Scotland has more than a thousand castles, and few countries tell their history so well through stone. There are royal fortresses built on volcanic crags, fairy-tale towers with pink walls, dramatic ruins overlooking the ocean and ducal homes still lived in, with flags flying from the turrets. This nine-day itinerary brings the finest together in a grand loop: from Edinburgh to Stirling, through Perthshire and the Dee valley where the royal family spends its summers, along the north-east coast to Inverness and Loch Ness, then west into the Highlands, to Eilean Donan and the lochside town of Inveraray.
You travel by car, on scenic roads that are an attraction in themselves: heather glens, mountain passes, lochs dozens of kilometres long. It is a trip for lovers of history, of clan and ghost legends, and of the locations of films and series such as Outlander and Game of Thrones.
- Edinburgh: the castle on the rock
- Stirling and Doune: the Stewart castle and Winterfell
- Scone: the hill of coronations
- Glamis: the Queen Mother's castle
- Balmoral and Braemar: the royal summer residence
- Craigievar: the pink castle
- Dunnottar: the clifftop fortress
- Cawdor: Macbeth's castle
- Urquhart: the ruins on Loch Ness
- Eilean Donan: the most photographed castle
- Inveraray: the Campbell seat
Day 1: Edinburgh
The journey begins at Scotland's most famous castle. Edinburgh Castle dominates the city from a volcanic crag inhabited for almost three thousand years. Within the walls you visit tiny St Margaret's Chapel, the city's oldest building, from the 12th century, the Royal Palace with the room where James VI was born, the Great Hall and the room of the Honours of Scotland, the Scottish Crown Jewels, among the oldest in Europe. Every day except Sunday the One O'Clock Gun is fired at 1 pm. In the afternoon walk down the Royal Mile to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the monarch's official residence in Scotland, where Mary, Queen of Scots lived.
Where to stay: in Edinburgh. See the Edinburgh guide.
Day 2: Stirling and Doune
From Edinburgh to Stirling is 60 km, under an hour. Stirling Castle is perhaps the finest in all Scotland: the golden Great Hall, James V's Renaissance palace with the Stirling Heads and the Unicorn Tapestries, the recreated kitchens and the view over the battlefields of Stirling Bridge and Bannockburn. Allow at least three hours, plus the Wallace Monument if you have the energy.
In the afternoon, 13 km away, Doune Castle is an almost intact 14th-century fortress, with a vast hall and a gatehouse tower over 30 metres high. It is a film star: scenes from Monty Python and the Holy Grail were shot here, as was the first episode of Game of Thrones, where it was Winterfell, and Outlander, where it played Castle Leoch. The audio guide is narrated in part by Monty Python's Terry Jones.
Where to stay: in Stirling or Perth.
Day 3: Scone and Glamis
In Perth, in the morning, visit Scone Palace, home of the Earls of Mansfield, whose grounds contain Moot Hill, the mound where the kings of Scots were crowned for centuries. This was the home of the Stone of Destiny, taken to London by Edward I in 1296 and returned to Scotland only in 1996: since 2024 it has been displayed at the Perth Museum in the city centre. Peacocks roam Scone's grounds, and there is a star-shaped beech maze.
In the afternoon drive to Glamis Castle, about 45 minutes away, a vision of turrets and pinnacles in rosy stone at the end of a long avenue of trees. It was the childhood home of the Queen Mother and the birthplace of Princess Margaret, and tradition also links it to Shakespeare's Macbeth, whose hero is Thane of Glamis. It is said to be one of Scotland's most haunted castles, with a secret room whose entrance no one knows.
Where to stay: in Pitlochry, or go straight on to Braemar.
Day 4: Balmoral and Royal Deeside
Cross the Cairngorms on the Glenshee road, one of the highest in Britain, to Braemar, a village famous for the Braemar Gathering, the Highland games held on the first Saturday of September and traditionally attended by the royal family. The small Braemar Castle, L-shaped with star-shaped walls, is run by the village community.
A few kilometres away, Balmoral Castle, bought by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1852, is the royal family's summer residence. The grounds, gardens and ballroom are usually open from spring to the end of July, before the royals arrive; at times guided tours of the interiors are also offered, to be booked well ahead. Nearby Crathie Kirk is the church the royal family attends on Sundays.
Where to stay: in Ballater or Braemar.
Day 5: Craigievar, Crathes and Dunnottar
The morning is for Craigievar Castle, a 17th-century tower harled in pink, with turrets and pointed roofs straight out of a fairy tale: it is said to have inspired Walt Disney's Cinderella castle. The small, intact interiors can only be seen on guided tours in small groups. On the way to the coast you can stop at Crathes Castle, with its painted Renaissance ceilings and one of Scotland's finest walled gardens.
In the afternoon you reach the castle many consider the most spectacular of all: Dunnottar, a cluster of ruins on a rocky headland surrounded by the sea, joined to the mainland only by a narrow neck of land. In 1651 the Honours of Scotland were hidden here to save them from Cromwell's army, and during the siege they were smuggled out. Reaching it means going down and back up about 200 steps. The nearby harbour town of Stonehaven claims to be the birthplace of the deep-fried Mars bar.
Where to stay: in Stonehaven or Aberdeen.
Day 6: towards Cawdor and Inverness
From Stonehaven to Cawdor is about 190 km along the coast and through Moray, distillery country: a stop at a Speyside distillery is almost compulsory. Cawdor Castle carries the title the witches promise Macbeth, "Thane of Cawdor", although it was built long after the historical king. It is still lived in by the Campbells of Cawdor: you see rooms with tapestries and portraits, the old kitchen and the vault built around the trunk of an ancient holly tree, linked to the legend of the castle's founding. The gardens are superb. The battlefield of Culloden is a few minutes away.
Where to stay: in Inverness, for one or two nights.
Day 7: Urquhart and Eilean Donan
Follow Loch Ness south-west to the ruins of Urquhart Castle, on a headland above the dark waters of the loch: the most famous place to scan the water for the monster. Then cross Glen Moriston and Glen Shiel, among bare mountains and waterfalls, to Eilean Donan, on an islet where three sea lochs meet, linked to the shore by an arched stone bridge. Destroyed in 1719 during a Jacobite rising, it was rebuilt between 1912 and 1932 and has become one of the symbols of Scotland.
Where to stay: in Dornie or on the Isle of Skye, 15 minutes away, if you want to add a day.
Day 8: Glencoe and Inveraray
This is the day of the grandest landscapes: head south to Fort William, at the foot of Ben Nevis, Britain's highest mountain, and cross Glencoe, the wild glen where the massacre of 1692 took place. You reach the shores of Loch Fyne and Inveraray Castle, seat of the Dukes of Argyll and chiefs of Clan Campbell, with conical turrets and an armoury where more than a thousand weapons are arranged in patterns on the walls. The castle appeared in Downton Abbey. The little white Georgian town of Inveraray is perfect for a dinner of Loch Fyne oysters and herring.
Where to stay: in Inveraray or along Loch Lomond.
Day 9: back to Edinburgh
From Inveraray to Edinburgh is about 160 km, through Loch Lomond National Park. On the way, Linlithgow Palace is worth a stop: the great lakeside ruin where Mary, Queen of Scots was born, half an hour from Edinburgh. If you are flying from Glasgow you can stop there and visit the city.
- 1130David I builds St Margaret's Chapel in Edinburgh Castle
- 1296Edward I takes the Stone of Destiny to London
- 1503Stirling Castle's Great Hall is completed
- 1542Mary, Queen of Scots is born at Linlithgow Palace
- 1651The Honours of Scotland are hidden at Dunnottar
- 1719Eilean Donan is destroyed during a Jacobite rising
- 1852Queen Victoria buys Balmoral
- 1932The rebuilding of Eilean Donan is completed
- 1996The Stone of Destiny returns to Scotland
How much it costs
| Item | Indicative cost per person |
|---|---|
| Accommodation, 8 nights sharing a double room (B&B or mid-range hotel) | £500-700 |
| Hire car for 9 days, shared by two, plus fuel | £250-350 |
| Admissions (11 castles, partly with the Explorer Pass) | £180-250 |
| Meals | £400-500 |
| Total | about £1,330-1,800 |
To save money: Historic Environment Scotland's Explorer Pass, valid for 5 or 14 days, covers Edinburgh, Stirling, Doune, Urquhart, Linlithgow and dozens of other state-run sites, and pays for itself after three castles. The National Trust for Scotland runs Craigievar, Crathes and Culloden. Dunnottar, Glamis, Cawdor, Blair, Eilean Donan, Inveraray, Scone and Balmoral are private and have their own tickets.
Practical information
- Opening: state-run castles are open all year; private ones often only from April to October, and Balmoral usually until the end of July. Always check before you go.
- Bookings: Edinburgh and Stirling use timed tickets and sell out in summer; Craigievar can only be visited on small guided tours.
- Driving: you drive on the left, and in the Highlands many roads are single-track with passing places: don't park in them.
- Weather: even in summer bring layers and a waterproof; from June to September, on still evenings, midges can be a nuisance.
- Documents: passport and ETA, see documents and ETA.
Variations
- Shorter, in 5 days: Edinburgh, Stirling and Doune, then straight up the A9 to Inverness with a stop at Blair Castle, the white castle of the Dukes of Atholl, who have Europe's only legal private army, the Atholl Highlanders; then Urquhart and Eilean Donan.
- With the islands: from Eilean Donan continue to Skye, with Dunvegan Castle, seat of the MacLeods for eight centuries.
- The south: between Edinburgh and the English border lie triangular, moated Caerlaverock Castle and the abbeys of the Borders.
What to read and watch
Before you go: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, the first book of the saga set in many of these castles, and Shakespeare's Macbeth for Glamis and Cawdor. For the background, a good history of Scotland; see also our page on the history of Scotland.
Final tips
- Pace: two castles a day is plenty; the rest of the time is for the scenery.
- Light: in June it doesn't get dark in Scotland until after 10 pm, so you can visit Dunnottar at sunset at leisure.
- A tip: reach Eilean Donan early in the morning or in the evening, when the coaches have gone: with the castle reflected in still water, you will see why it is Scotland's most photographed.
See also our other UK itineraries and the guide to Scotland.