Iconic Shore Excursion: Iconic Larnach Castle Tour
Description
Enjoy a personalized small group tour of Larnach Castle and Dunedin City. This is a 6 hour fully guided tour that lets you explore Dunedin and Larnach Castle at a leisurely pace. Included is a fully guided tour of Larnach Castle's unique interior. Chilled spring water is provided complimentary to those who bring their own re-useable water bottles. The tour takes in many interesting buildings and landmarks in Dunedin city such as the Larnach family tomb, the old University and all the main city attractions. The drive to Larnach Castle offers spectacular views from the Otago Peninsula with a lookout stop along the way. On arrival at Larnach Castle, your table will be reserved for lunch at the Ballroom cafe (lunch is own cost). After lunch and the guided tour inside the Castle, your guide will also take you through the award winning gardens offering fantastic views over the Otago Harbour.
Tour Options
Itinerary
We stop here at this magnificent old Railway Station to admire the architecture and take photos.
Drive through the oldest cemetery in Dunedin and view the spectacular family tomb of William Larnach. Designed by famed architect Robert Lawson in the image of Dunedin's Scottish First Church. The cemetery hosts a number of exquisite grave sites belonging to wealthy prestigious Dunedin people, nestled on a lovely wooded hillside.
Iconic Tours provide a fully guided small group tour of the Castle's interior. Smaller group size allows us to navigate the Castle with ease, keeping away from the larger groups and fitting much more into the day. New Zealand's infamous castle was built over a century ago by William Larnach high up on the hills of the Otago Peninsula. Experience breath-taking views along the Peninsula's high road with photo stops en-route to the Castle. Upon arrival it will be time for a light lunch in the Ballroom Cafe (at own cost). We reserve a table for our group and a variety of food is available at good prices. After lunch, your guide will escort you throughout the entire castle, from the gun room below to the views from the turret and all the marvels in between. Get all the details as you explore the Larnach family’s legacy and hear the tale of their amazing story.
Stop and view the street from below, or have a go at walking to the top. Baldwin Street is known as the World's steepest and no visit to Dunedin is complete without seeing this famous landmark.
We drive through the University Campus area to view the student flats and interesting buildings. If time permits we will stop to view the old Clock Tower Building
We take you on a scenic drive along the high road for a lookout stop before reaching Larnach Castle, located high up on the hills of the Otago Peninsula
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Please provide the name of your cruise ship at time of booking
- Some steps to negotiate during the tour of Larnach Castle
- The Castle interior is not wheelchair accessible, however the Castle Gardens, Gift Shop and Ballroom Cafe are. Please notify us if you intend to bring a fold up wheelchair or walking aid on this tour.
- Passengers must be able to get on and off the bus steps unassisted.
Reviews(109)
Loved this tour. Ann our guide was informative helpful and very personable. We toured the city visited a lookout and the steepest street in the world before visiting the castle and having a great lunch which isn’t included but was very good. Ann was so fantastic highly recommend this tour
We really enjoyed our excursion. Kim was an excellent tour guide and very accommodating. Our cruise ship disembarked later than expected, but Kim kindly waited for us and ensured that everyone was accounted for and no one was left behind. We saw amazing scenery across the Otago Peninsula and Larnarch Castle. I would recommend this tour to others.
Our pre-tour questions were all answered in a timely manner and we felt well prepared for the tour. Ann, our guide was phenomenal. She prepared a great plan for the day and executed it with perfection. She said she loved to talk and she provided excellent commentary all along the way. The castle tour that she led was excellent. Best of all, she was extremely attentive to my wife's dietary needs and provided great options.
We visited Dunedin while cruising and we prefer private tours versus cruise excursions. When slightly frustrated that 2 highly rated tour operators in Dunedin were booked, we were comforted that Iconic was the only other "friendly" competitor that they recommended. Ann with Iconic was both professional and personable. You can feel her love of the area and she made sure to include the best stops visitors should see. Plenty of time was available at each stop and we did not feel hurried. The highlight of this tour was Larnach Castle and included Ann as a personal guide. The optional time for lunch at the Castle decreased the need for bringing snacks or getting "hangry" toward the end. Using a smaller mini bus allowed for a much less expensive price than a private tour yet was far superior to a 40+ seater coach. When we had a change to our port departure time announced the day before arrival, Ann was aware and made sure to return us on time.
A fantastic tour , great value , Ann our tour guide had a real passion for the castle and Dunedin in general and this was evident as she shared stories and local knowledge that we would have missed with some of the larger tour operators. Thanks for a great Day Ann.
Our tour guide waiting in terminal building with a well marked sign 'Iconic Larnach castle'. Great day tour guide full of information along our journey. Beautiful railway station, interesting facts regarding uni accommodation, and the famous Baldwin st. Larnach castle was lovely our guide was well versed on the history of the building. I was recommended to do this tour.
This was the funnest tour! We saw so many interesting things and our tour guide, Ann, was AMAZING!!!
Kim was great, very knowledgeable and easy to get on with, we happened to be the only two on the tour this day due to a cruise ship not coming in. Highly recommend this tour, we chose to do a tour instead of hiring a rental car, definitely the way to go, thanks again Kim!
This tour was fabulous from start to finish. Highly recommend Ann & her customer service.. She was very knowledgeable of the history, surroundings, just a beautiful lady to have as a guide. Will be looking her up when I return next time. Thankyou Ann for a truly wonderful insight into everything. 🤗
Easy access from cruise ship. Our guide, Kim, was great. He was knowledgeable but also fun. The castle was well worth seeing but the city of Dunedin and the Mountain View’s were also spectacular. I would definitely recommend this tour to my friends and family.
