About

Edinburgh Castle, a mighty fortress, the defender of the nation, and home to the famous Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. Edinburgh Castle’s powerful stone walls have withstood many sieges and is sumptuous apartments were an important residence of Scottish Kings and Queens. Today countless treasures are protected by the Castle Walls. Marvel at the nation’s Crown Jewels and smell the gunpowder after the One O’Clock Gun fires. Edinburgh Castle is one of the most exciting historic sites in Western Europe, set in the heart of Scotland's dynamic capital city it is sure to capture your imagination. Please be aware that we are currently implementing some new measures with the MOD in relation to the viewing of the One O’clock Gun. As part of this, visitors are asked to please arrive at the new marked areas at least 10 minutes before, as we will limit access in the surrounding areas until after the gun has been fired. Opening times: 1 Apr to 30 Sept: Daily, 9.30am to last entry at 5pm (closes 6pm) 1 Oct to 31 Mar: Daily, 9.30am to last entry at 3.30pm (closes 5pm) We recommend booking online to guarantee entry Closed Christmas Day and Boxing Day

Reviews

3.83

(21 reviews)

Overall Ratings

5 6
4 6
3 5
2 4
1 0

Access

3.67

Parking

3.84

Toilets

4.03

Staff

kempster66

Jul 2024

Madness Concert

Madness Concert with friend

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bwp

Mar 2024

Interesting but at times a challenge

Visiting Edinburgh Castle is one of those things that people visiting the city like to do. After all, it dominates the skyline and reminds people to come along and pay a visit. It is challenging for people with mobility impairments as it is built atop a big hill and when they laid the granite like cobbles people didn't know about tarmac or wheelchairs so we have to be a bit forgiving.

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karine1985

Jul 2023

A difficult experience with limited view

Our visit started really positively. They had created a lane for accessible ticket holders and this made for an easy journey to the castle. Beware if you don’t use a powerchair or mobility scooter, it is a very steep hill. Despite the crowds, a member of the Edinburgh Castle staff sought us out and guided us to the area we were sitting in. Access to the platform was smooth and easy to manage in my powerchair. The accessible seating was at the bottom of the seated terrace and the stairs to this were positioned so that anyone going to the terrace had to walk in front of those using the accessible seats. This meant that all throughout the concert there were people streaming past us. Our view was already obscured by badly positioned posts and staff but we barely saw a thing because of the people walking past us. This led to us feeling really disconnected from the gig sadly.

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Disabled Access Information Provided by Edinburgh Castle

Disabled Access at Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh Castle is steep in places and cobbled. The majority of our buildings are accessible for wheelchairs. We have a lift to enable disabled visitors to view the Crown Jewels. We also have a Braille section prior to entering the Jewel Room for the Visually Impaired. On our website we have information regarding the different buildings and how accessible they are for wheelchairs. During the month of August, the mobility vehicle service will not be in operation. Ear Defenders A limited number of adult and children's ear defenders are available at this site. Please ask a member of staff when your ticket is scanned if you want to borrow them.

Disabled access

Accessible parking at Edinburgh Castle

Depending on the time of year will depend on the number of parking spaces we will have. We would advise you to call (+44) 0131 310 5114 to check availability prior to your visit. We wish to point out the following:- October – March approximately 10 parking spaces, April – September approximately 5 parking spaces. The reason for the parking spaces going down to approximately 5 is due to the construction and de-rig of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo Stands, once the stands are in place also the Esplanade is reduced in size.

Dedicated on site parking

Toilets features at Edinburgh Castle

We have 4 disabled toilets within the Castle. The first one is in our Lower Ward just over the Drawbridge to your left handside. The next one is in our Red Coat Café, then the Queen Anne Building (entrance at north side of the building). We have one in the lift area of the Palace Block and staff are happy to give disabled people access.

Accessible toilet

A designated accessible toilet designed for wheelchair users and others with visible and non-visible accessibility requirements is available within the main public areas.