What it is?
Alnwick Castle is a castle and country house in Alnwick in the English county of Northumberland. It is the seat of The 12th Duke of Northumberland, built following the Norman conquest and renovated and remodelled a number of times.
It is a Grade I listed building in the UK and receives over 800,000 visitors per year when combined with adjacent attraction The Alnwick Garden.
Alnwick Castle and Harry Potter
As detailed on the official website, the movie locations are the following:
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone filmed on location at Alnwick Castle in autumn 2000.
- The following year, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (the second film in the series) used Alnwick Castle for shooting.
- The Outer Bailey is recognisable as the area where Harry and his fellow students learned to fly broomsticks with Madam Hooch (Zoe Wanamaker). Harry also learned the rules of wizarding sport Quidditch in the Outer Bailey.
- The courtyards and baileys of Alnwick Castle were used to film Hogwarts students and staff going about their daily activities. Harry and Ron crash-landed the Weasley family’s flying car in the Inner Bailey.
- The Lion Arch was a way in and out of Hogwarts, heading towards Hagrid’s cabin and the Forbidden Forest.
Tours and Activities
The castle offers an interesting variety of tours, activities and exhibitions. Some of them are:
- Broomstick training
- “Alnwick On Location” Film Tour
- Historical Grounds Tour
- State Room Tour
- Archery
- 10-Minute Talks
The broomstick training is the most popular one, especially among children and Harry Potter fans. As you would expect, what everybody wants is a good picture “flying” a broomstick (which is provided) on the very spot where Harry had his first flying lesson in the film production of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
Archery is also popular (for aged 9 or over), as it was the most important skills a medieval army.
Tickets and Prices
Tickets are available online, where you can book in advanced to avoid queues. Check this link to be informed about Covid-19 and temporary closures.
Prices are currently the following:
Castle Adult – £18.50
Castle Concession – £15.00
Castle Child (5-16yrs) – £9.75
Castle Child (4yrs and under)- Free
Castle Family (2 adults and up to 4 children)- £50.50
Castle and Garden Combined Ticket Prices
Castle and Garden Adult – £30.25
Castle and Garden Concession – £26.00
Castle and Garden Child (5-16yrs) – £13.25
Castle and Garden Child (4yrs and under)- Free
Castle and Garden Family (2 adults and up to 4 children) – £76.50
Other interesting tours offered by tour operator are:
- Alnwick Castle, the Northumberland Coast & the Borders Day Tour from Edinburgh
- Skip the Line: Alnwick Castle Ticket
- Holy Island, Alnwick Castle & The Kingdom of Northumbria from Edinburgh
Getting there
Alnwick Castle is an hour and 41 minutes by car from Edinburgh and only 41 minutes from Newcastle airport.
It is an excellent stop if you are driving across the UK. We did it on our first road trip from London to Edinburgh.
Trains and buses are available to get there as well. Check here for more information.
More pictures
Additional Travel Information
- If you are planning to visit the Castle I would strongly recommend visiting Edinburgh, one of the most beautiful cities in the UK. Find more information in our post “Top things to do in Edinburgh“
- And if you like Harry Potter, check our post “Visiting Harry Potter’s Warner Bros. Studio in London“.