Highclere Castle–A Day Trip from London, the Complete Travel Guide

*Cue the somber opening notes of the Downton Abbey theme tune*. Fans of the hit Masterpiece TV series are no doubt aware that the splendidly turreted Highclere Castle, nestled amidst the rolling green hills of Berkshire, served as the location for the fictional country house owned by the Earl of Grantham and his family.

Bursting with happiness to be standing in front of the real Downton Abbey

Fans of the show must also be aware that you can actually set foot within the castle walls (it’s called a castle, but it’s not really a castle anymore) and tour the rooms that we’ve become so familiar with on screen. For me, that dream finally became a reality, and I’m taking you along with me! A mere hour by train from London (plus a 15-minute taxi ride, but we’ll get to that part later), it’s the perfect day trip away from the city. Hopefully this can be of help to you when booking your own dream visit to Highclere.

The parkland surrounding Highclere Castle, looking northwards from the entrance gate

– Securing Your Ticket –

First things first. You’ve got to book your Highclere Castle ticket. This is easily done through the castle’s official website, where you can also check their calendar for available dates. It’s important to know that tickets to visit the castle sell out fairly quick.

Now don’t fret, I don’t mean within seconds or minutes — it’s more like several weeks — so there’s no need to scramble, but if you spend too long dithering about what date to choose for your visit, the available slots are definitely going to get snapped up. If you’re more of a “book entry tickets the day before” kind of person, then BEWARE: that tactic is a no-go for Highclere, because the tickets will all be gone.

I booked my ticket on 2nd January, four months out for a slot on 29th May, 2023. By mid-March, all available slots for this date were sold out. My advice is that if you’re wanting to leave it as last minute as possible, then one month in advance is as close as you can get.

– Getting There –

Now it’s time to actually make your way to Highclere Castle. I can only speak from my own experience of taking the train from London, but if you’d prefer to travel by car then fear not, I’ve still got you covered.

BY TRAIN + TAXI | The nearest rail station to Highclere Castle is Newbury, serviced by trains coming from London Paddington station.

Direct trains from Paddington to Newbury are about a 30-40 minute journey, but trains requiring a stop and change will take about 1h10 minutes. Booking your rail ticket online means you can search and choose for a direct train, saving you roughly 30 minutes of travel time, but you can also purchase tickets directly at the station ticket office if you prefer. If you take an indirect train, you’ll most likely have to change trains at Reading (this is what I did), but make sure to double-check with the station attendants.

Rail tickets can be purchased online in advance through Trainline.

Once you’ve made it to Newbury Station, you’ll need to take a taxi to get to the castle. With trains arriving from London, the station’s main exit is on the opposite platform. Take the overpass bridge, cross to the other side and exit the station, where you’ll find plenty of taxis waiting out front. On your way back to Newbury Station from Highclere however, you’ll need to call a taxi company and request a pick-up outside the castle entrance, as there are no taxis there. The journey takes roughly 15 minutes one-way, and the taxis are metered.

I had the great fortune to be picked up by a charming chauffeur named James, the Executive Driver of the Take Me Home James private taxi service, who shuttled me to Highclere in a jiffy à la Tom Branson, and dropped me off outside Newbury Station with the same efficiency. Anyone looking to hire James can visit Take Me Home James or give him a call on the day at (+44) 7498-550-526. Other taxi companies in the area are listed below:

• Go Green Taxis / (+44) 1635-800-990 / Website

• Wheels Taxis / (+44) 750-070-0961 / Website

• Cabco / (+44) 1635-33333 / Website

BY CAR | Highclere Castle lies west of London, easily accessed first by the M4 and then by the A34. Once you’re on the A34 and nearing Highclere Castle, simply follow the brown tourist signs to get to the main entrance. If you’re using a GPS or sat-nav, make sure to enter the postcode “RG20 9LE” and follow the brown tourist signs, as simply entering “Highclere Castle” into the GPS could take you to the wrong entrance.

Highclere Castle’s southeast corner, seen from Lady Mary’s bench

– Exploring the Castle & Grounds –

At last, we’ve made it to Downton Abbey! Walking through the entrance gates and following the path up to the front door made me feel as though I were Anna Bates, our kind-hearted lady’s maid, arriving back from a dash up to London with Lady Mary.

Unfortunately, photos aren’t allowed inside the actual castle itself, as it’s still a private house and the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon live there when it’s not open to visitors. But I can assure you, the moment you step through the doors you’ll instantly recognize where you are. From the library, the drawing room, the great staircase, and even some of the bedrooms upstairs, everything looks just as it did on the series, and you’ll even get to see some rooms that weren’t featured on the show, like the smoking room with its warm orange tones (which was used as a furniture storage area during filming days, I was told), and the lovely cream-coloured breakfast room.

The house tour is self-guided, but there are Highclere staff members in each room who absolutely love answering questions and pointing out the tiny details that you might miss otherwise (like the back of the drawing room door that’s covered in actual slices of leather book spines to disguise it as part of the library’s bookshelf). In the library, there’s a smattering of framed family photographs cluttered throughout the shelves and desktops, and if you look very carefully, you’ll notice Princess Diana in one of them. I was also thrilled to learn that the late Queen Elizabeth II was the current Earl of Carnarvon’s godmother, which explains why there’s such a large number of her portraits placed amongst the family photos.

The best view in the house is undoubtedly the Entrance Hall: as you descend the great staircase and stand between the arches, you’ll be met with a sweeping panorama of the mullions on the upper floor gallery and the pilasters curving upwards to form the vaults. Stay a while and admire the meticulous wall tapestries, elegant furniture, and bask in the dappled sunlight shining through the unbelievably high ceiling.

Lady Mary’s infamous bench

Rounding off the house tour is the infamous Dining Room, scene of many an intense verbal sparring session between Mrs Crawley and the Dowager Countess (and how could anyone forget Lord Grantham’s great Ulcer Explosion in Series 6), presided over by Anthony van Dyck’s imperious equestrian portrait of King Charles I. Apart from the Great Hall, this is the largest room on the tour, and it’s from here that, depending on the type of ticket you’ve purchased, you will continue on to the Egyptian Exhibitions, or go straight through to the gardens.

Outside, the castle grounds are just as thrilling (it is from here after all that you get to look at the familiar façade in all its glory). To get that classic Downton Abbey photo that we’ve all seen countless times in the title sequence, make your way across the lawn and follow the gravel path over to Lady Mary’s bench, where you’ll be able to capture the castle’s southeast corner framed on either side by gnarled cedar trees. With the breeze rustling the branches, and the lush green grass dotted with white daisies, it really is a fairytale scene.

Highclere Castle’s Secret Garden: a scene of serenity

Make sure to also spend some time exploring the Walled Garden, just beyond the gravel path as it slopes southwards down a gentle hill. The manicured hedge-arches alone make it worth a quick peek. If you’re pressed for time, I’d suggest spending about an hour within the castle, and around 30-40 minutes touring the grounds.

Some other areas of note that shouldn’t be missed are Jackdaw’s Castle, an 18th-century folly across the east lawn that gives a charming view of Highclere’s landscape, and the Secret Garden, a veritable utopia of flora and fauna located in the furthest corner of the Walled Garden and is quite easily missed, as the only indication of its existence is an inconspicuous wooden sign amongst the shrubbery.

Gorgeous white wisteria in full bloom in the Secret Garden

I’d wager the end of May is one of the best months to visit, as most of the flowers in the gardens will be in full bloom (the white wisteria along the walls of the Secret Garden were magnificent) and there’s a higher chance of fine weather (but this is England we’re talking about, so I make no promises). The castle is also open to visitors for a very limited selection of dates every March and April, and most of the summer months from July until the first week of September.

But whenever you choose to visit, be it under the crisp leaves of autumn or the bloom of springtime, the one thing that can be guaranteed is that as soon as you see the spires of Highclere’s turrets looming into view, you’ll feel as though you’re being welcomed home. ✿