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Alnwick itineraries

Alnwick Itineraries

Half a day or a full weekend. Here are the best ways to spend your time in Alnwick, planned step by step.

Whether you have a few hours or a full weekend to explore, these itineraries give you a local’s route through Alnwick. Each one links directly to the restaurants and activities along the way.

Half a day in Alnwick, castle closed or not·Half day, about 4 hoursA full day: castle, garden and a pint·Full day, about 10 hours

Half a day in Alnwick, castle closed or not

Half day, about 4 hoursYear-round

A walk that works in any month: the bookshop in the old station, the medieval gate, the Market Place and the town museum, with lunch on Narrowgate. Everything is within a few hundred metres, and it suits an arrival by bus at the town's bus station. Note that the museum is closed on Mondays except bank holidays, and closes for winter from 13 December 2026 to 12 January 2027.

First time visitorsWet daysWinter visits when the castle is shutArriving by bus
  1. 1
    09.30·1 hour

    Barter Books

    Start in the old station, open from 9am every day but Christmas Day. In winter the fires are lit.

    View Barter Books
  2. 2
    10.30·20 minutes

    Through the Bondgate Tower

    Walk back along Bondgate Without, look for the faded lion on the east face of the gate, and go through the arch into Bondgate Within.

    View Bondgate Tower (the Hotspur Gate)
  3. 3
    10.50·25 minutes

    The Market Place

    The cobbled square with Northumberland Hall's arcade on one side. On Thursdays and Saturdays from March to December it is a market.

  4. 4
    11.15·1 hour 15 minutes

    Bailiffgate Museum

    Up Narrowgate and along Bailiffgate to the museum in the old church, open from 10am Tuesday to Saturday and from 11am on Sundays.

    View Bailiffgate Museum and Gallery
  5. 5
    12.30·1 hour

    Lunch at the Dirty Bottles

    Back down Narrowgate for lunch; food is served all day.

    View The Dirty Bottles

A full day: castle, garden and a pint

Full day, about 10 hoursBest spring to autumn

The big day for the open season, end of March to October, when both the castle and the garden are open. Book castle tickets online, the Poison Garden tour with your garden ticket, and a Treehouse table up to three months ahead. If the weather is good and you would rather walk, swap the garden for Hulne Park, which opens 11am to 4pm.

Harry Potter fansFamilies in the summer holidaysGarden loversA first visit in season
  1. 1
    10.00·3 hours

    Alnwick Castle at opening

    In at 10am. Collect a Broomstick Training time slot straight away, then take the State Rooms from 10.30am before the crowds.

    View Alnwick Castle
  2. 2
    13.15·1 hour 15 minutes

    Lunch in the Treehouse

    Walk round to the garden gate on Denwick Lane, about half a kilometre, for a booked lunch. No garden ticket needed to eat.

    View The Treehouse
  3. 3
    14.45·2 hours 15 minutes

    The Alnwick Garden and the Poison Garden

    The Grand Cascade, then your pre-booked Poison Garden tour. In the main season the garden is open until 5pm.

    View The Alnwick Garden
  4. 4
    17.15·1 hour

    A pint at the Tanners Arms

    A few minutes' walk to Hotspur Place for a changing North East or Borders ale. No food here.

    View The Tanners Arms
  5. 5
    18.30·3 hours

    Dinner at Sonnet

    Arrive at 6.30pm for drinks and a 7pm start on Bondgate Without, booked online in advance; Sonnet is closed on Sundays and Mondays. For something simpler, the Dirty Bottles serves food until 9pm.

    View Sonnet

Ready to plan your visit?

Check the weather forecast before you head out.

Planning Tips & Packing GuideGetting to Alnwick