Bamburgh Castle ranks top royal residence for a day out in the north of England

In the UK we are fortunate enough to be home to over 4,000 castles and palaces, which is why heritage brand Fairfax & Favor conducted research to compile a list of the top UK landmarks for castles and palaces open to the public, by looking at days of rainfall per location, average temperature year-round, Google visitor star ratings (out of five) and average monthly online searches to visit each place. They scored each category out of 25 to give a total score out of 100.

Ranking in first place for the north of England is Bamburgh Castle, with a score of 67 out of 100.

Fairfax & Favor said: “Listed online as the North East’s ‘Large Visitor Attraction of the Year’, it's easy to see why this castle attracts so much interest. Spanning an impressive nine acres and over 1,400 years old, Bamburgh Castle makes for a great day out to take in some local history.

"The castle, which is one of the largest inhabited castles in the country, offers visitors informational tours to learn history of The Last Kingdom, Vikings and Knights.”

Admission costs start at £17.00 for adults and children’s tickets are free for under 4s.

Ranking in second place is Alnwick Castle, with a score of 64 out of 100.

Fairfax & Favor said: “Dating back to the Norman period, Alnwick Castle is a popular destination for tourists in 2024. Not only known for its history, the castle was the filming location for the first two Harry Potter movies, adding to its popularity as an attraction in the north east.

"The castle hosts regular event days tying into its history, as well as fun activities like learning to ride a broom in the same spot as Harry Potter.”

Adult tickets are around £20.50 and children's tickets start at free for under 4s

Other notable castles on the list are Northumberland’s Warkworth and Dunstanburgh Castles, which got ranked in eighth and ninth places respectively.

You can read their full list of the best rated palaces and castles in the UK here.