Fabulous well kept gardens and the house is well worth the visit, with great views. The story attached is like something out of a novel. Costly entry fee but obviously put to restore the home. Cafe on site too. Only thing I didn't like was the plastic marquee for extra people who use the cafe.... Spoiled the house.
Lovely place, but shame it rained all the time we were there. The cafe was good and had a lovely open fire.
GOOD for a rainy day to explore the inside of the castle, on a good weather day come explore the gardens. I found it amazing how lavishly they would make houses/castles back in the days when resources were so much harder to come by. William Larnach himself was not such a pleasant person, but the current owners of the castle do very well to preserve the heritage of the building.
Going to Larnach's Castle was a great experience! I hadn't been there for many years and I was extremely impressed with the maintenance that has been undertaken on the castle as well as the grounds and the views are incredible. We started off with a lovely afternoon tea at the cafe beforehand. The food and the service was impeccable.
To see the once proud home restored from a livestock shed, is amazing. The family stories narrated by our guide Robyn (who had played here as children), brought it to life. The gardens were also beautiful!
Nice place de to visit, the road on the peninsula in really scenary and the view from the castle is breathtaking. The castle itself is rather small, but still nice to visit even with young kids. May seem overpriced (80$ for a family), but it's for the sake of its restauration and and preservation.
Lovely traditional hotel. We were very well looked after.
Interesting to a degree, but not worth the entry price. Even the external architecture was ghastly. The grounds were nice though, with good views over the harbour.
Gives a great vivid picture of living in luxury a century ago. Especially thanks to the filmed images on the audio guide.
In addition, hotel guests can dine in style in the old dining room in the evenings.
Loved the gardens and the seats built around the gardens. Such a beautiful place to admit and reflect. The lawns are immaculate. Spectacular views from some parts of the garden. Cafe had great ambience with the fire going. Food is delicious in the cafe.Not great parking (quite a way from the castle) but was worth the visit. Great signage about the castle on your walk around (lots of stairs). Gorgeous gardens. Check out the high tea as well - awesome!
Have stayed several times now. Always helpful staff. Great rooms. Definitely book in for the dinner, very yummy. Beautiful place to visit even if just for a day trip to look around and have lunch at the cafe...
We will be back again...
It is recommended because it is plenty to see.
There is also a Japanese pamphlet (manual).
The castle's grandmother is also wandering around (laughs)
The Otago Peninsula as a whole is a must see but I also recommend a visit to Larnach Castle in particular, while in the area. Especially if you are a gardener. The garden is gorgeous and will definitely inspire ideas for your own backyard.
Pay for the gardens only. The castle insides aren't worth it.
I think it is more a palace than a castle, surrounded by a beautiful garden.
Good views from the garden
If you have never left NZ or seen a castle before, then it's great
Enjoyed the Commentary Tour. Our Guide was well informed & entertaining. There is alot of mystery & intrigue in the Castle's history.
Very well maintained, friendly staff and beautiful gardens
A bit overpriced for whats on offer. The gardens smaller than expected. Great view from the tower!
A beautiful castle which is continually been restored to it's former glory with some breathtaking views on offer!
The entry fee is $34 per adult which gives you access to the castle and is absolutely worth it as it contributes to the restoration of the castle!
A must visit if you find yourself in Dunedin!
Attached are a few One Plus 6T phone photos from my visit on 31.12.2019!
Do not miss this intetesting castle when in Dunedin
Beautiful and well maintained
Reminds me of home, apart from the creepy ghost lady. Great presentation of the history of the castle and it's occupants. Beautiful gardens and great menu at the cafe.
We thought the castle was cute, the story interesting. The entrance fee to the garden was too high, for what you get. Better to pay the full price and visit the castle too.
Just the garden alone was a fabulous.
Had a wonderful morning.
Information filled panflettes and a small room to go to the top
The road to the castle is stunning and a stunning view. Worth paying for the entrance to the castle and gardens. Do not give up the roof of the castle scenery is amazing.
Great place to visit ,the history of the castle was very interesting,,it had been renovated and restored beautifully.The gardens are gorgeous and maintained by a team of very talented gardeners. A must see when in Dunedin, also we had lunch in the cafe which is the ballroom of the castle the food was delicious and the coffee was too.Staff lovely and attentive.
What a great place - loved the accommodation in the Stables, the search for Alice in Wonderland characters but the exclusive dinner in the castle was an absolute highlight!
Beautiful gardens, didn't go into the castle but it was still worth the trip.
Amazing gardens and amazing views. We visited the grounds and it was stunning. Would visit castle next time.
Lovely historic home. Love that it is consistantly being restored.
Calling it a castle is misleading. It's just a rich Aussie's dream home. Some neat architecture, nice views from the roof top. Gardens are lovely. At 31 NZD per head, found it expensive.
Grand and creepy as well. Have a visit and you be the judge.
It was a great trip and the gardens were lovely. Castle was great.
I think the entry fee is a bit pricey though. Considering the price of a child.
Beautiful views and a nice little piece of history.
It was cool and you got to learn about how the castle was built.
Except for the fact the ballroom is now a restaurant with great food, still has the ambience it did 50 years ago.
Our second time at Dunedin. We only choose this place before hiding to Kakapoint. Really beautiful gardens and lovely staffs on site. Personally, I prefer the garden to the castle visit. Really nice location. Time permitting, please do finish all the short walking trails around the castle. I assume summer view may be even better. :)
In a word: dreamlike!
This castle must be approached. The entrance fee apparently flows into the maintenance of the plant. The entire area is privately owned.
I chose the complete ticket with access to the gardens and the castle.
I have never regretted it.
Countless pictures have filled my memory in no time
The employees have been friendly and helpful throughout.
Thoroughly enjoyable, High Tea was excellent, the Narrator was very good !
Second time visiting Lanarch Castle, though I definitely appreciated it better this time (I was younger last time). The history is amazing and seeing how they used to live was very interesting. Best view from the top of the tower, though very small spiral stairs to get up there - worth the short trek though. Gardens are beautiful too - they had massive succulents too which I loved.
Don't go if you aren't part of a group. You would be unwelcomed, the tour guides would want you to get out of the room and the staff would recheck for tickets (even if you can't enter the premises without buying tickets)
The only castle in New Zealand. The house/castle is nicely maintained and overlooks the bay. The house/castle is nicely maintained, and made into several themed area; including Alice in Wonderland, along with the Chestershire cat sitting nicely on one of the tree. Parking is plenty though will be full after 10a during the holiday time. Also have phone app for guided tour, however don't waste your money buying it as the app is useless: need internet connection, but there's no wifi nor mobile data available in the castle.
Not to spoil for others. Just go and learn about the history and see the beauty of it. Will go back every time I'm in Dunedin
A special unique place - well worth the price on a good day
I only bought the ticket for the garden (12.50 NZD) and in my opinion it was not worth the money. The castle has a new looking glass balcony and doesn't look like a castle anymore and the garden is also not worth the money. The best thing about the garden is the view over the landscape but with a little driving you can get this for free.
I took a guided tour when I visited this castle. The tour guide was very informative and energetic. And the history of the castle was very interesting. We had a decent lunch during the tour. It was very pleasant!
Beautiful landmark and heritage building with a cafe on site as well as accommodation. Well worth a visit.
This is New Zealand's only castle and a must go however if you are in Dunedin! If you are planning a visit there be sure to go on a private tour opposed to the heavily crowed buses offered by the cruise lines.
Really good. Great cafe and the castle is well worth seeing as well as the grounds.
A step back in time to an era of opulence, and a walkthrough with Alice in a Wonderland! Great for the kids.
Beautiful place to visit .
Great views and a great price of history .
Not something you see everyday
The lady owner who planned and planted most of the current gardens gave us a garden tour. Just excellent. Geogeous views, beautiful plants, quite spectacular variety... Artfully arranged.
Amazing historic place...beautiful grounds...highly recommend to visit!!
Excellent piece of NZ history...! Beautiful property, building and grounds both! Well preserved and maintained but its the views in particular that are nothing short of spectacular! From a historic standpoint ... all kiwis should experience Larnach...!
Castle is a bit small but definitely worth a visit. Lot of old stuff in glass cabinets. Rest of furniture is new . Great experience. Great views of Dunedin, drive up and down.
What a beautiful place to spend a day. Enjoyed the glorious gardens and exploring the magnificent castle. Highly recommend a visit. Kim and Rob. Tasmania, Australia.
Bit cold for someone without his jacket otherwise.
Great place. Allow about three hours at least to wander around and checkout the gardens, views and detailed finishing inside before enjoying a very nice meal.
I absolutely felt the Barker's love of Larnach Castle when visiting from Australia this month. Due to their tireless dedication and commitment to restore this magnificent piece of history, I was privelleged to be able to witness the almost unbelievable beauty of craftsmanship, that adorned every single room. The hand carved wooden detailing was what dreams are made of. Magnificent
Do not go to Korea. I went there expecting it to be a castle, but there is a three-story building that is snooty.
And the price is better beef Saad important to become familiar with a family $ 80, and the money.
Highly dependent on the season and the weather. But if you're looking for a Renassaince looking building, you're in for a treat.
An interesting place. Much restoration has been completed. Gardens were good.
Had been before but its has wonderful wooden furniture & architraves and the history is facinating
Great for Family outing, everything was so pretty. I liked the induction video which just gave you the background of the castle making it much more personal.
Beautiful location and grounds. Had an amazing Chef's Choice dinner in the historic dining room. Go early, walk the grounds and stay for dinner. Alex, the hostl, was phenomenal! So informative and goes beyond expectations.
A bit over priced, not a lot to see, what there is to see though is some amazing views
Inspiring grounds.. building itself very old interior suits the
Rest of building. Very historic.
larnachcastle.co.nz