Short answer: Pendennis Castle in Falmouth is open 10am to 5pm daily until 24 October 2026, then shorter days and weekends only from November. Ticket prices vary by date, and booking by midnight the day before saves up to 15%. Members go free. Highlights are the Tudor Keep, Half Moon Battery and a Halloween half-term programme from 24 October.
Pendennis Castle sits on the headland above Falmouth and is one of the better value English Heritage sites in Cornwall. It suits families, history fans and anyone who likes a view over the Carrick Roads. This guide covers prices, opening times, history, events and parking.
Pendennis uses the same three English Heritage price levels as Tintagel: Standard, Saver and Super Saver, depending on the date. Standard applies Sundays to Thursdays from 23 May to 31 August. Saver covers Sundays to Thursdays in spring and autumn, plus Fridays and Saturdays in summer. Super Saver covers Fridays and Saturdays in spring and autumn and every open day from 2 November to 16 March.
English Heritage's trade price list (before any group discount) shows an adult ticket at £12.32 (Super Saver), £13.85 (Saver) or £15.38 (Standard), and a child ticket at £6.12, £6.88 or £7.65. Individual gate prices were not readable when we checked, so confirm on the English Heritage Pendennis page.
English Heritage's 2026/27 schedule for Pendennis:
Last entry is 4pm in the main season on the English Heritage page. Winter weekdays are closed, so check the date picker before driving over.
Henry VIII built the castle between 1539 and 1545 as a gun fort, with a circular design that let it fire in all directions. It guarded the Carrick Roads together with St Mawes Castle across the water. By 1600 the engineer Paul Ive had enclosed Henry's castle within a larger Elizabethan fortress.
In 1646 it was one of the last Royalist strongholds to hold out in the Civil War. About 1,000 people endured a five-month siege and surrendered in August when the food ran out. Defences were upgraded again in the 1800s. In the First World War it was the command centre for coast artillery in west Cornwall, and in the Second World War its six-inch guns saw action again. The garrison was disbanded in 1956.
English Heritage lists a Halloween half-term programme from Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November 2026, 10am to 4pm. There is also a members' event, a lino printing Christmas card workshop, on Saturday 28 November 2026 (10.30am to 12.30pm and 1.30pm to 3.30pm). Check the English Heritage what's on page for anything added later. If you are in Falmouth for half-term, see our October half-term in Falmouth with kids.
English Heritage's pages that we could read do not give parking details. The Pendennis Castle Car Park, on Castle Drive at the top of the hill, is rated 4.7 from 118 Google reviews. Reviewers describe parking outside the castle as free, but we could not confirm that with an official source, so look for signs on arrival. One reviewer reports a height barrier that was padlocked shut later in the day, so vans and campervans should check the rules before leaving the vehicle. If you only want the views, our Pendennis Point parking and views guide has a free option, and Falmouth's parking guide covers the town.
English Heritage's Pendennis pages do not spell out a dog policy, so check before you go. Our dogs at Pendennis Castle guide explains the usual split between the grounds and indoor spaces.
English Heritage calls it "a full day of discovery" but does not give a time. Reviewers on Google (4.6 from 4,964 reviews) say a few hours is enough, and praise the guns, the tunnels, the exhibition and the staff. With the Tudor Keep, barracks and café under cover, it works as a part-wet day, though the batteries and ramparts are exposed. See also our Falmouth rainy day list, our first-time visitor guide and the Falmouth town page.
Prices depend on the date (Standard, Saver or Super Saver). English Heritage says booking early saves up to 15%, and members are free. Check the booking page for your date.
Daily 10am to 5pm until 24 October 2026, then 10am to 4pm. From 2 November to 23 December it opens Saturday and Sunday only, and it is closed 24 to 26 December.
Yes. English Heritage offers 20% off for visitors arriving by bus, train or bicycle, on tickets bought on the day at the site.
A Halloween half-term programme runs from 24 October to 1 November 2026, 10am to 4pm. A members' lino printing Christmas card workshop is on 28 November 2026.
English Heritage's pages we could read do not state a dog policy, so check before you go. Our dog guide explains the usual grounds and indoor split.
Henry VIII built it between 1539 and 1545 as a gun fort against possible invasion, and it guarded the Carrick Roads together with St Mawes Castle.
Times, prices and dates are the businesses' and organisers' to change, so check before you travel. Spotted something we've got wrong? Tell us and we'll fix it.
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