Visitor FAQs

Our visitor car park has over 1,000 spaces and is clearly signposted upon arrival. There are dedicated spaces for Blue Badge holders and accessible parking, available on a first come basis.

A regular shuttle bus service runs a circular route approximately every 10 minutes. You can pick it up from the Welcome Pavilion at the car park and get on and off at the fountain near the house, the Stables and back to the car park.

You can book bus tickets in advance when booking your Grounds ticket or purchase them on the day, £2.50 adult, £1.50 child. This applies to all visitors, including National Trust, Art Fund and RHS members.

There is then a short, flat walk of 200m from the North Fountain to the house.

See Planning your Visit>

10am-5.30pm. The last return bus to the car park departs from the North Fountain & Stables at 5.30pm.

Yes, each shuttle bus has space at the front for up to five pushchairs without folding them.

Yes, there is a hard-surface footpath route linking the car park to the main gardens. It takes 20-25 minutes to walk and there are some steep sections.

We have four spaces in the visitor car park signposted for the purpose of electric vehicle charging. Spaces are suitable for a 16A EV Type 2 charging socket. If you would like to charge your vehicle, please speak to staff at the Welcome Pavilion who will assist you at the start and end of charging. We don’t have any connecting cables, so please remember to bring yours with you. Use of the posts is free, but on a first come, first served basis.

We do not currently have any EV charging in our accessible parking bays.

More about getting here, parking & access>

We are very fortunate to still have most of Waddesdon’s original collection intact, however this means that many of our corridors and walkways are very narrow. In order to prevent overcrowding, and for our visitors safety and comfort, we need to manage the number of people entering the house at any one time. Doing this by timed admission ticket allows you to plan the rest of your visit without worrying about queuing to get into the house. Everybody, including Under 5s need a timed ticket.

From March to October, last entry time is 3.20-3.30pm and the ground floor will close at 4pm.

Towards the end of the day you may see our House Stewards begin the process of closing for the day.

Yes. Between March and October entry is free, but everybody, including National Trust members, will need a timed ticket to enter the house. Tickets can be purchased online in advance, at the Welcome Pavilion near the visitor car park or at the blue Visitor Information building near the Manor. On weekends and in holiday periods, we recommend booking in advance to avoid disappointment.

From November to March the house is ‘put to bed’ for cleaning and conservation. At Christmas some rooms are decorated from November until early January, booking is essential and a special event charge applies to all visitors.

Yes. Tickets can be pre-booked online, at the Welcome Pavilion near the visitor car park or at the blue Visitor Information building near the Manor during your visit. On weekends and in holiday periods tickets sell out quickly, and advance booking is advised in order to avoid disappointment. We encourage weekday visits if you would prefer to avoid the busy times.

Pre-book your tickets now>

No. Once in the house you are free to explore at your own pace, our knowledgeable House Hosts are on hand to answer any questions you may have. We also have room guides available to pick up on the door or digitally via the Bloomberg app. We recommend downloading the app ahead of your visit for ease.

There are some special tours and events which run during main season and can be booked in advance. See what’s on >

If you are planning to visit with 15+ people, see our Groups page >

We recommend a minimum of 1 hour 30 minutes in order to appreciate the house to its full. On average people will spend two hours visiting the house.

One of the greatest enemies in preserving a collection like Waddesdon is exposure to light. We have a strict number of hours in a year that the rooms can be exposed to light and therefore open to the public. It is in order to take care of the collections that we need to close slightly earlier than the rest of the property.

We do not currently offer an audio tour of the house. There is a free paper room guide available to pick up on the door or digitally via the Bloomberg app. We recommend downloading the app ahead of your visit for ease.

Yes, bags smaller than 35 x 45cm are welcome in the house. To help us look after the collection, we ask that all visitors carry all bags and rucksacks around the front of them during their visit.

Bags larger than 35 x 45cm as well as oversized rucksacks (those with a frame), suitcases and picnic hampers cannot be taken into the house and need to be left in the free bag store located in the blue Visitor Information building opposite the Manor Terrace. This is to avoid accidental knocks and scrapes as many of our corridors and walkways are quite narrow, with delicate items in easy reach.

Many of our carpets and textiles were made before the invention of modern dyes and fixatives, even very small spillages could lead to irreversible damage to these items. Our priority is to care for the collections, please secure food and drink in your bag while inside the house.

We have places in the house where water is available on hot days, and kept away from any vulnerable items, please ask any member of the team for assistance.

For your ease and comfort we advise leaving your high heels at home. We provide alternative slip on footwear for those wearing high heels, because sharp pointed shoes can cause damage to the historic floor coverings.

Many of our carpets and textiles were made before the invention of modern dyes and fixatives, even very small spillages could lead to irreversible damage to these items. Our priority is to care for the collections, please secure food and drink in your bag while inside the house.

We have places in the house where water is available on hot days, and kept away from any vulnerable items, please ask any member of team for assistance.

We provide front sling or hip-carrying seats for small children, available at the house entrance free of charge. Unfortunately prams and pushchairs are not allowed into the house as the visitor route is narrow and they may inadvertently cause damage; they can be left outside the front door of the house under cover. Child carriers on back packs are also not permitted in the house.

Our collection is fragile, with many historic textiles that are vulnerable to any accidental spillage of food or liquids including water.  However, there are areas around the House which are less sensitive where you can feed your baby. Please ask a member of the house team for assistance. We also have a designated quiet space on the ground floor of the house for baby feeding should parents wish to use it and there is a Changing Places toilet available too.

Children may not be carried on shoulders during the house visit, for safety reasons. The route through the house is sometimes narrow and you may be in close proximity to other visitors and also fragile objects in the collection including chandeliers, paintings, sculpture, wall hangings and original curtains.

We are happy for you to photograph and video our collections for personal and non-commercial use. Feel free to share them with us and on social media #MyWaddesdon. We ask that you refrain from using flash photography as our collections are extremely light sensitive. There may be some items or displays that are on loan from other organisations who have stipulated that items cannot be photographed as part of the loan agreement. These will be clearly sign posted as ‘No Photography Allowed’.

Note: Permission is required for all professional photography. Contact enquiries@waddesdon.org.uk

Yes. We have a number of apps that can be downloaded to your devices and there is also free Wi-Fi within the house (simply log in with your email address).

Download our free room guide via the Bloomberg app > 

Yes. Most areas of the house are accessible, however, there’s limited access to the Prints and Drawings Rooms and Treasury via a chair lift. Our historic lift, which services the first floor, is quite limited on space and not all scooters or wheelchairs can be accommodated. We’ll be able to advise on whether your mobility aid will fit in the lift at the point of admission to the House.

On occasion we may request that a mobility scooter or wheelchair user transfer into one of our house wheelchairs upon arrival at the house entrance. This is usually because your mobility scooter or wheelchair is too large to accommodate. However, if for any reason this isn’t possible, you’re welcome to use your own scooter or wheelchair on the ground floor. We have four wheelchairs suitable for use inside the house which are located in the main entrance and are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Yes. Most areas of the house are accessible, however, there’s limited access to the Prints and Drawings Rooms and Treasury via a chair lift. Our historic lift, which services the first floor, is quite limited on space and not all scooters or wheelchairs can be accommodated. We’ll be able to advise on whether your mobility aid will fit in the lift at the point of admission to the House.

On occasion we may request that a mobility scooter or wheelchair user transfer into one of our house wheelchairs upon arrival at the house entrance. This is usually because your mobility scooter or wheelchair is too large to accommodate. However, if for any reason this isn’t possible, you’re welcome to use your own scooter or wheelchair on the ground floor. We have four wheelchairs suitable for use inside the house which are located in the main entrance and are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

There are a variety of food and drink locations on site.

The Manor Restaurant offers breakfast, afternoon tea and Sunday lunch. More information >

The Stables Café offers gourmet burgers. More information >

There are also food to go outlets offering a selection of freshly made food and drink located near the Manor, Stables and Woodland Playground. More information >

Eating at Waddesdon >

Yes. You are more than welcome to enjoy our picnic benches or bring a blanket and enjoy the gardens. Either bring your own food or pick something up from one of our food outlets.

Dogs are welcome anywhere in the grounds with the exception of the Aviary and Woodland Playground. Use our dog map to see our dog friendly areas. Dogs are permitted in the Stables Café however they are not allowed inside any other building including the house, shops and Manor Restaurant. Well behaved dogs are allowed on the shuttle buses. Please keep dogs on short leads at all times. Dog water bowls can be found at the Welcome Pavilion, Manor terrace and Stables.

More about our dog walks and dog map>

Cyclists may use their bikes on the main route through the grounds.

On arrival you will be directed to our Welcome Pavilion, where you’ll need to purchase a grounds entry ticket, or show your National Trust membership card. If you wish you may leave your bike in our sheltered rack next to the electric charging points and continue into the grounds via our free shuttle bus. Alternatively, you may cycle up to the Manor along the main entrance road. Please dismount when you reach the closed main gate, and walk your bike through using the side pedestrian gate. Once through this gate you may continue cycling on the entrance road to the North Fountain. At this point a member of staff will show you where to safely leave your bike in a sheltered bike rack.

You may wish to continue cycling to the Stables using the main entrance road where there is another sheltered bike rack in the parking area.

When you are ready to leave, you can cycle down the exit drive, taking a right at the bottom onto Green Lane, and then back to the car park/Greenway, or exit via Silk Street and onto the A41.

We permit small bicycles used by supervised under 5s within the main gardens. These can be carried onto the visitor shuttle buses. Please ensure that any under 5s stay on the main paths within the gardens. We suggest the flat paths in front of the house, around the Aviary and the Rose Garden are most suitable.

Smoking is prohibited within 20m of all buildings for health and safety reasons. You are permitted to smoke within the grounds and gardens, but please be respectful of other visitors and dispose of your cigarettes within the bins provided.