Stirling Castle, Scotland: History, Tickets and Tours
The castle of Wallace, the Bruce and Mary, Queen of Scots, high on its rock in the middle of Scotland. Its history, what to see inside, tickets and opening times, and how to visit from Edinburgh or Glasgow, from the guides who take people there.
Stirling Castle stands on a volcanic crag in Stirling, in the middle of Scotland, about an hour from Edinburgh and 45 minutes from Glasgow. A castle has been here since at least 1110, and most of what you see was built by the Stewart kings between about 1490 and 1600.
It was fought over in the Wars of Independence, Mary, Queen of Scots, was crowned here in 1543, and the restored Royal Palace and Great Hall are the highlights today. Allow 2 to 3 hours; adult tickets are £18.50 online.
- WhereStirling, central ScotlandOn a volcanic crag
- First recordedAround 1110Main buildings 1490s–1594
- Don't missRoyal PalaceAnd the Great Hall
- Allow2 to 3 hoursCafé inside
- Adult ticket£18.50 online£20.50 at the gate
- Our day toursEdinburgh or GlasgowFrom £90 per person
On this page
Where is Stirling Castle?
Stirling Castle sits on top of Castle Hill, a crag of volcanic rock above the old town of Stirling, in the middle of Scotland. It is roughly halfway between Edinburgh and Glasgow, where the Lowlands meet the Highlands.
That spot is the whole reason the castle matters. For centuries the bridge below it was the lowest place you could cross the River Forth, so whoever held Stirling controlled the main road between the north and south of Scotland. People used to say that whoever held Stirling held Scotland.
| From | By car | By train to Stirling |
|---|---|---|
| Edinburgh | About 1 hour (37 miles) | About 50 minutes from Waverley |
| Glasgow | About 45 minutes (26 miles) | About 30 minutes from Queen Street |
| Loch Lomond (Balmaha) | About 45 minutes | No direct train |
From Stirling station it is a steep 15 to 20 minute walk up through the Old Town to the castle gate. The castle car park is now closed to visitors' cars apart from accessible parking, so if you drive, use Castleview Park and Ride.
Stirling Castle history: when was it built?
There has been a fortress on the rock for a very long time, but the first written record of a castle here is from around 1110, when King Alexander I endowed a chapel inside it. Almost everything you see today was built much later, between about 1490 and 1600, when the Stewart kings turned a battered fortress into one of the finest royal palaces in Europe.
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| c.1110 | First record of the castle, under King Alexander I |
| 1296–1342 | Wars of Independence: the castle changes hands again and again between the Scots and the English |
| 1297 | William Wallace and Andrew Moray win the Battle of Stirling Bridge below the castle |
| 1304 | Edward I of England besieges the castle for three months, using his giant trebuchet, the War Wolf |
| 1314 | Robert the Bruce wins the Battle of Bannockburn, two miles south, and the English garrison surrenders |
| 1496 | King's Old Building built for James IV |
| c.1503 | The Great Hall built for James IV |
| c.1540 | The Royal Palace built for James V |
| 1543 | Mary, Queen of Scots crowned in the castle's chapel, aged nine months |
| 1594 | Chapel Royal built by James VI for the baptism of his son, Prince Henry |
| 1746 | The last siege: Bonnie Prince Charlie's Jacobite army fails to take the castle |
| 1800s–1964 | An army barracks, later the depot of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders |
| 1999 and 2011 | The Great Hall (1999) and then the Royal Palace (2011) restored to how they looked in the 1500s |
The Wars of Independence
In the late 1200s and early 1300s Stirling was the most fought-over castle in Scotland. After Wallace's victory at Stirling Bridge in 1297 it passed back and forth for years, until Edward I took it in 1304 after a three-month siege. The story goes that the garrison tried to surrender before Edward had used his new trebuchet, and he made them wait inside until he had tried it out. It was the English garrison's surrender after Bannockburn in 1314 that finally ended the fight for the castle, and Robert the Bruce then had its walls pulled down so it could not be used against him.
The Stewart royal palace
Stirling's golden age came with the Stewarts. James IV built the Great Hall and the gatehouse around 1500, James V added the Royal Palace around 1540, covering its outside walls in carved figures, and James VI built the Chapel Royal in 1594. Mary, Queen of Scots, was crowned here as a baby in 1543 and spent much of her childhood in the palace. When James VI became King of England in 1603 and moved the court to London, Stirling stopped being a regular royal home.
Jacobites, soldiers and restoration
The castle's last siege was in 1746, when the Jacobite army failed to take it on its retreat north to Culloden. From around 1800 the army turned the royal buildings into barracks, dividing up the Great Hall and the palace rooms. The soldiers left in 1964, and Historic Environment Scotland has since restored the Great Hall and the Royal Palace to how they would have looked in the 1500s.
What to see inside Stirling Castle
- The Royal Palace: the king's and queen's apartments, recreated with bright painted ceilings, rewoven copies of the Hunt of the Unicorn tapestries and costumed staff. Start here.
- The Stirling Heads: carved oak portraits of kings, queens, courtiers and characters from Roman myth, made around 1540 for the palace ceiling. The originals are in their own gallery upstairs; copies are back on the ceiling.
- The Great Hall: the largest medieval hall ever built in Scotland, finished around 1503. Its yellow limewash looks surprising until you learn that is how it looked when it was new.
- The Chapel Royal: built in a hurry by James VI in 1594 for his son's baptism.
- The Great Kitchens: a busy royal kitchen in the 1500s, recreated with models of the cooks and the food.
- The Regimental Museum of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, in the King's Old Building (it closes 45 minutes before the castle).
- The battlements: walk the walls for views to the Wallace Monument, the River Forth, Bannockburn and, on a clear day, the Highland hills.
Go to the Royal Palace first, before it fills up, then the Great Hall and Chapel Royal across the courtyard. Save the battlements for last, and walk to the back of the castle for the views most visitors miss.
Stirling Castle tickets and opening times
| Details (checked October 2026) | |
|---|---|
| Open | Every day. 1 April to 30 September: 9.30am to 6pm. 1 October to 31 March: 9.30am to 5pm. Last entry 1 hour before closing. |
| Closed | 25 and 26 December (shorter hours on 24 December and 1 January) |
| Adult (16–64) | £18.50 online, £20.50 at the gate |
| Over 65 | £15 online, £16.50 at the gate |
| Child (7–15) | £9 online, £10 at the gate |
| Allow | 2 to 3 hours |
Prices and times are set by Historic Environment Scotland and can change, so check the official Stirling Castle page before you go. Booking online is cheaper and guarantees your entry on busy summer days. There is a café inside the castle for lunch.
On our tours: castle admission isn't included, so you buy your own ticket and choose how to spend your time. Your guide gets you to the gate, tells the stories on the way and points you to the best order for your visit.
What to see near Stirling Castle
- Stirling Old Town: the cobbled streets below the castle, with the Church of the Holy Rude, where the infant James VI was crowned in 1567, and the Old Town Cemetery. More in our guide to Stirling.
- Stirling Old Bridge: the 15th-century bridge near the site of the wooden bridge of the 1297 battle.
- The National Wallace Monument: the tower on the Abbey Craig across the river, built in the 1860s. See our Braveheart guide.
- Bannockburn: the battlefield and visitor centre two miles south of the castle. Read about the Battle of Bannockburn.
- The Kelpies: two 30-metre steel horse heads near Falkirk, about 25 minutes away, and the last stop on our Stirling Castle tour from Edinburgh.
- Loch Lomond: about 45 minutes west, on both our Stirling day tours.
Stirling Castle tours with Scotland's Wild
All our Stirling tours are small groups of no more than 16, with a storytelling guide who drives. Castle admission is paid separately.
| Tour | From | Also see | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stirling Castle, Loch Lomond, Whisky & Kelpies | Edinburgh | Loch Lomond walk, Glengoyne Distillery, the Kelpies | From £92 per person |
| Stirling Castle, Loch Lomond & Whisky | Glasgow | Loch Lomond walk at Balmaha, Glengoyne Distillery | From £90 per person |
| 2-day Loch Ness, Glenfinnan & Stirling | Edinburgh | Loch Ness, Glenfinnan, Glencoe; Stirling on day 2 | From £196 per person |
| Private tour (Edinburgh or Glasgow) | Your hotel | Your own guide and vehicle, planned around you | From £496 per group |
Stirling Castle day tours
Stirling Castle is the first stop of the day, so you arrive in the morning, while it's quieter.
Stirling Castle Tour from EdinburghThe Royal Palace, Loch Lomond, Glengoyne distillery and the Kelpies.From £92 per person50% depositView tour →
Stirling Castle Tour from GlasgowStirling Castle, Balmaha on Loch Lomond and Glengoyne Distillery.From £90 per person50% depositView tour →
2-Day Loch Ness and Glenfinnan Tour from EdinburghLoch Ness, a night in Fort William, the Glenfinnan Viaduct and Glencoe.From £196 per person25% depositView tour →Want the castle at your own pace? Our private Stirling Castle tours from Edinburgh and Glasgow pick you up from your hotel. Or see all our private day tours.
Stirling Castle FAQs
Where is Stirling Castle?
In the city of Stirling in central Scotland, on a volcanic crag above the Old Town. It is about an hour by car from Edinburgh and 45 minutes from Glasgow.
When was Stirling Castle built?
The first record of a castle on the rock is from around 1110. Most of the buildings you see today are much later: the Great Hall around 1503, the Royal Palace around 1540 and the Chapel Royal in 1594.
How old is Stirling Castle?
A castle has stood here for over 900 years, since at least the early 1100s. The main buildings are around 430 to 530 years old.
Who lived at Stirling Castle?
The Stewart kings and queens of Scotland. James IV, James V and James VI all built here, and Mary, Queen of Scots, was crowned in the castle in 1543 and spent much of her childhood in the Royal Palace.
How much are tickets for Stirling Castle?
In October 2026 an adult ticket is £18.50 online or £20.50 at the gate, £15 online for over-65s and £9 online for children aged 7 to 15. Check Historic Environment Scotland's website for the latest prices.
How long do you need at Stirling Castle?
Two to three hours is enough for the Royal Palace, the Great Hall, the Chapel Royal, the kitchens and the battlements.
Is Stirling Castle worth visiting?
Yes. Our guides often prefer it to Edinburgh Castle: it is usually less crowded, the restored palace shows how the Stewart royal court really lived, and the views over the battlefields of Stirling Bridge and Bannockburn bring the history to life.
Can you visit Stirling Castle as a day trip from Edinburgh or Glasgow?
Yes, easily. Our day tours from Edinburgh (from £92) and Glasgow (from £90) start at the castle, then go on to Loch Lomond and a Highland whisky distillery, and from Edinburgh the Kelpies too.
More history around Stirling
Last updated October 2026 by Jordan Ferguson.
