Scotland is known for the many castles dotting the coastline, cliffs, and overlooking towns. You could explore literal thousands, but alas, you will likely have to narrow it down.
Among those we saw on our recent 3-week trip, these are our “best of,” especially with kids.
Best Hike: Dunnottar Castle
This castle is top of all the lists for good reason. It is stunning. The cliffs, the sapphire sea, the huge castle ruins overlooking it all. It’s like a Scottish postcard in person.
Instead of aiming for the castle carpark, park near the Stonehaven boardwalk and walk around town and along the cliffs to Dunnottar. The views are absolutely incredible.
The hike to the castle is just as impressive as being at the castle itself. Cows, wild flowers, beaches, mossy green cliffs, and a castle view that somehow just gets better and better.
Don’t miss the chance to play on the beach (underneath a CASTLE!) before hiking back to town.
Best Hidden Gem: Lochleven Castle
While we were staying in Rumbling Bridge, some locals suggested visiting Lochleven castle. This is where Mary Queen of Scots was held prisoner. It honestly hadn’t even been on my list of stops, but I’m SO glad we did it.
You must take a boat to visit, which is part of what makes it such a fun experience. We lucked into available tickets (free with our already-purchased Explorer Pass, but seats for 6 on a boat that only seats 12 made it feel really lucky!), gorgeous weather, and the most fun day visiting Lochleven.
The boat ride is definitely half of the fun, though our time spent on the island was equally as exciting. The island has a small store, bathrooms, picnic tables, and a whole castle to explore! And even better, you literally have it all to yourself!
Best History Lesson: Stirling Castle
We were so impressed with & fascinated by Stirling Castle.
Metered parking in town offers plenty of time for sightseeing and a fairly easy (if all uphill) walk to the castle. Visit Unorthodox Roasters for some coffee, hot chocolate, and treats. I am not lying when I tell you that their biscoff cookie may be the best thing I’ve ever tasted. 100% recommend.
The walk to the castle gate offers stunning views of the town & countryside. Just inside the gate, the castle gardens are absolutely breathtaking. As people who often travel during the off-season, one of the gifts of in-season travel was the lovely weather & blooms everywhere we looked!
Stirling Castle is full of incredibly re-created interior rooms, family crests, and gorgeous countryside views, and so much information about Scotland & Stirling’s rich history. Our kids especially loved talking to & asking questions of the people dressed as historical characters, who were a wealth of knowledge!
This may be a hot take, but we enjoyed Stirling Castle more than Edinburgh Castle. Edinburgh was still worth visiting for sure, but it was way more crowded. It also felt more museum-like instead of the true castle experience that Stirling created.
Best Folklore: Urquhart Castle
Who doesn’t love tales of the Loch Ness monster?! Add a castle & you’re in Urquhart.
If you know me at all, you won’t be shocked to find that a castle with the most stunning lake view was one of my favorites.
This is one of Scotland’s largest castles. They’ve done an incredible job preserving and maintaining the ruins, walls, and other historical aspects (including a prison cell the kids were obsessed with!).
We loved exploring the castle & all of the grounds, and of course throwing rocks into the lake.
Best Surprise: Loch an Eilein
The day our families met up in Scotland we met near Aviemore to hike Loch an Eilein. Of course the kids enjoyed throwing rocks into the water and asking a million times if they could get in to swim.
When we got around the lake and were closer to the castle, we let them wade in to the (still super chilly) water. Before we knew it they were swimming to the castle in their literal underwear!
Honestly though, is there anything better than meeting up with your best friends, looking out over the beautiful loch water, taking a swim to a castle in your underwear, and then getting gelato in town?! I don’t think so.
Best Audio Guide: Doune Castle
Doune Castle was a filming location for Game of Thrones, Monty Python & Outlander. The location wasn’t as spectacular as many of the castles on the water, but the castle itself was really fun to explore.
The audio guide was included with our tickets for this one and the kids loved it. As in they would not move to the next room until the audio guide was done. We all learned so much and it really made it possible to imagine how it would’ve felt to live at Doune.
Still Worth It:
Edinburgh Castle & Eilean Donan Castle are two of the most famous castles in Scotland, and for good reason. They’re both stunning, especially from afar.
We toured both and while I’m glad we did, we preferred the castles above. These two were much more crowded than many of the others we really loved. They’ve also been curated as museums versus designed to look like the castles likely did when they were lived in and in use.
Turns out we all like to pretend we’re historical figures living in these actual castles. Imagine the kids talking about which room would be theirs, how they’d fix their dinner, how the bathrooms worked (or lack-there-of) as they explore. The stuff dreams are made of!
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