Beaumaris Castle: What To See, Hours & Tickets

Beaumaris Castle was designed as the ultimate castle, but sadly it was never finished. It was the last of a series of castles built by Edward 1 to protect English interests in Wales and each castle got improved on the last one. If you’ve been to Caernarfon, Harlech or Conwy you’ll know the kind of thing to expect. At Beaumaris, there’s a moat, inner and outer walls and countless arrow holes on multiple levels. On your visit today, large parts of the inner and outer walls are still in a walkable state and this was the highlight for us – you can really imagine how the castle would have been defended.

Beaumaris Castle has pride of place in Anglesey on the banks of the Menai Straits. The town of Beaumaris developed around it, but when you’re walking on the walls, you still get a great view in multiple directions, showing how this castle was ideally located in the ultimate defensive position. The stone and stonemasons to build it were shipped in from England and the castle soon began to take shape. However, before it was completed, attention turned to what was happening in Scotland and as a result the castle was left too poorly defended and was taken by the Welsh. Although it was eventually taken back, the castle was not developed further and remained a ruin.

On your visit today, there is much still to see though. You enter through a specially constructed entrance next to the road before walking on the banks of the moat and crossing the wooden bridge into the outer gatehouse. We’d recommend watching the introductory film in a circular tin hut before proceeding onto the walls. Once you’ve explored the outside areas, you can head inside. The most striking internal area you can still visit is the simple chapel with its stained glass windows and basic altar (pictured below).

Getting to the chapel means accessing the ‘spooky’ corridors of the castle. There is a network of central corridors in the longest inner walls and they’re all worth exploring. Each has a series of rooms leading from them, some larger than others. Some lead to defensive arrow holes, others have views of the central grassed area. You can imagine warriors of old walking down the same dimly-lit tunnels hundreds of years ago. Finally, spend some time in the central space of the castle, just marvelling at the construction of the walls. Our 7 year-old loved have a go at building his own Beaumaris Castle with the soft blocks that have been placed there. There’s another activity for youngsters in your group too, be sure to pick up the map to the cubes of stone placed around the site. Their mission is to find out which stonemason hasn’t been doing his job by looking for the marks on each stone.

Beaumaris Castle is open at 9.30am from March to October and at 10am from November to February. It closes at 5pm in the spring and autumn, 6pm in the summer and 4pm in the winter. Adult admission is £10 in the summer and £9.50 at other times (2024 prices). Family tickets are also available.

LOCATION & MAP

Address: Beaumaris Castle, Castle Street, Beaumaris LL58 8AP
Email: Beaumariscastle@gov.wales
Phone: 03000 252239

Beaumaris Castle is on the island of Anglesey overlooking the Menai Straits. It’s a short drive from nearby Penrhyn Castle is on the north Wales coast. Due to its proximity, we’d recommend visiting both castles at the same time on a trip from Chester. Beaumaris Castle is around 90 minutes drive.