The 14 most beautiful castles in Scotland
Scotland has more than 1.000 castles around the whole country which gives you a perfect image of how it used to be all those years ago. Many castles may be in ruin and there is not much left of them, but it’s still wonderful to visit those places. Others are still pretty much intact and can be visited from the inside.
Visiting 1.000 castles in a country seems a little bit unrealistic, but there are a few castles that you can’t miss for sure! That’s why, in this article, you will find 14 of those 1.000 castles we visited while being in Scotland for 2 weeks. Some are pretty famous and some are hidden gems. Be prepared to be taken back in history and see some magic!
You might also like: Ultimate 3 day itinerary to the Isle of Skye
For your information, all these pictures were taken in July 2022.
Table of Contents
1 | Edinburgh Castle
The first castle on this list is the most famous one of Scotland. Set in the heart of the capital, the castle is located on solidified lava named Castle Rock. It’s a must visit when spending some time in Edinburgh. Make sure to visit the viewpoint (as seen in the picture), called ‘The Vennel Viewpoint Edinburgh Castle‘.
Opening hours: The castle is open daily from 9.30am – 6pm (last entry 5pm) in summer (1/04 – 30/09) and till 5pm (last entry 4pm) in winter (1/10 – 31/03)
Entrance fee: £18.00 online and £21.00 at the gate. Other pricing options are available.
Parking: There is no public parking. Castle Terrace NCP (starting at £4.95 for 1 hour) is the nearest car park (55°56’52.2″N 3°12’11.1″W)
2 | Stirling Castle
The castle that sits atop a volcanic rock is one of the most important castles in Scotland, both historically and architecturally.
It’s the perfect castle to visit on a city trip and want to see something outside of the city as its only 1h20 hour away (with public transport) from Edinburgh.
Opening hours: The castle is open daily from 9.30am – 6pm (last entry 5pm) in summer (1/04 – 30/09) and till 5pm (last entry 4pm) in winter (1/10 – 31/03)
Entrance fee: £16.50 online and £18.00 at the gate. Other pricing options are available.
Parking: There is a small parking lot at the castle for £4.00 (56°07’21.9″N 3°56’44.2″W)
3 | Doune Castle
We found this castle while passing by a small village, going to another destination so it was by pure luck. As it was pretty late, we didn’t stop at the castle itself, but only enjoyed it from afar. But I can imagine that this castle is as beautiful from afar as it is close by.
You definitly need to visit this castle if your a fan of the series ‘Game of Thrones’ or ‘Outlander’. Both used this castle for bringing their magical world to life!
Opening hours: The castle is open daily from 9.30am – 5.30pm (last entry 5pm) in summer (1/04 – 30/09) and 9.30am – 3.30pm (last entry 4pm) in winter (1/10 – 31/03)
Entrance fee: £9.50 online (you can’t purchase at the door). Other pricing options are available.
Parking: There is a limited visitor parking available. Alternate parking is available in the village of Doune (56°11’09.1″N 4°03’02.9″W)
4 | Kilchurn Castle
This was by far my favorite castle I visited in Scotland! Maybe it was for the fact that it was our first attraction we saw after driving for 10 hours through England and arriving in Scotland or the fact that this ruin had the most epic location, but we spent a total of 4 hours here! Crazy right?
It’s not possible to enter the castle as there is a danger from falling masonry (you can see the gates in the first picture), but you can still explore the area around it. I definitly recommend to see the castle from across the lake. That was way more impressive in my opinion!
Opening hours: Kilchurn castle is currently closed for conservation work, but you can still walk around the castle.
Entrance fee: It’s totally free to walk around the castle.
Parking: There is a car park at the Loch Awe Railway Bridge (56°24’26.2″N 5°01’05.8″W)
5 | Castle Stalker
Castle Stalker is a medieval keep located on Loch Laich, so its completely surrounded by water. To visit the castle itself, you need to book a tour beforehand as there is only one tour per day for a maximum of 12 persons per tour. The tours are limited, because there is a limited capacity on the boat.
There are two viewpoints were you can see this castle from the side. The first one is at the Castle Stalker View Cafe & Giftshop where you need to walk 100 metres to get a view of the castle. The second viewpoint is a little bit further, close to The Old Inn. You can park your car here and walk on the bike path until you get a good view of the castle.
Opening hours: There is one tour per day up to 12 passengers on the boat. Bookings must be made in advance. For more information, click here.
Entrance fee: £20 for adults and £10 for children under 16
Parking: There is a very small car park in the lane of The Old Inn (56°34’23.0″N 5°22’47.8″W). Afterwards, walk down the path to the Caslte boathouse.
6 | Castle Tioram
This castle is out of the way to a lot of attractions in Scotland, but definitely worth to make a detour for. It’s an abandoned castle and you can’t really get inside as it is closed off and way to dangerous, but with low tide, you can go on the beach and get up close. It was one of my personal favorites and we almost didn’t visit this place, because of the long drive. The advantage of this less famous castle is that there are fewer people. In high season, we were completely alone.
Opening hours: Castle Thioram is permanently closed, but you can still walk around the castle.
Entrance fee: It’s totally free to walk around the castle.
Parking: There is small parking lot nearby at the end of Dorlin Road (56°46’51.0″N 5°49’32.0″W).
7 | Eilean Donan Castle
The Eilean Donan castle is probably the most famous castle in Scotland. The castle is located on a small, isolated island which is connected to the mainland by a stone bridge. When arriving, you will immediately know why this is one of the most visited castles! Reason enough to visit this castle, especially when you’re headed to the Isle of Sky as it’s directly on your way.
There are three different viewpoints for this castle. The first one being across the Loch Long Bridge. The second one is very close to the castle. Just a two-minute drive, but the street is very narrow! The last one is on the road to the castle. There is a small car stop to admire the castle from afar.
Opening hours: It’s open all year round, but the opening hours can differ per season. Click here to find the recent hours.
Entrance fee: £10 for adults and £6 for children over 5 (under are free). Other pricing options are available.
Parking: There is a huge parking lot next to the castle. The price is £3 for 2h and £4 for 3h (maximum stay is 3h) and charges apply between 9am – 5pm.
8 | Dunvegan Castle
A visit to the Isle of Skye would be incomplete without visiting Dunvegan Castle. We went to this castle on a very rainy and foggy day when we couldn’t hike and I don’t regret coming here. As we decided that we didn’t want to go inside the castle because of the price, there was a nice viewpoint which gave us the perfect view! You can find the viewpoint here.
Opening hours: The castle is open daily between 10am – 5.30pm from 1 April – 15 October
Entrance fee: £14 for adults for the castle and the gardens. £12 for adults for the gardens only. Other pricing options are available.
Parking: There is free parking directly at the castle (57°26’52.2″N 6°35’12.0″W).
You might also like: Ultimate 3 day itinerary to the Isle of Skye
9 | Castle Moil
If you are tired from driving out of the Isle Of Skye, this is the perfect place to make a quick pitstop. Castle Moil is located directly at the Skye Bridge, the bridge connecting the Isle of Skye with the mainland. The castle itself doesn’t look like much as there isn’t much left, but it can make for a great adventure! If the tide is low enough, you can get up close to what’s left of Castle Moil.
Opening hours: Castle Moil is permanently closed.
Entrance fee: As it’s abandoned, you don’t need to pay an entrance fee. Remember that it’s difficult to reach and is better to admired from a distance.
Parking: You can park for free on the street in front of the castle (57°16’22.6″N 5°43’36.7″W).
10 | Bucholie Castle
When we looked up places to visit, this didn’t seem quite as impressive in contrast to other castles. Yet, we decided to visit this place anyway as we were in the area. In contrast to other castles in Scotland, this is merely a ruin and there isn’t much left of this place. However, I found Bucholie Castle quite mesmerising, because of the location.
The castle can’t be seen from the public road, but can be reached with a short hike through the fields. It’s important to remember that access to this castle in rainy conditions can be a bad idea as you walk next to deep cliffs.
Opening hours: Bucholie castle is abandoned, but you can get close to the castle.
Entrance fee: As it’s abandoned, you don’t need to pay an entrance fee.
Parking: There isn’t really a parking, but you can park for free in a small side street (58°34’36.7″N 3°04’18.5″W). If that’s not an option, there are parking options next to the public road, but then you need to walk 10 minutes extra.
11 | Old Keiss Castle
This magnificent ruinous tower stands on a cliff-top above the North Sea and was property of the Sinclairs since the late 16th century. The Old Keiss Castle was abandoned for a new, nearby mansion, named Keiss Castle. Part of the old castle collapsed when a part of the cliff fell down and that’s why you can’t visit the castle up close!
Luckily, the castle can be seen from a distance at Keiss beach which gives for a astonishing view. There is a footpath near the Sinclair Bay Lodges that will lead along the coast and right on the beach. If you are lucky like we were, you will be able to spot cute sea lions! We never saw so many wild ones in our life!
Opening hours: Old Keiss caslte is abandoned. You can’t get to the castle itself, but only on the beach for a nice view.
Entrance fee: As it’s abandoned, you don’t need to pay an entrance fee.
Parking: You can park on a street nearby (58°31’54.5″N 3°06’56.0″W).
12 | Castle Sinclair Girnigoe
The name derives from the merging of 2 castles: the 15th century Castle Girnigoe and the early 17th Castle Sinclair. It’s one of the best surviving medieval castles, in spite of its ruinous state. That is because it was listed in the World Monuments Watch in 2002 which helped preserve by stabilization of the castle. This was necessary, because the ruins of the tower house were on the point of collapsing into the sea.
The castle can be reached by a short and easy hike of 10 minutes from the car park.
Opening hours: Castle Sinclair Girnigoe is a ruin and can be visited at any time.
Entrance fee: It’s free to visit the castle, but you can donate a £1 per adult admission.
Parking: There is a parking lot close to the castle. The price is £1 for 2h, £2 for 4h and £5 for 24h with a maximum stay of 24h (58°28’33.2″N 3°03’27.2″W).
13 | Urquhart Castle
One of the things you can do when visiting the famous Loch Ness, is this castle named Urquhart Castle. The ruins, one of the largest in Scotland, has 1000 years of history and offers a taste back in the medieval times. It was used as a part in the Wars of Scottish Independence throughout the 13th till the 16th century. In 1692, the castle was abandoned and deliberately blown up so that it could never be used for military use again. Once it was into state care, it became one of the most visited castles in Scotland.
Opening hours: The castle is open daily: 9.30am – 6.00pm (last entry 5.15pm) between 1/04 – 30/09, 9.30am – 8.00pm (last entry 7.15pm) in summer (1/07 – 31/08), 9.30am – 5.00pm (last entry 4.15pm) in October and 9.30am – 4.30pm (last entry 3.45pm) between 01/11 – 31/03.
Entrance fee: £13.00 for adults. Other pricing options are available.
Parking: There is a big parking lot close to the castle for free (57°19’26.8″N 4°26’40.3″W).
14 | Dunnottar Castle
Dunnottar Castle has played a crucial role in the Scottisch history. For example, it held some of the nation’s greatest historical figures and helped saving the Honours of Scotland (the oldest surviving crown jewels of Scotland).
The castle is now more admired for its stunning location with views of the North Sea than for its history and is every photographer’s paradise. The castle is close to the city of Aberdeen, so easy to combine with a city trip.
Opening hours: The castle is open daily: 9.00am – 6.00pm (last entry 5.00pm) between 1/04 – 30/09, 10.00am – 5.00pm (last entry 4.00pm) between 01/10 – 30/10, 10.00am – 3.00pm (last entry 2.00pm) between 31/10 – 29/01, 10.00am – 4.00pm (last entry 3pm) between 30/01 – 26/02 and 10.00am – 5.00pm (last entry 4.00pm) between 27/02 – 31/03.
Entrance fee: £9.50 for adults. Other pricing options are available.
Parking: There is a free parking lot nearby the castle (56°56’42.9″N 2°12’19.8″W).
Maps of castles in Scotland
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Hello, I’m Ellen and welcome to this blog! I’m in love with exploring the world and hopefully I get to inspire you with these blog posts and pictures to feel the same. You will find detailed itineraries, hidden gems, tips and so much more!
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