Near a city · The Castle Rolls
Castles near Birmingham
19 castles are within 40 miles of Birmingham, from Dudley's ruined hilltop keep in the city's own backyard to Warwick's much-visited towers 20 miles south.
Map
Every castle on this list - 25 in total, 6 free to enter, 6 you can stay overnight in
Dudley Castle
West Midlands · 8 mi away
Ruin within zoo grounds, zoo ticket
Maxstoke Castle
Warwickshire · 9 mi away
Privately lived in; opens to the public one confirmed day a year for the National Garden Scheme, a tradition now 50 years running.
Tamworth Castle
Staffordshire · 13 mi away
Norman motte with intact shell keep
Astley Castle
Warwickshire · 15 mi away
Award-winning holiday let; occasional open days
Kenilworth Castle and Elizabethan Garden
Warwickshire · 16 mi away
Hartlebury Castle
Worcestershire · 18 mi away
Former bishops' castle; county museum
Bagot's Castle
Warwickshire · 18 mi away
Warwick Castle
Warwickshire · 19 mi away
Tower Suites and Knight's Village stays
Bridgnorth Castle
Shropshire · 22 mi away Free entry
Great Tower leans at roughly 15 degrees, steeper than Pisa, after Civil War demolition attempts.
Tixall Gatehouse
Staffordshire · 23 mi away
Public access is by overnight booking only; the gatehouse stands alone in open countryside and is visible from the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal towpath (Tixall Wide).
Stafford Castle
Staffordshire · 24 mi away Free entry
Free grounds; visitor centre limited hours
Ashby de la Zouch Castle
Leicestershire · 25 mi away
Tutbury Castle
Staffordshire · 27 mi away
Reopening summer 2026 after major repairs
Kirby Muxloe Castle
Leicestershire · 30 mi away
Guided tours on selected days
Acton Burnell Castle
Shropshire · 35 mi away Free entry
Shell of fortified 13th-century manor
Elvaston Castle
Derbyshire · 35 mi away
The castle building itself is closed to the public (Heritage at Risk); the 321-acre grounds are free and open all year.
Ludlow Castle
Shropshire · 36 mi away
Castle House holiday apartments within walls
Broughton Castle
Oxfordshire · 37 mi away
Fortified moated manor; limited summer opening
Sudeley Castle
Gloucestershire · 37 mi away
Katherine Parr's tomb; estate cottages nearby
Eastnor Castle
Herefordshire · 38 mi away
Selected open days; exclusive-hire castle bedrooms
Richard's Castle
Herefordshire · 38 mi away Free entry
Earthwork motte and bailey of one of the earliest Marcher castles, beside St Bartholomew's Church.
Moreton Corbet Castle
Shropshire · 39 mi away Free entry
Medieval castle and Elizabethan mansion ruins
Duffield Castle
Derbyshire · 39 mi away Free entry
Foundations only of huge Norman keep; free entry
Shrewsbury Castle
Shropshire · 39 mi away
Regimental museum in castle hall
Stokesay Castle
Shropshire · 40 mi away
Finest surviving fortified manor house
Distances are straight-line ("as the crow flies"), not driving or train time - check the operator's own site for real travel options before you go.
Common questions
How many castles are there within 40 miles of Birmingham?
This roll lists 25 visitable castles, fortresses and tower houses within 40 miles of Birmingham. Of those, 6 are free to enter and 12 charge admission.
Which castles within 40 miles of Birmingham are free to visit?
6 of the 25 castles within 40 miles of Birmingham are open-access sites with no admission charge, namely Bridgnorth Castle, Stafford Castle, Acton Burnell Castle, Richard's Castle, Moreton Corbet Castle and Duffield Castle.
What is the best-rated castle within 40 miles of Birmingham?
Tixall Gatehouse carries the strongest public rating of any castle within 40 miles of Birmingham on this roll - 5/5 from 2 Google reviews.
Can you stay overnight in a castle within 40 miles of Birmingham?
Yes - 6 of the castles listed here offer overnight stays, including Astley Castle, Warwick Castle, Tixall Gatehouse and Ludlow Castle.
Can you reach any castle within 40 miles of Birmingham by train?
11 of the 25 sit within 1.5 miles of a railway station, the closest being Shrewsbury Castle (Shrewsbury, 0.1 miles), Duffield Castle (Duffield, 0.3 miles), Ludlow Castle (Ludlow, 0.4 miles) and Tutbury Castle (Tutbury & Hatton, 0.5 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 within 40 miles of Birmingham?
Not all of them on the same terms. 7 of the 25 restrict what a visitor can see. Astley Castle and Tixall Gatehouse are hotels, so there is no way in without booking a room or a table. At Maxstoke Castle, Tutbury Castle, Kirby Muxloe Castle and Elvaston Castle you get the grounds or a booked tour rather than free run of the building.