Overnight guests stay in three Grade II listed cottages on the estate, not inside the main historic building.

Rooms outside the historic walls

• Hot tub
• Family rooms

2-star · Guests 7.0/10

Level 2 Castle Estate Stay

Castle Lodge Haughton Castle

Hexham, Northumberland & the North East

Listed as a stay on or beside a castle estate. Check whether your rooms are in the castle itself before you book.

• Dogs allowed

Level 2 Castle Estate Stay

Knights Corner Stanhope Castle

Stanhope, Yorkshire

Listed as a stay on or beside a castle estate. Check whether your rooms are in the castle itself before you book.

• Dogs allowed
• Hot tub

5-star

Level 2 Castle Estate Stay

Bickleigh Castle

Bickleigh, near Tiverton, Devon

A Norman castle site with a Grade I listed gatehouse. Guests sleep in cottages and thatched buildings on the estate, not inside the historic fortifications.

Rooms outside the historic walls

• Dogs allowed

Level 1 Historic House

Bovey Castle

Moretonhampstead, Devon

A Grade II* listed Edwardian mansion, not a historic castle. The castle name was adopted after it became a hotel.

Some rooms inside the walls

• Dogs allowed
• Spa
• Pool

5-star · Guests 8.6/10

Level 1 Historic House

Castle Bromwich Hall Hotel

Castle Bromwich, Solihull, West Midlands

A Jacobean manor house built around 1599. Despite the name, it is a hall, not a castle, though it is a genuine historic building.

• Dogs allowed
• Restaurant
• Family rooms

4-star · Guests 8.0/10

Level 0 Castle in Name Only

Colcombe Castle Hotel

Colyton, Devon

Castle in name only: a Georgian building in the centre of Colyton. The historic Colcombe Castle stood at Colcombe Abbey Farm outside town and was largely destroyed in 1644.

Rooms outside the historic walls

• Family rooms

3-star · Guests 9.4/10

Level 0 Castle in Name Only

Dunster Castle Hotel

Dunster, Somerset

Castle in name only: a Grade II listed 18th-century townhouse on Dunster's High Street, separate from the medieval Dunster Castle nearby.

Rooms outside the historic walls

• Dogs allowed
• Restaurant

3-star · Guests 9.3/10

Level 0 Castle in Name Only

Le Petit Chateau & William de Percy

Otterburn, Northumberland & the North East

Castle in name only: the hotel's own site describes a French-themed gastropub and bed and breakfast in a former coaching inn, with no historic castle or chateau building and no heritage listing found.

Rooms outside the historic walls

• Dogs allowed

5-star · Guests 8.5/10

Level 0 Castle in Name Only

Castle Green Hotel in Kendal

Kendal, Cumbria

Castle in name only: a Victorian mansion house from 1847, extended into a modern hotel, standing near the ruined Kendal Castle rather than inside it.

Rooms outside the historic walls

• Spa
• Pool
• Restaurant

4-star · Guests 8.4/10

Level 0 Castle in Name Only

Castle Hotel Windsor

Windsor, Berkshire

Castle in name only: a coaching inn first recorded in 1528. The building was never a fortified castle.

• Dogs allowed
• Restaurant
• Family rooms

4-star · Guests 8.3/10

Level 0 Castle in Name Only

Sherwood Castle

Rufford, Nottinghamshire

Castle in name only: a modern lodge holiday park named after Sherwood Forest and the Robin Hood legend, with no historic castle building on site.

Rooms outside the historic walls

• Dogs allowed
• Pool
• Family rooms

Guests 7.6/10

Level 0 Castle in Name Only

Norbreck Castle Hotel Blackpool

Blackpool, Lancashire, North West England

Castle in name only: a seafront house built in 1869 and expanded into a hotel from 1912, with a castellated look said to come from a garden gazebo rather than any fortification.

Rooms outside the historic walls

• Dogs allowed
• Pool
• Restaurant

Guests 5.7/10