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Eilean Donan Castle and its stone footbridge are reflected in the calm loch beneath hills.
Lochalsh

Eilean Donan Castle

The castle on an island where three sea lochs meet, bombarded in 1719, rebuilt between 1912 and 1932 and reached by an arched stone bridge.

Welcome

Eilean Donan stands on an island at the point where three great sea lochs meet, and an arched stone bridge takes you out to it.

From the castle you can look across Loch Alsh to the Cuillin of Skye, or up Loch Duich to the Five Sisters of Kintail. It sits beside the village of Dornie, on the main route to the Isle of Skye.

In 1719 the castle was held by Spanish soldiers supporting the Jacobites, and Government frigates bombarded it. The gunpowder store was then used to blow up what remained, and the ruins lay abandoned for the best part of two hundred years. Lieutenant Colonel John Macrae-Gilstrap bought the island in 1911, and the rebuilding was finished in 1932. Inside you can climb to the Keep Door, see the Banqueting Hall with its Douglas fir ceiling beams and visit the recreated 1930s kitchen. Dogs are welcome on the island, though not inside the castle.

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The Daily for 29 October, from Scotland with love. An aerial view from a garden staircase looks down a formal garden's central path, statues and cherub urns lining the balustrade in the foreground.
Not farAn CrùbhA café, shop, post office and hall built by the people of Camuscross and Duisdale, looking across the Sound of Sleat.15 milesSee itAn Crùbh
Before you go

Tickets are bought on the day at the visitor centre.

The castle's hours change through the year and it is closed for the whole of January.

Where
Dornie, by Kyle of Lochalsh, IV40 8DX, beside the village of Dornie on the main route to the Isle of Skye. Kyle of Lochalsh is 8 miles away.
Open
Winter hours: 10am to 4pm from 25 October to 22 December 2026, last admission 3pm. Earlier in 2026 the castle opened from 9am in summer and closed at 6pm, with last admission an hour before closing. Closed 1, 7, 8 and 15 November, 4 December, all of January and 14 February 2027.
Price
Adults £13, over 60s £12, children over 5 £6.50, under 5s free, family ticket (2 adults and 3 children aged 5 to 15) £38 (2026 prices, read 21 October 2026).
Booking
Castle tickets are sold only at the visitor centre on the day. There is no online booking.
Parking
Car parking around the visitor centre, with disabled parking about 20 metres from its main entrance.
Dogs
Dogs are welcome on the island. The inside of the castle is not suitable for them, because of the steep, narrow spiral staircases and corridors.
Getting there
By road on the A87. Citylink's 915 coaches between Glasgow, Fort William and Portree call at Dornie; check the current timetable before you travel.
Access
The visitor centre, gift shop and coffee shop are step-free, with two accessible toilets. The castle has uneven steps, narrow stairways and different floor levels, and the castle's own statement says wheelchair access inside is nigh on impossible. Registered disabled visitors cross the bridge free to explore the outside, where some areas are gravelled, and a touch-screen virtual tour of the interior is available free on request in the visitor centre.
Bags
Rucksacks and large bags are not allowed inside the castle. Leave them in your car or in the free lockers next to the visitor centre.
Food
The coffee shop in the visitor centre serves soups, sandwiches, baked potatoes and home baking. Dornie has a small village shop and Post Office.

Opening hours

Monday
10am–4pm
Tuesday
10am–4pm
Wednesday
10am–4pm
Thursday
10am–4pm
Friday
10am–4pm
Saturday
10am–4pm
Sunday
10am–4pm

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Where it is

By the village of Dornie on the A87, the main route to Skye, 8 miles from Kyle of Lochalsh; the visitor centre and car park are at the castle entrance, IV40 8DX.

Close byLochalsh.
  1. Gravestones and gorse bushes below mountains flanking a wide glenClachan Duich Burial Ground6 miles 9 min by road
  2. Box of assorted Highland chocolates from chocolatesofglenmarkie.com on a wooden sliceChocolates of Glenshiel7 miles 11 min by road
  3. The stone cairn at the Ratagan Pass viewpoint, the Five Sisters of Kintail rising above Loch Duich beyond.Ratagan Pass viewpointA car park high on the pass between Loch Duich and Glenelg, with one of the great views of the Highlands: the Five Sisters of Kintail above the head of the loch.10 miles 13 min by road
  4. Stained glass fish design beside diners seated at a pub tablePlockton InnAn inn in Plockton with refurbished rooms, fresh seafood, and a cosy bar with live music, quiz nights and local gins, whiskies and ales.11 miles 16 min by road
  5. The roofless stone ranges of Bernera Barracks standing in rough grass with a hill behind.Bernera BarracksThe substantial ruins of redcoat barracks built near Glenelg after 1715 to guard the crossing to Skye, for up to 240 soldiers.16 miles 22 min by road
  6. Drystone broch walls rise beside a wooded hillside under grey cloudsDun Telve and Dun TroddanTwo of the best preserved Iron Age brochs in Scotland, 2,000-year-old drystone towers standing just 500 metres apart in Gleann Beag by Glenelg.19 miles 32 min by road
Directions
Picnic tables in the Glenelg Inn's garden, the Sound of Sleat and the hills of Skye beyond.RestaurantsGlenelg Inn5.8 miles as the crow flies
Shelves in the Shore Station shop with teddy bears in Skye Ferry jumpers, prints and small gifts.CafeShore Station Café6.0 miles as the crow flies
Kyle Rhea seen through bare trees from the path to the otter hide, the mainland hills beyond.AttractionsKylerhea Otter Haven6.2 miles as the crow flies
The ferry backed onto the slipway by the little white lighthouse, its wake churning.AttractionsThe Glenelg Ferry6.4 miles as the crow flies
The blue hull of Seaprobe Atlantis at her mooring, GLASS BOTTOM BOAT TRIPS along her side.AttractionsSeaprobe Atlantis8.7 miles
Skye Bridge arches over the strait, with a lighthouse beside its pierAttractionsSkye Bridge9.7 miles
Kayaks crossing turquoise water towards a white sandy beach between rocky headlandsToursSea Kayak Plockton9.8 miles
Rainbow arches over a loch with palm trees and a pebble shoreAttractionsCraig Highland Farm11 miles
Staff and guests gather outside the Plockton Hotel for a group photoRestaurantsThe Plockton Hotel11 miles

Recommend to a friend

Stay nearby

Places to stay near the castle, and when each is next free.

Stone-walled cottage interior with wood-burning stove, leather sofa and kitchen tableLusa Bothy
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Ashaig
  • 11 miles from Eilean Donan
Check datesKinloch Lodge, Isle of SkyeKinloch Lodge
  • To stay
  • In Sleat
  • 13 miles from Eilean Donan
Check datesA keeper's cottage and lighthouse stand together on a rocky headland overlooking the sea at Eilean Sionnach.Eilean Sionnach Lighthouse Cottage
  • Sleeps 8
  • In Isleornsay
  • 13 miles from Eilean Donan
Check datesStonechat Bothy, a timber-clad cabin with a grey corrugated roof, at the end of a grassy double track among birch, pine and rushes.Stonechat Bothy
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Drumfearn
  • 14 miles from Eilean Donan
Free 1–4 MarPlaces to stayEvery stay in LochalshAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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