Visiting Edinburgh Castle

March 13th, 2020

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Visiting Edinburgh Castle should be on everyone’s list of places to go in Edinburgh, Scotland. At the end of the Royal Mile you will find the Edinburgh Castle sitting majestically overlooking the Old Town.

It was interesting to learn about the extensive history of the castle. Honestly it was a little confusing to keep track of 900 years of history! So many battles and kings & queens.

View from edinburg castle — View from the castle

One of my highlights was seeing the Great Hall, which we learned the day before was where JK Rowling invited some children to a celebration years ago. The hall was set up to mimic the Great Hall in Harry Potter.

I also enjoyed the Royal Palace and seeing the Crown Jewels. We went into St. Margaret’s Chapel, which is the oldest building in Edinburgh, it was built around 1130.

My favorite part of the castle was actually the prisoners of war area. There was an exhibit that explained the life of the POWs that were held in the castle and included a recreation of their living quarters. Americans were given the smallest rations because they were seen as savages apparently.

There is so much to see at the castle that we spent the majority of the day there. Free guided tours are available, but for some reason they were not running due to weather. Rather confusing considering it was just a light rain, typical Scottish weather. We paid to rent audio guides which gave us more information. They provided more information, but weren’t 100% necessary because there was some written information.

Where

Castlehill, Edinburgh EH1 2NG, UK

How to Get There

Just follow the Royal Mile through the Old Town on foot.

Tickets

Buy ahead of time to skip the line and guarantee admission.

Hours

Winter: Oct 1st – March 31st: 9:30am – 5pm (last entry 4pm)

Summer: April 1st – September 30th: 9:30am – 6pm (last entry 5pm)

Toilets

In various locations around the castle.

Food

There are a couple of places to eat within the castle. We liked the experience of having tea at the castle tea room.

Where to Stay

I recommend the Holiday Inn Express Royal Mile Edinburgh where we stayed. Located along the Royal Mile it is perfect for exploring all the Old Town sites with a reasonable price, nice rooms and breakfast included. It is only a 10 minute walk to the castle.