Visiting Lullingstone Castle and the World Garden: Opening Times and Tips
Season dates, admission prices, what is actually in the walled garden, and how to fit it round a round of golf
Lullingstone Castle opening times are simpler than most Kent houses: the World Garden opens Thursday to Sunday, plus bank holiday Mondays, from 11am to 5pm, with last entry at 4.30pm. The 2026 season runs Thursday 2 April to Saturday 31 October. The manor house is the exception. It only opens its doors on bank holiday weekends, Friday to Monday, and on special event days.
It sits in the Darent valley at Eynsford, DA4 0JA, a mile and a half from the first tee at Lullingstone Park and near enough to pair with a morning round. This page covers the prices, what you actually see for your money, and the practical details that catch people out.
Opening times and season dates
- Season: Thursday 2 April to Saturday 31 October 2026.
- World Garden and grounds: Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and bank holiday Mondays, 11am to 5pm. Last entry 4.30pm.
- The house: bank holiday weekends (Friday to Monday) and special event days only, 11am to 5pm. Good Friday is excluded.
- Closed: Monday to Wednesday outside bank holidays, and all winter.
That Thursday-to-Sunday pattern is worth planning around. If you want the house as well as the garden, you are effectively waiting for a bank holiday weekend, so Easter, early May, late May and the August bank holiday are the dates to target.
Admission prices
Garden only
- Adult: £10.00
- Senior, 65 and over: £8.50
- Child, 5 to 16: £5.00
- Family: £25.00 (two adults and two children, or one adult and three children)
- Assistance dogs and carers accompanying a paying disabled visitor: free
House and garden together
On selected non-event bank holiday dates the combined house and garden ticket is £12.50 per adult, with under-16s free. Event days are priced separately, so check the castle's own events page before you set off.
Season pass
The World Garden Passport runs a year and costs £35 for a single adult, £50 for a couple and £65 for a family. At £10 a visit, an adult pass breaks even on the fourth trip, which is a realistic number if you want to see the planting change through the season.
Membership discounts
- English Heritage members: two for one on entry.
- Historic Houses members: free entry, including on event days.
- Gardeners' World subscribers: two adults for the price of one.
- CPRE members: half price adult admission.
Individual visitors do not need to pre-book. You pay at the gate on the day.
What the World Garden actually is
The reason to come is not the house. It is the walled garden, which is planted as a map of the world. Beds are shaped and positioned as continents, and each one holds plants collected from that part of the globe, with boulders brought from the same countries marking the divisions. You walk from South America to Australasia in about forty paces.
The idea came out of something grim. Tom Hart Dyke, the 20th generation of his family to live at Lullingstone, was plant hunting in the Darién jungle on the Colombia and Panama border when he was kidnapped on 16 March 2000. He was held for nine months and released on 16 December that year. He drew the garden out during his captivity. It opened to the public in March 2005 and won a British Guild of Travel Writers tourism award the same year.
Practically, that means a garden that reads as a collection rather than a display. Expect labels, expect oddities, expect glasshouses with things that have no business surviving a Kent winter. It is compact, so an hour and a half is a comfortable visit and two hours is generous.
The house, the church and the grounds
The manor house is a red-brick Tudor and Queen Anne pile that has been in the Hart Dyke family for twenty generations, with an estate recorded at the time of Domesday. Henry VIII and Queen Anne both spent time here. Next to it stands the small flint church of St Botolph, which is part of the same group of buildings you see from across the lake.
Picnics are allowed in the grounds. Barbecues are not.
Getting there and parking
- Address: Lullingstone Castle, Eynsford, Kent DA4 0JA. Telephone 01322 862114.
- By car: the castle is signed off the lane running north out of Eynsford village, past the ford. There is on-site parking.
- By train: Eynsford station is about a mile away, roughly a 20 minute walk up through the village and along the valley.
- From the golf course: Lullingstone Park Golf sits at Parkgate Road, Chelsfield, BR6 7PX. It is a mile and a half from the castle as the crow flies and about 10 to 15 minutes by road, because the lanes have to loop round the valley.
One point of confusion worth clearing up: Lullingstone Castle, Lullingstone Park Golf Course and Lullingstone Country Park are three separate places that share a name. The golf course and country park sit on the Chelsfield side; the castle and the Roman villa are down in the valley near Eynsford.
Making a day of it
The valley packs a lot into a small area, and the castle works better as part of a morning or afternoon than as a whole day on its own.
- Lullingstone Roman Villa is a short distance further up the same lane, run by English Heritage with its own separate admission. The mosaics are the draw.
- Lullingstone Country Park has waymarked trails through ancient parkland and a visitor centre, and it is where to go if you have a dog with you.
- Eynsford's ford and the ruins of Eynsford Castle are both in the village, and both are free.
- An early tee time at Lullingstone Park and an afternoon in the World Garden is a genuinely good day out, and it keeps everyone in the car happy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Lullingstone Castle's opening times?
The World Garden is open Thursday to Sunday plus bank holiday Mondays, 11am to 5pm, with last entry at 4.30pm. The 2026 season runs from Thursday 2 April to Saturday 31 October. The manor house itself only opens on bank holiday weekends and special event days, also 11am to 5pm.
How much does it cost to get into Lullingstone Castle?
Garden-only admission is £10 for adults, £8.50 for over-65s, £5 for children aged 5 to 16 and £25 for a family ticket covering two adults and two children, or one adult and three children. On selected non-event bank holiday dates the house and garden together are £12.50 per adult, with under-16s free.
Do I need to book Lullingstone Castle in advance?
No. Individual visitors can turn up on any open day and pay at the gate. Booking is only relevant for groups and for ticketed event days, which are priced separately.
Can I take a dog to the World Garden?
Only assistance dogs are admitted, and they go in free. There is no dog-walking area inside the walled garden, so if you are bringing a dog, Lullingstone Country Park a mile up the lane is the better choice.
How far is Lullingstone Castle from Lullingstone Park Golf Course?
About a mile and a half in a straight line, though the lanes wind round the Darent valley so allow roughly 10 to 15 minutes by car. The two sites share a name and a valley, but they are separate places under separate ownership.
Is there a season ticket for the World Garden?
Yes. The World Garden Passport costs £35 a year for a single adult, £50 for a couple and £65 for a family. It pays for itself in four adult visits.
Sources
- Lullingstone Castle and The World Garden, opening times and admission prices: lullingstonecastle.co.uk
- Lullingstone Castle and The World Garden, Our Story (kidnap dates, garden opening, twenty generations): lullingstonecastle.co.uk/our-story
Prices and opening times were checked against the castle's own website on 18 August 2026. Both can change, so confirm before travelling.