Helmsley Castle
Helmsley Castle
4.5
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
Unlock 900 years of life at Helmsley Castle, a must-see for any visitor to the picturesque market town of Helmsley in the North York Moors National Park. Discover how the castle evolved over the centuries, from a mighty medieval fortress to a luxurious Tudor mansion, to a Civil War stronghold and a romantic Victorian ruin.
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingTours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
What is Travelers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Top ways to experience Helmsley Castle and nearby attractions
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
Restaurants
39 within 3 miles
Attractions
23 within 6 miles
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
823 reviews
Excellent
437
Very good
324
Average
55
Poor
2
Terrible
5
Laura T
Middlesbrough, UK7,685 contributions
Apr 2022
I was glad we all had English Heritage membership as there wasn't as much to see/do here as I'd expected. We leisurely strolled around the very small grounds, looked at the ruins and read much of the information boards inside the small museum, spending upto 90minutes here, after a leisurely sit in the sunshine. Cost is £8.10 per adult without membership.
Signs direct you in 1 direction to make a circular loop of the site (turn left after walking through the shop).
From other reviews it sounds like we would of gotten more out of our visit if we had used the free audio guide. We decided against this though as it was a day trip out with friends and we wanted to be a bit more sociable.
There is a carpark nearby, we paid £5 which was for upto 6 hours. There are free toilets at the carpark to use, and also at the entrance to the castle, where there is also a small shop.
Signs direct you in 1 direction to make a circular loop of the site (turn left after walking through the shop).
From other reviews it sounds like we would of gotten more out of our visit if we had used the free audio guide. We decided against this though as it was a day trip out with friends and we wanted to be a bit more sociable.
There is a carpark nearby, we paid £5 which was for upto 6 hours. There are free toilets at the carpark to use, and also at the entrance to the castle, where there is also a small shop.
Written May 6, 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.
Sue H
20 contributions
Apr 2021
Rude and unhelpful don’t come close. Tried to visit this morning as locals trying to support our local economy. Arrived to find we should have booked online and were told very firmly we needed to do that now on our phone. Well we tried for 20 mins in a loop of crashing web site , poor signal and repetitive questions. After the 4th attempt to enter card details we gave up and went to desk to ask for help , RUDE person refused to help , refused to let us pay at the desk ( despite family in front of us doing just that) refused to offer any solution. So we took our trade to the bird of prey centre where they couldn’t have been more welcoming and friendly.
Written April 18, 2021
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.
Sarah b
Lytham St Anne's, UK2,360 contributions
May 2021 • Couples
Our first visit here, we love English Heritage visits and learned so much here. A short walk from the pay and display car park, (where there are also toilets).
There are some very useful information boards, however, I would advise buying the well priced guidebook which provides a lot of context and historical detail around each era of the castle.
There is a small museum which displays many of the artefacts found here and elsewhere in the north of England. There is an area upstairs which wasn't open when we were there due to covid restrictions.
Allow around 2 to 3 hours to visit.
Interesting links with nearby Rievaulx and Bylands Abbey so if you are around for a few days I recommend seeing all 3.
Short walk into the village where there are lots of good cafes and lunch spots.
There are some very useful information boards, however, I would advise buying the well priced guidebook which provides a lot of context and historical detail around each era of the castle.
There is a small museum which displays many of the artefacts found here and elsewhere in the north of England. There is an area upstairs which wasn't open when we were there due to covid restrictions.
Allow around 2 to 3 hours to visit.
Interesting links with nearby Rievaulx and Bylands Abbey so if you are around for a few days I recommend seeing all 3.
Short walk into the village where there are lots of good cafes and lunch spots.
Written May 31, 2021
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.
Tiffany A
5 contributions
Dec 2021 • Family
A beautiful 1.5-2 hour amble through these castle ruins. They are hauntingly glorious when the fog is around, really added to the ambiance of our trip. We grabbed the audio tour and put our eldest in charge of listening and reporting what he heard back to our group. The audio guide isn’t very loud so you’ll want headphones or someone to relay the info like us.
Moderately pushchair friendly! We got it up to the ruins and parked it under the stairs near the little museum so we weren’t dragging it through the grass. The workers told us to just come down the way we came so that we didn’t mess with the stairs and rougher terrain as you exit the castle area.
More needs to be said about the English Heritage workers, they are kind, helpful, and go out of their way to cater to the children to keep them invested. They were absolutely wonderful and were an excellent help.
Helmsley is such a lovely, quintessential market town! It was positively magical in the fog and Christmas lights. We had Market Grill for breakfast and La Trattoria for lunch (didn’t realise they were owned by the same people!) and stopped in at a few shops—loved The Ginger Bear!
Moderately pushchair friendly! We got it up to the ruins and parked it under the stairs near the little museum so we weren’t dragging it through the grass. The workers told us to just come down the way we came so that we didn’t mess with the stairs and rougher terrain as you exit the castle area.
More needs to be said about the English Heritage workers, they are kind, helpful, and go out of their way to cater to the children to keep them invested. They were absolutely wonderful and were an excellent help.
Helmsley is such a lovely, quintessential market town! It was positively magical in the fog and Christmas lights. We had Market Grill for breakfast and La Trattoria for lunch (didn’t realise they were owned by the same people!) and stopped in at a few shops—loved The Ginger Bear!
Written December 22, 2021
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.
CSYork
York, UK311 contributions
Sep 2020 • Family
We booked our visit in a timed slot at short notice online, we are members of English Heritage, but it is open also to the public. Received an email back very promptly confirming our booking. We had a lovely afternoon, Our young Granddaughter enjoyed the open space, the female staff were so welcoming and lovely with Our Granddaghter. We would highly recommend it, so much more welcoming than a recent visit to a National Trust Property.
Written September 13, 2020
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.
Jimbomoore
Bradford, UK13 contributions
Aug 2020 • Family
Just got my English Heritage pass and just had to try it out. Drove up to Helmsley and went to see the ruins. The entrance is right next to the Pay and Display parking and is a short walk from the village. Their is a picnic area outside the grounds that you can see the ruins. Once you go through the entrance there is a scenic route or normal route. The scenic route isn't too long and goes around the dried up moat. Inside there is lots of information to look at on boards and there is a audio guide that you can get on your phone (though I didnt know how to do it) there is a museum and has some interesting items in, some some of the items look like they have been removed due to covid. (understandable). The children played on the lawns, climbed a few of the small rocks/walls dotted about the place. Overall enjoyable. Take a picnic.
Written August 30, 2020
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.
FlorianFY
Bispham, UK730 contributions
Aug 2020
Set in the nice, if twee, village /town of the same name this English Heritage castle is worth a visit, with a modern purpose built visitor centre at the entrance and friendly staff the place was explained to us before entering the grounds of the castle proper. Relatively large much of the medieval castle is ruins having been ordered by parliament to be ruined after the Civil War. The later Manor House houses an exhibition showing the history through displays and the fabric of the house itself. The place was nit highly regarded being hired to a tennis club in the Victorian era, Thankfully English Heritage now are preserving the building and telling its story...They are well worth supporting.
Recommend.
Recommend.
Written August 30, 2020
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.
Jools_Glos
Brockworth, UK41 contributions
Dec 2021 • Couples
We booked tickets to visit Helmsley Castle on 31st December via the English Heritage website and their ticket agent, See Tickets. When we arrived, despite the website allowing us to book tickets, and the opening times on the boards outside the castle suggesting it was open, the visitor centre was closed and we could not access the site.
We called English Heritage, who confirmed that the site was closed and claimed that tickets should not have been sold for that day. The matter has been referred to a manager, so hopefully we'll get a refund!
We called English Heritage, who confirmed that the site was closed and claimed that tickets should not have been sold for that day. The matter has been referred to a manager, so hopefully we'll get a refund!
Written December 31, 2021
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.
The Wallis's
Huntingdon, UK114 contributions
Sep 2022 • Couples
We always try to support local venues when visiting an area. Helmsley Castle isn't the biggest castle we have visited but it is worth a visit. Lots of history and insight into how people lived in another era. It's not the cheapest but if it helps to preserve historic places on interest then it is worth it.
Written September 1, 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.
malholme
Lewes, UK521 contributions
Aug 2020
Set on a n outcrop of rock in Rye river valley this is an impressive site. It has the advantage of the the very picturesque market town of Helmsley to the east. It dates from the early 12th.century, but most of the stonework is from 1200 onwards. Deep ditches and tall towers are characterstic of the site. The staff were lovely and provided a wheelchair for my disabled wife, so with the help of our son-in-law she was able to see the whole site. Our daughter had booked our morning visit, as required by Covid regulations, and we were booked for Rievaulx Abbey( qv) in the afternoon. There are many good quality/value takeaway eateries in Helmsley
Written August 22, 2020
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.
From the site.
Heritage Member - Free
Adult £8.60
Child £5.00
Concession £7.70
Family (2 adults, up to 3 children) £22.20
Family (1 adult, up to 3 children) £13.60
Written November 3, 2024
Are there public toilets here?
Written March 3, 2019
There are in the large car park and in Helmsley. Not sure about the castle itself.
Written April 6, 2019
Are dogs allowed to go in
Written December 16, 2018
Yes, they are if on a lead.
Written December 19, 2018
Do they sell the Helmsley Castle guidebook, which has a red spine, at the Castle itself?
Written August 1, 2018
In the shop before you go up to the castle, yes.
Written August 5, 2018
Do they sell the Helmsley Castle guidebook, which has a red spine, at the castle itself?
Written July 1, 2018
Yes and No. I had my daughter and a pushchair. There’s a path going around the mound the castles on so you can get up and down easily and there’s enough to see at the top. Once in the ruin you can go in to the old manner house but there are steps, we left our Pushchair outside for this part and it was fine.
Written July 19, 2018
Showing results 1-6 of 6
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing