Dartmouth Castle

Dartmouth Castle

Dartmouth Castle
4
Historic SitesPoints of Interest & LandmarksCastles
Monday
Closed
Tuesday
Closed
Wednesday
Closed
Thursday
Closed
Friday
Closed
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
One of the most picturesquely sited fortresses in England. For over six hundred years, the castle has guarded the narrow entrance to the Dart Estuary and the busy port of Dartmouth. John Hawley, privateering mayor of Dartmouth and the prototype of the flambouyant "Shipman" in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, began this fascinating complex of defences in 1388. Explore the passageways and climb to the top of the Gun Tower for stunning views out to sea. Child friendly and dog friendly.
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  • AprilForbes
    Salisbury, United Kingdom1,613 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    Some great castle views
    I was so looking forward to visiting this castle, but on first view from the carpark, I didn't get the wow factor. It was raining whilst we visited, would have loved to do the walks, but admit it was too wet, so think missed out on some great views. Sea was very choppy as well. For us, the tower was the best. Lots of steps, so if you have any mobility problems, maybe it is not for you. Was looking forward to getting maybe coffee and cake from the cafe, but upon entering, it is very small and there is no seating, hence had to get takeaway cups to drink in the car!! I would love to come back, but when weather is good, that way get the full benefit of what is available.
    Visited April 2024
    Travelled with friends
    Written 5 April 2024
  • Stephanie P
    57 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great castle
    Love this place great views mine cafe friendly people. Castle small but interesting with lots of corridors and staircases. Rooftop great (85 miles to France) dogs allowed but take turns going on the stairs and rooftop.
    Visited May 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 7 May 2024
  • Connor
    Portishead, United Kingdom146 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    Not that impressed and fairly pricey.
    Was expecting a lot more, the main castle there really wasn't much to see at all, I would say we were in there all of 10 mins at best and the tower was more impressive but had to walk all the way round due to the path being closed. The cost to get in was £24 for 2 adults, it is cheaper if you book online first, they were a little pushy on trying to get you to be a member of English Heritage, we declined. The cafe nearby was also very expensive at around £2.50 a can of coke, i've paid less in London! All in all I have seen far better castles in the UK for a fraction of the price and spend a good morning or afternoon, not just 20 minutes or so. Dartmouth is a beautiful place otherwise and would really recommend it.
    Visited May 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 3 June 2024
  • Kevin S
    Pontypridd, United Kingdom7,109 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Spread across effectively two sites
    Spread across effectively two sites a few hundred metres apart they are both interesting offering good information on the history of the castles and with a good collection of old positioned canon. The one part is immediately adjacent to St Petrox church, the better part I thought, and the defensive canon tower is practically indistinguishable from being part of the church until up close. It was just that with the local authority owned car park not recognising my car registration number, it only offered a 1 hour stay. Therefore we visited within that timescale. And on reflection £11 per person seems expensive for what can be covered in such a short time
    Visited June 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 11 June 2024
  • JackPC32
    Exeter, United Kingdom581 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great castle
    Perched atop a cliff, a stone's throw from the Harbour, this attraction charges an entry fee. We opted not to venture inside. However, the exterior offers a stunning view of the English Channel and Kingswear Castle. It's worth noting that purchasing tickets ahead of time can offer a small saving.
    Visited June 2024
    Travelled with friends
    Written 13 June 2024
  • Sarah B
    Teignmouth, United Kingdom655 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Quaint little castle clinging to the banks of the River Dart.
    This is a beautiful location on the River Dart, very scenic and photogenic. The Castle itself is very small and gets crowded during weekends and holidays, parts of it accessed through the churchyard are hard to find but they are the oldest and most interesting bits. The tiny beach cove just beyond the castle is idyllic and worth the steps down and then up again. Parking is a nightmare, probably better to get the boat from Dartmouth Town instead.
    Visited March 2024
    Travelled solo
    Written 26 July 2024
  • Tsurupack
    1,340 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    Too bad.
    A 20-minute walk from the center, in front of a small castle with a beautiful church in front, is a makeshift ticket office. Next door is a small church, painted with new white paint, which ruins the old castle and the sea. The fort on the other side of the channel, or the heart-shaped fort that no one stopped by before coming here, is more tasteful and wonderful.
    Visited July 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 15 August 2024
  • holiday950
    Sheffield, United Kingdom38 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    Go if you are English heritage members.
    We enjoyed visiting the castle on a sunny morning in August, but I am glad we are English heritage members as the entry cost was very expensive for the the time you could spend there. Lots of information on the history of the fortifications and some excellent views. As with lots of historic buildings this would not be suitable for anyone with mobility issues and we had to be careful with our 2 year old around the spiral stairs. Again to be expected. Overall I just feel if we had of had to pay £11 per adult and £6 per child over 5 for entry we would have been disappointed.
    Visited August 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 22 August 2024
  • Deb
    London, United Kingdom185 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Lovely Castle
    Book online before 8.45 on the day you want to visit to get discount. At £8 each not bad, but full price on the day it is expensive. Lovely setting, great walks, but castle itself isn’t much - it just has canons. The church next door is lovely. I still recommend going- don’t drive there, take the castle ferry from Dartmouth outside the RNLI shop £6 return or walk.
    Visited August 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 30 August 2024
  • Hazel A
    London, United Kingdom12 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Definitely worth a visit
    Visited with my grandson age 8, a couple of days after the wind (storm) had hit Devon so because the castle is in 2 different parts we were unable to visit the part near all the trees. However we were able to visit the fortress down by the estuary, and we spent a lovely hour or so exploring. It helped having an English Heritage membership. Staff were very apologetic about the fact the whole site wasn’t open, and were very friendly & helpful. Getting to the site had to negotiate narrow roads and a very sharp bend down to the castle, but think this may have been due to a road closure the other way. There’s also a coastal pathway very nearby. It was worth the effort to go
    Visited December 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 22 December 2024
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4.0
4.0 of 5 bubbles881 reviews
Excellent
352
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116
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9

Melissa S
Coulsdon184 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2023 • Couples
What a lovely little castle! Lots of history, and there is a lot of information on boards explaining the uses of the castle over the centuries. We are English Heritage members so didn’t pay an entrance fee but we spent 1-1 1/2 hours there. I’d recommend the park and ride to Dartmouth and then getting the Dartmouth Castle ferry from the quay as there is very little parking at the castle itself. Well worth a visit - we found it to be fascinating x
Written 12 September 2023
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.

revcole7
Ipswich, UK241 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022
The title castle is somewhat of a misnomer as this is really a costal fort that served for many years as the first line of defence for the Tidal town of Dartmouth. It is an interesting place to visit and offers splendid views of the estuary and town for a high vantage point.

There are some interesting displays and lots of information about the history but children will soon become bored given its size. The visit would receive five stars but given its size and facilities I believe the entrance price is somewhat high and it therefore doesn't offer good value for money. This aside, it is recommended.
Written 17 August 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.

Jessie
Manchester, UK537 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2021 • Couples
We had a day out in Dartmouth and decided to follow the coastal path to the castle. In town it said 1 mile. We walked or seemed to wall much further than this, I feel we had walked well over a mile when we saw another sign saying 1/2 mile. Lovely walk, the rain spoiled it a little but luckily we found shelter under a tree. When we arrived we were a little bemused that the cafe was shut so nowhere to get a drink but there were public toilets near the red phone box. The castle looked very small what we could see of it (2nd picture, but 1st picture is from the boat and it does look better) there was a sign outside saying pre-booked tickets only. This was a little annoying we couldn't see why they couldn't have put a sign on the directions to the castle to save people a wasted journey, but due to how things have just reopened maybe we should have thought about this. There was a sign saying you could get a boat back to town so we did due mainly due to the weather but good if you have children or find it hard to make the walk £2.50 per adult, £1.50 per child and this goes back and forth all day, takes only 5/10 mins on the boat.
Written 24 May 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.

MrsPiggy2014
Cwmbran, UK23 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 • Couples
Thought that entrance price was expensive, even with Concession rates. We are quite fit, in our 70's, but some of the steps were very steep and not easy to negotiate, both in the castle and the fort by the church.
Interesting canons, and other related items (ammunition) .
We knew that the castle closed at 4pm, and we looked forward to having a cuppa in the castle cafe on exiting. Unfortunately, it was closed and as it was only around 3pm at this time, we were so disappointed and put out.
This was so disappointing and in some ways, "offensive" as the weather was not great, we had spent a decent amount of money to visit the castle, and a warm cuppa would have been welcomed and finished off the 4 mile walk to the castle that we had made.
Will not visit again.
Written 25 February 2024
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.

Steve H
13 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2024 • Couples
£10.80 per adult for what was about half an hour of reading about the castle on the various boards. The castle has not been very well looked after, there is nothing to see other than replicas of canons. Total rip off in our opinion.
The passenger ferry to and from was a delight however. The church was much more interesting than the castle. Only go if you have membership, but based on our experience of our first visit to an English Heritage site, we would not now become members. Disappointed 😞
Written 31 August 2024
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.

RJW
9 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2021
Visited in August 2021, on a hot day in Dartmouth; well worth it. Most castles are in the middle of fields - so this one is a bit different by being on the Sea Coast. Very nice staff. Will keep you interested for 90 minutes.
We walked there (very pleasant), but due to the heat, we took the regular small boats back to Dartmouth Town Centre ( even more pleasant !!) - they run every 20 minutes and I think it was £2.50 per person (single). In al, a lovely afternoon out.
Written 4 September 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.

RIchard035
Northwood, UK1,348 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020
Dartmouth Castle is very small, with only about 3 rooms to see. If you are and English Heritage member it is free to enter and therefore probably worth a visit if you are in the area. However, if you are not a member you have to pay to enter and it is very expensive for what it is. There is some information available on the history of the castle but I don't think our visit lasted more than about 15 minutes. There is a kiosk selling snacks outside the castle and some toilets in the car park. You can access the castle by foot - it is a long walk from the town, by car - there is a small car park, or by boat. The small boat leaves regularly from the centre of Dartmouth and you get a very pleasant trip around the harbour. Social distancing is taken seriously, with only 2 groups allowed on board - one seated at the back of the boat and one at the front.
Written 4 October 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.

AJ66
London, UK95 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020
Great place to visit for a couple of hours when you are in Dartmouth. This is owned and run by English Heritage so we booked tickets on their website. W drove from Dartmouth, only about 6 or 7 mins out of Dartmouth town centre. You could walk it so it would be ablaut a 20-25 min walk.

Great views over the River Dart and outlook to the English Channel.
Written 25 August 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.

Vince H
Skelton-in-Cleveland, UK528 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020
Having visited a significant amount of castles throughout the country, we were a little disappointed with Dartmouth Castle. Although in a beautiful location with lovely panoramic views of the Dart estuary and out to sea, the interior left a little to be desired. Only two small parts of the Castle were accessible and these focused predominantly on the cannons and other weaponry, which although interesting, felt somewhat limited in scope. There are footpaths to explore, but the atrocious weather on the day of our visit did little to encourage us to explore further. This is obviously no fault of English Heritage who cannot control the English weather. Although the signage for the entrance and gift shop were evident, having waited for 15 minutes in the queue in the pouring rain, we were advised that as we had pre-booked tickets, we did not have to queue. The Castle entrance was down a slippery path adjacent to the church. The staff at the Castle were very friendly and knowledgeable. The small tea room, although only providing takeaway service, was a very welcome sight at the end of our visit. I really needed that steaming cup of coffee.
Written 31 August 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.

Alexandra B
Dale Abbey, UK280 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2022 • Friends
We really enjoyed our visit today! Loads of information and great castle, kids will love it! Lots of rooms & tunnels to explore. Especially
Liked the gun turrets! The big gun with the sound enactment was fantastic!
There is a lot of strep steps but this is to be expected with a castle! Just take care with young children, dogs & elderly! The staff were great though as when they saw I had 3 dogs, they showed me a different & less steep way down which was perfect!
Lots of guns to see & information on how the castle was used through the different eras & wars.
There’s a lovely cafe at the top of the castle & lots of walks to go around including Sugary Cove, a nice little cove beach.
Definitely recommend a visit! There are around 6 parking spaces which only cost £1.50 but you can park on the road for free on the way down.
It’s only a 1.5 mile Walk from Dartmouth but just be mindful the last bit down to the castle route is no footpath, so just to bare in mind if you have dogs or child buggy’s.
Thoroughly enjoyed our visit!
Written 24 May 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.

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