Larnach Castle and Gardens Admission Ticket
Overview
Available languages
Mobile ticket
Visit New Zealand’s only Castle, situated on the dramatic Otago Peninsula and only a 20 minute drive from Dunedin. Learn about the colonial history and stories of William Larnach - entrepreneur and politician, plus ongoing restoration by the Barker family. Experience the finest Victorian craftsmanship, the excellent collection of New Zealand antiques and unparalleled views of the Otago Peninsula. Walk in the gardens rated a garden of International significance by NZGT. Take refreshment in the historic Ballroom café serving the best local food and drink. This is for ticket admission only. Transportation, food, drinks, and other accommodations are not included.
Additional Info
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Wheelchair accessible - if assistance is required, passenger must provide their own caregiver. However, due to uneven surfaces, this tour is not recommended for those with walking disabilities or using a wheelchair
Cancellation Policy
All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.
What To Expect
Larnach Castle & Gardens
After purchasing your tickets, you may arrive at Larnach Castle any time between 9am and 5pm. It is a 20 minute drive from the Dunedin City Centre, and is a perfect self drive destination. On arriving at the Castle your first stop will be at the Gatehouse, this is where you present your voucher, in return you will be given an entrance ticket to present at the Castle entrance. You will be provided with a map of the Garden and a New Zealand native plant trail map, to ensure you get the most of your walk around the garden before entering the Castle. Allow at least one hour to look around the inside of the Castle. Many decide to spend more time than this. You may want to take time to visit the Ballroom Café, which opens daily at 9.30am and closes at 4.30pm. The Castle is open 365 days of the year. Come enjoy this unique experience that is truly unforgettable.
What‘s Included
GST (Goods and Services Tax)
Written guides
Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
Food and drinks (available to purchase)
DVD (available to purchase)
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Transportation to/from attractions
Meeting points
Larnach Castle & Gardens
145 Camp Rd Dunedin New Zealand
End points
This activity ends back at the meeting point.
Options
Larnach Castle and Gardens Admission Ticket
Reviews
314 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Great place to visit
Kaylene F,Apr 20, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Larnach castle & Gardens are wonderful to visit lots of history we also did the guided tour would recommend that as we were totally entertained with stories of the castle.
A step back in time.
Irene B,Apr 18, 2026
- Review from Viator
4.00The castle and gardens are well kept and the views are lovely. Inside the castle it is just beautiful and it keeps to the time period. I really appreciated the care being made to maintain and restore its character. Thank you, I joyed our visit.
Great restoration
fabdog,Apr 17, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We did the castle and garden tour. The castle is on 4 floors, has an intro video, and then on to the tour. The map is helpful. Also steps up to the roof turret for fantastic views To enter the castle you ring the front bell and are greeted, with info for tour We then toured the gardens which were nice. There mid April weekday and not crowded at all. A nice visit
Absolutely worth the time and money!
V5859MZdenisem,Apr 11, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Thoroughly enjoyed the experience exploring the Castle. I am a South Otago girl, and had been to Larnach Castle many times over the years, but never inside. Loved it! Well worth the time and money to visit. Great restoration so far, and I am pleased that my entry fee goes towards further restoration of this beautiful Otago landmark.
Beautiful inside and out
beverleya15,Apr 11, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00It was worth the visit. The gardens layout combined with small sections of gardens but also had large areas of grass bordered by various sizes of garden bed. Colourful flowers were plenty. Amazing grounds for a wedding as there was one going to take place when I was there. The castle was magnificent. The decor had beautiful crafted pieces of furniture, the ceiling roses I not seen anything like it and there was wood paneling everywhere. The renovated castle shows a love for something old. Some great vies of the scenery and of Dunedin can be seen from some vantage points My visit was about an hour and a half.
Visit both the castle and the gardens
clairemC5031KQ,Apr 9, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00You can get tickets for just the gardens, or the gardens had the castle. The gardens are fabulous….well laid out with both interesting plants and great ocea V Views View. Vi V
Worth it, fantastic history
Cruiser55093155333,Apr 4, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00The lady at parking gate was rude with bad english. Self guided was all ypu need $48 excellent value, loved it.
Very cool old house
Alan M,Apr 3, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This isn't a castle in any real sense, but it is an old house with beautiful wood and furnishings throughout. We didn't tour the gardens, and there's a lot of information about the original owner which I found only moderately interesting, but the house itself is beautiful, wonderfully restored with amazing craftsmanship. I would absolutely go again for the architecture and interiors.
A unique property with fabulous gardens
Greenfielder,Apr 2, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This is the only "castle" in New Zealand but would not withstand the smallest of sieges. Instead what you have is a unique combination of a Scottish hunting lodge and colonial architecture, a combination that works surprisingly well. The story of the Larnach family and the castle would make an excellent film, you can read it all in the introduction in the ground floor. We weren't on a guided tour - you may get the story from the guide in that case. The house retains many of its spendid original features even though most of the interior furnishings were scattered as the property changed ownership over the years. However, the present owners have done very well in being able to bring some of these back which helps tremendously. You get an excellent view from the tower but access is by a narrow stone spiral staircase with no passing places, so check whether someone is coming the other way before you enter! The gardens are beautiful and you receive a guide to the gardens as well as guide to native flora that have been planted. In fact you do very well for guides when you buy your ticket so a self-guided tour is our recommendation. We combined this visit with a triple combo wildlife tour (Albatross Centre, Widlife Cruise and Penguins) which made for a very full and immensely enjoyable day on the Otago Peninsula, helped (as is always the case) by beautiful weather. It's a lovely area!
Great visit.
vivbliss,Apr 2, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00A fun experience - the gardens are lovely with spectacular views. The house is amazing considering when it was built, still in good repair with lots of history. We also had the High Tea in the Ballroom. A delicious spread with local Dunedin Tea and fresh scones, jam and cream.
From NZ$48.00
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Operated by Larnach Castle Ltd