Killerton's decorated house opens for Christmas on Saturday 28 November and runs to 3 January, 11am to 4pm, no booking. Adult £18, child £9, parking £5.20.
Killerton, the National Trust house at Broadclyst seven miles north-east of Exeter, opens for Christmas on Saturday 28 November 2026. It runs until Sunday 3 January 2027, and you do not need to book.
The quick answer
- Dates: Saturday 28 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027.
- Hours: the house ground floor is open daily, 11am to 4pm, last entry 3.30pm.
- Closed: from 2pm on Christmas Eve, and all day on 25 and 26 December.
- Booking: not needed. The Trust says the quietest time is after 2pm.
- Price: the Trust’s 2026 whole-property prices are £18 adult, £9 child (5 to 17, under 5s free) and £45 family. Parking is £2.60 for two hours or £5.20 all day for non-members.
All of this is from the National Trust’s own Christmas at Killerton page and its published visitor information, read on 19 October 2026 (National Trust, Christmas at Killerton).
Dates and opening times
Christmas at Killerton runs from 28 November 2026 to 3 January 2027. The ground floor of the house is open every day from 11am to 4pm, with last entry at 3.30pm. On Christmas Eve it closes at 2pm, and it is shut on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
The Trust says opening times for the other facilities (cafés, shop, helter skelter) vary, and asks visitors to check its opening times before setting off.
What is on
The house at Christmas. The ground floor rooms are dressed for a 1923 Christmas with the Acland family, the last private owners, told through the memories of Lady Eleanor Acland. Her account has two of the children going out with an axe, cutting a small fir and producing it, decorated and lit with candles, on Christmas morning.
Relaxed hours sessions. For visitors who want a quieter, calmer visit, including people living with autism, SEN or dementia, Killerton runs relaxed hours sessions over Christmas. These are the one part of the season where booking is essential.
Lighthouse helter skelter. A vintage-style fairground helter skelter, 15.55 metres tall, open every day of the festive period. It costs £1 a ride or £5 for six, on top of admission. Ask at Visitor Reception for its hours on the day.
Outdoor play trail. A children’s Christmas trail through the garden, parkland and chapel grounds. It is all outside and all on hard paths, so it works with pushchairs and wheelchairs.
Community trees and art. Decorated Christmas trees from local community groups stand in the chapel and around the estate, and there is an art installation made with community groups, with a gallery of their artwork alongside it.
What is closed. The first floor fashion exhibition is shut over the festive season while the 2027 display goes in. The Trust’s visitor notices also say the Hill Fort play area by Visitor Reception is closed for upgrade works; the play area with swings in the overflow car park stays open.
Killerton’s Christmas page does not mention Father Christmas. For grottos around the city, see our Santa’s grotto in Exeter page.
Prices
The Christmas page does not list a separate festive ticket. The National Trust’s published 2026 admission prices for the whole property are (National Trust, Killerton visitor information):
| Ticket | Price | With Gift Aid |
|---|---|---|
| Adult (18+) | £18 | £19.80 |
| Child (5 to 17), under 5s free | £9 | £9.90 |
| Family (2 adults, up to 3 children) | £45 | £49.50 |
| 1 adult, 3 children | £27 | £29.70 |
The helter skelter is extra, at £1 a ride or £5 for six.
Getting there and parking
Killerton is at Broadclyst, EX5 3LE, off the B3181.
- Car park: pay and display for non-members, £2.60 up to two hours or £5.20 all day, paid at the machines or on the JustPark app (location code 80596). Follow the signs to the main visitor car park, not up the main drive to the house. It is about 280 yards from the entrance, and there are six electric car charging points.
- By road from Exeter: leave the M5 at junction 29, then follow the B3181 through Pinhoe and Broadclyst; Killerton is signed on the left just after Broadclyst.
- By bus: Stagecoach services 1 and 1A between Exeter city centre and Tiverton stop at Killerton Turn, about a kilometre’s walk from the house. Show your bus ticket at Visitor Reception for 10% off entry.
- By bike: about 7.5 miles from the city centre, mostly on segregated cycle routes (E2 to Broadclyst, then the Trust’s own path). Cyclists also get 10% off entry.
- By train: the nearest station is Pinhoe, 4.5 miles away, from where the 1 and 1A buses run.
Dogs on short leads are welcome everywhere outside and at the Stables Coffee Shop, but only assistance dogs go inside the house.
If you are driving through the city first, check Exeter roadworks and, for parking in town, parking in Exeter.
More Christmas near Exeter
- Christmas at Powderham: the light walk opens on Sunday 29 November, the day after Killerton.
- Exeter Christmas Market on Cathedral Green, from Friday 13 November.
- Exeter ice rink at Northernhay Gardens, from Friday 20 November.
- Exeter panto 2026, and the cathedral’s Christmas services and concerts.
Sources
- National Trust, Christmas at Killerton: dates, hours, Christmas Eve and Christmas closures, booking, helter skelter prices, play trail, relaxed hours, dogs, fashion exhibition closure.
- National Trust, Killerton: 2026 admission prices, car park charges, address, directions, bus and cycle discounts, Hill Fort play area notice (the Trust’s published place data, read 19 October 2026).
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