Lewes Castle opens Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm, until 3 January 2027, shuts 24 to 26 December, then goes weekends only. Tickets from £6.50 for children.
Lewes Castle stays open through most of the winter: Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm, from 2 November 2026 to 3 January 2027. It closes on 24, 25 and 26 December, opens on the Mondays of 21 and 28 December, and then drops to weekends only until 12 February. Anne of Cleves House, the castle’s sister museum in Southover, shuts for the whole winter after Sunday 8 November.
The quick answer
- Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm (museum to 5pm), 2 November 2026 to 3 January 2027. Also open Monday 21 and Monday 28 December.
- Closed 24, 25 and 26 December. From 4 January to 12 February 2027, weekends only, 10am to 4pm.
- Adults £12, children £6.50, family £34. Under 5s free. No need to book.
Opening times this winter
These are from the Lewes Castle and Museum page of Sussex Past, the Sussex Archaeological Society, which runs the castle, checked on 25 September 2026.
| Dates | Days | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Until 1 November 2026 | Tuesday to Sunday | 10am to 5pm (10am to 4pm from 25 October, museum to 5pm) |
| Thursday 5 November | Bonfire Night | 10am to 1pm |
| 2 November 2026 to 3 January 2027 | Tuesday to Sunday | 10am to 4pm, museum to 5pm |
| Monday 21 and Monday 28 December | Extra Monday openings | 10am to 4pm, museum to 5pm |
| 24, 25 and 26 December | Closed | |
| 4 January to 12 February 2027 | Saturday and Sunday only | 10am to 4pm |
Last admission is 30 minutes before closing. The castle shuts early on 5 November because Lewes closes its roads for the Bonfire; our Lewes Bonfire Night page has the closures and the rail shutdown.
That leaves the castle open on New Year’s Eve (a Thursday), New Year’s Day (a Friday) and the weekend of 2 and 3 January, the last days of daily opening before the winter weekends-only period.
Prices
| Ticket | Castle only | Castle and Anne of Cleves House |
|---|---|---|
| Adult | £12.00 | £18.50 |
| Child (5 to 17) or student | £6.50 | £10.00 |
| Senior (65+) | £11.00 | £17.00 |
| Family (1 adult, up to 3 children) | £23.00 | £35.00 |
| Family (2 adults, up to 4 children) | £34.00 | £54.00 |
| Under 5 | Free | Free |
An essential carer goes free with a paying visitor. If you Gift Aid your ticket, it becomes a free pass for 12 months, which makes a winter visit good value for anyone who might come back in the spring. Sussex Past says booking ahead is not necessary.
The combined ticket only works until 8 November, because Anne of Cleves House closes from Monday 9 November 2026 to Monday 1 March 2027, according to its own page.
Christmas events
Sussex Past’s events list shows nothing at the castle after its October half term Halloween trail (26 to 30 October), and no Christmas event has been announced yet. The town’s own Christmas evening, with the lights switch-on at the Town Hall, is on our Lewes Christmas lights switch-on page.
Getting there
The castle is off the High Street, a five-minute walk from Lewes station, and buses stop on the High Street close by. Sussex Past says drivers on the A27 should come into town from the eastern end of the bypass via the Cuilfail Tunnel. There is no car park at the castle; the nearest town car parks and prices are on our parking in Lewes page, and anything closing streets in the centre is on roadworks and travel.
Access is limited for anyone who has difficulty walking. Only ground level is accessible, the Keep Garden at the top is reached by 125 steps, and the museum has steps down to its ground floor galleries and up to the first floor, with no lift.
Still to be confirmed
- Any Christmas event at the castle: Sussex Past lists its events on the what’s on page; we will add one here if it appears.
- Opening from 13 February 2027 onwards, which will be published nearer the time.
Holiday trains and buses are on our Lewes Christmas travel page.
Have your say