Top 10 Castle Ruins In Scotland Near Edinburgh

Let’s be real, a trip to Scotland just wouldn’t be complete without visiting at least some castles near Edinburgh. 

There are so many options, more-so than you can possibly imagine! You don’t even have to limit yourself to castle ruins in Scotland either, there are tons of abbeys (especially on a trip to the Scottish Borders!), palaces, and even random ruins to stumble upon near Edinburgh.

Some are accessible from the city centre by train or walking, but you’ll need a car to get to most of them. 

Psst! This blog post contains affiliate links in it which sends me a bit of extra money if you use them… at no extra cost to you!

Why Visit Castles Near Edinburgh?

Despite the fact that it’s not a trip to Scotland without some castle ruins, the ruins are a also good way to get a very well-rounded history lesson of Scotland.

For example, some of the castles near Edinburgh had a connection to Mary Queen of Scots. It was as if we were following her story throughout the country. Going from her place of birth to where she was imprisoned for 6 months.

If you’re not interested into history, castle ruins in Scotland also make for a beautiful subject in photographs!

Explore Castle Ruins In Scotland: The Scotland Explorer Pass

If you’ve read any of my other Scotland posts, you might know that I’m a big advocate for the Scotland Explorer pass. You can choose from 3, 7, or 14 day pass and go to as many castles as you want in that time.

We bought the two-week pass for £45 (check updated prices). In that amount of time, we used it about 14 times for castles and abbeys. We were always based out of Edinburgh, but you’d be able to visit even more if you’re not.

In my mind, if you’re planning on visiting Edinburgh and Stirling Castle it’s worth it on its own. Those are the two most expensive ones (about £20 each) so it’ll pay for itself. Then all the other castle visits are like a free bonuses!

How To Get To Castle Ruins In Scotland?

Scotland isn’t exactly the easiest country to get around. There is one castles in Edinburgh that’s in walking distance to get to. The other castles to visit in Scotland require a bit more planning. The castles are in pretty remote locations and they don’t take up an entire day to tour.

You’ll most likely need to rent a car, although sometimes you may be able to get away with taking the train or bus. You can also find an organized tour that will bring you to the castle ruins in Scotland from Edinburgh.

Renting A Car & Driving In Scotland…

If you’re planning on exploring Scotland from Edinburgh, you’ll most likely need to rent a car and drive there (P.S. we rented our car from Enterprise at Waverley Station in Edinburgh). It offers the most flexibility, but it’s also the most stressful mode of transportation.

Let’s just say that some of these castles are in pretty remote locations and the driving conditions aren’t the best. I recommend reading my post about what it’s like to drive in Scotland before renting a car.

Bus & Train To Castles In Scotland

Some of these castle ruins in Scotland you may be able to bus or train to a nearby city. For example, Tantallon castle is close to North Berwick which you can to by train from Edinburgh.

Go On An Organized Tour

If you want a stress free day, your best option is to go on an organized tour to see the best castles in Scotland from Edinburgh. There are a few organized tours through Viator that will bring you to the Highlands, St. Andrews …etc. and you can tour the castles.

Browse Viator for organized tours.

Need A Place To Stay In Edinburgh?

I stayed at an Airbnb for a month in Edinburgh just across from The Meadows. For shorter stays, I found these accommodations to stay at for every type of traveller.

Best Location & Price: Just down the street from the Royal Mile Motel One Edinburgh – Royal is a short walk to all the main attractions. See room rates & availability.

Modern & New Apartment: Stay in Edinburgh’s New Town at Golden Thistle Apartment to live like a local. It’s offers a beautifully renovated modern apartment with cafes and bars at your fingertips! See room rates & availability on Plum Guide.

Luxury: The Balmoral Hotel is Edinburgh’s finest hotel but nothing compares to it. J.K. even stayed here to finish writing the Harry Potter Series. Maybe you’ll get lucky and stay in the same suite! See room rates & availability.

See other accommodations on Booking.com in Edinburgh, or more apartments on Plum Guide.

Top 10 Castle To Visit In Scotland Near Edinburgh

1. Edinburgh Castle

If you’re staying in Edinburgh, Edinburgh Castle is the easiest one to get to. Depending on where you’re staying in the city, you’ll most likely be able to see it and walk to it.

But, being the most convenient castle in Edinburgh comes with a downside. Its convenience makes it the most popular, and the busiest.

The ticket price is also no small amount, it’s £17.50 (check updated prices) to just to get inside! Now you do get a lot for that hefty price tag but you’ll have to decide for yourself whether it’s worth it.

Most Convenient But Least Impressive…

To be honest, I was a bit disappointed with visiting the inside of Edinburgh Castle. The museums didn’t interest me, and it seemed as though there was only one part of the castle that was historical.

The main attraction inside is the Stone of Destiny. It’s a stone that’s been used for the coronation of the monarchs of Scotland for centuries. But for the last century, it was “stolen” and has been in England up until a few years ago. I’ll give you a heads up though, it’s not much, it’s just a stone after all!

If you’re interested in the history of the castle, I strongly recommend paying for a guided tour. We went with Sandeman’s Edinburgh Castle Tour, it’s an extra £10 on top of your ticket, but it was worth it in my mind.

2. Stirling Castle

Stirling Castle, like Edinburgh Castle, is HUGE! It’s like a world of its own inside. But, just because they’re monstrous (and expensive) castles, doesn’t mean they’re the same. If you want to save time (and money), you can choose to visit either Edinburgh or Stirling Castle based on your interests, but both are very different.

If I had to choose again, I’d choose Stirling over Edinburgh. They remade the castle to look as though it did during its peak time. They had tapestries, frescos, ceilings, and decor fully restored. It was incredible. The entire kitchen scene was even recreated, down to the bread oven and recipes!

There was so much to see at Stirling Castle that we didn’t have nearly as much time as we would have liked to.

P.S. You have to pay for parking here on top of your ticket. You might be able to find free parking on the street if you’re lucky.

3. Linlithgow Palace (An Unexpected Surprise!)

When we started planning our trip to Scotland, Linlithgow was nowhere on our radar. We went because it was part of our Explorer Pass, it sounded interesting, and wasn’t far from the airport (it actually made the perfect half day trip before we dropped my parents off at the airport for their flight home)!

We were so happy we decided to make the trip there, in my mind it’s one of the best castles in Scotland to visit! It’s also an integral piece to the Mary Queen of Scots story (if you’re interested in learning more about her). Linlithgow Palace is actually where Mary Queen of Scots was born.

It was a nice change from all the castle ruins in Scotland we had visited up to this point. For the most part what we were seeing was in complete ruins. Linlithgow Palace, on the other hand, was a mix of reality and imagination. It’s not as destroyed, but hasn’t been completely redone like Stirling Castle.

The palace itself is like an enchanting ruined maze! Every room we walked into had (at least) 4 different directions to go in. You could continue straight, turn left, right or down the stairs! You want to see every part of it, but it became a bit hard to keep track of where had already gone at some points.

I also loved visiting Linlithgow Palace because of where it’s located. It’s also on the edge of Linlithgow Loch which you can walk around after your visit and capture stunning photographs of the palace. You’re also not completely stranded like some of the other smaller castles, it’s right next to the town! We stopped for lunch at the Granary Cafe for soup in a mug (who can say no to that!?).

4. Urquart Castle Ruins In Scotland Highlands

Urquart Castle is the furthest from Edinburgh, it’s a 4 hour drive from Edinburgh all the way into the Highlands and there’s a lot less of the castle left to see. It’s a bit far, but it’s one of the big three castle ruins in Scotland, along with Edinburgh Castle and Stirling Castle.

Because it’s quite a bit further, I’d recommend making it a part of a Highland adventure. We made a two-day trip out to the Highlands from Edinburgh for this one. Or, so you don’t have to worry about driving 8 hours in one day, opt for an organized tour to the Highlands.

There’s a lot that’s left up to your imagination here as it’s probably the most ruined out of all the castles. Like the other two major castle ruins in Scotland, Urquart Castle is very well done in terms of the product value. But, like I said, there’s isn’t too much left of the castle. These are real castle ruins in Scotland and somehow they still managed to make it a wonderful experience.

It’s also not high up on a mountain top like the other two, but it does overlook the infamous Loch Ness. So make sure to keep your eyes peeled for any mysterious behaviour!

5. Doune Castle Near Edinburgh

We stopped at Doune Castle on our way back from Urquart before stopping at Stirling Castle (yup we did three castles ruins in Scotland in one day… it was a lot!). But, if you’re coming from Edinburgh, Doune Castle is about an hour drive. It’s quite a small castle, but it has a lot to offer.

Doune Castle is more intact than Linlithgow Palace and has a ton of connections to Outlander. If you’re a real Outlander fan, this is the one I’d say you should visit. Included in your ticket is an audio guide with commentary from none other than Sam Heughan to describe it as a filming location for the show.

Even if you’ve never heard of Outlander, Doune Castle is still one of the best castles near Edinburgh to visit. It’s very well intact, it has all 4 walls and even a ceiling (that’s more than most castles ruins in Scotland)! But even more than that, it has the original decor left which is just incredible to see!

6. Loch Leven Castle (A True Hidden Gem In Scotland!)

Don’t go to Loch Leven Castle expecting a huge castle. Loch Leven castle ruins in Scotland is the smallest castle we visit but it was the only one we needed a boat to get to. This made it one of the most unique castles to visit in Scotland.

You don’t necessarily have to visit Loch Leven Castle, but you do have to visit at least one that’s on an island. There are a few island castles throughout Scotland but Loch Leven Castle is a 50-minute drive from Edinburgh and it’s en route to the Highlands (if you’re planning on going that way).

Going to an island castle is such an experience, but you do have to plan accordingly. Account to be there for longer than normal because you might have to wait for the boat departure.

They only fit about 10 people on the boat at a time, so make sure to also call in advance to reserve a spot (especially if it’s high season!).

It’s about a 10-minute boat ride to the island and they leave every 45 minutes. If it’s windy, the water might be choppy so expect to get wet! Depending on when you’re travelling, it also might get quite chilly on the boat.

When we arrived to the island, the ground was wet and muddy right when you got off the boat, so maybe leave your favourite shoes at home to visit these castle ruins in Scotland! Then you have about 45 minutes to explore until the boat comes back to pick you up!

The castle itself was fun to wander around, we were the first boat so we were the only ones on the island. Compared to all the other castle ruins in Scotland where there are TONS of people at every turn, this was a nice break. This was our first encounter with Mary Queen of Scot’s story too, it’s where she was imprisoned for 6 months.

There’s parking at the boat pick up location, it’s a bit confusing to get to though. We got lost a few times in the narrow town streets, Google Maps might not have the right directions.

7. Tantallon Castle On The Seas Edge

Ah, Tantallon Castle! It will always hold a special place in my heart. You don’t technically need a car to get to Tantallon Castle, but I would HIGHLY recommend having one!

Tantallon Castle is just outside North Berwick, which is 30 minutes away from Edinburgh by train (recommend a day trip there either way!). It’s probably one of the closes castles near Edinburgh that isn’t Edinburgh Castle. It was the first castle we explored on our Scotland adventure, and man, was it ever an adventure!

If you don’t have a car, it’s not the end of the world but it will make your life a lot more difficult. Trust me, I know from first-hand experience. If you don’t have a car, you can read all about how to get there from North Berwick and our mishaps we encountered along the way. 

The castle itself is magnificent! Its located along a seaside cliff with gorgeous views and giving it an intense atmosphere. It’s not as ruined as Urquart Castle, but it has been through quite a bit.

8. Blackness Castle

Blackness Castle is known as the ship that never sailed. Being directly on the Firth of Forth, it acually looks like a ship (but I don’t know if that was intentional!).

We stopped here on our route down to St. Andrews, it’s about a 40-minute drive from Edinburgh. It’s actually in Linlithgow, so you might also be able to combine it with visiting one of the best castles in Scotland, Linlithgow Palace. 

I won’t lie, we stopped here because it looked cool, and it had connections to Outlander. This is where Fort Williams was filmed (where Jamie was almost hung).

Blackness Castle ended up drawing us in even further with its views and rich history. It’s a 15th-century castle that was possibly built on a castle from the 1440s!

9. Aberdour Castle

Aberdour Castle is definitely one o the most unique castles near Edinburgh. It’s also only a 40 minute drive from the city, across the Firth of Forth.

This is another hidden gem that we found out about from our Scottish Explorer pass. Aberdour Castle in Scotland not the largest, it’s not the smallest, but it just as well might be the oldest. Aberdour Castle also isn’t your typical looking castle at all. It’s more like a big… ruined… home.

You can see what a castle looks like over time, as its destroyed and built up again. Aberdour Castle has three-time frames and you can easily see them all.

So, the oldest, most ruined part dates back to the 1100s and the newest addition is as late as the 1600s. During these centuries, it served three noble families (including the Douglas family).

It was also used as a filming location for Outlander, surprise surprise.

10. St. Andrews Castle

St. Andrews Castle a bit further from Edinburgh, an hour and a half drive away, but nothing you can’t do in one day. Read my guide on driving from Edinburgh to St. Andrews, and all the important places to stop along the way.

The downside to visiting St. Andrews Castle from Edinburgh is that there’s no designated parking lot for it. You’re going to have to find street parking here… and it isn’t easy.

Similar to other castle ruins in Scotland located on the sea, the views are spectacular. But, St. Andrews Castle has something that no other castle does – an underground tunnel. These were dug in the 1500s and you can “walk” through them (more like crouching through them)! Although, if you’re claustrophobic, I wouldn’t recommend it!

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