Edinburgh Castle facts at a glance
Edinburgh Castle stands at the top of the Royal Mile in the Old Town, postcode EH1 2NG. It has been a royal home, a fortress, a garrison and a prison, and its buildings come from several periods. The numbers below are meant to be exact where they can be, and honest where they cannot.
If you are planning a visit, the current Edinburgh Castle tickets are covered on their own page, with online and gate prices. This page keeps to the facts about the castle itself.
Age, rock and height
Three numbers people often mix up.
Castle Rock: about 340 million years
The rock is a volcanic plug from the Carboniferous period. That is the age of the stone, not the age of the castle.
The castle: no single age
St Margaret's Chapel, built around 1130, is the oldest building and is the oldest in Edinburgh. The castle is one of the oldest fortified sites in Europe, but its buildings date from different centuries, so no one number gives the age of the whole.
Castle history →Height: about 130 m above sea level
The figure of about 130 m describes where the rock stands above sea level. The castle walls are not 130 m high. The climb inside the castle is about 350 m long, with a steepest slope of 15 degrees.
Our pick: below the Old Town
Our take: an hour above and below ground near the castle.
Hand-picked tours, booked through GetYourGuide. Prices are indicative starting prices in British pounds (as of October 2026). Tap a tour for live availability and the current price in your currency.
Edinburgh Castle tickets and tours
Entry, guided visits and Royal Mile walks, with live prices and availability.
Visitor numbers
How many people come each year.
| Year | Visits | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1,981,152 | Calendar year |
| 2025 | 2,044,963 | Rank 15 among reporting UK attractions |
That is about 63,800 more visits in 2025 than in 2024. The rank refers to the attractions that report their figures to the industry list, not to every sight in Britain. For most visitors the useful point is simple: the castle is busy, and summer entry slots can sell out early, so book ahead.
Numbers inside the castle
The guns, the hall, the memorial.
| Feature | Fact |
|---|---|
| Mons Meg | About 6 tonnes, a gift to James II in 1457, fired stone balls of 150 kg up to 3.2 km |
| One O'Clock Gun | A 105 mm field gun since 2001, a time signal for ships since 1861 |
| Great Hall | Finished for James IV in 1511 |
| Honours of Scotland | Crown, sceptre and Sword of State, the oldest crown jewels in Britain |
| National War Memorial | Opened in 1927 on the north side of Crown Square |
| Half Moon Battery | Guns from 1810, built on the remains of David's Tower |
Two more numbers help with planning. The castle's own guided tour lasts 30 minutes and costs £6.50 per person on top of entry, and the audio guide costs £4, with German available. Inside the Royal Palace, Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to James VI in 1566; the birth room is seen from behind a barrier.
The One O'Clock Gun fires at 13:00 every day except Sunday, Good Friday and Christmas Day. Weather or a castle closure can also stop it. Mons Meg and the One O'Clock Gun are two different guns.
Sieges and the most besieged claim
What the title means.
The castle is called the most besieged place in Britain, and a similar claim to first place in Europe is also made. These are titles rather than a ranked list, and the number of sieges has no agreed count. Treat the title as a way to say the castle saw many sieges, not as a world record.
The best known sieges are 1296 and the Lang Siege of 1571 to 1573. The history page gives the dates and what changed after each.
Prices and hours for 2026
Prices and hours at a glance.
| Visitor | Online | At the gate |
|---|---|---|
| Adult, 16 to 64 | £23.50 | £26.00 |
| Concession, 65 and over | £19.00 | £21.00 |
| Child, 7 to 15 | £11.50 | £13.00 |
| Child under 7 | Free | Free |
The castle opens at 09:30. It closes at 18:00 from 1 April to 30 September and at 17:00 from 1 October to 31 March, with last entry one hour earlier and shorter days around Christmas and New Year. Children under 7 are free but should be added to the online booking. Bags of 30 litres or more are not allowed, and there is no left-luggage. Only assistance dogs are allowed. For most visitors the sensible plan is an online ticket for the morning, which fits the 2 hours the main sights need.
Edinburgh Castle facts: frequently asked questions
How old is Edinburgh Castle?
There is no single age. The oldest building, St Margaret's Chapel, dates from around 1130, and other parts are newer. The rock itself is about 340 million years old.
How high is Edinburgh Castle?
The rock stands about 130 m above sea level. The walls are not that tall.
How many people visit Edinburgh Castle each year?
In 2024 there were 1,981,152 visits, and in 2025 there were 2,044,963.
Is Edinburgh Castle the most besieged place in the world?
It is called the most besieged place in Britain. There is no agreed count of sieges and no world ranking, so it is not a record in that sense.
Is this the official Edinburgh Castle website?
No. This is an independent guide, not run by Historic Environment Scotland or Edinburgh Castle, and it does not sell castle tickets.