County guide · The Castle Rolls
Best castles in Gloucestershire
4 castles in Gloucestershire, and every one of them comes with a bed. At Thornbury and St Briavels you sleep inside the walls: a Tudor castle begun in 1511 for the Duke of Buckingham and run as a hotel today, and a YHA hostel behind the twin-towered gatehouse Edward I added in 1292. Berkeley, held by the same family for around 900 years, and Sudeley, where Katherine Parr is buried in the grounds, let cottages on their estates instead. Thornbury is the one to check before you travel: it is a working hotel, so there is no way in without a room or a table booked.
Map
Every castle on this list - 4 in total, 4 you can stay overnight in
Sudeley Castle
Gloucestershire
Katherine Parr's tomb; estate cottages nearby
Photo: Wdejager, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Berkeley Castle
Gloucestershire
Occupied by Berkeleys for ~900 years
Photo: Andrew Hackney, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Thornbury Castle
Gloucestershire
Tudor castle hotel; dining open to non-residents
Photo: Gareth James, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
St Briavels Castle
Gloucestershire
YHA hostel; bailey usually open 11am-4pm
Photo: Hchc2009, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
Common questions
How many castles are there in Gloucestershire?
This roll lists 4 visitable castles, fortresses and tower houses in Gloucestershire.
What is the best-rated castle in Gloucestershire?
Berkeley Castle is among the highest-rated castles in Gloucestershire on this roll - 4.7/5 from 1,752 Google reviews.
Can you stay overnight in a castle in Gloucestershire?
Yes - 4 of the castles listed here offer overnight stays, namely Sudeley Castle, Berkeley Castle, Thornbury Castle and St Briavels Castle.
Can you go inside every castle in Gloucestershire?
Not all of them on the same terms. 2 of the 4 restrict what a visitor can see. Thornbury Castle is a hotel, so there is no way in without booking a room or a table. At St Briavels Castle the building itself isn't open to visitors, so you see it from the grounds or from outside.