The Castle RollsA list of every visitable castle in the United Kingdom

County guide · The Castle Rolls

Best castles in Hampshire

8 castles in Hampshire, spanning Norman Winchester to Henry VIII's Tudor gun forts guarding the Solent.

8Castles listed here
2Free to enter
4.6Top rated · Portchester Castle
Portchester Castle
Portchester Castle, the best-reviewed castle in this list.

Map

Every castle on this list - 8 in total, 2 free to enter

Portchester Castle

Portchester Castle

Hampshire

Grounds free; keep within Roman fort walls

★ 4.6 · 5,228 reviews

 Winchester Castle (Great Hall)

Winchester Castle (Great Hall)

Hampshire

Great Hall with Round Table

★ 4.4 · 3,300 reviews

 Hurst Castle

Hurst Castle

Hampshire

Reached by ferry or shingle spit walk

★ 4.4 · 2,588 reviews

 Southsea Castle

Southsea Castle

Hampshire

Henrician fort; free entry, seasonal

★ 4.5 · 2,302 reviews

 Wolvesey Castle (Old Bishop's Palace)

Wolvesey Castle (Old Bishop's Palace)

Hampshire Free entry

★ 4.4 · 1,049 reviews

 Odiham Castle

Odiham Castle

Hampshire Free entry

King John's octagonal keep, free access

★ 4.4 · 775 reviews

 Calshot Castle

Calshot Castle

Hampshire

Managed by Hampshire County Council

★ 4.4 · 585 reviews

 Southampton Castle Vault

Southampton Castle Vault

Hampshire

12th-century royal wine vault, the largest surviving medieval vault in the city, visited only by booked tour.

★ 4.3 · 26 reviews

Common questions

How many castles are there in Hampshire?

This roll lists 8 visitable castles, fortresses and tower houses in Hampshire. Of those, 2 are free to enter and 5 charge admission.

Which castles in Hampshire are free to visit?

2 of the 8 castles in Hampshire are open-access sites with no admission charge, namely Wolvesey Castle (Old Bishop's Palace) and Odiham Castle.

What is the best-rated castle in Hampshire?

Portchester Castle carries the strongest public rating of any castle in Hampshire on this roll - 4.6/5 from 5,228 Google reviews.

Can you reach any castle in Hampshire by train?

6 of the 8 sit within 1.5 miles of a railway station, the closest being Winchester Castle (Great Hall) (Winchester, 0.3 miles), Southampton Castle Vault (Southampton Central, 0.6 miles), Wolvesey Castle (Old Bishop's Palace) (Winchester, 0.7 miles) and Southsea Castle (Southsea Hoverport, 0.7 miles). Those are straight-line distances from the station to the castle, so the walk on the ground is longer than the figure.

Can you go inside every castle in Hampshire?

Not all of them on the same terms. 1 of the 8 restricts what a visitor can see. At Southampton Castle Vault you get the grounds or a booked tour rather than free run of the building.