Visitor guide · Unofficial website: Edinburgh Castle and Palace of Holyroodhouse

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Edinburgh Castle tickets and tours

Every Edinburgh Castle ticket here includes a guide or a tour, so your first choice is how you want to see the castle. Take the guided tour of about 1 hour 30 minutes for the story of the rock, a Royal Mile walking tour if you want the Old Town too, or a longer tour that covers the city. Castle tickets often sell out far in advance in summer, so book early.

The gatehouse entrance to Edinburgh Castle from the Esplanade, with the royal arms above the arch and a statue in a niche on each side
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Edinburgh Castle: Entry Ticket + Guided Tour

A guided tour of about 1 hour 30 minutes, with castle entry

4.6· 370 reviewsTiqets

  • A live guide speaks English and leads a tour of about 1 hour 30 minutes. Your castle entry is included.
  • You meet at 351 High Street, on the Royal Mile, and walk to the castle together. At the castle you hear about its origins and its sieges, and about the kings and queens who lived there.
  • Getting to the meeting point is not included.

from £41

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The One O'Clock Gun, a green field gun pointing over the ramparts next to a stone sentry box on the castle wall

Edinburgh Castle and Royal Mile: Walking Tour from the Mercat Cross

A 2 hour 15 minute walk through the Old Town, then into the castle

4.9· 27 reviewsTiqets

  • A walking tour of the Old Town of 2 hours 15 minutes, with a live guide in English and a headset so you can hear every word. It starts at 9:30 at the Mercat Cross on the High Street, and you arrive 20 minutes early.
  • The guide takes you through closes, courtyards and old streets, with stories from Mary, Queen of Scots to Robert Burns. At the end the guide takes you into the castle, and your entry is included.
  • The castle's own audio guide costs extra.

from £49

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St Margaret's Chapel, the small 12th-century stone chapel on the castle rock under a dramatic sky

Edinburgh Castle and Royal Mile: Walking Tour from 180 High Street

Walk the Royal Mile, then see the Honours of Scotland

4.8· 58 reviewsTiqets

  • A walking tour of 2 hours 15 minutes with a live guide in English, run by a different operator from the Mercat Cross tour. You meet at 180 High Street and arrive 10 minutes early.
  • The tour covers the Royal Mile, then the castle: the Honours of Scotland, the Great Hall, St Margaret's Chapel and the life of Mary, Queen of Scots, and you can watch the One O'Clock Gun fire.
  • After the guided part you explore the covered parts of the castle at your own pace. Entry is included.

from £51

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Mons Meg, the huge medieval siege cannon, on its carriage with stone cannonballs, with the Scottish saltire flying behind

Edinburgh Castle: Guided Tour + City Audio Guide

A tour of the outside of the castle, then explore inside on your own

4.5· 2 reviewsTiqets

  • A live guide in English leads a tour of about 1 hour 30 minutes. It covers the outside of the castle only, and you visit the inside on your own afterwards.
  • The tour tells you about Mary, Queen of Scots and about the castle in the Napoleonic Wars, and you see Mons Meg and the Royal Palace. Afterwards you visit St Margaret's Chapel and the Scottish National War Memorial on your own.
  • The ticket includes an audio guide app for the city, but not the castle's own audio guide, a headset or a device. You meet at Advocates Close and arrive 5 minutes early.

from £41

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Edinburgh Castle on its crag seen from the Grassmarket, with Victorian stone buildings in the foreground and the castle walls rising behind

Royal Attractions Tickets + Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour

Castle, palace and Royal Yacht Britannia, with 48 hours of buses

4.7· 941 reviewsTiqets

  • Entry to Edinburgh Castle, the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the Royal Yacht Britannia, with 48 hours of travel on three hop-on hop-off bus tours.
  • The buses are City Sightseeing, the Edinburgh Tour and the Regal Tour. You choose where to get off and how long to stay.
  • This is the ticket for people who like to set their own pace and see more than the castle.

from £81

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Edinburgh Castle crowning its dark rock above the green slopes of Princes Street Gardens under a clear blue sky

Edinburgh Castle: Entry Ticket + Full-Day City Walking Tour

The castle, the Old Town and the New Town on foot

5· 1 reviewsTiqets

  • A full day on foot, about 5 hours 30 minutes, with a live guide in English. It starts at 10:00 at 2-4 Hope Street, and you arrive 10 minutes early.
  • The tour includes the castle, the Old Town and the New Town: Princes Street Gardens, St Giles' Cathedral, Greyfriars Bobby, the Grassmarket, Victoria Street and the Scottish National Gallery.
  • All entrance fees are included. Lunch, snacks, tips and transport are not.

from £96

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The castle Esplanade at the opening of the day, with the gatehouse and the castle walls seen across the empty parade ground

Edinburgh Castle Entry Ticket + Harry Potter Walking Tour

The places that inspired J.K. Rowling, then the castle

3.9· 11 reviewsTiqets

  • A Harry Potter walking tour of about 4 hours with a live guide in English. It starts at 9:30 at 122 High Street, and you arrive 10 minutes early.
  • You see Waverley station, the Old College, a graveyard said to have inspired character names, Victoria Street and a café where J.K. Rowling wrote parts of her books. The tour ends at the castle.
  • After the tour you receive your castle tickets and explore at your own pace.

from £58

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Prices and ratings updated 31 October 2026.

Edinburgh Castle: frequently asked questions

Which Edinburgh Castle ticket should I choose?

Every ticket here includes a guide or a tour. For the story of the castle, choose the guided tour of about 1 hour 30 minutes. To see the Royal Mile as well, choose a walking tour with castle entry. To add the palace and a bus ticket, choose the Royal Attractions ticket.

Do Edinburgh Castle tickets sell out?

Yes, often far in advance, especially in summer. When tickets are sold out online, none are sold at the castle, so book early.

Can I still see the Stone of Destiny at the castle?

No. It left the castle in March 2024 and is now at the Perth Museum. The Honours of Scotland, the crown, sceptre and sword, are in the Crown Room.

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