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The crow-stepped gables and corner turrets of a royal palace glow in evening light, a stone stair and older tower standing beside it.
Stirlingshire

Stirling Castle

The great royal castle on its crag above Stirling, where Mary, Queen of Scots was crowned, with the Great Hall and the Royal Palace.

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Welcome

Stirling Castle stands on a volcanic crag at the centre of the Old Town, and for centuries it guarded the lowest crossing point of the River Forth.

It has been likened to a huge brooch clasping the Highlands and Lowlands together. The castle was first mentioned around 1110, and until the Union of the Crowns in 1603 almost every Scottish monarch lived here, was crowned here or died here.

The buildings around the Inner Close were built for James IV, James V and James VI. Inside you can admire the Great Hall and the refurbished Royal Palace, where Mary, Queen of Scots lived as a child and where the rooms have been recreated as they may have looked in the time of James V. There are also the Chapel Royal, the Great Kitchens and the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Museum, and the ramparts look over Stirling and the countryside around. Book ahead for the best ticket price, and guided tours are included with your ticket.

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Before you go

Open every day except 25 and 26 December.

Booking online ahead gets the best ticket price.

Where
Castle Wynd, Stirling, FK8 1EJ, on top of a hill in the centre of the Old Town.
Open
Daily 9.30am to 6pm from 1 April to 30 September and 9.30am to 5pm from 1 October to 31 March. Last entry is an hour before closing. Open 9.30am to 4pm on 24 December and from 11am on 1 January; closed 25 and 26 December. The Regimental Museum closes 45 minutes before the castle.
Price
Adults (16 to 64) £18.50 online or £20.50 in person; aged 65 and over £15 online or £16.50 in person; children (7 to 15) £9 online or £10 in person. Historic Scotland members go free, and Scots aged 7 to 25 with a Young Scot or National Entitlement Card pay £1 (read 21 October 2026).
Booking
Book online in advance for the best price; standard entry is for a specific date and time. The Secret Stirling tour lasts around 90 minutes, runs at 11am and 2pm each day and must be booked in advance.
Parking
The castle car park is closed to all vehicles except coaches and those needing accessible parking, with ten accessible spaces about 65 metres from the entrance. Other cars use Castleview Park and Ride or one of Stirling Council's car parks.
Dogs
Assistance dogs only. Visitors' dogs and other pets are not permitted at Stirling Castle.
Getting there
Stirling has local and national train and bus services, and the castle is about half a mile uphill from the station. There are bike racks on the esplanade, and booking online with the code GOOD25 gives 25% off the standard price when you arrive by train, bus or bike.
Access
The main route through the castle is 160 metres of cobbles, with a gradient of up to 1 in 9. A mobility vehicle to the Inner Close is available on request and four manual wheelchairs can be borrowed. The Great Hall and Chapel Royal have level access from the courtyard, the Great Kitchens are down several steps and there are adapted toilets in the first courtyard and at the Great Hall.
Food
The Unicorn Café has a rooftop patio, open 9.30am to 5.30pm from April to September and 9.30am to 4.30pm from October to March, and an ice cream van stands on the esplanade.
Bags
Suitcases and large rucksacks (30 litres or over) are not allowed in the castle, and there is nowhere to leave luggage, prams or pushchairs.

Opening hours

Monday
9.30am–5pm
Tuesday
9.30am–5pm
Wednesday
9.30am–5pm
Thursday
9.30am–5pm
Friday
9.30am–5pm
Saturday
9.30am–5pm
Sunday
9.30am–5pm

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Did you know

A painted royal apartment with a diamond-patterned ceiling, tapestries and a canopied throne holds a marble fireplace and a patterned carpet.
Did you know

Mary's crowning.

Mary, Queen of Scots lived in the Royal Palace as a child and was crowned at Stirling in 1543.

A cobbled courtyard runs between a stone chapel and the ornate facade of a royal palace, a covered walkway lining the base of the buildings.
Did you know

Scotland's first fireworks.

The celebrations for the baptism of the future James VI here in 1566 ended with the first recorded fireworks in Scotland.

A wood-beamed chapel interior has a painted frieze beneath the ceiling, tall arched windows lighting an altar set against the far wall.
Did you know

A chapel built in a hurry.

James VI had the Chapel Royal built in haste for the baptism of his first son, Prince Henry, in 1594.

A vast timber-roofed hall has tall arched windows and dark curtains along the walls, a Christmas tree standing before a fireplace at the far end.
Did you know

A hall to impress a queen.

James IV added the Great Hall around 1503, partly to impress his queen, Margaret Tudor, daughter of Henry VII of England.

A castle crowns a rocky hill above fields of grazing sheep, hazy hills visible in the distance.
Did you know

Bruce's decision.

Robert the Bruce had the castle's defences destroyed, so that it could not fall into enemy hands again.

A painted royal coat of arms with a unicorn and lion flanks a stone fireplace in a decorated great hall, candelabra standing either side.
Did you know

A palace as it was.

The rooms of James V's Royal Palace, built around 1540, have been recreated as they may have looked when his grand scheme was complete.

Hidden Scotland

From our guide to Stirlingshire

Stirling Castle sits high on its volcanic crag, and once you are up on the ramparts it is easy to see why kings fought over it for centuries. It guarded the lowest crossing of the Forth, and until 1603 it was a favourite home of Scotland's kings and queens. Most of what stands today went up in the 1500s. Step into the Great Hall of James IV, its walls washed gold, then the Royal Palace of James V, where the rooms glow again in their Renaissance colours. Mary, Queen of Scots was crowned in the castle in 1543, at nine months old. Give yourself at least half a day.

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01 / 08
Where it is

Castle Wynd, Stirling, FK8 1EJ, on top of a hill in the centre of the Old Town, about half a mile uphill from the train and bus station.

Close byIn the Old Town.
  1. The PortcullisThe PortcullisAn inn by the castle esplanade in a school building of 1787, with a traditional lounge bar, a walled beer garden and rooms.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. Stone pyramid monument rises above gravestones in a hillside cemeteryThe Star PyramidA sandstone pyramid of 1863 in Stirling's Old Town Cemetery, raised to Scotland's martyrs, with marble Bibles at its foot.Under a mile 1 min by road
  3. Stirling BagpipesStirling BagpipesA bagpipe maker's workshop and shop on Broad Street, making Highland pipes and smallpipes by hand, with antique sets for sale.Under a mile 1 min by road
  4. Darnley Coffee HouseDarnley Coffee HouseA coffee house in an old stone building on Bow Street, below the castle, known for its soups and a ghost story.Under a mile 2 min by road
  5. Beheading StoneBeheading StoneThe old execution stone of Stirling, under an iron cage on Mote Hill, with two cannons and a view of Stirling Bridge.Under a mile 2 min by road
  6. Wallace Monument tower rising above snow-covered trees and hills near StirlingWallace MonumentThe tall Victorian tower on the Abbey Craig above Stirling, with the Wallace Sword inside and a view from the Crown after 246 steps.2 miles 8 min by road
Directions
Mint Cafe Patisserie & Sweets shopfront with pavement tables on a cobbled streetCafeMint0.6 miles
Shopfront sign reading "Unorthodox Roasters" with a pink bird logoCafeUnorthodox Roaster0.6 miles
A shop window beneath a sign reading 'Tinsel & Tartan, Stirling's All-Year Christmas Shop' displays a decorated tree, Santa figure and toy sleigh.ShoppingTinsel and Tartan0.7 miles
A framed drawing of Stirling above tins of biscuits.ShoppingMade in Stirling0.7 miles
Wine and spirits shelves in a shop, with a "Gin O'clock" signShoppingThe Scottish Gantry0.7 miles
Caffe Pompei's dark blue frontage and awning on King Street, Stirling.CafeCaffe Pompei0.9 miles
The Golden Lion's tall stone front on King Street, Stirling.RestaurantsThe Golden Lion Hotel0.9 miles
Bob & Berts' blue sign and glass front on Murray Place, Stirling.CafeBob and Berts0.9 miles
The Stirling Smith's columned front in its garden, framed by trees.AttractionsThe Stirling Smith Art Gallery & Museum1.0 miles

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Stay nearby

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

A grand stone mansion with multiple gables and chimneys stands behind a lawn set with wicker chairs, seen through overhanging leaves.Cromlix
  • To stay
  • In Kinbuck
  • 8 miles from Stirling Castle
Check datesA landscape view of Whitehill on its hill: the steadings, the farmhouse and its red-roofed wing in low sun across a field of young crop.Whitehill Farm House
  • Sleeps 8
  • In Auchterarder
  • 16 miles from Stirling Castle
Free 9–13 NovPlaces to stayEvery stay in StirlingshireAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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What we have written about it, the collections it is in and more in Stirlingshire.

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