Castle · Carlisle · Cumbria

Carlisle Castle

Carlisle Castle is a castle in Carlisle, Cumbria. Its status is a scheduled monument. Around it, within 15 km, lie 16 more places, Carlisle Cathedral (400 m) first on our list.

Photo: Carlisle Castle, John Gibson (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Where

In Carlisle

inside the built-up area

Run by

English Heritage

a national heritage body

How well known

Top 2%

#149 of 8,556 places we list

Warmest months

Jun–Sep

highs of 17–20°C

In brief

Castle in Carlisle

One of the best-known places to visit in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

#149 of the 8,556 museums, castles, gardens and other attractions we list, by how widely it is covered (22 Wikipedias). About ↓

Inside Carlisle

Carlisle Castle is inside Carlisle’s built-up area, with 5 more places to visit within 5 km. Towns near it ↓

Cared for by English Heritage

One of the places English Heritage looks after; members usually get in free. About ↓

Scheduled monument

On the official list of protected heritage; Carlisle has 353 listed buildings in all, on its History page. About ↓

Written from OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, the ONS built-up areas and Met Office 1991–2020 averages.

When to go

The climate through the year

Afternoons in Carlisle reach 17–20°C from June to September.

Jan7° / 2°77 mm

Feb8° / 2°60 mm

Mar10° / 3°55 mm

Apr13° / 4°45 mm

May16° / 7°53 mm

Jun18° / 10°69 mm

Jul20° / 12°76 mm

Aug20° / 12°85 mm

Sep17° / 10°72 mm

Oct14° / 7°88 mm

Nov10° / 4°80 mm

Dec7° / 2°87 mm

Green months are the warmest. Typical afternoon highs and night lows in Carlisle, and rain in a month. Met Office HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for Carlisle. Opening times change through the year: check before you go. Carlisle’s full climate →

About

Carlisle Castle

It is conserved by English Heritage. Wikipedia covers it in 22 languages.

Carlisle’s listed buildings and monuments →

Type: Castle
Run by: English Heritage
Listed: Scheduled monument
Wikipedias: Covered in 22 languages
Town: in Carlisle
Official site: english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/carlisle-castle

Facts: Wikidata (CC0) and OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors).

Plan your visit

The practical side

Entrance fees

EntryA fee is charged

Hours and entry: OpenStreetMap contributors. They change through the year: check its site before you go.

The map

Carlisle Castle at a glance

Orange shows Carlisle Castle; numbers mark the places near it.

Towns near it

The towns around Carlisle Castle

With 77,729 people, Carlisle is the largest of the 8. Start with its own town; the others follow by distance.

1 · It’s in town

Carlisle

77,729 people · 10 places to visit

2 · 2.1 km northeast of it

Houghton

1,486 people · 9 places to visit

3 · 3.6 km south of it

Blackwell

298 people · 5 places to visit

4 · 3.7 km east of it

Scotby

1,830 people · 9 places to visit

Compare the 8 towns

Town	Where Carlisle Castle is	People	Places to visit
Carlisle	It’s in town	77,729	10
Houghton	2.1 km northeast of it	1,486	9
Blackwell	3.6 km south of it	298	5
Scotby	3.7 km east of it	1,830	9
Cargo	4.1 km northwest of it	525	7
Cumwhinton	6.4 km southeast of it	512	2
Dalston	6.5 km southwest of it	1,541	0
Wetheral	7 km east of it	1,129	2

Make a day of it

Pair Carlisle Castle with these

A visit can add 4 museums, 3 castles and a cathedral, from 16 places within 15 km.

CathedralCarlisle Cathedral400 m away 2

MuseumTullie House200 m away 3

CastleCorby Castle7.7 km away 4

CastleScaleby Castle8.1 km away 5

CastleDrumburgh Castle14 km away 6

MuseumSolway Aviation Museum10 km away 7MuseumMuseumCumbria's Museum of Military Life100 m away 8MuseumMuseumGuildhall Museum400 m away

Within 15 km, close and well known first. Numbers match the map.

Quick answers on Carlisle Castle

Where is Carlisle Castle?

Carlisle Castle is in Carlisle, Cumbria, inside the town’s built-up area.

What is Carlisle Castle?

Castle in Carlisle, Cumbria, United Kingdom.

Who runs Carlisle Castle?

English Heritage, so members usually get in free; check opening times before you go.

When is the best time to visit Carlisle Castle?

June to September are the warmest months in Carlisle, with afternoon highs of 17–20°C (Met Office 1991–2020 averages).

Is Carlisle Castle a listed building?

Yes: scheduled monument.

What else is there to see near Carlisle Castle?

Within 15 km: Carlisle Cathedral (400 m), Tullie House (200 m), Corby Castle (7.7 km) and Scaleby Castle (8.1 km).

Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the ONS 2022 built-up area (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.

Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (7)

Carlisle Castle: John Gibson, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Carlisle Cathedral: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Tullie House: Raymond Knapman, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Corby Castle: Lynne Kirton, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Scaleby Castle: Simon Ledingham, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Drumburgh Castle: Rose and Trev Clough, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Solway Aviation Museum: Simon Ledingham, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.