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Ninety seconds on Edinburgh Castle
Yes, booking online ahead is the reliable way in. Tickets often sell out far in advance, especially in summer. Once they sell out online, no more are sold at the castle.
Three to four hours covers a full visit for anyone keen on history. That leaves time for the exhibitions as well as the buildings and the Crown Room.
Yes. The Honours of Scotland are on display in the Crown Room, which is approached through exhibits that lead up to it. Photography is not allowed in the room.
At 1pm, from Mills Mount inside the castle, every day except Sundays, Good Friday and Christmas Day. It has been fired from the castle since 1861.
It is closed on 25 and 26 December. It closes early, at 4pm, on 24 December, and opens late, at 11am, on New Year's Day.
No. The Stone of Destiny moved permanently to Perth Museum in 2024 and is no longer displayed at Edinburgh Castle. The Honours of Scotland remain on display in the Crown Room.
Come for the view over Edinburgh from the castle rock, then spend half a day among Scotland's crown and sword, a medieval siege gun and the vaults where prisoners of war were held.
The Honours of Scotland in the Crown Room are the oldest crown jewels in Britain: a crown, the Sword of State, a sceptre and a ceremonial belt. The Stone of Destiny is no longer kept with them.
St Margaret's Chapel, built around 1130 and named for King David's mother, is Edinburgh's oldest building. Inside, the room is tiny, with whitewashed walls and almost no decoration.
The Great Hall was completed in 1511 for King James IV. Mons Meg, a six-tonne siege gun from the 1450s, could fire a stone ball about 3km.
In the prisons of war, the vaults are recreated as they looked around 1800. They show how grim life was for the men held there.
Enter from the Esplanade, and expect the ground inside to climb steeply over uneven cobbles. Turn left once through the gates and climb the Lang Stairs, where the view over Edinburgh opens at the top.
Go next to the Crown Room for the Honours of Scotland.
Then walk between St Margaret's Chapel, Mons Meg, the Great Hall and the Scottish National War Memorial at your own pace, and end in the prisons of war. Some of the indoor exhibitions close well before the castle does, so see those first and leave the outdoor walls for last.
The official guided tour lasts about 30 minutes, is given in English only, and leaves from the meeting point just past the audio guide booth, every 30 minutes in summer. Pre-book it on the castle's ticket page. Take it on a first visit, since there is little detailed explanation on site.
The audio guide costs extra and is subject to availability; it runs on a headset or on your own phone or tablet. Go without either if you have read up already and want your own pace.
If your dates are loose, a flexi ticket gives one entry on any day within seven days of the date you choose.
If the queue at the gate is long, check the castle website on your phone for a later time that day, book it, and come back then.
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The official pages this guide was checked against.
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