Planning Your Visit

2 miles north-east of Cranbrook, 1 mile east of Sissinghurst village on Biddenden Road, off A262. Keep a look out and follow for the National Trust brown signs, we are on the left if coming from Sissinghurst village and on the right if coming from Biddenden and Headcorn, there are black signs before the turning for our driveway.

Sat Nav: Look out and follow for the National Trust brown signs, the sat nav may take you to the wrong address. The turning for Sissinghurst Castle Garden is on the left from Sissinghurst village and on the right when coming from Biddenden and Headcorn, there are black signs just before the turning for our drive on both sides.

For full details and directions via other means of transport, please see our 'Getting here' tab here.

On-site parking and accessible parking bays are available. Please note that our overflow car parking is not in operation during the wet winter months.

Parking is free for National Trust members and blue badge holders.

Membership cards must be scanned at Visitor Reception to obtain your entry ticket. When you do this, it also means Sissinghurst Castle Garden receives extra money from our general funds to spend on improvements.

There is a standard £4 car parking charge for non-National Trust members. This will cover your visit for the entire day and can be paid at Visitor Reception or in cash upon arrival in the car park.

8 22kw electric vehicle charging points are available in bay 1 of the main car park.

Chargers can be accessed using mobile app, RFID card, or contactless payment device. Visit our EV charging provider RAW Charging’s website (rawcharging.com) to download the app in advance of your visit. Chargers are only available during property opening hours.

National Trust parking charges still apply.

On days where we experience busy periods, we may need to close for short spells to allow enough parking spaces to clear.

At busy times, our car park team may guide visitors to parking spaces to ease congestion too.

Our overflow car parking is not in operation during the winter months and periods of heavy wet weather.

Please check Sissinghurst's homepage for updates on the car park ahead of your travels.

Yes. All funds received are reinvested into Sissinghurst Castle Garden to help maintain pathways and facilities. We are grateful for our visitors for helping to look after the places that we love.

If you are a National Trust member and plan to just walk your dog, we ask that you still scan your membership cards at Visitor Reception for this reason.

Yes. All visitors must have an entry ticket before entering the garden which also includes the Big Room (Library) and Tower. Our entry tickets resemble bookmarks and can be obtained at Visitor Reception by either scanning National Trust membership cards or by purchasing entry.

Please keep a hold of your ticket during your visit as you will be asked to show this to a volunteer steward by the hut at the garden entrance every time you enter the garden.

Photography and filming on phones for personal use is allowed.

Photography and filming for commercial use must be approved ahead of time through our team at filmoffice@nationaltrust.org.uk

Wedding and engagement photoshoots, portrait photoshoots, or student filming must be booked in advance with our team at sissinghurst@nationaltrust.org.uk.

For more information, please visit our page on Photographic Access.

The National Trust does not authorise personal drone flying on its land and or properties in order to preserve the special nature of these places.

For more information, please visit our page on Drone Flying.

Due to narrow pathways and intermittent closures of lawns, tripods are not allowed inside the garden.

Plan your visit with our wider estate map here.

Plan your walk around the garden here.

Please note: pushchairs, food and drink, and dogs (with the exception of assistance dogs) are not allowed inside the garden.

Visit our accessibility questions below for more information.

We are committed to giving our visitors the best experience they can have, particularly in busy periods. At the same time, we face challenges around adapting to a changing climate.

As a team, we are continuing to develop our ways to better protect the garden’s long-term health against damage. One such way was trialling timed entry to the garden in 2025. The valuable feedback we received from this trial has helped us shape our methods for 2026.

By introducing a carrying capacity, we are taking action to look after the garden while making sure it is a welcoming environment for all.

A carrying capacity is a typical method used for protecting historic interiors – we use this already for the Tower and Library spaces. Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson designed the garden as a series of ‘rooms’, so it is important we give the same level of protection to the outdoor spaces as we do to the interiors.

The system will start on Monday 23 March.

It is expected to remain in place throughout our busy season until September 2026. However, we will continue to monitor its success and may make adjustments to improve the experience for our visitors.

If the garden is at capacity, visitors will need to wait until the number of people inside the garden has decreased.

Visitors are encouraged to visit other areas of the site to ensure they are getting the most out of their visit.

This system is in place to enhance the experience of the garden, allowing for a quieter and more peaceful atmosphere.

There is a recommended accessible route through the garden for wheelchair users as some pathways lead to steps, narrow sections or 'dead ends' for turning.

For ease, speak to a member of our team upon arrival for a map of the recommended accessible route or for clarity of direction.

Please note that all pathways are narrow due to the historic structure of the garden and uneven terrain can be found throughout.

Due to the narrow pathways, pushchairs and wheeled toys are unfortunately not allowed in the garden.

We kindly ask that those who are able to use other means to get around the garden, such as hands-free baby carriers instead of pushchairs, do so.

By bringing your own baby carriers, visitors can enjoy the garden as a family without having to navigate tricky borders and pathways.

We kindly ask that all food and drink is enjoyed outside of the garden for conservation purposes. Visitors can enjoy their meals in the Cafe, Restaurant and the picnic areas next to the Vegetable Garden and in the orchard at the top of the car park.

On hot days, visitors are encouraged to stay hydrated in all areas of the site during their visit.

Assistance dogs only are allowed inside the garden for conservation purposes, and inside the vegetable garden for food safety purposes.

Visitors wishing to walk their dogs around the grounds can enjoy routes across our estate.

Please note the lawns in the garden close during the winter season and occasionally during extensive wet periods.

In warmer weather, the lawns may remain closed in order to manage excessive footfall over them and to preserve their general health.

During select times of the year, sections of our pathways may also be roped off to allow the garden team to carry out essential work.

While we aim to complete this work outside of visitor hours, this is not always possible.

The buggy service is in operation during our peak months between March and October only, due to limited volunteer availability.

The route usually covers the car park, Visitor Reception, shops, Restaurant and the garden entrance. This buggy does not go inside the garden.

Yes, there are a select number of wheelchairs available to hire for free on site.

These must be booked in advance. Visitors wishing to book a wheelchair ahead of their visit can do so by emailing sissinghurst@nationaltrust.org.uk or calling us on 01580 710700.

There is uneven terrain around the site, and a step free route around the garden, restaurant and shops. Please note there is no step free access to the upstairs Oast Exhibition Space, Big Room, or Tower.

More information on this route can be obtained upon arrival at Visitor Reception or at the garden entrance.

You can download a map of the step free route around the garden here.

Visitors are welcome to use a pushchair on site, but please note they are not allowed in the garden and collection spaces due to narrow pathways, limited step-free access, and the historic nature of the site.

There is uneven terrain around the site which may not be completely accessible to pushchairs.

We encourage visitors to bring and use their own baby carriers if they are able.

Visitors can leave their pushchairs in the designated area behind Visitor Reception.

All food and drink must be enjoyed outside of the garden for conservation purposes.

We have a picnic area next to our Vegetable Garden which overlooks the Wealden countryside. The picnic area has plenty of benches, including sheltered seating areas, and space for children to explore.

There is also a smaller picnic area at the top of the car park.

Yes. These areas are located in both toilets by Visitor Reception (not including the accessible toilet) and in the women's toilet at Granary Restaurant.

We unfortunately do not offer visitors baby carriers but encourage visitors to bring their own.

Visit our Family article to see our full seasonal offers throughout the year.

You can also:

• Spot the fairy doors hiding in the trees along our woodland walks.
• Explore our lake walk and longer hiking trails (if you’re feeling adventurous!).
• Find the tree hollow in the sheep fields where you can explore under exposed roots.
• Take a break and play in the Dragon’s Den-building area.
• Get a seasonal spotter sheet from Visitor Reception to explore Sissinghurst’s habitats.
• Find a story for the whole family to enjoy at the Second-hand bookshop.
• Our shop carries a full range of children’s toys and products.

Although dogs are not allowed inside the garden and vegetable garden, visitors can walk their dogs on leads around the wider estate which has more than 450 acres.

Find out more about the canine code and bringing dogs to Sissinghurst Castle Garden.

Yes, for non-National Trust members. All funds received are reinvested into Sissinghurst Castle Garden to help maintain pathways and facilities. We are grateful for our visitors for helping to look after the places that we love.

If you are a National Trust member and plan to just walk your dog, we ask that you still scan your membership cards at Visitor Reception for this reason.

With the exception of assistance dogs, dogs are allowed inside the Old Dairy Cafe, Plant Shop, and main Shop only.