Leeds Castle with Kids: What to See, How Long to Allow and Whether It's Worth It

Is it worth it with children?

Yes, and more so than most castles — because the castle building is the smallest part of a Leeds Castle day. Three playgrounds, an obstacle course, a 2,400-yew maze with an underground exit, daily falconry displays, adventure golf, a train, a ferry and 500 acres of open grass are all inside the same ticket. Children who would be bored in an hour of rooms have five hours of everything else.

The three-star reviews from families are not about the castle. They are about distance, and they are answerable.

What children get, ranked by how long it holds them

Every one of those is set out in more detail on things to do at Leeds Castle, and that table is the argument for the Ultimate Explorer ticket. If a child is going to want the train, the ferry and a round of golf, the £11 difference pays for itself before lunch. Both tiers are set out on Leeds Castle ticket prices.

Four rules that catch families out

• No pushchairs inside the castle building or the Castle View Restaurant. A buggy park sits at the door. Plan to carry a small child through the rooms.
• No scooters, bikes or wheel-based toys anywhere in the grounds. Toddlers' Smart Trikes are the one exception, so leave the scooter in the car.
• No dogs except assistance dogs. Wildfowl roam free across the moat, so the family dog stays at home rather than in the car park.
• No barbecues, disposable or otherwise. Picnics are welcome, and there is a sandy beach with an ice cream parlour to eat one beside. The rest of the gate rules are on visiting Leeds Castle.

The walk, and how to stop it ruining the afternoon

The single most repeated complaint from families is the distance from the car park to the castle and back again at the end of a long day. One reviewer with a young child said the visit would have been a five rather than a four if there had been a shuttle back to the exit.

There is. The free accessible mobility bus runs from near the ticket office through the day, and the castle publishes the furthest you have to travel to reach it as about 100 metres. On an Ultimate Explorer ticket, six trips on the castle train or the Black Swan Ferry cover the crossings inside the estate. Neither is advertised at the gate. Full detail is on the accessibility page, which is as useful to a family with a buggy as it is to a wheelchair user.

A running order that works with children

1. 10:00 — the castle building first. Everyone is fresh, the coaches have not arrived, and 45 minutes of rooms is easier before lunch than after.
2. 11:15 — the maze. Adults find it harder than children do, which is the point.
3. 12:15 — picnic on the grass or the beach. Or the cafés, if you did not bring one.
4. 13:30 — the falconry display. Check the day's times when you arrive; they are seasonal.
5. 14:30 — the playgrounds and the obstacle course. Let this run as long as it runs.
6. 16:00 — the train or the ferry back. Turning the walk out into a ride is what saves the last hour, and the crossings are marked on the map and layout page.

Family ticket bands, and where the cut-off falls

Child pricing runs from three to fifteen; sixteen and over pays adult. Family 1 covers one adult with up to three children, Family 2 covers two adults with up to three, and both beat the same heads bought singly. A two-adult, three-child Explorer family is £115.00 online against £128.50 at the gate.

And the ticket runs twelve months. A wet Saturday is not a wasted fare, it is the first half of a year. That is a far easier thing to say to a disappointed seven-year-old than anything else you could tell them at the gate.

Is a coach day from London a good idea with children?

Honestly, no — not if the children are the reason you are going. A Leeds Castle day trip from London gives ninety minutes at the castle and spends the rest of ten hours on a coach, at Canterbury Cathedral and at a cliff-top view. One traveller who took this route with a seven-year-old and a fourteen-year-old reported the castle was the high point and the rest was not.

The exception is the two-castle day, which gives three hours at Leeds before Hever. If you are in London without a car and the children want a castle rather than a cathedral, that is the one to look at. Otherwise take the train to Bearsted, take the 20% green travel discount, and give the estate a whole day.

Frequently asked questions

Give the estate a whole day, use the castle train back to the car park, and let the twelve-month ticket take the pressure off the weather. The family fares are at Leeds Castle Tours.