Visiting Cadw Castles With a Baby: Free Entry Under 5, Terrain Ratings and Baby Changing at Six Welsh Castles (Wales)

Welsh castles make a dramatic day out, but they are old fortresses with steps, cobbles and steep approaches, so what suits a baby varies a lot from one to the next. Cadw, the Welsh Government’s historic environment service, publishes an access guide for each site with a terrain rating, notes on parking and details of baby changing. This guide summarises what those pages say for Kidwelly, Raglan, Harlech, Caernarfon, Conwy and Caerphilly castles, using the prices and information shown for 1 September 2026 to 31 March 2027. It applies to Cadw sites in Wales only. Opening times and prices change, so check the site page before setting out. This is general information rather than a guarantee of access. For English properties, see the site’s guide to visiting English Heritage sites with a baby.

Tickets and free entry for babies

Cadw’s price tables say all children under 5 receive free entry at each of these six castles. For families, the tables list a Family ticket for two adults and up to three children and a Family ticket for one adult and up to three children. From 1 September 2026 to 31 March 2027 the prices shown are:

• Kidwelly Castle: £28.50 for two adults and up to three children, or £19.60 for one adult;
• Raglan Castle and Castell Harlech: £33.30 or £22.90;
• Castell Caernarfon: £47.70 or £32.80; and
• Castell Conwy and Caerphilly Castle: £41.30 or £28.40 for a single-location ticket, with joint tickets available at a higher price.

Because babies under 5 enter free, a couple with one baby will normally pay the adult rate for two rather than the Family ticket, and the Family ticket comes into its own with older siblings. Cadw also lists a £1 ticket for people on Universal Credit and other named benefits.

Reading the terrain rating

Each Cadw access guide includes a walking difficulty rating. Among the castles covered here, Kidwelly is listed at Terrain Level 2, Easy. Raglan and Harlech are Level 3, Moderate, and Caernarfon and Conwy are Level 4, Strenuous. Caerphilly’s page directs visitors to contact the castle team for accessibility information rather than giving a rating. For a pushchair, the ratings work as a rough guide to how many steps and slopes to expect, and a carrier or sling may be easier at the higher levels.

What each access guide says about pushchairs

Kidwelly. Cadw describes an incline to the main entrance, on a wide non-slip concrete path leading to a wooden slatted bridge. It says there is wheelchair and buggy access in the visitor centre and in the monument, while access to the upper levels is limited to walkers. Its page lists baby changing facilities in the toilets and a large free car park a short walk away, with about 11 spaces on site.

Raglan. The car park is on a grassed surface within the castle grounds. Cadw says the ground inside the monument includes lawns, gravelled and cobbled areas, and that several uneven cobbled stones within the great hall may cause some difficulty for people with pushchairs or wheelchairs. The path to the rear of the castle can be muddy when wet and involves short flights of steps. Baby changing facilities are listed in the toilets.

Harlech. The small pay and display car park beside the castle entrance charges £2 for one hour, £3 for two and £4 for three, with a three-hour maximum stay. Cadw warns that parking in the lower part of town involves a very steep walk up to the castle. Baby changing facilities are listed.

Caernarfon. The nearest car park is a long-stay public car park at the waterfront, and the route to the castle involves a short steep climb to the visitor centre along a standard town pavement. Cadw says the castle’s steps are uneven and the towers steep and windy, but that a lift gives access to the inner and upper tiers of the Inner East Gatehouse. A visitor notice on the same page currently says the upper floors of the King’s Gate are not accessible while lift access is reinstated, so check before relying on the lift. Baby changing facilities are listed.

Conwy. The access approach is via a steep path of approximately 50 metres with several steps. Cadw lists visitor toilets with baby change facilities on the lower level of the visitor centre, which its access guide says is reached by a flight of stairs, and an accessible toilet at ground level near the entrance. Inside, the grounds are grassed with flat cobbled pathways, while access to the great hall and east barbican is via short flights of stairs.

Caerphilly. Cadw says there are short and long stay pay and display car parks, about 110 m and 500 m away. The toilets are at the back of the Great Hall, and the ground floor accessible toilet includes baby changing facilities. The castle has towers and narrow corridors on a one-way route, with a map provided on arrival.

Keeping little ones safe on site

Cadw’s health and safety notes ask that supervised children stay away from low walls with drops, including over the moat at Raglan and the boundary wall near the dry moat at Harlech. They also note that steps are historic, uneven and sometimes slippery in wet weather, and ask visitors to use the handrails provided.

Planning the visit

• Choose a lower-rated site such as Kidwelly for a first outing with a pushchair.
• Use a carrier for the towers and spiral staircases at Caernarfon and Conwy.
• Note where the baby changing facilities are, since at Conwy they are reached by steps.
• Check the site page for opening times and last admission, which Cadw lists as 30 minutes before closing at Raglan.

Frequently asked questions

Do babies need a ticket? Cadw says all children under 5 receive free entry at the castles covered here.

Which of these castles is easiest with a pushchair? Kidwelly has the lowest terrain rating, Level 2, and Cadw says it has buggy access in the visitor centre and monument.

Do all of them have baby changing? Cadw’s pages for Kidwelly, Raglan, Harlech, Caernarfon, Conwy and Caerphilly all list baby changing facilities.

The bottom line

Cadw’s castles offer free entry for children under 5 and baby changing facilities, but terrain ranges from Level 2 to Level 4. Choose Kidwelly or a similar lower-rated site with a pushchair, use a carrier at the steeper castles and read each access guide before you go.

Sources

• Cadw, "Kidwelly Castle"
• Cadw, "Raglan Castle"
• Cadw, "Castell Harlech"
• Cadw, "Castell Caernarfon"
• Cadw, "Castell Conwy"
• Cadw, "Castell Conwy: Access Guide"
• Cadw, "Caerphilly Castle"