Alnwick is a market town in Northumberland, probably best known for its castle, which is still the home of the Dukes of Northumberland. Alnwick Castle is impressive for numerous reasons, but as a headline, it’s the UK’s second largest inhabited castle — after Windsor — because, while a lot of the castle is open for visitors, the Duke of Northumberland still lives here. The other headline for the castle is that this is where quite a lot of the early Harry Potter filming happened. Beyond the castle, Alnwick is pretty and historic, with a centre that hasn’t changed much since it was a staging post on the route between London and Edinburgh. The best places to stay in Alnwick vary from country house hotels just outside town, to Georgian conversions and a restaurant-with-rooms on the coast.

If you’re in Alnwick so you can have flying lessons in Alnwick Castle, just like Harry did, or be shown around the grounds by Ron Weasley, then you’ll not be disappointed, as there is plenty of Potter themed magic to be found here, as well as in the grounds of the castle and in its expansive, and impressive gardens. From the end of April The Alnwick Garden is especially lovely, because of its collection of Japanese cherry blossoms — one of the largest outside Japan. The Capability Brown designed garden also has a Poison Garden, and a Grand Cascade.

Alnwick’s other highlights include the Bailiffgate Museum and Gallery, which is a repository of 10,000 years of locally discovered historic artefacts, and the regular Farmer’s Market, which takes place on the last Friday of every month. The best places to stay in Alnwick also make a good base for walkers, who have access to the lovely parks and gardens, plus the beautiful stretch of coastline, and the expansive views of the Northumberland National Park.

The Best Places to Stay in Alnwick

For Outstanding Value

• Charlton Hall is an elegant,18th century hall, surrounded by 150 acres of grounds and farmland, turned B&B and luxury wedding venue. If it sounds period and charming, then make sure you read on, because while the owner preserved many of the hall’s best features, and purchased a lot of the furniture with the hall, this building has had the full works when it comes to contemporary make overs. Expect clean lines, but confident use of colour and print, with gorgeous wallpapers and talking point lamps and artworks. Among the 22 rooms and suites are one and two bedroom cottages, suites and more modest rooms. They don’t offer meals other than breakfast, which is an exceptional affair. At the other end of the day they’ll be very happy to mix you a cocktail in the stylish bar and make recommendations for local restaurants, of which there are plenty to choose from.
• The Bondgate Boutique is a miniature Georgian townhouse, part of a terrace of handsome stone buildings in the historic heart of Alnwick, right opposite the castle. It’s now been converted into a boutique-style hotel, with just seven rooms and suites. The decor is sleek and simple, with dashes of more confident colour, and each of the rooms is well designed to make the best use of the space — one of the rooms on the ground floor has a private deck. No restaurant, but you’re well located for options.

For Foodies

• The Whittling House is a ten bedroom restaurant-with-rooms close to the beach in pretty Alnmouth — which is where you’ll find the nearest train station to Alnwick. The ground floor has the bar and restaurant where there are wood-burning stoves, a cosy bar and with an impressive list of real ales and local gins, and a restaurant which does a lot with the local seafood. The rooms are upstairs and in an adjoining cottage, and are decorated with a contemporary version of rustic style, complete with blue, oranges, all the mod cons and jolly artworks.

For Romantics

• Converted from the Convent of Mercy in Alnwick, The Cookie Jar today is an 11 room boutique hotel, with a fun range room designs and an elegantly landscaped garden with a fire-pit and terrace. Our favourite rooms have castle views, as well as Delft blue colour schemes. Breakfast is a languid affair; plus they offer lunches and afternoon teas, and they’re open for dinner a few evenings a week.

Best B&Bs

• St Valery is a four bedroom B&B converted from a Victorian villa just moments from the beach in Alnmouth, outside Alnwick.  All of the rooms are beautifully designed, with plenty of natural light and nice original features, like sash windows, oversized bathtubs, and elegant fireplaces.  The communal areas include the breakfast room, where excellent breakfasts are served, and a lounge with an honesty bar.  

Prefer a Private Apartment or Cottage?

• If you'd prefer the privacy of a self-catering option then browse through the wide variety available online with our partner, Booking.com.

Travel Information

• The closest airport to Alnwick is Newcastle Airport, which is around 30 minutes away by car or taxi, or about an hour an a half away by train — though the closest rail station to Alnwick is Alnmouth, and you will need to take a five minute taxi journey from there. If you’re coming via London, you can catch the train all the way up to Alnmouth in about three and a half hours, travelling direct from Kings Cross, where trains leave every four hours or so.
• If you want to hire a car we recommend you visit our online partner, Rentalcars.
• Summer is the most popular time for visiting Alnwick, but we suspect that’s more to do with the school holidays than the fact that this is a fine-weather destination. Spring and summer are certainly a beautiful time to visit, with Alnwick Gardens, and other gardens and countryside flourishing with blooms. Alnwick’s weather is mild and cool, with sunny days, but plenty of cool, rainy ones too.

Still not sure where to stay?

• Expand your search to our Gurus’ recommendations for the best places to stay in Northumberland
• Refine by the type of accommodation you’re looking for and consider our recommendations for the best pubs-with-rooms in Northumberland
• You could consider accommodation in neighbouring towns: the best places to stay in Bamburgh or Berwick-upon-Tweed
• Or you could contact one of our friendly Gurus for personalised advice.