Edinburgh Castle

Practical tourist information

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Opening times

Edinburgh Castle is open all year round, seven days a week except 25th and 26th of December. Opening times are:

April - October: 9.30am-6pm
November - March: 9.30am-5pm

Entrance fees, tickets

The entrance fee at Edinburgh Castle is quite expensive making it the most costly Edinburgh attraction:
Adult: £11.00
Child: £5.50
Concessions: £8.00

You can buy tickets for Edinburgh Castle online (for fast track entry).

Fast Track Entry to Edinburgh Castle:
Avoid queuing, buy Edinburgh Castle tickets online at no extra cost.

An audio guide tour is available for £3.50.

The Edinburgh Pass that can be used to visit various attractions in Edinburgh does not include entrance to Edinburgh Castle in 2005. This may change in the future.

Buy your ticket from the ticket booths at the Castle entrance, online on the Historic Scotland website or from the Historic Scotland Castle bus.

If you intend to visit other Historic Scotland properties in Scotland consider buying an Explorer Pass to save money.

Tourist Trap at the Castle

Be wary of buying goods from the shop inside Edinburgh Castle -- such as whisky, cakes, shortbread, etc., as these can be found at lower prices throughout Edinburgh.

Postcards and small souvenirs are, however, similarly priced to shops on the Royal Mile and Princes Street.

Edinburgh Castle - Contact information

Official website - Edinburgh Castle
Tel: +44 0131 225 9846

Weddings Department - Contact information

Official website - Historic Scotland Weddings Department
Tel: +44 0131 668 8973
Fax: +44 0131 668 8888

Getting to Edinburgh Castle

The information on this page was last checked for accuracy in October 2009. Please check the official Edinburgh Castle website for up to date information.

>> Back to Edinburgh Castle guide index

All Dean Village articles:

History of Edinburgh Castle A few snippets of historical information regarding Edinburgh Castle and the One o'Clock Gun.

Edinburgh Castle photography Tips for taking pictures from and of Edinburgh Castle.

Edinburgh Castle as wedding venue Information on using Scotland's number one castle as a wedding venue.

Photos of Edinburgh Castle Picture gallery of Edinburgh's medieval fortress.

Attraction Details - Edinburgh Castle Edinburgh Castle tourist information including opening times, directions, entrance fees, contact info.

Edinburgh Castle on the web Links to other web pages related to Edinburgh Castle.

Also see:

Hotels near Edinburgh Castle Ideas for accommodation close to the Castle.

Tour of Edinburgh Castle Best things to see on an Edinburgh Castle tour.

Edinburgh attractions and sightseeing All of the best attractions in Edinburgh plus pictures and sightseeing tips.

Plan the Best Edinburgh Holiday:

Edinburgh Travel Essentials

Find the best Hotels in Edinburgh and save up to 70% off standard room rates. Reserve now, pay on arrival. Hotels & B&Bs

Beautiful Photos from Edinburgh

Princes Street Gardens, EdinburghView towards Princes Street and the Royal Scots Grey statue from The Mound, Edinburgh. Photo #3912

Edinburgh CastlePicture of Edinburgh Castle and west Princes Street Gardens on a lazy April evening. Photo #3600

Greyfriars Kirkyard, EdinburghPhoto of Greyfriars tombstones with the Tolbooth Church and Old Town buildings in the background. Photo #3887

Origin of 'Edinburgh'

Tourists have problems with the name of Edinburgh. There are hundreds of ways people write it and the most common writings include 'edinburg', 'edinborough', 'edimburgh', 'edinbourgh', 'ediburgh', 'edinbugh', 'edinboro', 'edingburgh', 'edinbrugh', 'edimburg', 'edinburugh', 'edingurgh', 'edinbrough', etc.

According to the Scottish Place Names dictionary, the name Edinburgh means 'Fort of the Rock Face'. The 'edin' part comes from Scottish Gaelic and means 'rock face', while 'burgh' comes from Old English meaning stronghold.

Some more obscure (and quite funny) ways of writing Edinburgh include: edinburough, edingburg, edinbourg, edinburh, edinurgh, edenburg, edinbough, edinbourough, edinbrgh, edingborough, edenburgh, edinberg, edinborgh, edinborugh, edinburge, edinburhg, edingbourgh, etc.

Edinburgh is spelt Edimburgo in Spanish and Italian and Édimbourg in French.

Useful articles

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