We had no idea just how stunning this castle would be or how important it was in its heyday. You could easily spend a whole day exploring the site. There are several free guided tours provided by volunteers. Maybe these are only available at the weekends. We toured the gatehouse with a great guy called Neil whose delivery was informative and humorous. Free audio guides are also provided with the entrance fee. There are plenty of information boards all around the grounds. We’d highly recommend this as one of the best castles we’ve ever visited and that’s saying something from a Welsh couple!

This is an English Heritage property full of history. If you book online, and are not a member, you receive a 10% discount, but parking is across from the castle but is not free for non-members. You arrive walking past the gift shop, where you can buy tickets on the day (parking is paid for at the car park). Here you can pick up audio guides (for free) which you really need to help you get the most of your visit. There are information boards, but the guides give you even more information, and if you are a fan of the Tudors, especially Dudley and Elizabeth I this castle, mainly developed to impress his queen, is testament to a very grand gesture. The castle is in ruins, apart from the gate-house, which has some artefacts. The garden is not huge compared to many National Trust homes with parks, but is still beautifully laid out. Visit the Tudor stables (bigger than most houses) to see the exhibition which helps with the history of the castle or to sit down inside for refreshments. There is also outdoor seating available. Toilets are in a little building near the gatehouse (accessible toilets are in the gatehouse) but not in the stables. It is easy to spend a couple of hours here, but you may struggle if you have mobility issues. Unlike some castles the steps make access fairly easy, although you may need to dodge the odd pigeon leaving a present!

Beautiful ruins with an interesting backstory and stunning recreated Elizabethan gardens. We skipped the audio tour but enjoyed the museum in the coach house which explored the relationship between Dudley and Queen Elizabeth I. We really liked the capacity to roam the grounds freely and at our leisure sans timed visit.

We visited yesterday and enjoyed the halloween activities put on over the half term break. We were so, so impressed by the quality of the entertainment, especially considering our visit was included in the normal membership price. My two children, aged 9 and 5, completed the monster hunting academy, which involved meeting and interacting with 8 different characters (a dragon hunter, werewolf hunter, vampire hunter, witchfinder, phantomologist, etc) and gaining a stamp on their card from each. All the characters were amazing! They had fantastic costumes and really played their parts well. The castle itself is beautiful and the perfect place to visit in the Autumn. The children enjoyed playing in the fallen leaves too! As well as the monster academy, there was also a halloween quest booklet for the children to complete. Plenty to keep the occupied and we just wished we had more time to spend there! We were there for 3 hours and could easily have spent more time exploring. Well worth a visit!

We're English heritage members so got free entry. This is mainly a ruin but worth the many steps to see the magnificent view . Only one tower is enclosed and accessible with exhibitions. It's worth getting the guidebook to read a fuller explanation of the buildings . Tearoom offered pasties and sandwiches and was very cold

My boyfriend and I visited Kenilworth whilst away on holiday and since we are members we thought it would be worth a visit. The castle ruins are bigger than expected and steeped in history. The information boards all around kept us captivated and had it not have been for them our visit would have been much quicker. It is great that you can go up to the top of the castle. The spiral staircases could do with a handrail as I found this a little daunting only having the middle part of the stairs to hold onto. I only gave four stars as the toilets are disgusting nothing like the standards you expect from EH and it is a shame that pigeons have been allowed to nest within the walls and take over the castle leaving bird poop everywhere, the smell in certain areas is off putting. The cafe was nice but they had run out of plain scones around midday when we visited which was a shame but the staff are very friendly and it is a good castle that is worth a visit especially if you’re already a member of EH.

The location is packed with history and plenty to see. Staff were really friendly, helpful and knowledgeable and answered all the questions. Access to parts will be limited with plenty of steps. Good selection in the cafe but also lots of places to sit, take in the sights, and have a pick nick.

Lots of see and a great audio guide which was complementary. There are lots of lovely walks around the castle too. It was sad to see Dudley’s garden in such a bad state of repair though. It was only built 15 years ago but the paint is peeling and much of the wood has rotten.

What a beautiful building this is! And the grounds. Well maintained and atmospheric! I would just like to say that I went with my partner and his dog, and to my dismay, there are no dog poo bins around the estate. I noted that there was a lot of bags just left on the ground, and also some bits not picked up!!! It might be worth placing a few bins around the grounds to encourage people to pick up after their dogs. It spoils what is, otherwise, a pleasant experience.

We decided to visit Kenilworth castle, Friendly and helpful staff to greet us, Its a lovely place, even though its the ruins that are left you still try and picture how big it really was fully built and how far you could of seem from the top. Not many areas were off limits ( due to it being unsafe) which was good because i like to explore. They have built some stairs in one part so you can get to the top. Theres lots of information about the history of the castle, Theres a cafe and plenty of tables outside for a picnic. Would go again.