Year-round visits with castle, gardens and family attractions
Book Leeds Castle tickets for access to the Castle, gardens and 500 acres of parkland, plus family-friendly attractions like the maze, playgrounds, birds of prey displays and the Dog Collar Museum. Standard admission is designed as a pay once, visit all year ticket, so one booking gives you repeat visits for 12 months.
Leeds Castle has a year-round programme of family events, with several experiences included in your admission ticket. The current headline exhibition is Pilgrimage of Love: Eleanor of Castile, running from 9 March to 1 November 2026.
Families visiting during the summer holidays can also enjoy Summertime at Leeds Castle and the Little People, BIG DREAMS: Inspiring Women Trail, both running from 22 July to 31 August 2026 and included with admission.
Coming up next, the family-friendly Sculpture Trail runs from 29 August to 4 October 2026, followed by Halloween at Leeds Castle from 17 October to 1 November 2026. These events are included with a valid admission ticket, so the annual pass-style ticket can offer particularly good value if you plan to return.
For bigger seasonal evenings, book separately for the Leeds Castle Fireworks Spectacular on 7 and 8 November 2026, or visit for Christmas Lights at Leeds Castle from 20 November 2026 to 3 January 2027. The festive Wallace & Gromit: A Cracking Christmas Caper runs from 21 November 2026 to 3 January 2027 and is included with admission.
Event dates, availability and ticket inclusions can change, so check the event details before travelling.
If you want more built into your day, the Ultimate Explorer Ticket adds six trips on the Black Swan Ferry or Elsie the Castle Train, plus one round of Adventure Golf. For more family days out in the same style, browse castles and palaces.
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Trusted by 10,000,000 FamiliesThe main official options are Explorer Ticket and Ultimate Explorer Ticket. Both include entry to Leeds Castle, the gardens and grounds, and a full year of repeat visits from the date your ticket becomes valid.
Explorer Ticket covers the core Leeds Castle experience, including the Castle, parkland, maze, playgrounds, birds of prey displays and selected included daytime events. Ultimate Explorer Ticket includes all of that, plus six trips on the Black Swan Ferry or Elsie the Castle Train, and one round of Adventure Golf.
A Leeds Castle day out gives families a mix of heritage, open space and activities that are easy to shape around different ages. You can spend time inside the Castle, then head back outside for the maze, playgrounds, gardens and parkland walks.
The estate covers 500 acres, so there is room to spread out even on a fuller day. Alongside the main Castle visit, families can plan in birds of prey displays, the Dog Collar Museum and seasonal daytime programming included with admission.
Inside the Castle, visitors step into Leeds Castle's 1930s interiors and follow stories shaped by queens, heiresses and more than 900 years of history. Admission also includes the Queens with Means cinematic experience and selected exhibition content.
Outside, families can make a full day of the maze and underground grotto, two children's playgrounds, the Bird of Prey Centre and wide parkland walks. The scale of the estate makes it a good fit for mixed-age family groups who want space as well as activities.
If you book the Ultimate Explorer Ticket, you also get six trips on the Black Swan Ferry or Elsie the Castle Train and one round of Adventure Golf. It is the better-value option if those extras are part of your plan.
1st April - 30th September Grounds and Gardens Monday to Sunday 10:00 - 18:00 Castle Monday to Sunday 10:30 - 17:30
1st October - 31st March Grounds and Gardens Monday to Sunday 10:00 - 17:00 Castle Monday to Sunday 10:30 - 16:00
Leeds Castle
Maidstone, Kent, ME17 1PL, England
Tel: 01622 765400
Last updated: 12:50 24/09/2026
Most asked questions relating to Leeds Castle.
Leeds Castle admission includes entry to the Castle, gardens, parkland and core family attractions such as the maze, playgrounds and birds of prey displays. Ultimate Explorer tickets also include six trips on the Black Swan Ferry or Elsie the Castle Train and one round of Adventure Golf. Evening and special ticketed events are separate.
