Tours & Talks

Get closer to the stories of the house, landscape, family and collections by joining one of our special tours or talks.  Some are included in your admission price, while others require an additional payment and must be pre-booked.

Outdoor Guided Tours

Join one of our knowledgeable guides for a tour of the landscape and gardens.  These tours are included in your admission price and last for approximately 40 minutes.  Subjects include the great fire, the walled garden, a daily visit to the interiors of the Temple of the Four Winds, and much more. No pre-booking is required, just turn up and meet your guide in the Boar Garden.  Our ticket office staff will be happy to provide the details of the daily tours when you visit.

Castle Howard Revealed : Talks and Tours 2013

Following the success of previous years, our Curator will be hosting a series of exclusive private views, talks and tours - Castle Howard Revealed - which explore the hidden treasures of this magnificent house and estate.  These events provide the opportunity to explore the wider landscape and visit buildings not normally open to visitors, as well as the opportunity to discover documents and maps from the archives.  Some activities can be combined with a visit to the house & grounds, while others take place in the evening when the house is closed to the public.  Below you will find a brief summary of each event, including prices (discounts available for Annual Pass holders) - for more details about each event please visit our What's On pages.

Mausoleum Tour

Visit the most mysterious and imposing building in the Castle Howard landscape where generations of the Howard family are buried in the vaults beneath the spectacular chapel. The tour involves walking across uneven terrain and lasts between 2 and 2.5 hours, so sensible footwear is required. Numbers are limited and tickets cost £25.00 per person and must be pre-booked.

Premium Monumental Tour

This all-day event begins with a circuit tour that covers the heart of the famous 18th-century landscape taking in the Avenue, Gatehouse, Mock Fortifications, Pyramid, Mausoleum, and Temple with exclusive access to these buildings. The tour involves walking across uneven terrain so sensible footwear is required, and lasts approximately 3 hours. A delicious two course lunch is then served, followed by exclusive access to the Castle Howard archives in the afternoon. Numbers are limited and tickets cost £60.00 per person and must be pre-booked.

Speaking Portraits Talk

Painted in flamboyant dress or captured in a reflective pose, often by major artists of the day, who are all these people that stare down at you from the walls of Castle Howard? Drawing on a range of fascinating documents from the archives this evening will allow these figures to speak for themselves, revealing their life and times. This evening event begins at 6.30pm and lasts approximately an hour, followed by drinks and canapés. Numbers are limited and tickets cost £25.00 per person and must be pre-booked.

For more details please visit our What's On pages.

Bringing a Group?

All of the above events are open to groups.  In addition we offer a further range of tours and talks - all of which can be tailored to suit the interests of your group.  These must be pre-booked and additional fees will apply. Please see Group Visit Information for details or telephone 01653 648621.