*Please check the Portland Castle website for the official opening hours. Overlooking Portland Harbour in Dorset stands one of Henry VIII's finest coastal forts, built in the early 1540s to protect against French and Spanish invasion. Today it provides a great day out for visitors and its audio tour, included in the admission price, tells of the castle's 450 year history and the part it played in the First and Second World Wars. Portland Castle offers lots to do for families and couples alike, and only four miles from Weymouth, this historic adventure can easily be combined with some more contemporary seaside fun.
Fantastic place to visit. Knowledgeable and really welcoming staff on hand to talk about the Castle. Wonderful views across the harbour and a beach next to the car park. The cafe serves a really good lunch indoors or out in the garden, with fresh cakes to follow. The castle itself is a really attractive building which you can understand immediately unlike some which are hard-to-visualize ruins. We liked it so much, we went back for afternoon tea once we had explored the D-Day museum, visited the viewpoint over Chesil Beach and walked round Portland Bill. Absolutely recommended.
Not as big as some of the other National Heritage sites, but there were some dressing up clothes for the kids and they enjoyed listening to the audio guide as well. The tea shop was quite small, but the lady on duty was lovely and was working very hard as they were short staffed. Don't plan on a long event, as it will only take an hour or so to go around. Still very interesting!
Lovely little castle looking over Portland Marina. Nice place for people who likes history and architecture. Large car park. Special parking spaces right next to main entrance for disable batch holders. Place is also dog friendly.
Really enjoyed visiting today. Not a big site so only need a couple of hours to round, take in the views, and visit the tea shop. The lady in the gift shop was lovely, very friendly and knowledgeable. Slight log jam as she was selling entry tickets as well as running the gift shop so was having to handle every visitor but her enthusiasm made up for the wait. My children and I thoroughly enjoyed it and the audio tour is an added bonus.
Lots of history, well maintained and unique. Staff pleasant and welcoming. I feel the price is high for the length of time it takes to explore the attraction and perhaps if it was to be slightly cheaper, it would encourage more families to take their children to informative historical sites such as this. Also a bit of a pain to pay for parking in their car park on top of entrance.
A truly magnificent castle dating back to the reign of Henry VIII. So much history and lots for kiddos to do. Beware of the top balcony if you have little ones as it's super precarious!!! Some fantastic views to be had and the garden was nice to stroll around. Can highly recommend the coffee and cake in the cafe
On-site services
Wheelchair-accessible car park
Wheelchair-accessible entrance
Good for kids
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Fantastic place to visit. Knowledgeable and really welcoming staff on hand to talk about the Castle. Wonderful views across the harbour and a beach next to the car park. The cafe serves a really good lunch indoors or out in the garden, with fresh cakes to follow. The castle itself is a really attractive building which you can understand immediately unlike some which are hard-to-visualize ruins. We liked it so much, we went back for afternoon tea once we had explored the D-Day museum, visited the viewpoint over Chesil Beach and walked round Portland Bill. Absolutely recommended.
Not as big as some of the other National Heritage sites, but there were some dressing up clothes for the kids and they enjoyed listening to the audio guide as well. The tea shop was quite small, but the lady on duty was lovely and was working very hard as they were short staffed. Don't plan on a long event, as it will only take an hour or so to go around. Still very interesting!
Lovely little castle looking over Portland Marina. Nice place for people who likes history and architecture. Large car park. Special parking spaces right next to main entrance for disable batch holders. Place is also dog friendly.
Really enjoyed visiting today. Not a big site so only need a couple of hours to round, take in the views, and visit the tea shop. The lady in the gift shop was lovely, very friendly and knowledgeable. Slight log jam as she was selling entry tickets as well as running the gift shop so was having to handle every visitor but her enthusiasm made up for the wait. My children and I thoroughly enjoyed it and the audio tour is an added bonus.
Lots of history, well maintained and unique. Staff pleasant and welcoming. I feel the price is high for the length of time it takes to explore the attraction and perhaps if it was to be slightly cheaper, it would encourage more families to take their children to informative historical sites such as this. Also a bit of a pain to pay for parking in their car park on top of entrance.
A truly magnificent castle dating back to the reign of Henry VIII. So much history and lots for kiddos to do. Beware of the top balcony if you have little ones as it's super precarious!!! Some fantastic views to be had and the garden was nice to stroll around. Can highly recommend the coffee and cake in the cafe
