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Scottish castle in the Highlands

Castle Guide

Scottish Castles to Visit

From dramatic Highland ruins to lived-in tower houses. Visitor guides, history and private tour options for Scotland's finest castles.

Scotland has more castles per square mile than almost anywhere in Europe – from dramatic clifftop ruins and medieval fortresses to lived-in tower houses and grand baronial estates. This guide covers the castles we visit most often with guests on private tours. Each page includes history, visitor information and how to get there with a private driver-guide.

Western Highlands

13th century (rebuilt 1919–1932)

Eilean Donan Castle

Scotland's most photographed castle, standing at the meeting point of three sea lochs on the road to the Isle of Skye.

Loch Ness

13th–16th century

Urquhart Castle

One of Scotland's largest castles by area, Urquhart commands a dramatic headland on the shores of Loch Ness with 1,000 years of history.

Sutherland

1275 (remodelled 1845–1850)

Dunrobin Castle

Scotland's most northerly great house, Dunrobin looks like a French château with its turrets and formal gardens overlooking the Moray Firth.

Nairnshire

14th century (tower house 1370s)

Cawdor Castle

Forever linked with Shakespeare's Macbeth, Cawdor Castle is a lived-in medieval tower house surrounded by beautiful gardens and ancient woodland.

Inverness-shire

1769

Fort George

The mightiest artillery fortification in Britain, built after the Jacobite defeat at Culloden and still an active military base.

Moray

16th century (Z-plan tower house)

Brodie Castle

A Z-plan tower house set in beautiful grounds near Forres, home to the Brodie clan for over 400 years and managed by the National Trust for Scotland.

Isle of Skye

13th century onwards

Dunvegan Castle

The ancestral seat of Clan MacLeod for nearly 800 years, Dunvegan is the oldest continuously inhabited castle in Scotland.

Highland Perthshire

1269 onwards

Blair Castle

Seat of the Dukes of Atholl and home to Europe's only remaining private army, the Atholl Highlanders.

Central Scotland

12th–16th century

Stirling Castle

One of Scotland's grandest castles and a key royal residence, Stirling Castle sits atop a volcanic crag controlling access between the Lowlands and Highlands.

Edinburgh

12th century onwards

Edinburgh Castle

Scotland's most visited paid attraction, Edinburgh Castle dominates the city skyline from its volcanic rock and houses the Scottish Crown Jewels.

Stirlingshire

Late 14th century

Doune Castle

A remarkably well-preserved 14th-century stronghold famous as a Monty Python filming location and Game of Thrones stand-in, as well as an Outlander location.

West Lothian

15th century

Blackness Castle

A 15th-century fortress on the Firth of Forth shaped like a ship, used as an Outlander filming location (Fort William).

Angus

14th century (rebuilt 17th century)

Glamis Castle

The childhood home of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and setting of Shakespeare's Macbeth, Glamis is one of Scotland's grandest and most storied castles.

Aberdeenshire

14th–17th century

Dunnottar Castle

A dramatic ruined fortress on a clifftop promontory above the North Sea, Dunnottar is one of Scotland's most visually spectacular castles.

1626

Craigievar Castle

A pink-harled tower house rising seven storeys, Craigievar is considered the finest example of Scottish baronial architecture and is said to have inspired Disney.

Royal Deeside

1856 (current building)

Balmoral Castle

The private Scottish residence of the British monarch since Queen Victoria purchased the estate in 1852.

1553–1596

Crathes Castle

A 16th-century tower house famous for its painted ceilings, the ancient Horn of Leys, and eight themed walled gardens.

Argyll

1745–1789

Inveraray Castle

Seat of the Dukes of Argyll, Chiefs of Clan Campbell, Inveraray is a magnificent Gothic Revival castle on the shores of Loch Fyne.

Caithness

1566–1572

Castle of Mey

The late Queen Mother's beloved Scottish retreat on the north coast of Caithness, overlooking the Pentland Firth and Orkney.

Private castle tours across Scotland

We build bespoke castle tours around the castles you want to visit. Private vehicle, dedicated driver-guide and flexible routing from Inverness, Edinburgh, Glasgow or Aberdeen.

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