Frequently Asked Questions

Those without access to the Castle Howard website can phone 01653 648621 9am - 5pm Monday to Friday to book their arrival time slot. 

If you happen to be running late or early, your booking barcode will still work so there is no need to try to re-book; this is simply about spreading out visitors throughout the day so that you can have a better experience, and we can manage capacity and maintain suitable social distancing conditions.

You will be emailed a bar code for each person visiting and this is what you need, either printed at home or visible on your phone to self-scan in when you arrive at the ticket office. We will not be handing you a physical ticket, our intention is for your entrance to be a contactless experience.

In the initial phase of reopening, the Land Train will not be running, apologies for any inconvenience caused. 

Castle Howard regrets to say that following discussions with Historic Houses, and given the exceptional current circumstances, it has not proved possible to continue the membership access scheme for the Gardens and House.

Skelf Island Adventure Playground is open daily and is included with a Gardens ticket.

Dogs are welcome in the grounds of Castle Howard, we ask for them to be kept on a lead at all times for the safety of our wildlife and other visitors.  

The Atlas Fountain runs daily throughout the high season, between 10.45am and 4.00pm and it is powered by the Ray Wood Reservoir and due to fluctuating water levels they may not be operating at all times.

The Coffee Shop will be open for a grab and go takeaway service including hot and cold drinks, sandwiches, ice creams and cakes. We will be operating a one-in, one-out queuing system and enabling social distancing measures by re-routing the flow through this space. Please ensure you dress for the weather on the day of your visit as our new queuing systems and social distancing measures rely on the outdoor spaces.
There will be a takeaway service operating from the Kiosk at the Boathouse on busy days.

The main toilets in the Courtyard are open, including the accessible toilet and the baby changing facility. We have installed portable toilets on the North Front (as you walk down the main drive they will be on the left by the tree line). These are individual units, allowing outdoor queuing in the open air and they will be regularly cleaned and maintained by our facilities team. You will see additional hand wash and hand sanitiser stations around the site, which we encourage you to use.

Visitors are welcome to use their MAX card to visit the Castle Howard Gardens. 1 adult and up to 3 children can gain free admission with 1 MAX card.

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak all visitors must pre-book an arrival time slot to visit us, including visitors with affiliate membership scheme cards. Membership cards must be shown at the Ticket Office upon arrival, we regret that we cannot permit access without a valid membership card.

Visitors are welcome to use their YGHC&Gs card to visit the Castle Howard Gardens. 1 family (2 adults and up to 3 children) can gain free admission with 1 YGHC&Gs card.

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak all visitors must pre-book an arrival time slot to visit us, including visitors with affiliate membership scheme cards. Membership cards must be shown at the Ticket Office upon arrival, we regret that we cannot permit access without a valid membership card.

Barbecues are not allowed anywhere on the Castle Howard Estate.

The ticketing page of our website will show a red box when validating your tickets if your membership has expired. For any queries around membership, including booking, renewal, access and new purchases, please email [email protected]ward.co.uk

Please note that we do not allow bikes, scooters, frisbees or ball games using hard balls and footballs within the Gardens. Toddlers with balance bikes and soft foam balls are allowed and we would ask that you respect other visitors and our Gardens whilst playing freely and enjoying your day.

Please visit our Family Visits page for more information

Yes, all parking on site is free of charge. We have a hard-standing gravel car park and we also have a car park for Blue Badge holders. 

Height restrictions apply when approaching Castle Howard from eastbound on the A64 due to low and narrow archways on the approach road. Vehicles over 3.43m high x 2.60m wide should continue on the A64 to Malton and approach Castle Howard via Coneysthorpe (follow the brown signs from Malton).