The fortress on an ancient volcano towering over Edinburgh, home to the Scottish Crown Jewels and centuries of royal history. Here you’ll find which Edinburgh Castle tickets to buy, the weather during opening hours, opening times and tips for your visit.
Book ahead, especially in summer. The castle warns that tickets often sell out far in advance, and once they’re gone online there are none at the gate either.
Official ticket – £23.50 online (£26 on the day; 65+ £19, ages 7–15 £11.50). Fixed date and time; there’s also a “Flexi” ticket valid for one entry at any time within 7 days. Buy it on the official castle website. The audio guide costs extra.
Guided tour with entry on GetYourGuide – from €49. Ticket included, live guide in English, about 1½ hours. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Entry + guided tour on Tiqets – from €48.89. Similar tour in English, with a slightly different meeting point.
Our pick: a guided tour with entry included. The castle is a maze of buildings, museums and courtyards: a guide brings the history to life (Mary Queen of Scots, the Crown Jewels, the sieges) and makes sure you don’t miss the highlights. The GetYourGuide tour also lets you cancel for free if your plans or the weather change, and often has space when official tickets are sold out.
If you want to spend less and book early, the official ticket with an audio guide is the cheapest option.
Official tickets often sell out, especially in high season: book ahead.
Our pick
Guided tour with entry ticket
Edinburgh Castle entry ticket
Live guide in English (also Italian, Spanish, German, French)
About 1½ hours inside the castle
Meeting point at 361 High Street, 5 minutes from the castle
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
Live guide in English
Often available when official tickets are sold out
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before · 4.7 from over 14,000 reviews
Costs more than the official ticket (£23.50 online), but includes a live guide and free cancellation up to 24 hours before, while the official ticket is for a fixed time.
Today and tomorrow the forecast is accurate hour by hour; up to day seven it is reliable on the trend; the last days give a rough idea. Updated every hour.
Edinburgh Castle opening hours and best time to visit
Today, Friday, October 30: open 09:30–17:00.
Period
Hours
April 1 – September 30
09:30–18:00
October 1 – March 31
09:30–17:00
Closed on December 25 and December 26.
Last entry: one hour before closing. Special days: on 24 December it closes at 4 pm, on 1 January it opens at 11 am, and it’s closed on 25 and 26 December.
Best time to visit: May, June and September. Long days, highs of 15–17°C and fewer crowds than in July and August.
Summer (July–August): the warmest (highs around 19°C) and busiest period. In August Edinburgh hosts its festivals and the city is packed: book well ahead.
Autumn and winter: fewer people, but short days, 5 pm closing and highs of 7–13°C.
Rain: it rains all year round in Edinburgh, 9 to 12 days a month, so always pack a waterproof jacket.
Month by month
Month
Average high
Rainy days
Jan
7°
12
Feb
8°
10
Mar
10°
10
Apr
12°
9
MayRecommended
15°
10
JunRecommended
17°
10
Jul
19°
12
Aug
19°
10
SepRecommended
17°
10
Oct
13°
12
Nov
10°
12
Dec
7°
12
Met Office climate averages for Edinburgh: average high and days with at least 1 mm of rain. Source: Met Office, table published on Wikipedia (article “Edinburgh”).
Edinburgh Castle in the rain: what changes
It rains a lot in Edinburgh, but the castle is still worth it. Many highlights are indoors: the Crown Room, the Royal Palace, the Great Hall, the National War Museum and St Margaret’s Chapel.
Outdoors: the Esplanade, the courtyards, the walls and the viewpoints, all exposed to wind and rain.
Weather closures: the castle can close in extreme weather; if the forecast is bad, check the official website before you go.
Refunds: the GetYourGuide tour can be cancelled for free up to 24 hours before.
Queues and crowds
In 2025 Edinburgh Castle recorded 2,044,963 visits, the most visited paid attraction in Scotland.
In summer tickets often sell out far in advance, and once they’re gone online, none are sold at the gate.
Entry is by time slot: arrive early in the morning for quieter courtyards and a shorter wait for the Crown Jewels.
An hour-by-hour crowd estimate is coming later, always marked as an estimate and with its source.
What to see inside Edinburgh Castle
The castle on its volcanic rock, above the gardens
The castle recommends allowing at least two hours.
The Honours of Scotland: crown, sceptre and sword, among the oldest royal regalia in Europe.
The Royal Palace: where Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to James VI, future king of Scotland and England, in 1566.
St Margaret’s Chapel: from the 12th century, the oldest building in Edinburgh.
The Great Hall: the ceremonial hall with its hammerbeam roof.
Mons Meg and the One O’Clock Gun: a huge medieval cannon and the gun fired every day at one o’clock.
The National War Museum and the military prisons, included in the ticket.
The history of Edinburgh Castle
Prehistory: Castle Rock is the plug of an ancient volcano, a defensive site inhabited for thousands of years.
12th century: King David I builds the castle; St Margaret’s Chapel dates from this period.
13th–14th century: during the Wars of Scottish Independence the castle changes hands several times.
1566: Mary Queen of Scots gives birth to the future James VI in the Royal Palace.
1603: with the Union of the Crowns, James VI also becomes king of England and the court leaves Edinburgh for London.
1995: Edinburgh’s Old and New Towns, including the castle, become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Useful tips for your visit
Book as early as possible: tickets sell out in summer, and none are sold at the gate once online tickets are gone.
How long you need: at least two hours; half a day with the War Museum and a café break.
Go early: mornings mean shorter queues for the Crown Jewels.
Dress in layers: it’s often windy on top of the rock, even in summer.
Accessibility: the castle sits on a rock with steep slopes and cobbles; the guided tours aren’t suitable for people with mobility issues.
For the best photo: shoot the castle from Princes Street Gardens, below the rock.
Getting to Edinburgh Castle
On foot: the castle sits at the top of the Royal Mile in the Old Town. From Waverley station it’s a short uphill walk.
By car: there’s no parking at the castle. Leave the car and walk or use public transport.
Guided tour: the GetYourGuide meeting point is at 361 High Street, on the Royal Mile, about 5 minutes’ walk from the entrance.
What is the weather like at Edinburgh Castle today?
Good: partly cloudy, 11 to 11 degrees, no rain.
What will the weather be like at Edinburgh Castle this weekend?
Saturday, October 31: Perfect day: partly cloudy, 11 to 13 degrees, no rain. Sunday, November 1: Good: clear, 8 to 10 degrees, no rain.
How much are Edinburgh Castle tickets?
The official ticket costs £23.50 online and £26 on the day; £19 for over-65s and £11.50 for ages 7 to 15. Guided tours with entry included start from about €49 on GetYourGuide and Tiqets.
Can I buy Edinburgh Castle tickets at the gate?
Only if they’re not sold out online: the castle warns that once online tickets are gone, none are sold at the ticket office either. In summer, book well in advance.
What are Edinburgh Castle’s opening hours?
From 1 April to 30 September, 9:30 am to 6 pm; from 1 October to 31 March, 9:30 am to 5 pm. Last entry is one hour before closing. Closed on 25 and 26 December; on 24 December it closes at 4 pm and on 1 January it opens at 11 am.
Are there guided tours of Edinburgh Castle?
Yes: guided tours with entry included run in English (and other languages) from about €49, and the GetYourGuide one can be cancelled for free up to 24 hours before. With the official ticket you can rent an audio guide instead.
How long does it take to visit Edinburgh Castle?
The castle recommends at least two hours for the highlights. With the National War Museum and a café stop, allow half a day.
Is there a 15-day forecast for Edinburgh Castle?
Reliable forecasts reach about 10 days: here you get the next 10, hour by hour for today and tomorrow and as a trend after that. To pick a month, check the climate month by month.
Where does this data come from?
Forecasts come from MET Norway, the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, calculated for the castle’s coordinates and updated every hour during the day and every 3 hours at night. Crowd figures are labelled as estimates, with their source.
Edinburgh Castle tickets
Guided tour with entry ticket · from €49
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
Live guide in English
Often available when official tickets are sold out
Official tickets often sell out, especially in high season: book ahead.
Forecast by MET Norway, the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, calculated for the castle’s coordinates. Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0), updated every hour. Updated: October 26, 2026.
Guided tour with entry ticketfrom €49 · Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
