Alnwick Castle and The Alnwick Garden: what to book, and when

Alnwick's two big attractions sit side by side and are run separately: Alnwick Castle by the Percy family's estate, The Alnwick Garden as its own operation on Denwick Lane. One ticket does not get you into the other, their seasons are different, and the parts people most want to do are the parts with rules. Here is what to book, when, and what you can leave to the day.

The castle opens for a season, not a year

The castle is the Duke of Northumberland's family home, and it opens to visitors from the end of March to October. Then it shuts for the winter. In 2026 the last open day is 20 October, with the castle closing early that afternoon. If your trip falls between November and March, the castle is off the list, and you should plan around the garden, Barter Books and the town instead.

In season the grounds open at 10am with last entry at 3.45pm, and the State Rooms run 10.30am to 4.30pm. The castle suggests allowing at least two to three hours.

Buy online, and keep the ticket

When we read the castle's price page in October 2026 an adult ticket was £22.00 online and £24.45 at the gate, with a family ticket at £64.20 online. Every online ticket works as a pass for twelve months of daytime visits during the open season, so a rained-off day can be done again for nothing. Gate tickets can be upgraded to the same pass on the day. Two discounts are worth knowing: 20% off if you show a bus or train ticket at the gate, and 25% off the gate price for Northumberland residents with proof of address and photo ID.

Broomstick Training: free, but first come

The castle says Harry's first flying lesson in the first film was shot in the Outer Bailey, and that is where its Broomstick Training sessions run, through the day and weather permitting. They are included with admission but need a time-slot ticket, handed out on arrival on a first-come basis. Go and get your slot as soon as you are through the gate, then do the State Rooms while you wait. The castle's film tours, also included, take in the Lion Arch, which students used on the way to Hagrid's hut, and the Guest Hall, where the Hogwarts Express carriage set for the second film was built.

Rules to know

• Only assistance dogs are allowed in the castle or its grounds.
• No photography inside the State Rooms, and no drones anywhere.
• No bikes or scooters in the grounds, and no luggage storage.
• A picnic is fine; there is also a cafe, a pizzeria and a takeaway inside.

The garden stays open in winter, on fewer days

The Alnwick Garden keeps going after the castle closes, but its hours shrink. In 2026 it is open daily 10am to 5pm until 23 October, 10am to 4pm over half term to 1 November, then Thursday to Sunday, 10am to 3pm, through November and into December. It opens daily again over Christmas and New Year, closed on Christmas Day, and at weekends only from 4 January to 7 February. Check the garden's opening page before a winter trip.

The adult day ticket was £19.70 with Gift Aid, £17.90 without, when we read it for the autumn of 2026, and children under 16 go free, up to four for each paying adult. Lilidorei, the play village beside the garden, is a separate ticket.

The Poison Garden is by booked tour only

This is the one people come for and the one most often missed. The Poison Garden sits behind black iron gates that are opened only for guided tours. You need a day ticket and a Poison Garden tour ticket, which costs £1 a head and has to be booked in advance; you add it once you have chosen your day ticket. Inside, the garden counts around 100 species of toxic, intoxicating and narcotic plants, some of them caged, and visitors may not smell, touch or taste any of them.

The Treehouse does not need a garden ticket

The restaurant up in the lime trees by the garden entrance takes bookings up to three months ahead. You do not need a garden ticket just to eat there. Tables of six to nine pay a £5 a head deposit, and parties of ten or more go through the restaurant by email. It closes for private events on some dates, which it lists on its own page.

Doing both in one day

It can be done in season, and the order that works is castle first. Be at the castle gate at 10am, pick up a Broomstick Training slot, and give it the morning. The garden entrance on Denwick Lane is about half a kilometre away. Lunch at the Treehouse, then the garden and your pre-booked Poison Garden tour in the afternoon, with the garden open until 5pm in the main season. The castle and the garden share an official car park, £3.75 for the day from 9am, card and contactless only.

If you can only do one, decide by the calendar. From late October to March the choice is made for you. In season, families with Harry Potter fans should take the castle; anyone who wants the Poison Garden should book the garden and its tour first.