County guide · The Castle Rolls
Best castles in Kent
16 castles across Kent, from Dover's clifftop fortress guarding the Channel to Leeds Castle's lake-bound royal retreat inland.
Map
Every castle on this list - 16 in total, 2 free to enter, 5 you can stay overnight in
Dover Castle
Kent
Two EH holiday lets within the walls
Hever Castle
Kent
B&B in Astor Wing
Leeds Castle
Kent
Maiden's Tower and B&B stays on site
Rochester Castle
Kent
EH property managed day-to-day by council; also listed under English Heritage
Scotney Castle
Kent
Moated medieval Old Castle ruin below Victorian mansion
Sissinghurst Castle Garden
Kent
Elizabethan tower survives; famed Vita Sackville-West garden
Walmer Castle and Gardens
Kent
Lord Warden's residence; two holiday lets
Deal Castle
Kent
Henry VIII Device Fort
Tonbridge Castle
Kent
Free grounds; ticketed gatehouse experience
Upnor Castle
Kent
Elizabethan artillery fort; managed by Medway Council
Lullingstone Castle
Kent
World Garden; seasonal opening
Eynsford Castle
Kent Free entry
Lympne Castle
Kent
Built in the 1080s for the Archdeacons of Canterbury and restored 1905-12 by Sir Robert Lorimer; now a private wedding and events venue.
Sutton Valence Castle
Kent Free entry
St Leonard's Tower
Kent
Early Norman tower keep; exterior viewing
Chiddingstone Castle
Kent
Houses Denys Eyre Bower collections