Two Kent castles in one day, from your London hotel door.
Moat, maze and Anne Boleyn’s Hever.
- From £500 (≈ $675) · whole car · 9 hours
Licence PHOP950Tripyana’s Leeds Castle and Hever Castle day trip from London is a private car with a chauffeur from your London hotel to both castles and back in 9 hours, from £500 per car, not per person. Castle tickets are extra. Both castles are in Kent, in south-east England; Leeds Castle is not in the city of Leeds.
Short notice? Same-day and next-day trips are often possible — book online or message us to confirm a driver.
Watch the day before you book
A short film that follows the day in order: your hotel pickup, the drive into Kent, Leeds Castle on its two islands, the grounds and the lake, then across the Weald of Kent to Hever.
How does a Leeds Castle and Hever Castle day trip from London run?
Your chauffeur collects you at 09:00 and the day takes 9 hours, hotel to hotel. Leeds Castle comes first because its castle rooms open at 10:30; the rooms at Hever open around noon, so it suits the afternoon.
Leeds Castle first, Hever after lunch
- 09:00 Pickup at your London hotel or apartment, then about 1 hour 15 minutes south-east into Kent.
- 10:15 Leeds Castle: the castle rooms, the yew maze and its grotto, the gardens by the lake, and lunch on the estate. About 3 hours.
- 13:15 Across the Weald of Kent to Hever, about 55 minutes.
- 14:10 Hever Castle: the Boleyn family rooms, then the Italian Garden and the yew maze. About 2 hours 30 minutes.
- 16:40 Leave Hever for London, about 1 hour 20 minutes.
- 18:00 Back at your hotel door, 9 hours after pickup.
The whole day at Leeds Castle
The castle, the maze, the gardens and, in season, the 14:00 falconry display, at the same fixed price; you are simply home earlier. A day at Hever alone: say so in the booking notes.
Churchill’s home, 5 miles from Hever
Chartwell, the National Trust house where Winston Churchill lived, fits after Hever on a 10-hour day: one extra hour, £55 with the E‑Class or £60 with the V‑Class.
The times are a plan, not a script: a longer walk round the lake, a quicker lunch, an earlier start at Hever. From late October to 19 November, and from Hever’s February reopening to March, Hever’s gardens close at 16:30, so you leave Hever by then and are back in London around 17:45.
Arriving on a flight? The day can start at a Heathrow terminal instead of your hotel, with your luggage in the boot.
What is there to see at Leeds Castle and at Hever Castle?
A moated castle on two islands in the morning, the house where Anne Boleyn grew up in the afternoon.
Leeds Castle
- A Norman castle on the water — Robert de Crevecoeur, a Norman baron, built the first stone castle here in 1119, on two islands in the River Len. Six medieval queens owned it, Eleanor of Castile among them, and Henry VIII spent heavily on it for Catherine of Aragon, his first queen.
- Lady Baillie’s rooms — the Anglo-American heiress bought the castle in 1926 and restyled the interiors; the route runs through the library, the dining rooms and the bedrooms. On her death in 1974 she left it to the Leeds Castle Foundation, the charity that owns and runs it today.
- The maze and grotto — 2,400 yew trees, square on the ground and circular in pattern, with an underground grotto beneath the centre.
- The estate — 500 acres of parkland and gardens around the lake, black swans, a falconry display, playgrounds and Elsie the castle train.
Hever Castle
- Anne Boleyn’s family home — the Boleyns made the 13th-century castle their home, and Anne, later the mother of Elizabeth I, spent her childhood here before the French court and the eye of Henry VIII.
- Her prayer books — two Books of Hours that belonged to Anne, each inscribed in her own hand, are on show inside. After her execution in 1536 Hever passed to the Crown, and Henry gave it to Anne of Cleves, his fourth wife.
- The Astor gardens — William Waldorf Astor bought Hever in 1903 and laid out the gardens between 1904 and 1908: the Italian Garden with its classical statues, the rose garden and the lake.
- Two mazes — a yew maze about 100 years old, open all year in fair weather, and a water maze on an island in the lake that soaks the unwary.
Where are Leeds Castle and Hever Castle, and why is Leeds Castle not in Leeds?
Both stand in Kent, in south-east England, 33 miles apart. Leeds Castle is near Maidstone, about 45 miles south-east of central London. Hever Castle is near the small town of Edenbridge in west Kent, about 38 miles south of central London.
Leeds Castle takes its name from the village of Leeds beside it, a name older than the stone castle itself. The city of Leeds is in West Yorkshire, far to the north, and has no link with it.
The mix-up catches visitors who book tickets or plan a route online, so check for “Kent” and the sat-nav postcode ME17 1RG before you pay.
With a private car there is nothing to look up on the day: your chauffeur drives from your hotel to the visitor entrance of each castle and back.
When are Leeds Castle and Hever Castle open, and how much are the tickets?
Tickets are not part of our price: you buy them on each castle’s own site, where both charge less online than at the gate. Each box ends with the official booking page.
Leeds Castle
- Daily hours: grounds from 10:00, castle rooms from 10:30.
- Autumn and winter: the castle closes mid-afternoon, with last entry at 15:00 (14:30 from 20 November to 3 January). The castle rooms close for a few days in November and early January, and the whole estate closes on the two fireworks days in early November.
- January and February: from 4 January to 11 February 2027 Leeds Castle opens at weekends only, and the castle rooms stay shut on 4 and 5 January.
- Tickets: adult £34.50 online (£38.50 at the gate), child aged 3 to 15 £24.50, under-3s free, family of two adults and three children £115. A ticket stays valid for 12 months.
Hever Castle
- Daily hours: gardens from 10:30; the castle usually opens at 12:00.
- Spring and summer: last castle entry 17:00. From late October it moves to 15:30, with the gardens closing at 16:30, and in November (before the Christmas season) Hever opens Wednesday to Sunday only.
- Winter: Hever closes after 2 January. The 2026 season opened on 11 February; the 2027 date is not yet announced.
- Tickets: castle and gardens, adult £25.50 online (£28.40 at the gate), child aged 5 to 17 £14.05, under-5s free, family £66.60. A day ticket, not an annual pass; Christmas tickets are sold separately.
Bringing a dog? Hever welcomes dogs on a lead in the gardens, though not inside the castle; Leeds Castle admits assistance dogs only. In January and early February, when Hever is shut, Leeds Castle at a weekend fills a day on its own, and the Windsor Castle day trip runs through the winter.
What is on at Leeds Castle and Hever Castle for Christmas 2026?
Both castles dress for Christmas from late November, and December is one of the busiest months to visit.
Leeds Castle stages Wallace & Gromit: A Cracking Christmas Caper from 21 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, included in the day ticket. In the evenings, Christmas Lights at Leeds Castle runs from 20 November to 3 January: an illuminated trail through the grounds, with its own ticket, which annual tickets do not cover. The castle is closed on Christmas Day.
Hever Castle holds A Nutcracker’s Christmas from 20 November 2026 to 2 January 2027. Only Christmas tickets admit visitors in those weeks, with entry slots every 15 minutes, booked online in advance; walk-ins cannot be guaranteed, and weekend dates sell out first. Hever is closed on 23 and 24 November and on 25 and 26 December. On many dates it stays open until 20:30, with twilight tickets from 16:00.
Can you see both castles on one December day?
Yes, with the programme above. Leeds Castle takes the morning, while its rooms are open, and Hever the afternoon on a daytime Christmas ticket: choose an entry slot between 14:15 and 14:45, and you are back in London at 18:00. If the evening lights matter more than a second castle, plan the day around one castle and tell us the date when you book.
Leeds Castle or Hever Castle: which one if you only have time for one?
Choose Leeds Castle for the setting and a long day out: the moat, Lady Baillie’s rooms, the maze with its grotto and a large estate. It opens on more days of the year, and children have more to do, with playgrounds, adventure golf and the castle train.
Choose Hever for the Tudor story and the gardens: Anne Boleyn’s rooms and prayer books, then the Italian Garden and the two mazes. The castle is small and the gardens are the larger part of the visit.
With limited mobility, Leeds Castle is the easier of the two. A free mobility bus links the entrance with the castle, wheelchairs are lent free when available, and a lift serves the ground-floor route. At Hever only the ground floor, six rooms, suits a wheelchair; the upper floors are up spiral stairs, and its loan wheelchairs must be reserved before the day.
What is included in the price, and which car suits the day?
The car, the chauffeur and every road cost, in one fixed price for the whole car, not per person, shown before you pay.
Door-to-door pickup
Any London hotel or apartment, or Heathrow at no extra cost; another London airport adds a one-off fee, shown on the booking form. On an arrival day the driver waits in arrivals with a name board.
Fuel, parking and tolls
All mileage and both castle car parks are ours; nothing to pay on the day.
The driver waits at both castles
The car stays in each castle car park while you visit, ready when you walk out.
Child seats and pushchairs
Child seats for any age fitted on request at no charge; a folding pushchair or wheelchair travels in the boot.
Several cars, one plan
Larger groups travel in two or more cars to a single schedule, with one contact on your side.
Not included
Castle tickets and meals.
The car for your group
Mercedes E‑Class
3 seats · 2 bags
£500(≈ $675)
Mercedes V‑Class
7 seats · 7 bags
Family choice
£570(≈ $770)
Mercedes S‑Class
3 seats · 2 bags
£850(≈ $1,150)
Range Rover
4 seats · 4 bags
£990(≈ $1,350)
One fixed price per car for the 9-hour day, return.
Dollar figures are approximate; you are charged in GBP.
The V‑Class takes a family or six adults with day bags in three rows, with a wide sliding door. Two travellers are best served by the E‑Class, and the Range Rover gives a higher seat on the Kent lanes.
Can we combine Leeds Castle with Canterbury and Dover?
Yes, but on a different plan. Canterbury is 24 miles from Leeds Castle, while Hever lies the other way, 60 miles from Dover, so the three do not fit one day.
- Leeds Castle with Canterbury: the Canterbury and Dover day trip can take Leeds Castle in the morning in place of Dover Castle, at the same price per car.
- Two days, two trips: the castles on one day, the Cathedral and the White Cliffs on another; book both and ask for the same chauffeur.
How do I book a Leeds Castle and Hever Castle day trip from London?
Choose the date and the pickup time
Enter your London pickup address on the form below; 09:00 suits the two castles. Want Chartwell or Leeds Castle alone? Say so in the notes.
Pick the car, see the price, pay
The fixed price for your car appears before you pay: now by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, or to the driver on the day.
Confirmation by email
Your booking is confirmed by email at once, with the pickup time and the plan for the day.
Book online now. Choose the date, a pickup time and your car, then pay the price shown.
Questions before you book? The assistant in the corner of the page answers any question at any time. Already booked? Open “Change my booking” in your confirmation email and the assistant changes the date, time, address, trip or passengers for you; cancellations go to our team.
Frequently asked questions about the two-castle day
Where is Hever Castle?
In the village of Hever, near Edenbridge in west Kent, close to the Surrey and Sussex borders. The sat-nav postcode is TN8 7NG, and Gatwick Airport is about 30 minutes away by car.
Is Hever Castle National Trust or English Heritage?
Neither. Hever has been privately owned since 1983 by Broadland Properties, the Guthrie family’s company, so National Trust and English Heritage cards do not cover entry. Chartwell, 5 miles away, is the National Trust house nearby.
Is Leeds Castle English Heritage or National Trust?
No. Leeds Castle is run by its own independent charity, not by either body, so neither membership gives free entry. Its own day ticket works as an annual pass instead.
How long do we get at each castle?
About 3 hours at Leeds Castle, lunch included, and 2 hours 30 minutes at Hever. The driver waits at both, so you can move time from one castle to the other on the day.
Can we visit both castles in winter?
Yes on most dates until 2 January, with Leeds Castle in the morning because it closes mid-afternoon. Hever is shut on Mondays and Tuesdays from 4 to 19 November, on 23 and 24 November and on 25 and 26 December, and Leeds Castle on 7 and 8 November and Christmas Day. After that Hever is shut until February and Leeds Castle opens at weekends only, so plan one castle on those dates.
Are castle tickets included in the price?
No. You buy them on each castle’s own site, which is cheaper than at the gate; the prices and booking links are in the opening-times section. Our price covers the car, the chauffeur and the waiting.
Is the day suitable for young children?
Yes. Child seats for any age are fitted at no charge, and a pushchair travels in the boot. Pushchairs stay outside the Leeds Castle rooms, and under-5s go into Hever’s water maze with an adult.
Is the price per person or per car?
Per car, for up to 3 passengers in the E‑Class or 7 in the V‑Class. In US dollars that is about $675 for the E‑Class and $770 for the V‑Class at today’s rate; you are charged in pounds sterling.
Can I cancel?
Yes. Cancel at least 24 hours before pickup and a card payment is refunded in full; inside 24 hours the fare is charged. On a snow or red-warning day we move the trip to another date free, or refund it in full.
Is the driver also a tour guide?
No. Your chauffeur is a professional driver, not a licensed guide. Inside, each castle tells its own story: Leeds Castle includes a multimedia guide with admission, except over Christmas, and Hever hands out free multimedia guides in the castle rooms outside the Christmas season.
One price for the whole car, London to two castles and back.
Pick the date and the car on the form above; the fixed price shows before you pay. More destinations are under day trips from London by private car.
Tripyana Ltd is a UK-licensed company — private hire operator licence PHOP950 · Company No. 16308293.
How long is the drive at each hour of the day? Our hour-by-hour drive times for day trips from London