When is Guildford Castle open?

Guildford Castle is open: Wed - Sat 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM

What hotels are near Guildford Castle?

Hotels near Guildford Castle: (0.13 mi) Angel Posting House and Livery (0.11 mi) Whitmoor Farm (0.31 mi) Harbour Hotel Guildford (0.23 mi) Flexi-Lets@Printing House Square Guildford (0.26 mi) The Albany View all hotels near Guildford Castle on Tripadvisor

What restaurants are near Guildford Castle?

Restaurants near Guildford Castle: (0.00 mi) The March Hare (0.01 mi) Krema Coffee (0.02 mi) Journeys Wine Bar & Delicatessen (0.03 mi) Pho (0.03 mi) The Ivy Castle View View all restaurants near Guildford Castle on Tripadvisor

Guildford Castle - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

535 reviews

#5 of 67 things to do in Guildford

Historic Sites • Castles

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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5

535 reviews

Excellent

230

Very good

236

Average

63

Poor

5

Terrible

1

MozaicV

Farnham, UK41 contributions

Breathtaking Backdrops

May 2023 • Friends

you can see almost everything in an around Surrey area. I don’t know why haven’t visited this site before. All the Garden Flowers breathtaking around this time of the year and the views need I say more; it’s awesome to say the leasts!

Written May 17, 2023

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

mwooduk

Miami, FL7,658 contributions

Beautiful gardens!

May 2023 • Couples

A little tricky to find via Google maps but helpful locals set us straight. Beautiful gardens and lots of nice benches on which to eat our sandwiches. Flowers were outstanding and we enjoyed the walk. Access to the keep is not for disabled people or anyone with bad knees. We had a nice chat with a very nice retired nurse who was on the cash register and there was some good historical information inside by the book shop. We decided not to pay to go into the keep because of my husband‘s bad knee and the very narrow difficult staircase that is involved with getting up to the top. However, despite the fact the castle website is less than helpful, we are so pleased we made the effort to go. There is a Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer‘s in Guilford high Street where you can buy a sandwich or a salad and eat it on the castle grounds. We spent a very happy hour and a half there enjoying the scenery.

Written May 5, 2023

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Mandi H

Stellenbosch, South Africa44 contributions

Spring delight in Guildford

May 2023 • Couples

The spring flowers in bloom were out of this world gorgeous. Inspiring bursts of color sparking joy. Walking around the castle gardens, listening to the birdsong is a must.

Written May 4, 2023

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

futtock21

London, UK11,490 contributions

Castle keep now open

Apr 2023 • Family

The Guildford municipal website is not terribly helpful still informing us that the Castle Keep is closed until April instead of advertising that from April it’s been open Wednesdays to Saturdays. It’s built on a mound hence a climb to the entrance in a hall containing a rather sparse exhibition about the history of Guildford of Anglo-Saxon origin slightly predating the castle itself of Norman origin. It explains it is a notoriously difficult site to defend. From there another climb this time up some external white wooden steps to an even sparser first floor room from where one makes a long winding ascent through a tower to a top floor exterior landing in which one has an encaged view of the city around the colourful gardens beneath.

Written April 9, 2023

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Scotty0987

Godalming, UK52 contributions

Chilled

Dec 2022 • Couples

Stunning and my favourite go to. Recommend for all ages, loverly to sit and watch the grass bowling, listen to the live band, quiet and lots of seating

Written December 29, 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Emma Zhang

United Kingdom65 contributions

A great walk

Oct 2022

It is really great place to visit as it is historic site and the decoration of the garden where the castle is standing is really beautiful!

Written November 5, 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Bverhey

Sarasota, FL5 contributions

Fab guide at Guildford Castle

Oct 2022 • Couples

The best part of the Guildford castle experience was the tour guide, Di!! She knew every detail of the castle, it’s history, the creation of it, politics at the time, even some social aspects of the time that I was not aware of.
Thx for a wonderful experience!

Written October 5, 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Lucas O’Brien

5 contributions

Nice trip to Guildford Castle!

Sep 2022 • Solo

Darly was very knowledgeable about the castle and the whole area and it was very interesting to learn the history of the building. Can’t beat it for £3.70!

Written September 30, 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Brian T

London, UK6,782 contributions

A pleasant and historic site to visit, despite the interior of the keep being closed to visitors.

Jun 2022 • Solo

This is a pleasant and historic place to visit if you are in the town of Guildford in Surrey.

The castle is essentially a keep, or tower. It was built some time shortly after 1066, apparently by William the Conquerer. It probably started off as a wooden tower, replaced in the early 12th century by chalk walls. By the late 1130’s the castle that you see today was taking shape in the form of a classical Norman tower, built of barrage stone quarried nearby. It was occupied by a succession of kings and queens but eventually fell into disuse in the late 14th century. Since then it was used as a county gaol, private residence and a cockpit. It was restored when it came not the possession of the Guildford Corporation in 1886, and the surrounding land laid out as a pleasure garden, to mark Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee in 1887.

On the day I visited, the keep was closed to visitors, despite the website indication it would be open. There was no information advising visitors of the closure, or when the keep would be reopen. That was a bit disappointing, as I would have liked to have seen inside the keep and also take in the view of the town from the top. There’s supposedly two floors inside the keep, featuring a visitor centre, and an ancient chapel, Great Hall, and latrines.

The gardens and castle keep are free to visit, though a visit into the keep incurs a charge of £3.70 (no senior concession available). On my visit the gardens were very pretty, with lovely floral displays of various bedding plants. The gardens have some steep paths which may not be suitable for those using mobility assistance. I believe the keep cannot be visited by those requiring mobility assistance.

It’s a pretty sight, though don’t expect a huge crenellated castle of the type you find in other parts of the nation. The castle is a 15 minute walk from Guildford rail station.

Written September 23, 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Dark Army Reviews

London, UK7 contributions

Beautiful but a little small.

Sep 2022 • Business

General 2:
Gardens:
The gardens were quite small but were extremely pretty the flower patches looked amazing and I would happily sit on a bench and relax.
Keep:
To enter the keep it costs £3 and the keep is quite small and there is not much to do but the architecture is absolutely stunning and looking at the walls and brick work is extremely fascinating and the view from the top and very nice and on a day with good weather I could spend hours relaxing.
General 3:
The garden was excellent the design of the flowers was great, the kings room does not have bed

Written September 10, 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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