Got a question about your castle or abbey tickets? Want to know how many guests you can bring as a member? Wondering if you can bring your dog? Below are answers to some of your most frequently asked questions.
Information on our site opening hours can be found on our individual site listings. Entry to our sites is managed by a timed ticketing system with capacity limits for all time slots.
We recommend booking your ticket online in advance to guarantee entry at your preferred time.
On occasion we may need to limit the amount of time available at our car parks to allow as many visitors as possible the opportunity see our sites.
Additionally, a small number of our sites operate visitor access through guided tours only, or may require additional travel to reach, such as on boats (which operate to set schedules).
Some of our smaller sites may close fully, or partially, over the lunchtime period.
Please check individual site listings for further information.
Cafés are available at a number of our larger sites, including at Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle, Urquhart Castle, Fort George and Skara Brae (summer only). Many of our sites without a café have coffee machines and snacks available to purchase from the shop.
At some sites we may not be accepting cash payment. In this event purchases can be made by card payments only. At Edinburgh Castle and Stirling Castle both cash and card payments are accepted.
Please check individual site listings for further information
Please check our individual site listings to see whether your furry friend can join you on your visit.
Some of our sites do have parking however each site is different, please check the information on the web page for the site you wish to visit.
We do have blue badge spaces at some of our sites. Please check the information on the web page for the site you wish to visit.
Please check the information on the web page for the site you wish to visit.
We accept Visa, Visa Debit, Mastercard and American Express.
We recommend booking online in advance to guarantee entry. We do not have the facilities to process payments over the phone.
Cashless payment is preferred.
For operational reasons some sites may not accept cash at this time.
We recommend booking online in advance to guarantee entry.
We can accommodate some walk-ups, but these are subject to on-site availability. When tickets are sold out online there will be no further walk-up tickets available at sites. We recommend booking online in advance to guarantee entry.
We do not offer group discount.
When booking a group over 50 people, the booking must be split over two or more transactions as our current ticket limit per transaction is 50.
In line with best practice in the visitor attractions industry, visitors with disabilities are treated on an equal basis with all other visitors and entry is charged at the appropriate admission category rate - Adult/Concession/Child. Proof of disability is not required.
We recognise that some disabled visitors may need help to visit our sites and we offer free entry for accompanying carers, these can be added when making your booking. Please note this is limited to two carers per transaction. We recommend booking online in advance to guarantee entry.
Your tickets will be attached in your email confirmation as a PDF document. Please print your tickets and bring them with you for entry. You can also opt to collect your tickets on arrival and print them at the designated ticket collection points. We offer the option of an e-ticket for some of our sites, which you can either add to your Apple Wallet or print.
The following ticket categories are available for purchase:
Any children under 7 should also be added into your booking regardless of ticket type purchased. Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
Concession tickets require proof of age or unemployment. Please note this does not apply to students.
No, we are unable to post tickets. Tickets will be emailed to you.
Your email confirmation email should arrive shortly after booking. If you have not received this, please check your junk folder in the first instance. If you have not received this please contact ticketing@hes.scot with details of your booking (name on booking, email address used and site visiting) and they will investigate and get back to you as soon as possible.
If the web page is not displaying correctly, we advise you to clear the cache/cookies on your browser then close the browser and reopen it. The ticketing page should now load correctly. If this doesn’t work the date/time slot you wish may be sold out – please check for an alternative date/time.
If you cannot find your email confirmation please email ticketing@hes.scot with your booking details (name on booking, email address used and site visiting).
All visitors aged 65 and over and UK visitors who are unemployed are eligible for Concession tickets. You will be asked to show proof of eligibility on arrival.
We do not currently offer a discount to students. However, Young Scot cardholders aged between 11 and 25 currently receive £1 entry to our sites. Tickets must be bought online in advance and applies to the cardholder only. You will need to show a valid Young Scot card on arrival at the site.
Current members of the British Armed Forces receive free entry to Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle and Fort George. Please make an online booking using HM Forces from the list of ticket types. You will need to bring a valid MOD 90 card when you arrive at site. Please note free entry only applies to the serving member.
The time on your ticket is when you should arrive on site for your visit. Please check our individual site listings for further information.
Not all sites have the facilities so if you have selected Print at Home as your delivery method, please print your tickets and bring them with you for entry. You can also opt to collect your tickets on arrival and print them at the designated ticket collection points.
Visitors arriving at our sites will have their tickets scanned for entry by staff.
No, the time shown is the earliest you can arrive, and you can arrive at any point within your chosen time slot.
We’ll do our best to fit you in if we can, but if we’ve reached capacity for the time slot when you arrive, you will have to wait until the next available time slot.
In the event of severe weather such as strong winds or snow, we may need to close our sites. The sites will close if the weather presents a hazard and a risk to visitors.
We recommend that you phone ahead on the day you are going to visit, especially if severe weather is forecast. You can also check the Visit a Place section of our website for details of any current closures or restrictions. If you have a Twitter account you can access our unexpected, short notice closures at twitter.com/welovehistory (#HSclosure).
Customers will be contacted by us shortly afterwards with details regarding how to re-book or how to claim a refund. If you have not been contacted within 48 hours please contact ticketing@hes.scot.
All tickets purchased are non-refundable as per our terms and conditions however if tickets are available for different dates then we can alter your existing booking. Please contact refunds@hes.scot with your booking details or fill out our refund request form.
If we have availability then yes, we can alter the date of your tickets, please contact ticketing@hes.scot with your booking details.
Advanced booking is available for all of our sites but, to ensure entry, we specifically recommend it for Blackness Castle, Doune Castle, Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle, Maeshowe Chambered Cairn, Skara Brae and, Urquhart Castle.
Historic Scotland Life members can take 2 adults or up to 6 accompanying children (7-15yrs) or a combination of 1 adult and up to 3 accompanying children as guests free of charge. Tickets for guests should be included in the member ticket order.
If you are an annual member and wish to bring a non-member with you, then a paid admission ticket will need to be booked for the same time slot. Paid admission tickets can be found at www.historyawaits.scot.
Yes, membership can be purchased online. If you wish to visit once you have purchased membership, you will then be able to reserve member tickets online. You must take your membership confirmation email with you as proof of membership (printed or on your phone).
You can now access your membership card digitally via the Historic Scotland App. If you have lost your card you can download the app and access it there. Alternatively you will need to contact members@hes.scot or call 0131 668 8999, and we can arrange for a replacement card and an email confirmation which can be used straightaway. Unfortunately, we are unable to guarantee entry if you do not have a valid membership card/email confirmation.
To guarantee entry to our busier sites pre-booking is recommended at; Edinburgh Castle, Skara Brae, Stirling Castle, Blackness Castle, Urquhart Castle, Doune Castle, and Maeshowe Chambered Cairn.
You should make your booking online for the number of tickets as per your membership category allowance. An email confirmation will then be sent. You must take the email confirmation with you for your visit, on your phone or printed. Your valid membership card will be required to be scanned for entry.
If you have children under 7, please add these onto your booking. Under 7s visit free and do not affect your membership but will need to be added into your online booking. We recommend booking online in advance to guarantee entry.
No, each visit requires its own booking.
Yes, your membership card will be required for entry as it is proof of your membership. If you have recently purchased your membership online, or at another site, take your temporary membership certificate or membership email confirmation as this is your proof of membership.
You need proof of membership in addition to your pre-booked tickets to visit. If you do not show valid membership cards/email confirmation on the day then we cannot guarantee entry.
We recommend booking your tickets online in advance to guarantee entry. Book your member tickets via www.historyawaits.scot, and if you have recently purchased your membership online, or at another site, take your temporary membership certificate or membership email confirmation with you on your visit as this is your proof of membership. You need proof of membership in addition to your pre-booked tickets to visit.
For many of our sites pre-booking is not required, but to guarantee entry to our busier sites pre-booking is recommended at; Edinburgh Castle, Skara Brae, Stirling Castle, Blackness Castle, Urquhart Castle, Doune Castle, and Maeshowe Chambered Cairn. When tickets are sold out online there will be no further walk-up tickets available at sites.
Parking at Stirling Castle cannot be pre-booked as parking spaces are limited and are allocated on a first come, first served basis. Due to high demand for parking at Stirling Castle, you may wish to use city centre parking or the Castleview Park and Ride Service (get off at the Old Town Jail, a 5 minute walk from the castle entrance). Payment is made on arrival when a space is available.
Parking at Urquhart Castle is free, but must be booked online in advance along with your admission tickets/time slot.
Parking at all of our other sites is on a first come, first served basis.
For members who do not have internet access you can call to reserve tickets in advance on 0131 668 8831, Monday-Friday 9am-5pm.
Members of English Heritage, Cadw and Manx National Heritage have reciprocal arrangements for entry to our sites.
To guarantee entry to our busier sites pre-booking is recommended at; Edinburgh Castle, Skara Brae, Stirling Castle, Blackness Castle, Urquhart Castle, Doune Castle, and Maeshowe Chambered Cairn.
If you are a first-year member you receive a 50% discount on the ticket price, if you are a renewal member your entry is free. You must bring your valid membership card, and pre-booked tickets, with you to ensure entry.
You should only book the number of tickets that you are allowed as per your membership category up to a maximum of 6 people.