This is a post about the best Scottish castles.
Scotland has hundreds of castles! Five of these I’ve actually stood in front of. The others are firmly on my own list, included because they’re too striking or too well-known to leave off a “best of” post. Between the two categories, this covers everything from Eilean Donan’s island setting to the three real castles behind Outlander’s Castle Leoch, Fort William and Lallybroch.
Quick Guide
- Location: spread across the Highlands, the northeast coast, Loch Ness and Edinburgh
- Getting there: a car makes this list far easier; Edinburgh and Stirling are also reachable without one
- Currency: GBP (£)
- Best time to visit: shoulder season (March-April or September-October) for fewer crowds, though Dunnottar and Urquhart were still quite busy even off season
- Don’t miss: the Vennel Steps view of Edinburgh Castle and the sea loch setting at Eilean Donan
Eilean Donan Castle
Eilean Donan is the castle everyone’s seen in photos without necessarily knowing its name. Sitting on a small island where three sea lochs meet, connected to the shore by a stone footbridge, with mountains on every side. I visited during a week-long Scotland road trip and arrived too late to go inside. So I walked around the outside instead and that alone was striking enough. If you’re driving toward Skye, you’ll pass Eilean Donan, so give yourself enough time to actually go in rather than repeating my mistake.
Best for: possibly the single most photogenic castle setting on this list
For the full road trip this fits into, see my Scotland road trip itinerary. For the folklore attached to it, my magical places in Scotland post.
Stirling Castle
I’ve only seen Stirling from the outside on a day tour from Edinburgh into the Highlands, so I can’t speak to the interior. I’ve got a crappy photo lying around somewhere… It was my first of many visits to Scotland and I remember thinking that castle was the coolest thing. Perched on a volcanic crag, visible from a long way off, it explains why it held such strategic importance historically. If you’re short on time and choosing between castles, Stirling is an easy add-on to a Highlands day trip rather than requiring its own dedicated visit.
Best for: fitting into a Highlands day trip without a separate visit
See my day trips from Edinburgh guide for tours that pass Stirling or my magical places in Scotland post for more context on the area (it’s the Braveheart one!).
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle is the one I know best, having walked past and around it more times than I can count. Two views are worth prioritising if you want it without the crowds or the ticket: admire it from the outside grounds for the closest angle or walk down Princes Street at night to see it lit up from below, which is a completely different experience to the daytime version everyone photographs. For the most iconic angle of all, head to the top of the Vennel Steps. It’s the shot you’ll have seen a hundred times without knowing where it was taken. And like I said on every single post about Edinburgh or where I mention Edinburgh, visit Mary’s Milk Bar for the best ice cream ever just to the right off the steps as you go down!
Best for: free viewpoints, even if you skip the ticket
MORE ON EDINBURGH: The Best 3-Day Edinburgh Itinerary For First Time Visitors
Dunnottar Castle
Dunnottar sits on a cliff-top ruin on Scotland’s northeast coast. Even in late March/early April, well outside peak season, it was busy. So keep that in mind: off-season timing won’t guarantee you a quiet visit here the way it might elsewhere (maybe quietER). I saw it as part of my Scotland road trip and didn’t go inside because we had to cram a few things in on those last couple of days. But the approach itself, walking toward a ruined castle isolated on its own headland, is dramatic enough to justify the stop.
Best for: the most dramatic ruin-on-a-clifftop setting on this list
Urquhart Castle
Urquhart sits on the shore of Loch Ness. Like Dunnottar, it was proper busy when I visited in late March/early April. I saw it from outside as part of the same road trip and paired with the loch itself. It’s a much better use of time than Loch Ness alone, which can otherwise feel underwhelming on a grey day.
Best for: pairing with a Loch Ness stop that might otherwise disappoint
FOR MY SCOTLAND ROAD TRIP: 1-Week Scotland Road Trip: The Ultimate Itinerary
Doune Castle
Doune is the one to know if you’re a film and TV fan before you’re a castle person. It’s the real-world location behind Castle Leoch in Outlander and it was also used for Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Even without the on-screen history, it’s a well-preserved medieval castle near Stirling and a natural add-on if you’re already routing through that part of the Highlands.
Best for: Outlander and film fans wanting a real filming location, not a set
Kilchurn Castle
Kilchurn sits at the edge of Loch Awe and is one of the most photographed ruins in Scotland. It’s less visited than Eilean Donan despite a similarly dramatic loch-side setting, which makes it worth the detour if you’d rather skip the crowds.
I mean, look at this!!
Best for: the classic misty-loch-ruin shot without Eilean Donan’s crowds
Craigievar Castle
Craigievar is often cited as the real-life inspiration behind Disney’s Cinderella castle.* The pink harled tower makes it instantly recognisable even to people who don’t know its name. It’s a fairytale look rather than a ruin or a battle-scarred fortress, which makes it a good contrast to the rest of this list.
Best for: the fairytale-castle look, if the rest of this list feels a bit grey and dramatic
*same is said about the popular German castle Neuschwanstein near Munich!
Tantallon Castle
Tantallon is a clifftop ruin on the East Lothian coast, close to North Berwick, facing straight out to sea. If you’re already exploring the region’s witch trial history, this is an easy add-on to the same day out.
Best for: pairing with a North Berwick or East Lothian day trip
MAGICAL SCOTLAND: The Most Magical Places in Scotland (Witchy History, Folklore and Wizarding World)
Blackness Castle
Blackness sits on the Firth of Forth, about 25 minutes from Edinburgh. It’s the second real Outlander filming location on this list, playing Fort William in the series. Its blocky, ship-like shape (it’s nicknamed “the ship that never sailed”) makes it look completely different to the classic turreted castles elsewhere on this list, which is part of why it stands out. It’s an easy add-on to an Outlander day tour from Edinburgh, often paired with Doune.
Best for: Outlander’s Fort William and a very different castle shape to the rest of this list
Midhope Castle
Midhope is a small tower house near South Queensferry. To a lot of Outlander fans it’s the more important stop of the two near Edinburgh: it’s the real-world Lallybroch, Jamie’s family home. It’s not a conventional “castle” in scale or grandeur and it’s not open for interior visits, but for fans specifically, seeing it in person carries more weight than some of the bigger castles on this list.
Best for: Outlander fans, specifically for the Lallybroch connection
Cawdor Castle
Cawdor’s fame comes from Shakespeare rather than strict history. In Macbeth, the title character is named Thane of Cawdor. The play’s murder scene is widely assumed to take place here. The real historical Macbeth was an 11th-century king though, while Cawdor Castle itself wasn’t built until the 14th–15th century. The literary connection is the draw rather than a historically accurate one.
Best for: a literary detour, especially if Shakespeare or Scottish history interests you
FOR MYSTICAL SCOTLAND: Best Things to Do on the Isle of Skye
Which of These Actually Need a Car?
Edinburgh Castle needs nothing but your own two feet. Stirling, Doune, Blackness and Midhope are all doable without a car if you book a day tour that includes them. Several Edinburgh-based Outlander tours cover Doune, Blackness and Midhope together in one day. Eilean Donan, Dunnottar, Urquhart, Kilchurn, Craigievar, Tantallon and Cawdor are all much easier with a car. Eilean Donan and Urquhart are natural stops if you’re driving toward Isle of Skye or along Loch Ness. Tantallon fits neatly into an East Lothian day trip. Kilchurn, Craigievar and Cawdor are more spread out, so it’s worth mapping your route before committing to all three in one trip.
FAQ: Best Scottish Castles
Eilean Donan, Stirling, Edinburgh, Dunnottar, Urquhart, Doune, Kilchurn, Craigievar, Tantallon, Cawdor, Blackness and Midhope each offer something different, from Eilean Donan’s dramatic island setting to the real Outlander filming locations near Edinburgh.
Doune Castle, near Stirling, is the real-world filming location behind Castle Leoch. Blackness Castle, near Edinburgh, plays Fort William and nearby Midhope Castle is the real-world Lallybroch, Jamie’s family home.
Not for all of them. Edinburgh Castle is walkable, and Stirling, Doune, Blackness and Midhope can all be reached on a day tour, but most of the rest are far easier with a car.
The Vennel Steps for Edinburgh Castle is one of the most photographed viewpoints in the country, Eilean Donan’s island setting is hard to beat for a single dramatic shot and Kilchurn is a favourite for misty loch-side photography.
Not always predictably. Dunnottar and Urquhart were both busy even during a late March/early April visit, so don’t assume shoulder season guarantees a quiet visit everywhere.
Final Thoughts
You don’t need to go inside every castle on a Scotland trip to make it worth the stop. Some of the best moments on this list came from the setting rather than what was behind the ticket booth. If you’re building a Highlands road trip around castles, Eilean Donan and Urquhart are the two I’d prioritise first, with Doune as an easy add-on if Outlander brought you here in the first place.
For more, see my Scotland road trip itinerary, day trips from Edinburgh and magical places in Scotland guides.
This was a post about the best Scottish castles.
