Advertisement
Wolvesey Castle

Wolvesey Castle

Wolvesey Castle
4
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.

Top ways to experience Wolvesey Castle and nearby attractions

The area
Address
Reach out directly
See what travellers are saying
  • Warnie22
    Chester, United Kingdom3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Wolvesey Castle with tour by Douglas
    Wolvesey Castle is free of charge to visit and an easy short walk from the city centre. We were lucky to have a tour provided by Douglas, a student at Winchester College. He was very friendly and knowledgeable and brought the castle to life for us. Thank you Douglas! We were surprised that English Heritage do not have a way to donate for the maintenance of Wolvesey Castle (QR code on the way in or something similar).
    Visited November 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 29 November 2023
  • Linda C
    Bromley, United Kingdom12 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Free guided tour made our visit.
    Interesting ruins of fortified palace near Winchester Cathedral. We went for a quick look, partly because it's free(!) and were lucky to find a young man named Douglas giving guided tours. Really informative and we got a lot more out of our visit than we would if we had just read the boards. Well worth a visit, especially if the tour is available.
    Visited December 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 8 December 2023
  • sheepygold
    5,505 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Well worth a detour
    We bought a self guided walking tour from Tourist Information and this was a point of interest on the map. This is a very important medieval building with enough information boards dotted around to give you an idea of its function. A few areas are cordened off due to falling masonry. Allow 20 minutes.
    Visited December 2023
    Travelled with friends
    Written 11 December 2023
  • Thudspud
    Dinnington, United Kingdom60 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Excellent free guided tours on Wednesday afternoons
    Made the short walk from our accommodation to visit the ruins while working in Winchester for the week. We just happened to arrive on a Wednesday afternoon when they offer free guided tours. We had an excellent 20 minutes with Douglas whose knowledge really brought the ruins to life, even kept my 4 year old interested. Highly recommended.
    Visited March 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 6 March 2024
  • permia
    65,905 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Vestiges of grandeur
    Splendid evocative ruins hint at the grandeur of the Castle that was built in the 1100s. Most of what we are fortunate to still see today was the creation of Bishop Henry of Blois. Taking up the appointment as Bishop in 1129 he set about establishing a palace befitting his power and wealth. An impressively long reign as Bishop, 42 years, gave him lots of time to continually add to the edifice. It is a remarkable legacy for the city and beyond.
    Visited May 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 15 June 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

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 waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.0
4.0 of 5 bubbles376 reviews
Excellent
143
Very good
165
Average
51
Poor
7
Terrible
10

These reviews have been automatically translated from their original language.
This service may contain translations provided by Google. Google disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to translations, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and freedom from forgery.

GrandesRocques
Sunderland, UK123 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2020
Castles next to cathedrals are always interesting (Durham and Rochester spring to mind immediately) so this attracted my interest, especially when I learned entry was free, as the high price of admission to the cathedral had put me off. The extensive remains of what was in effect a fortified palace of the powerful bishops of Winchester are maintained by English Heritage and there are plenty of useful information boards outlining the site’s history. This is definitely worth seeing and the price is right. Note there are no toilets on site.
Written 15 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.

Ronnie
Hampshire, UK41 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2022 • Couples
Came to Wolvesey Castle today with my husband - He had been previously with our children who often come with us on trips like these. Personally, I wouldn’t say this is the best one for children. This is nearly all ruins and doesn’t take very long to explore. It would be better suited to older teenagers and adults who enjoy learning the historical prevalence of the area, of which there is plenty by way of the information boards etc. We live close by so this was a nice quick visit for us and we spent about an hour looking around. The grounds are situated within the city and there are lots of nearby areas to explore, so we made a good afternoon of it.
Written 3 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.

Cheekycockney190757
Basildon, UK11,525 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2021
Visited on Friday 11th June 2021 as part of a Winchester Mini Break. Day 2 Wolvesley Castle ruins were visited after our visit to the Cathedral, from whence you can walk the short distance to these ruins. No one in attendance at the on-site entrance hut but free to enter in any case. Though a lot of the site is in ruins there is enough history as detailed on the information boards to draw a mental picture when combined with the recreations pictured on the said boards to enable any visitor to appreciate what was once an impressive building that was operational for literally hundreds of years.
Written 29 July 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.

Randy T
Avon, IN616 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2023 • Couples
There are so many historical sights to see in Winchester, and this is just one of them. Our visit was a self-guided tour, and I am not certain whether it is even possible to find a knowledgeable guide. There was no payment needed to visit here and we wanted to see it. It is within walking distance of the Winchester Cathedral. Also nearby is the home where Jane Austen spent her final days. In the Castle, Queen Mary (Bloody Mary), was wed to King Philip of Spain in 1554.
Written 3 July 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.

permia
Ireland65,905 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2024 • Couples
Splendid evocative ruins hint at the grandeur of the Castle that was built in the 1100s. Most of what we are fortunate to still see today was the creation of Bishop Henry of Blois.

Taking up the appointment as Bishop in 1129 he set about establishing a palace befitting his power and wealth. An impressively long reign as Bishop, 42 years, gave him lots of time to continually add to the edifice.

It is a remarkable legacy for the city and beyond.
Written 15 June 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.

sheepygold
london5,505 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2023 • Friends
We bought a self guided walking tour from Tourist Information and this was a point of interest on the map. This is a very important medieval building with enough information boards dotted around to give you an idea of its function. A few areas are cordened off due to falling masonry. Allow 20 minutes.
Written 12 December 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.

RIchard035
Northwood, UK1,350 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020
Wolvesey Castle in Winchester is a ruin. It is run by English Heritage and is free to enter. If you are in the area it might be worth popping in to wander around for a few minutes but I wouldn't make a special trip to visit it as there isn't much to see. Some people seemed to use it as a place to have a picnic.
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.

KH
London, UK666 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2023 • Solo
The entrance is a little hard to find, but there is a facility like a ticket booth just off the street. However, when I visited, it was free and the booth was unmanned. It is a fairly large ruin, even though it is located near the center of the city, and it is fun to look around while imagining what it was like in the past.
Google
Written 19 November 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.

lyndacoombes80
Merthyr Tydfil, UK61 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2023 • Couples
When we visited the castle it was a cold rainy and snowy afternoon but we managed to see quite a lot of the ruins which is spread over a very large area. A lot of information boards with helpful data. Must see attractions.
Written 12 March 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.

Warnie22
Chester, UK3 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2023 • Couples
Wolvesey Castle is free of charge to visit and an easy short walk from the city centre. We were lucky to have a tour provided by Douglas, a student at Winchester College. He was very friendly and knowledgeable and brought the castle to life for us. Thank you Douglas!

We were surprised that English Heritage do not have a way to donate for the maintenance of Wolvesey Castle (QR code on the way in or something similar).
Written 30 November 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.

Showing results 1-10 of 346
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
*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

WOLVESEY CASTLE (2024) All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

All Winchester HotelsWinchester Hotel DealsLast Minute Hotels in Winchester
All things to do in Winchester
RestaurantsFlightsHoliday RentalsTravel StoriesCruisesCar Hire