How to visit Stirling Castle (Scotland): schedules, prices

At medieval town of Stirling, located 70 kilometers northwest of Edinburgh, you will be able to visit a castle of great importance in the history of Scotland.

In addition to its historical interest, the stirling castle It will surprise you with its large dimensions and its location at the top of a hill crowning a medieval town.

In this way, to a certain extent it will remind you of the most important of the Scottish fortifications, the edinburgh castle.

History of Stirling Castle

The first fortifications on the current site of the stirling castle They date back to 1124.

During the following centuries the castle witnessed important battles for the history of scotland which took place on the plains surrounding the castle hill.

But keep in mind that the buildings you can currently visit Stirling Castle They date back to the 16th and 17th centuries, and are the best exponent of the renaissance architecture in Scotland.

El stirling castle became Royal residence starting in 1216, and the last battle he experienced was his defense against the attack of the Jacobites in 1746.

Stirling Castle tour from Edinburgh

Face to visit Stirling CastleIf you are in Edinburgh and instead of doing it on your own, you prefer to join an excursion with a guide in Spanish, you can visit the castle for an hour and a half.

In addition, during this excursion you will also visit the university city of St Andrews, as well as a whiskey distillery.

Here you have all the complete information for this Spanish excursion to Stirling and St Andrews.

A visit to Stirling Castle is also included in this two-day tour to Loch Ness and the Highlands, that leaving from Edinburgh, is done in groups with a maximum of four people.

How to get to Stirling Castle

If you prefer to go on your own, when in your trip to Stirling If you are going to visit the castle, you have to go up the street that from the center of the town takes you to the top of the hill.

After passing by the Holy Rude Church, you arrive at the large esplanade leading to the castle.

In front of the castle you will see a large statue of Robert the Bruce, king of Scotland in 1306, and in the distance, on the side of a hill, you can see the Victorian tower of the Wallace Monument.

What to see when visiting Stirling Castle

El stirling castle shows you a first entrance door that will take you to the grounds named Kings Park.

Lookout with panoramic views of Stirling

From these gardens you have the best views of the old building Royal Palace and next to a large tree there is a viewpoint from where you will have beautiful panoramic views of the medieval town of Stirling.

Specifically, above all, the aforementioned will catch your attention. Holy Rude Church, its cemetery, and in the background, the plains that surround the castle to the west.

After passing through the Forework Door, which is flanked by two large towers, you will access the first internal courtyard of the castle.

Stirling Castle walls

To the right you must look over the wall where there is a large cannon battery dating back to 1708, when this side of the fortification was built to defend the castle from attack by the Jacobites.

From this wall you will see in the background, on the side of a wooded hill, the aforementioned Wallace Monument, great scottish leader who fought against England for Scottish independence.

In a semi-basement next to one of the entrances to the wall you can see a recreation of a medieval kitchen.

EXCURSIONS in SCOTLAND from Edinburgh

- Loch Ness and Highlands Tour
- 3 day tour to Skye and the Highlands
- Tour to Stirling and St Andrews
- Tour to Glasgow, Loch Lomond and Katrine
- Tour to Loch Ness and Inverness

You will see that it has similar characteristics to the one you can also see in the Eilean Donan Castle, Together with the Isle of Skye, although it does not achieve the incredible reality effect of the latter.

Royal Palace at Stirling Castle

Through a passage you will access a second courtyard of the castle. where upon entering, behind you, is the old building Royal Palace.

Built in 1560, it is one of the most important Renaissance-style buildings in all of Great Britain.

To the left of the central courtyard of the castle you will see a building that currently houses the museum of a prestigious British regiment, the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders,

This regiment was based in stirling castle between 1881 and 1964, the latter year after which the castle ceased to be a military site.

Stirling Castle Great Hall

To the right of the access to the aforementioned patio you find the Big room, a building built in 1503 to be the place to celebrate the great dances and celebrations of the kingdom.

It was James IV who commissioned its construction to impress his new queen, Margaret Tudor, Daughter of Henry VII of England.

In fact, Stirling Castle Great Hall It is the largest hall built in Scotland during the Middle Ages.

When you enter the Big room You will see the enormous dimensions of this celebration building, with its high wooden-structured ceiling and the large windows that are distributed to facilitate interior lighting.

And you will be surprised by the five huge chimneys that were used to heat the interior environment.

In the 19th century the Big room was used for soldiers barracks, until 1964 when the castle's activity as a military detachment ceased.

From then on, and for 35 years, major remodeling works were carried out with the purpose of recreating the Big room from medieval times.

Thus, for example, for the design of the spectacular wooden ceiling, a 16th century ceiling from the edinburgh castle.

Finally, in November 1999 the restored Great Hall was inaugurated by the Queen isabel II.

Chapel Royal, Stirling Castle

And finally, in front of the entrance to the patio you have the Royal chapel, the last building erected in the stirling castle while it was a royal residence.

With a totally different exterior design to the Great Hall, but with a similar interior structure as it is a large open room, the Chapel Royal, Stirling Castle It dates back to 1594 and replaced another previous chapel where the Mary Queen of Scots She was crowned in 1543.

But how James VI, the Scottish king who ordered its construction left Scotland in 1603 to go to London to also be named king of England, the Royal chapel It lost its real use, and over time it began to have other uses, such as a dining room or school.

In your visit to the building of the Chapel Royal, Stirling Castle You will see its large windows, especially those located behind the space occupied by the altar, as well as the exhibition of four large tapestries with medieval scenes.

Stirling Castle opening hours

The Visiting hours of Stirling Castle in Scotland They are every day of the week, from 9,30:18 a.m. to 9,30 p.m. in summer (April to September) and from 17:1 a.m. to 31 p.m. in winter, from October XNUMX to March XNUMX.

The last access allowed is 45 minutes before closing time.

Stirling Castle ticket prices

El Stirling Castle entrance fee (2019) is 16 pounds; children from 5 to 15 years old have to pay £9,60; and seniors aged 60 and over have a rate of £12,80.

Children under 5 years old can visit Stirling Castle for free.

The ticket price includes the possibility of joining one of the guided tours that take place throughout the day (in English).

You also have the possibility of hiring the audio guide service.