To celebrate the release of the Downton Abbey movie this week, Airbnb has listed Highclere Castle—the real-life filming location—for one night only this fall.
On November 26, 2019—a Tuesday night because as the Dowager Countess would say, “What is a weekend?”—two lucky guests will get to spend the night in one of the lavish guest rooms at Highclere Castle. While the castle is open to the public for tours, this will be the first time the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon will open the doors of Highclere, which has been a part of the Carnarvon family since 1679, for overnight guests on Airbnb.
The one-night stay at Highclere Castle includes butler service, of course.
Courtesy of Airbnb
But that’s not all. To really get a feel for how the fictional Crawley family lived in the early 20th century, the stay also includes evening cocktails in the saloon and a three-course dinner in the State Dining Room with the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon and service provided by Highclere’s butler. After dinner, you’ll retire to the library for coffee, and in the morning you’ll be treated to breakfast and a tour of the castle’s grounds.
Guests will take coffee in the library after dinner during the one-night stay.
Courtesy of Highclere Castle
Just like Downton Abbey, there are plenty of rules that must be followed. Guests will be expected to wear cocktail attire for dinner, butlers are required to iron all newspapers, and no pets are allowed (but you may get to meet some of the nine friendly dogs the Carnarvons keep on site).
How to Book it
To book this exclusive stay, visit airbnb.com/downtonabbey on October 1, 2019, at 12 p.m. BST (7 a.m. EST). If you’re lucky enough to get a hold of the one available reservation, you’ll be charged just £150 (US$187) for the one-night stay, which is considerably less than most luxury hotels in London. Airbnb will also be making a donation to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in honor of this once-in-a-lifetime listing. (Europe is also full of medieval castles to visit—even if you can’t spend the night.)
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