Visit Stirling Castle
Visiting Stirling Castle is like stepping back into Scotland’s royal past. Perched high on Castle Hill, the fortress offers sweeping views of the surrounding countryside and holds centuries of fascinating history. Once home to Scottish kings and queens, including Mary, Queen of Scots, the castle’s grand halls, royal apartments, and beautifully restored Great Hall bring history to life. Visitors can explore interactive exhibits, costumed interpreters, and the charming gardens that surround the castle. Explore this guide on visiting this incredible castle!
Getting to Stirling Castle
How to get there
You can arrive to Stirling via bus, train or by car. If you are driving from Edinburgh it is about 1 hour drive. The bus and train station are within walking distance to the castle however the walk is primarily uphill.
Where to Park
If you are driving, you will have to find parking. The castle has a parking lot but it fills easily. The cost for castle parking is £5 for 4 hours. You can also pay for parking in city center and walk up. This is what we did. We bought a 2 hour slot and that worked perfect for us. There is also a Castleview Park and Ride service. It is free to park and £1 to grab a bus that drops you about a 5 minute walk from the castle.
Tickets to enter Stirling Castle guide
Buying tickets
You must purchase tickets to enter the castle. This can be done in person at the counter or online. Of note the online tickets did offer a discount. We ended up walking up to the entrance, seeing that cheaper to buy online and purchased on the phone. Of note, if you are traveling during peak times time slots can fill up so they recommend buying in advance. Since we were traveling in shoulder season and had to coordinate getting a rental car and driving to the castle we just bought the tickets after we arrived.
Cost to Enter
We went in 2025 and this was the cost at that time. Please make sure to check online. Adult £18.50, Senior (65+) £15.00, Children (7-15) £11.00 and Children (0-6) free. There is also family passes. It was more expensive by £1-2 to buy in person.
When to visit Stirling Castle
Hours of Operation
Between high season of April- September it is open daily from 9:30 AM- 6PM with the last entry at 5 PM. During the low season it is open 9:30-5PM with the last entry at 4 PM. December 24 and January 1 have shortened hours and it is closed on December 25-26th.
When to visit
The best times to visit to avoid crowds is early in the morning or late in the afternoon. It is a great place to watch sunset given the sweeping views. If you are visiting during peak season and during midday it is recommended to pre-purchase your tickets. When we visited was midday but during shoulder season as we were leaving Edinburgh and heading toward Glencoe. That is how the timing worked for us. It was busy but not overwhelmingly so.
Must see things at Stirling Castle
Queen Annes Gardens
As soon as you enter you will see the gardens to the left. The gardens started in the 1400s and may have been a bowling green in the 1600s. On our visit there were musical students playing bagpipes. It gives a great view of the surrounding areas and of the castle.
The Great Hall
The Great Hall is the largest medieval banqueting hall built in Scotland. It was completed for James IV in 1503. At the front there are chairs and large table where the king and queen sat and perfect for a picture!
The Royal Palace
You simply must go into the Royal Palace. We somehow almost missed this because we had already explored so much on the map and were thinking we should get on the road. Thank goodness we didn’t. It definitely was the highlight with beautiful rooms, costumed actors and the Stirling tapestries.
The Chapel Royal
The Chapel was one of the first Protestant kirks in Scotland and built in 1593 by orders of James VI for baptism of Prince Henry. During our visit, we were lucky enough to have musicians playing. It was incredible.
The Great Kitchens
This was one of our first stops in the castle and you go down into the kitchens were you could see how servants would prepare the meals for the royals.
The Stirling Heads
The Stirling Heads are meter wide 16th century oak medallions that have been carved with faces of nobles, emperors, kings, queens and characters from the bible. At the Stirling Castle you can see them in the palace and learn more at the Stirling Heads Gallery.
Walk the Ramparts
You can walk along the ramparts of the castle and get panoramic views of the surrounding lands. You may also be able to spot the National Wallace Monument. Walking around the castle gives an aspect of size of the castle as well!
Take in the views
Since Stirling Castle on the top of a crag you are going to get some great views of the surroundings. Here you can see the King’s Knot and Royal Park which were once the royal properties associated with the castle.
Explore Stirling
Stirling Castle is the main draw to Stirling, Scotland but there is a cute little downtown area too. There are several cute shops, cafes, restaurants if you want to spend more time.
Plan your trip to Stirling Castle
If you haven’t made it to Scotland yet, consider this your inspiration to go. It is beyond beautiful and you will not be disappointed. Stirling Castle was just a part of our epic itinerary but definitely a place to visit. The Royal Palace was a must and the costumed actors were fantastic. It was the beginning of our itinerary and we had a blast!
