SCT Scotland
Castles near Edinburgh
41 castles, fortresses, palaces and ruins within 100 km of the city centre — every one on the interactive map, with photos, distances and directions.
The closest landmark is also the most famous: Edinburgh Castle, ranked #21 of 3,708 worldwide, 1 km south-west of the city centre. The oldest dated site in the circle is Dunbar Castle, founded 1070.
The 100 km circle reaches into 2 countries — Scotland (36), England (5).
Within 25 km of Edinburgh
- Edinburgh Castle
1 km south-west · Castle · #21 worldwide
Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age.
- Holyrood Palace
1 km east · Palace & château · #60 worldwide
The Palace of Holyroodhouse, also known as Holyrood Palace, is the official residence of the monarch of the United Kingdom in Scotland.
- Dunfermline Palace
21 km north-west · Ruin
Dunfermline Palace is a ruined former Scottish royal palace and important tourist attraction in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland.
- Blackness Castle
21 km west · Castle
Blackness Castle is a 15th-century fortress, near the village of Blackness, Scotland, on the south shore of the Firth of Forth.
- Craigmillar Castle
4 km south-east · Ruin
Craigmillar Castle is a ruined medieval castle in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is three miles south-east of the city centre, on a low hill to the south of…
- Borthwick Castle
18 km south-east · Castle
Borthwick Castle is one of the largest and best-preserved surviving medieval Scottish fortifications.
- Roslin Castle
11 km south · Ruin
Roslin Castle is a partially ruined castle near the village of Roslin in Midlothian, Scotland.
- Aberdour Castle
13 km north-west · Castle
Aberdour Castle is in the village of Easter Aberdour, Fife, Scotland. Parts of the castle date from around 1200, making Aberdour one of the two…
- Dalkeith Palace
10 km south-east · Palace & château
Dalkeith Palace is a country house in Dalkeith, Midlothian, Scotland. It was the seat of the Dukes of Buccleuch from 1642 until 1914, and is owned by…
- Dalhousie Castle
12 km south-east · Castle
Dalhousie Castle is a castle in Cockpen, Midlothian, Scotland. Dalhousie Castle is situated near the town of Bonnyrigg, 8 miles south of Edinburgh.
Day trips: 25–60 km
- Stirling Castle
51 km west · Castle · #63 worldwide
Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most historically and architecturally important castles in Scotland.
- Linlithgow Palace
26 km west · Ruin · #182 worldwide
The ruins of Linlithgow Palace are located in the town of Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland, 15 miles west of Edinburgh.
- Doune Castle
59 km north-west · Castle · #317 worldwide
Doune Castle is a medieval stronghold near the village of Doune, in the Stirling council area of central Scotland and the historic county of…
- Falkland Palace
34 km north · Palace & château · #336 worldwide
Falkland Palace, in Falkland, Fife, Scotland, is a royal palace of the Scottish kings.
- Loch Leven Castle
30 km north-west · Ruin
Lochleven Castle is a ruined castle on an island in Loch Leven, in the Perth and Kinross local authority area of Scotland.
- Tantallon Castle
35 km east · Ruin
Tantallon Castle is a ruined mid-14th-century fortress, located 5 kilometres east of North Berwick, in East Lothian, Scotland.
- Scone Palace
54 km north · Palace & château
Scone Palace is a Category A-listed historic house near the village of Scone and the city of Perth, Scotland.
- Bothwell Castle
59 km west · Ruin
Bothwell Castle is a large medieval castle, sited on a high, steep bank, above a bend in the River Clyde in South Lanarkshire, Scotland.
- Dunbar Castle
42 km east · Ruin
Dunbar Castle was one of the strongest fortresses in Scotland, situated in a prominent position overlooking the harbour of the town of Dunbar, in…
- St Andrews Castle
50 km north-east · Ruin
St Andrews Castle is a ruin located in the coastal Royal Burgh of St Andrews in Fife, Scotland.
- Dirleton Castle
28 km east · Ruin
Dirleton Castle is a medieval fortress in the village of Dirleton, East Lothian, Scotland.
- Smailholm Tower
55 km south-east · Castle
Smailholm Tower is a peel tower at Smailholm, around five miles west of Kelso in the Scottish Borders.
+ 4 more in this range — every one is on the interactive map.
Farther afield: 60–100 km
- Glamis Castle
75 km north · Castle · #169 worldwide
Glamis Castle is situated beside the village of Glamis in Angus, Scotland. It is the home of the Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, and is open to the…
- Dumbarton Castle
86 km west · Castle · #272 worldwide
Dumbarton Castle has the longest recorded history of any stronghold in Scotland.
- Lindisfarne Castle
93 km east · Castle
Lindisfarne Castle is a 16th-century castle located on Holy Island, near Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, England, much altered by Sir Edwin…
- Chillingham Castle
93 km south-east · Castle
Chillingham Castle is a medieval castle in the village of Chillingham in the northern part of Northumberland, England.
- Drumlanrig Castle
85 km south-west · Castle
Drumlanrig Castle is situated on the Queensberry Estate in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.
- Hermitage Castle
81 km south · Ruin
Hermitage Castle is a semi-ruined castle in the border region of Scotland. It stands in the remote valley of the Hermitage Water, part of Liddesdale…
- Berwick Castle
76 km east · Ruin
Berwick Castle is a ruined castle in Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, England.
- Taymouth Castle
87 km north-west · Castle
Taymouth Castle is situated to the north-east of the village of Kenmore, Perth and Kinross, in the Highlands of Scotland, in an estate which…
- Norham Castle
70 km east · Ruin
Norham Castle is a castle in Norham, Northumberland, England, overlooking the River Tweed, on the border between England and Scotland.
- Roxburgh Castle
61 km south-east · Ruin
Roxburgh Castle is a ruined royal castle that overlooks the junction of the rivers Tweed and Teviot, in the Borders region of Scotland.
- Castle Menzies
86 km north-west · Castle
Castle Menzies in Scotland is the ancestral seat of the Clan Menzies and the Menzies Baronets.
- Ford Castle
77 km south-east · Castle
Ford Castle is a Grade I listed building situated at a shallow crossing point on the River Till, Ford, Northumberland, England.
+ 3 more in this range — every one is on the interactive map.
Distances are straight-line from the city centre. City coordinates and population: Wikidata Q23436.
Frequently asked questions
How many castles are near Edinburgh?
The Castlemap atlas maps 41 landmarks (22 castles · 4 palaces & châteaux · 15 ruins) within 100 km of the centre of Edinburgh, measured straight-line — a curated selection of well-documented landmarks, not a count of every fortification ever built.
What is the closest castle to Edinburgh?
Edinburgh Castle, a castle 1 km south-west of the city centre.
What is the oldest castle near Edinburgh?
The oldest dated landmark in the circle is Dunbar Castle, founded 1070 — 42 km east. Earlier structures may have existed; this is the oldest with a documented founding year.
Nearby city guides: Dundee (58 km) · Glasgow (67 km) · Aberdeen (149 km) · Belfast (230 km). See also medieval castles · all rankings · castles by country.