Waddesdon Manor Review, National Trust

Waddesdon Manor is a National Trust property located in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, that’s a fantastic day out with the kids due to the amount of family friendly attractions within it.

If you’re interested in visiting Waddesdon Manor but would like some more information before you go, then I hope this Waddesdon Manor review helps you decide if it’s a family day outf that you’d like to consider.

In this Waddesdon Manor review I’ll cover:

I hope you find this Waddesdon Manor review helpful.

If there’s anything you think is missing from this review, or anything you’d like more information on, then I’d love to hear from you.

Waddesdon Manor’s location

Waddesdon Manor is located at:

Waddesdon, Aylesbury
Buckinghamshire, HP18 0JH

If driving, follow the signposts from Waddesdon Village, and enter via Silk Street.

You can get to Waddesdon Manor by public transport, however services may be limited.

Things to do at Waddesdon Manor

There are many things to do at Waddesdon Manor, which include:

The Manor

The manor at Waddesdon Manor is a French Renaissance-style château that was built between 1874 and 1885 by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild, to entertain the fashion world, and display his art collection.

It’s an extremely impressive manor inside and out, and is one of my favourite National Trust manors, due to its décor, and the amount of rooms open to visitors.

Walking through the manor you can see exquisitely decorated rooms, expensive fixtures, tapestry, floral arrangements, and many grandfather clocks.

Two of my favourite rooms are The Dining Room, which has a 24 seat marble table inside it, as well as the Smoking and Billiard Room in the Bachelor’s Wing, which is a very luxurious man cave.

Woodland Playground

One of the best things to do at Waddesdon Manor for families with younger children is to visit the Woodland Playground, which is located near the Stables.

There’s a section for toddlers here, as well as for older kids with swings, slides, seesaws, zip wires, and climbing frames.

It’s covered by trees, so if the weather isn’t the best when you visit, you can still enjoy this playground.

Gardens

There are multiple gardens at Waddesdon Manor, including:

• The Aviary Garden, this is a must see if visiting with kids because it consists of cages filled with colourful and exotic birds, and a well with fish
• Parterre, located behind the manor, this gorgeous garden changes every spring and summer, so it’s worth viewing multiple times
• Water Garden, a private garden that you can only visit during certain times of the year, on a special tour

Grounds

There are expansive grounds at Waddesdon Manor filled with walking paths, flower beds, sculptures, fountains, benches to sit on, and grassed areas for kids to run on, or to have a picnic on.

If your family loves walking, there are four garden walks you can do that range in duration from 25-60 minutes.

Stables

Within the Stables are the Coach House Gallery that runs different exhibitions throughout the year, The Stables Café, The Stables Hatch, and access to the Woodland Playground.

Food options

There are a few different food options at Waddesdon Manor, which are:

• The Manor Restaurant, located next to the manor, this restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and afternoon tea, and has high chairs available for use
• Food to go, located near the entrance to the Gift and Wine Shop at the side of the manor, it offers drinks, snacks, and treats that you can take with you, or eat at one of few tables next to it
• The Stables Café, located at the Stables, this café is ideal for families as it offers small meals, drinks, ice creams, and treats, and has indoor or outdoor seating
• The Stables Hatch, a small kiosk located in the Stable’s courtyard serving drinks, snacks and lunch
• Woodland Takeaway and Toyshop, located towards the top of the Woodland Playground, it offers drinks and snacks

There are facilities at these outlets to heat baby food or bottles.

Family friendly facilities at Waddesdon Manor

There are a number of family friendly facilities at Waddesdon Manor, including:

• Family car spaces
• Space for unfolded pushchairs in the shuttle bus, which takes visitors from the car park to the manor or stables
• Baby changing and feeding facilities at the visitor entrance, manor, and stables
• Front carrying baby slings and hip carrying infant seats available free of charge at the manor’s entrance, as you can’t take buggies inside the manor
• Areas inside the manor to feed a baby, staff within the manor will direct you to these areas

Opening times

Waddesdon Manor is open during selected times of the year, the Waddesdon Manor website has up to date details on these times.

Ticket prices

Tickets for Waddesdon Manor are free for National Trust members.

For non National Trust members the cost of entry is £13.20 for adults, £6.60 for children, and under 5s free.

There’s a shuttle bus taking visitors from the car park to the manor or stables, which costs £2.50 for adults, and £1.50 for children, which members and non-members have to pay.

If you don’t want to use the shuttle bus, you can walk 25 minutes to the manor from the car park.

Prices may change, so for up to date pricing information, please visit the Waddesdon Manor website.

Parking

There are 1,000 car spaces that are free to use, and include some family spaces.

There is also premium parking, which costs £25 and must be pre booked.

How long you’ll need for your visit

You could easily spend 3-4 hours at Waddesdon Manor if going inside the manor and exploring the grounds.

If you don’t want to go inside the manor, then 2-3 hours is a great amount of time to visit.

My thoughts on this day out

I love Waddesdon Manor, it’s one of my favourite National Trust properties.

One of my favourite things to do is go inside the manor, because no matter how many times I visit and walk around the manor, I always see something I didn’t see last time, or a new room has opened.

In terms of family friendly attractions at Waddesdon Manor, The Aviary Garden is a must visit because it contains a wide variety of birds, that are sure to amaze little kids.

Waddesdon Manor is a great family day out as it has something for everyone, and it’s a day out that I’ll continue to revisit, as well as take my overseas family to whenever they’re in the UK.

I hope you’ve found this Waddesdon Manor review helpful, and that it’s helped you to decide if it’s somewhere you’d like to explore.

What are some of your favourite family day out locations?