Warwick Castle

Reviews

• BJ

  Bob JOE

  1 day ago
  2.0
  I had a good day at Warwick Castle, but the overall experience could have been much better organised. What I did get to see was impressive, and the War of the Roses performance was fantastic, but several things made the day more stressful than it needed to be. We travelled in two cars with Blue Badge holders who needed accessible parking. Finding it was difficult and we initially ended up in the main field car park. Staff directed us towards the accessible parking and we followed the only sign we could find, only to be told it was full and that we needed to turn around and park further down the road in Bay 1. So although there was a sign, it ultimately directed us somewhere we could not park. Bay 1 was closer, but meant walking uphill to the castle and downhill again at the end of the day. Parts of the route were uneven and the spaces between cars were very tight. One person in our group used walking sticks and the others also had significant mobility difficulties. We managed, but it was not easy, and I would question how suitable this would be for someone using a wheelchair. Inside the castle, there did not seem to be a clear recommended route. We repeatedly found ourselves backtracking, as did many other visitors. People seemed to be going in every direction, creating bottlenecks and making some areas very chaotic. A clearly marked route or one way system would make a huge difference. The crowds were probably my biggest issue. The grounds can clearly accommodate lots of people, but the castle and some attractions did not feel capable of comfortably handling the numbers. At times it felt more like a theme park, with crowds almost moving like a stampede. It also meant I could not stop and read much of the historical information. I felt I had to keep moving so I was not holding up the people behind me. There was also a feeling that everything had an extra charge. A photographer was walking around taking photos, only for you to find out afterwards that there was a charge if you wanted them. I remember being able to do the archery for free when I was younger, but now there is an additional fee. Add in food, drinks and the gift shop, and it can feel like the admission fee is only the beginning. The highlight was definitely the War of the Roses performance, especially the jousting and trick riding. It was brilliant, entertaining and genuinely informative, and I learned quite a bit from it. Even getting there was chaotic, with huge numbers of people crossing the narrow bridge towards the arena. Despite all of this, I did enjoy my day. The castle is impressive, the history is fascinating and the performance was excellent. But honestly, a big part of what made the day enjoyable was the company I had. Spending the day with my family made it a good day. I remember visiting Warwick Castle when I was younger and having a very different experience. I understand that visitor numbers and tourism are increasing, but that is exactly why the attraction needs to adapt. The grounds can handle huge numbers, but the castle, facilities and visitor management do not always seem able to. There is a genuinely fantastic attraction here. Better signage, clearer routes, improved accessibility and better management of visitor numbers would make a huge difference. I had a good day, but mainly because of the company I had and the genuinely great parts of the experience. I just wish the organisation had allowed me to enjoy more of what Warwick Castle has to offer.
• CL

  Carol Li

  2 days ago
  3.0
  We went to Warwick Castle and stayed at the Knight Lodge in 2019 was one of our best family trips. So we went again last week and we decided to try the glamping. The reason that I only give 3 stars this time is because I was very disappointed about the view of jousting and the dinner at the restaurant. The way they make the platform was limiting the view when there were too many people. We have been to see the jousting at Hampton Court, everyone were sitting down on the grass, so everyone can see it clearly. However, the jousting at Warwick castle was good but we hardly able to see it because of the way they build the platform, we were late in the morning and we couldn't get into any gap to see the show when it started. I asked the staff if they do the afternoon show, he was unable to tell me because of the hot weather, so we missed the afternoon show as my children were in the dungeon. We were charged extra £16 for 3 of them to go in. I thought that was expensive not including the entry to the castle. Falconry show was amazing. We all enjoyed it. The glamping was amazing too. Beds were surprisingly comfortable and shower bathrooms were nice and clean. I would suggest that they should have the shower trays, when we went to toilet after someone had a shower, the floor was all wet with running water around the toilet. I didn't see cleaner in the evening. So almost all bathroom floor were wet and slippery in the evening. We didn't enjoy the food in the evening at all at the restaurant and I thought that was so expensive. We had amazing evening dinner in 2019, so I booked us for dinner again this time. The food was so bad this time. Sausages, baked beans on evening menu? Inedible dried roast burnt chicken without gravy, not many choices for dinner, I don't like chilli and rice, chips were hard, soggy broccoli, desserts were bad and not many choices, just simple chocolate sponge cake, whipped ice-cream, £24 per person not including drinks were really expensive for the food they served. We were expecting roast dinner type like last time we went. We didn't look at the menu on the screen outside. We sat down at the table already, we should have just walked out to get take away outside the castle like the others. There weren't many people in the restaurant either but serving us drinks were so slow. My husband was so disappointed that they didn't have the drink mead on the menu like last time. We should have got a bottle from the castle for our evening. £140 for 4 adults and a teenage dinner, 1 drink each were very expensive for those type of food. I didn't realise that we needed to book table for breakfast. We could only get take away boxes to sit outside. Almost all B & B we have been, never heard of booking a slot for breakfast. The staff said there were no slot until 10am. My husband and I were early but they weren't serve breakfast until 7:30am. Our teenage and adults children were late, they went for breakfast about 9am, restaurant was empty. Staff offered us a table but we choose to sit outside instead because of the nice weather. So I think the slots for breakfast weren't working. Breakfast food were very good. Lots of choices from cereal to full English breakfast.
• LE

  Louise Evans

  5 days ago
  3.0
  The castle its self is not a disappointment neither are the grounds or the staff , but what becomes apparent is that far from becoming better equipped over the year s it’s becoming less staffed less equipped to deal with that many visitors and as usual over priced , firstly there is a fee of 7 50 then be prepared to walk an astonishing 20 min walk to get to the castle from the car park ,this is after ur initial entry fee , expensive food , drinks were a ridiculous price and the way the place was set out make sure u wear a fit bit to see how many steps u get in, I can never understand why children’s entertainment and play area are not grouped together and why the horse show was so long , surly small shows wud be more appropriate, as the bird show stole it for me im pretty sure this cud have been shortened, as for both shows they were cramped not enough seating areas benches to accommodate all of the visitors AT ALL, to be quite frank I wont be hurrying back , im not quite sure about the archery either , two members of staff to supervise kids shooting real arrows , and as u walk the path way to the gardens u are greeted by a sign to say beware of shooting arrows , really? My points go to the amazing man and his birds truly spectacular, didn’t like story time , and I think the kids got board sitting on dusty dirt , but WOW IF IT WERENT FOR BIRDMAN , I wud have give this review nil, also I think that if ur going to make ur guests walk a marathon through the grounds why not get some kinda trains round there for legs and little legs a nd old legs and disabled legs ,i do hope u read ur reviews
• LB

  Lorraine Brown

  6 days ago
  3.0
  Visited here today with a large group after last visiting many years ago. The castle and grounds itself are lovely and extremely well maintained and signposted. The staff we encountered were all lovely and polite and work very hard. I would like to make a few suggestions if I may. There were many times when we struggled for seating and had to sit on the floor so I would suggest that as a priority, especially as there was so much space where this could have been possible. Zog land play area was quite small for the number of children using the equipment and I think that another playground area would be amazing down by the woodland theatre. The jousting show is by far the main attraction but there were only 2 shows and half of the people left after 20 minutes for both shows. I think reducing the show to 15 minutes and adding an extra show would be far more practical to the performers and the volume of spectators trying to cram into a show. Also the children's archery was extremely understaffed. I think there was 5 or 6 possible boards but only 2 were being used and the queue for young children was too much. This needs to be addressed and also the possibility of adding more attractions or entertainment for younger children dotted around - face painting, balloon artist, juggling jesters that kind of thing. A medieval dragon themed train or bus to ferry parents with young children would be an absolute godsend. Id also like to see all the food trucks returned to the main castle area and the bird show moved to where they are now. Warwick castle is a brilliant place but the layout of seating and lack of additional entertainment / playgrounds make it difficult for parents with younger children. It just needs a few tweaks to reach it's potential. Overall it's a stunning site and has been well looked after and restored and the staff all enjoy working there and are really helpful.
• LL

  Lauren

  Aug 3, 2026
  3.0
  After visiting Warwick Castle for the first time in around 33 years—my first visit as an adult and with my own children (aged 5 and 6)—I came away feeling a little disappointed. We had recently stayed at Leeds Castle and were blown away by the experience. The cabin accommodation was fantastic, entry to the castle and grounds was included with our stay, and guests benefited from special access outside of normal opening hours. By comparison, I was genuinely surprised to discover that castle admission at Warwick wasn't included with the accommodation. We were told it would be "heavily discounted", but a saving of just £12 for a family of four didn't really feel like that. Having bought separate castle tickets for our arrival day, we then had to queue with all of the day visitors in a very long line, which wasn't the best start to the stay. At the end of the day, we followed the app to our accommodation only to discover we couldn't access it that way without checking in first. That meant walking all the way back to the main exit and then around to the accommodation entrance, which was frustrating after a full day on our feet. The app is useful for checking show times, but it's quite limited. You can't save events or create your own itinerary, and in general we found information about attractions and logistics to be fairly sparse. Food and drink prices were another disappointment. I fully expect to pay attraction prices, but Warwick Castle felt exceptionally expensive, even compared with many other major family attractions. It gave the impression that once you're through the gates, you're simply expected to keep paying, which only added to the feeling that the overall experience wasn't particularly good value for money. The highlights of the visit were definitely the falconry display and the jousting tournament—both were excellent and well worth queuing early for. The evening entertainment at the Knight's Village was also fantastic. Our daughters absolutely loved it, and there were just the right number of children for everyone to get involved in the activities. One thing that really stood out throughout our visit was the staff. Every member of the team we encountered was friendly, engaging and fantastic with children. They seemed to instinctively know how to diffuse the inevitable sibling squabbles, encourage quieter children to join in, and keep the experience fun and immersive. They are a real credit to Warwick Castle and undoubtedly one of its biggest strengths. The cabin itself was compact but ideal for a family. However, there were a few disappointing touches: most of the bathroom toiletries were empty, the bathroom had a noticeable smell of urine, and the children's bedroom featured a large tapestry-style image of a bloody medieval battle. We ended up hanging a towel from the bunk bed to block our daughter's view because she was too frightened to sleep with it in sight. Overall, we had a good time and there were certainly some memorable moments, but it didn't quite live up to either our expectations or my memories of visiting in the late 1980s. Considering the overall cost, I don't think we'll return. Instead, we'd happily make the longer journey back to Leeds Castle, where we felt the accommodation offered much better value—with castle admission included, thoughtful extras like a fully stocked fire pit, and an overall guest experience that felt much more joined up.

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