Tips for tourists visiting Scotland

Opening dates & times

It sounds obvious, but to avoid disappointment, it’s always worth looking at the websites of the various places you are planning to visit in advance, to check their opening dates and times. Some of them, such as Falkland Palace in Fife, have fairly restricted daily opening times, which don’t necessarily fit in with the rest of your tour itinerary, and others, such as Blair Castle, are occasionally closed, whole or in part, on certain days for private functions. 

Some of the visitor attractions stay open all winter, especially the Historic Environment Scotland properties, but most of the others are only open during the summer season, which typically runs from somewhere around Easter time until the end of October. Some, such as Cawdor Castle, have a more restricted season - it is only open between May and September.

Self guided - or guided?

Glamis Castle

Most of the grand houses in Scotland that you might want to visit let you look around at your own pace, and also have room guides who are usually extremely knowledgeable and can answer your questions and provide useful information. Many also offer self guided audio tours - usually you have to pay extra for these, although the one at Holyrood Palace is included in the price of your ticket. But some of these grand houses, such as Glamis Castle or Dumfries House, only offer guided tours, which doesn't suit everyone. It's also worth checking whether you have to book in advance for the guided tours.

Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh Castle received more than 1.58 million visitors in 2015, a record. This is great news for Historic Environment Scotland, the people who run the castle, but not so good for the actual visitors, especially during the peak months of July and August, when it gets very crowded. Some days, there could be one or more cruise ships docked in the Forth, so the normal visitor numbers are swelled even further by the coach groups arriving from these cruise ships. 

Edinburgh Castle

The queue for tickets at peak times can be very long, but you can buy your entrance tickets online before you go at the Castle webstore and if you are with one of the official blue badge guides, such as Tours from Edinburgh, you will be able to bypass the queue altogether. 

Lots of visitors to the Castle want to be there to see the one o' clock gun fire, so there is a bulge in visitor numbers from late morning onwards. Usually, the best time of day to visit the castle, if you want to avoid the crush, is mid to late afternoon - the castle doesn't close until 6:00pm in the summer.