The best twenty castles, towers, stately homes, and historic houses to visit in Scotland. This is based on not only the building itself, but also on criteria including gardens and grounds, architecture and atmosphere, facilities, beauty of location, admission price, and how much we enjoyed a visit. This may change…

1. Dirleton Castle

2. Stirling Castle

3. Craigievar Castle

4. Castle Campbell

5. Mellerstain House

6. Mount Stuart

7. Dunnottar Castle

8. Blackness Castle

8. Crathes Castle

9. Caerlaverock Castle

10. Paxton House

11. Eilean Donan Castle

12. Dunrobin Castle

13. Castle Menzies

14. Drumlanrig Castle

15. Crichton Castle

16. Newhailes House

17. Glamis Castle

18. Hill of Tarvit

19. Traquair House

20. Doune Castle

Excluding the Top 20, our favourite wildcard 20 places…

1. Moy Castle

2. Aberdour Castle

3. Borthwick Castle

4. Slains Castle

5. Tolquhon Castle

6. Dunskey Castle

7. Tirefour Broch or Castle

8. Newark Castle, Port Glasgow

9. Dun an Sticer

10. Kellie Castle

11. Roslin Castle

12. Linlithgow Palace

13. Hill of Tarvit

14. Saltcoats Castle

15. Drummond Castle Gardens

16. Monteviot House Gardens

17. Inveraray Castle

18. Ardmaddy Castle Gardens

19. Gylen Castle

20. Cawdor Castle

and of course not forgetting our current abode…

Cockenzie House

If your favourite castle is missing, of if you have any corrections or improvements, please let us know by emailing us.

The Top 20 places by visitor traffic

1. Palace of Holyroodhouse

2. Midhope Castle

The Top 20 places by visitor traffic

1. Midhope Castle

4. Glamis Castle

The Top 20 places by visitor traffic

1. Niddry Castle (+4)

2. Cockenzie House (-1)

3. Midhope Castle (-1)

The Top 20 places by visitor traffic

1. Cockenzie House (+4)

2. Midhope Castle (-1)

The Top 20 places by visitor traffic

1. Midhope Castle (+2)

4. Cockenzie House (-4)

5. Tantallon Castle (n/e)

6. Niddry Castle (-4)

8. Roslin Castle (+3)

9.= Caerlaverock Castle (n/e)

11. Castle Campbell (+5)

12. Drummond Castle (n/e)

13=. Dunnottar Castle (=)

The Top 20 places by visitor traffic

1. Cockenzie House

2. Niddry Castle (+13)

3. Midhope Castle (=)

4. Dirleton Castle (-2)

5. Cawdor Castle (n/e)

6. Traquair House (n/e)

7. Slains Castle (+3)

8. Cassillis House (n/e)

9. Darnick Tower (n/e)

10. Craigievar Castle (-3)

11. Roslin Castle (-6)

12. Glamis Castle (-8)

13.= Doune Castle (-2)

13.= Dunnottar Castle (-3)

15. Cessnock Castle (n/e)

16.= Castle Campbell (-10)

18. Craigmillar Castle (n/e)

19. Moy Castle (+11)

20. Duntulm Castle (n/e)

The Top 20 places by visitor traffic

1. Cockenzie House

2. Dirleton Castle (+1)

3. Midhope Castle (+2)

4. Glamis Castle (+5)

5. Roslin Castle (+8)

6. Castle Campbell

7. Craigievar Castle (-1)

8. Moy Castle (+3)

9. Traquair House (+1)

10= Crichton Castle

10= Dunnottar Castle (-3)

10= Elcho Castle

10= Slains Castle (+10)

14. Tantallon Castle

15= Doune Castle

15= Niddry Castle (-4)

17= Linlithgow Palace

17= Paxton House

19= Caerlaverock Castle

19= Huntingtower Castle

The Top 20 places by visitor traffic

1. Cockenzie House (+1)

2. Cassillis House (-1)

3. Dirleton Castle (+3)

4. Aberdour Castle

5. Midhope Castle (+5)

6. Craigievar Castle (+2)

7. Eilean Donan Castle

8. Seton Castle (-1)

9. Glamis Castle (-4)

10. Traquair House (+1)

11= Moy Castle (+7)

11= Niddry Castle (+8)

13= Dunnottar Castle (+3)

13= Roslin Castle

15. Carrick Castle

16= Newark Castle, Port Glasgow

16= Mary Queen of Scots House, Jedburgh

18= Dunfermline Palace (+2)

18= Duart Castle (-4)

20= Slains Castle

20= Kinfauns Castle

Roslin Castle (January 2019)

Saltcoats Castle (May 2018)

Moy Castle (March & April 2018)

Hailes Castle (February 2018)

Slains Castle (January 2018)

Blackness Castle (December 2017)

Aberdour Castle (November 2017)

Paxton House (October 2017)

Craigievar Castle (September 2017)

Dirleton Castle (August 2017)

Cawdor Castle (July 2017)

Kilchurn Castle (June 2017)

Culzean Castle (May 2017)

Moy Castle (March & April 2017)

Caerlaverock Castle (February 2017)

Dunnottar Castle (January 2017)

Stirling Castle (December 2016)

Castle Campbell (November 2016)

Click for dedicated Outlander page…

Doune Castle (Castle Leoch)

Midhope Tower (Lallybroch)

Culross (Cranesmuir)

Falkland (Inverness)

Blackness Castle (Fort William)

Linlithgow Palace (Wentworth Prison: interior)

Aberdour Castle (priory where Jamie is healed)

Balgonie Castle (Eldridge Manor)

Pollok House, park (grounds of Castle Leoch, scenes in France)

Hopetoun House (home of Duke of Sandringham, other scenes)

Callendar House, kitchen (Bellhurst)

Dean Castle (Beaufort Castle)

Drummond Castle Gardens (Versailles gardens)

Drumlanrig Castle (Bellhurst Manor)

Glasgow Cathedral, crypt (L'Hopital des Anges)

Gosford House (stables of Versailles)

Craigmillar Castle