Nice way to kill a bit of time. Couldn't have picked a nicer day to go. It was glorious weather. Being disabled I couldn't get to see much of it as it's not very disabled friendly. Well I don't suppose when this place was built it was meant to accommodate disabled people. I do think a couple of parking bays could be allocated to the disabled as it was a nightmare getting my mobility scooter over the cobbled entrance. But once in I was fine. There is an on site cafe which does hot cold drinks and sandwiches and things. I had a toasted sandwich which was delicious but coffee was very disappointing. It was like sludge. Couldn't drink it. Sorry just being honest. Anyway well worth a visit to the castle. And it's free.

Had a most enjoyable afternoon here at the Castle and prison. You can walk around courtyards but if you wish to enter to see rooms, prison cells or courts you have to take a guided tour. Reasonably priced and we had an enthusiastic guide full of knowledge and stories who provided an excellent tour. The cafe was lovely with interesting and tasty choices of food .

Nice visit, the tour was was good, the lady presenting the tour was really goog. Nice cafe loved the fresh Tea leaf thought bit expensive £5.80 for two pots. But better than Tea bags, well popular by the custom usage. Parking is a bit of a problem outside of the castle, Sunday are free but the parking metre still take the payment.

This was a fascinating castle to see firsthand, being preserved strongly to this day on highly accessible grounds! The tour guide times are listed clearly and a lady was very helpful in taking me and my friend's booking, giving me a discount because of my disability. We really enjoyed the tour that gave a true insight into the castle's history, though the areas it took us into are not photographed here since it's illegal.

Beautiful castle, working prison still inside and access to the areas pictured are free. You can pay for tours if you wish but we were on a flying visit. One of the castles that still looks like one and is maintained to be so.

Had a super time here. The castle is currently have work done so the tour was much shorter than usual (30 mins), but our tour guide Eleanor was super and we even got a verse of a folk song from her. Definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area.

This castle is so rich in history and is an excellent attraction. There are guided tours which can take up to an hour, you can explore the courtrooms and prisons too. Staff were so warm and friendly, took time to talk to us, and gave us an insight to King Charles II, the witches being trialled. Look at the stunning photos, all free too.

Absolutely loved it, as did my son! Loved walking the grounds and getting a sense of Lancaster's history, they even had a mini exhibition on where you can learn about the Pendle Witches.

Honestly I was expecting a lot better. It was quite dull to be honest. The nice bit was the jail section, but we only got to see the ground level, not allowed to explore. Also no pictures allowed anywhere because it's still officially a government site (even though it's not been used as a jail for a long time). I wouldn't recommend it to travelers to be honest but that's just me

An amazing castle with a lot of history. Don't think it cost us more than £10 for a family of four. The tour guide knew his history, it was the place to be back in the day, when you wanted to see someone get hanged. The prison was great to see, they also have a police/prison tour on Thursday and Friday's. It would have been great to have taken that tour. The surrounding churches are stunning, definitely worth a walk around. Very clean, cafey on site if you fancy a coffee. The tour lasted around 40 minutes,

Fantastic tour. The guide was really helpful, full of knowledge and full of enthusiasm. I hadn't done too much research on the castle prior to our visit, so everything was new to me and a big surprise in some places.

Parts were not accessible due to fire alarm replacement but reduced price tour (which I would tecommend doing) (£6.50) for 2 adults & 2 kids was still running. Lasted about 45 minutes. Stunning architecture and very interesting place to visit. Kids loved it and grounds beautiful. Nice cafe with toilets. From the outside hard to believe it used to be a prison.

Spectacular castle steeped in history. Tour guide was excellent, with lots of knowledge about the history of the buildings and the courts. Best castle tour we've been on as a family. Also, would make excellent school trip for criminology and Sociology students.

Great place, interesting tour but such a shame you weren't allowed to take photos of the old cells and court rooms. Worth the small fee with interesting historical facts. Beautiful cafe in Castle ground too not expensive either.

Took the family for an early Sunday tour around the castle. Our tour guide was awesome! She took the time to explain the rich history and heritage of the castle and the human stories behind it. The tour lasted around 1hr and took us throughout the castle and it's working Court rooms and recently decommissioned prison. While wandering around by yourself is an interesting pursuit, you simply cannot replace the knowledge and richness of an experienced tour guide. It was a really interesting morning and one the whole family enjoyed. Props to the Castle staff for making the whole experience both fun and educational.

Visited the castle today for the 10.30am tour. The tour guide was excellent, very informative while adding a bit of humor and also engaging well with the group, will definitely be returning to see inside the cells once covid allows!

Beautiful place to visit, but the tour isn't worth it. It's expensive, the guide speaks too fast and we go only to a few rooms. I wish to go up in the towers but it's not allowed. Neither is taking photos inside the castle. But the patio is free to visit, and also the Priory church behind the castle. These are the most beautiful areas to visit anyway.

Visited Lancaster Castle for the first time recently. The day was wet 🌧 and windy. We opted to do the full Castle 🏰 tour. The guide was very informative and gave a comprehensive history of the castle including the prison area and Crown 👑 Court. There is also a nice café and gift shop. There are public toilets 🚻 .you can visit the castle without paying although you wouldn't be able go inside. If you're in Lancaster you should visit the castle it's really interesting 🙂

An absolutely fascinating place! The female guide was fantastic she was so interesting and humorous. If you are near Lancaster you must visit this former Prison. Note this is still a working court so no photographs in certain parts. So much history and information. I loved my visit!

Guided tours limited at the moment, as Shire Hall has new fire alarms installed (June 2023) supposed to be completed later summer 23. Very interesting tour with history of the castle and visits to the prison cells.

Absolutely beautiful castle. There's a lot of history here and you'd definitely benefit from a tour. It's very well maintained and there's a cafe on site, too. The courtyards are buggy and small child safe, but the tours aren't, so you'll need some form of backup. The kids loved it, though!

Very interesting place with free art displays in some rooms. Good coffee shop while you wait for tour guide (paid tour) but an excellent storyteller, very interesting facts to hear while you tour around the castle. We'll recommend a visit.

The Lancaster Castle is a medieval castle and served as as the Lancaster prisons in the past . The famous trial of the Birmingham 6 took place here within the court house of the castle. It's a well maintained place, very neat and tidy. An outlet of the famous coffee House of Lancaster- The Atkinson tea and coffee House is situated within the castle premeises and we found it to be highly patronized. The castle is a must visit site for anyone visiting this historical Old English City of Lancaster.

excellently preserved castle. a must to visit and a must to follow the tour. it is an unforgettable experience, especially if the tour guide is Simon. Simply enchanting. like watching a play. Congratulations.

It was OK. I think there are better castles to go to farther away. The tour was short and it focused on the prison which isn't that exciting. I would skip it. It's free to walk around and take pics.

Did not have the time to take a guided tour so only saw the "free to view" parts of the Castle. Even so, there was much to enjoy!

Absolutely amazing place. We are so privileged to have such a well looked after piece of history. Stunning. The whole of Lancaster has been so well maintained and preserved, it is truly beautiful.

The castle tour was very informational and great if you love history. Shire Hall was closed during our visit but we got to explore different areas of the castle, a small exhibition about the Pendle Witch trials, and the tour guide took us inside the penitentiary where prisoners were kept with an example cell shown. Lancashire Police Museum is housed in there on the top floor and can be seen on specific days during the week. There is a cafe on site and we had pots of Lancashire blend tea! Toilets are also nearby. The castle was an operating prison up until 2011!

Too bad that they close visiting so early, we could not go inside at 16:25. Newly renovated courtyard to welcome the queen E II in 2015. Great coffee spot with students and charming atmosphere Last tour starts at 16:00 for the day. Make sure to be before that time inside the castle.

The castle itself is fantastic. A shame that the tour guide was terrible. It would have been nice to actually have time in the areas restricted to the tour to actually read the signage and historical content posted. The guide (Sandra) rushed us through, had a droning voice and carried on about the less relevant information, as well as not worrying about swearing in front of the kids we had with us. Whilst seemingly very knowledgeable, not someone I would have run a tour, not very interpersonal or engaging.

Amazing place ,full of history, the guided tour(£8.00) per adult is a must with went with Elizabeth,she was absolutely brilliant . Well worth a visit ,entrance to castle ground is free. Great cafe in grounds.

Amazing day out. Our tour guide Simon was really knowledgeable and kept us enthralled throughout the tour! The grounds itself are wonderful and we will definitely be back to try the cafe!

Worth the trouble making the trip into the city center. We had beautiful weather, a lovely tour guide and yummy cafe/coffee. HINT: check the website for information. You can buy tickets for the tour onsite in the off season but buy online during the peak season. PARKING: if in a car, meters will only take coins and are a maximum of 1-2 hours (check). If you are 1 second late to your vehicle to enter more money, you WILL get a 50 pound parking ticket (just sayin'l. HINT: this is a working court. You can not take self guided tours and no pictures can be taken once inside. Still worth taking the tour! Enjoy!

Beautiful place to visit in Lancaster, has a lot of underlying history behind it. It has an amazing view of the city of Lancaster as well. An enjoyable location if the weather is good. The trail behind the castle is also a wonderful path to walk on, without the hustle of the city.