Yorkshire

Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden

Ancient abbey ruins and an awe-inspiring water garden at this World Heritage Site

Fountains, Ripon, North Yorkshire, HG4 3DY

Opening times
Prices
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Two visitors walking through the grounds of Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal with the abbey ruins in the background

Opening times for 6 July 2025
Asset	Opening time
Abbey and water garden admission	10:00 - 16:30
Gift shop & plant centre	10:30 - 17:30
Visitor centre restaurant	09:30 - 16:30
Studley tea-room	10:00 - 16:00

Admission
Ticket type	With Gift Aid	Without Gift Aid
Adult (18+)	£23.10	£21.00
Child (5-17) under 5s free	£11.60	£10.50
Family (2 Adults and up to 3 children)	£57.80	£52.50
1 Adult, up to 3 children	£34.70	£31.50
Group (Adult 18+)		£19.95
Group (Child 5-17)		£9.98

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Adventure playground/play area
Find a big adventure playground less than two minutes from the visitor centre. There are things to wobble along, jump over and climb on. You'll find a wooden abbey, scrambling nets, posts, swings and a five point harness swing for younger visitors with additional access needs.
Audio guide
An audio guide is available from the visitor centre admissions desk.
Car park
Main car park at the visitor centre is free of charge. Studley car park is pay & display (free for NT members) £7 for 4 hours, £10 all day. West Gate for accessible parking and level access to the abbey and water garden. No overnight parking. Please don't park in the local village as this causes an obstruction for residents and emergency vehicles.
Cycle parking
Cycle parking is located outside Visitor Centre Admissions and next to Fountains Hall, 100m from the West Gate entrance. There are water bottle filling stations in the visitor centre courtyard.
Dogs allowed
Dogs very welcome in all outdoor spaces, but please keep them on a short lead at all times. They're also welcome in admissions, the shop, and visitor centre restaurant.
Dogs allowed - more information
Electric vehicle charging point
12 11kW electric vehicle charging points are available in Car Park A. Chargers can be accessed using mobile app, RFID card, or contactless payment device. Visit our EV charging partner, RAW Charging's website to download the app before your visit. Chargers are only available to visitors during property opening hours. Drivers must bring their own cables.
Electric vehicle charging point - more information
Guided tour
Year-round tours of the abbey and water gardens. Tours are subject to volunteer availability.
Guided tour - more information
Kiosk
Refreshment kiosk in the Studley tea-room garden and Mill café. Check with the welcome team for daily opening times.
Kiosk - more information
Picnic area
Bring a picnic rug and enjoy a picnic with views of the abbey and water garden. Picnic tables can be found opposite the the play area all year round or on the grassy lawn at the Visitor Centre in summer.
Plant shop
A large National Trust gift shop and plant centre is located at the visitor centre.
Plant shop - more information
Restaurant
Restaurant at the visitor centre serving hot and cold food and drinks with indoor and outdoor seating.
Restaurant - more information
Shop
A large National Trust gift shop and plant centre is located at the visitor centre.
Shop - more information
Toilet
Toilets at each entrance to the estate and in the Studley car park.
There is a steep 15-20% gradient from the visitor centre to the abbey. This is not recommended for wheelchair or powered mobility vehicle users. Our accessible car park is located at our West Gate entrance (SatNav search - 'West Gate car park') which allows level access to the abbey and water gardens through which there are recommended routes. We want to make sure that as many people as possible can enjoy Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal. If you'd like to discuss any arrangements we can make to meet your access needs please give us a call on (01765) 608888 and we'll do our best to help.
Map for visitors with additional needs
Your accessibility guide to Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal - AccessAble
Accessible route and/or map
There is a steep 15-20% gradient from the visitor centre to the estate. This is not recommended for wheelchair or powered mobility vehicle users. Our accessible car park is located at our West Gate entrance and allows level access to the grounds.
Accessible route and/or map - more information
Accessible toilet
Accessible toilets are located at the visitor centre, near the West Gate and Studley entrances, in the tea-room garden and in the Studley car park.
Designated parking
Our accessible car park is located near our West Gate entrance (Sat Nav postcode HG4 3DZ). This provides level access to the abbey and water gardens.
Induction loop
Induction loops are available at all till points. We also have a portable induction loop available to hire, free of charge, for guided tours. Pre-booking is essential, please call 01765 608888. Please collect from your tour guide at Porter's Lodge.
Level access to food outlet
There's level access to the visitor centre restaurant from the visitor centre car park. Studley Tea Rooms and Mill Kiosk are on level access from inside the estate.
Level access to shop
Level access/terrain
There are some slopes and cobbles on the accessible route. Access to the abbey is across a level grassy green. When the grass is particularly wet this can be impassable for wheelchairs, mobility scooters and prams. Some paths on site are surfaced with loose hardcore. Higher paths in the water garden and deer park are reached via steep slopes.
Lift
There is a lift to the upper levels of Fountains Mill. This isn't working at the moment but an engineer is working on it.
Powered mobility vehicle available
A limited number of wheelchairs and mobility scooters are available to hire, free of charge. They can be collected between 10.30am - 2.30pm and must be return by 4pm. Pre-booking is essential, please call 01765 608888. Please collect from the West Gate entrance upon arrival.
Seating available
Steps/uneven terrain
There are some gentle and steep slopes around the estate. Please be aware of uneven ground, height drops and deep running water. We recommend wearing sturdy shoes when you visit.
Transfer available
There is a complimentary visitor transport service which operates between all three entrances to the estate from 10am-4pm. Please ask a member of staff to call this for you if you'd like to make use of it.
Wheelchairs available
Visitor Centre Car Park A entrance - what3words: ///subsets.parsnip.panther
Map
Directions via Google Maps
By road
Off B6265 to Pateley Bridge from Ripon. Follow the brown signs for Fountains Abbey from A1. We're 12 miles north of Harrogate (A61).
Parking: Free parking at the visitor centre. 12 11kW electric vehicle charging points are available in Car Park A, drivers will require their own cables to charge. Studley Royal pay & display car park is first-come-first-served. For level access car park at West Gate use SatNav HG43DZ. What3Words - Visitor Centre car park A: ///subsets.parsnip.panther. Studley car park: ///leader.important.tallest. West Gate car park: ///humid.twitches.watch.
Sat Nav: Please enter 'Fountains Abbey' into your satnav. Please do not use the postcode as this will take you to the wrong side of the estate. Follow brown signs from A61 and A1 to B6265.
On foot
Public footpaths and bridleways from Ripon and the surrounding countryside.
By bus
Daily connections to Ripon on Transdev bus service 36 from Leeds and Harrogate. DalesBus Service 139 runs from Ripon to Fountains Abbey on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays all year. From Sunday 20 April, DalesBus service 822 service runs from York to Fountains Abbey on Summer Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays until 19 October. And from Sunday 20 April, Eastern DalesBus service 825 runs from York to Fountains Abbey and Brimham Rocks on Summer Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays until 19 October.
By bus - more information
Cycling
Cycle parking is available at the main visitor centre and outside Fountains Hall, 100m from the West Gate entrance. Locks and bike pumps can be borrowed from the Visitor Centre. The 'Way of the Roses' coast-to-coast route takes you through the deer park. Please note that there is no cycle route within the abbey and water garden although children under five can bring small balance bikes and bikes with stabilisers to help get around the site. Plan your route to Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal using the CycleStreets journey planner via the by bicycle link below. (This journey planner uses OpenStreetMap data which is generally excellent by accuracy cannot be guaranteed – please respect road signs).
Cycling - more information

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