Edinburgh Castle tickets sold out? What you can still do

Every summer the travel forums tell the same story: someone opens the Edinburgh Castle website a week before their trip and every time slot is gone. And no, you can't just turn up. Once tickets sell out online, the castle doesn't sell any at the gate.

You still have options. The only guaranteed one is the Royal Edinburgh Ticket, and it's worth it if you'll also visit Holyrood and Britannia and use the buses. The others are below.

And if your trip is months away and your dates just aren't showing, they may not be on sale yet. Skip to when tickets are released.

If the castle is sold out

The Royal Edinburgh Ticket: guaranteed entry

This is the one option that doesn't depend on luck. The Royal Edinburgh Ticket is a pass with its own castle tickets, and Edinburgh Bus Tours, which runs it, guarantees castle entry "even when Edinburgh Castle's own website is sold out".

The catch: you don't get your castle time when you buy it. You get it in Edinburgh, when you swap your voucher at the first Edinburgh Bus Tours stop (until 30 November 2026, Stop GG on George Street, opposite the Assembly Rooms, because of roadworks; from 1 December, Waterloo Place). The staff there book you a slot from the ones they have.

At £81 for an adult, it's worth it if you'll use the rest of what it includes: Holyrood Palace, the Royal Yacht Britannia and 48 hours on the hop-on hop-off buses. Just for the castle, it's an expensive ticket.

Keep checking the castle's website

Plans change, and sold-out slots do come back. Look again the evening before and first thing on the day.

While you're there, look at the Flexi ticket too. It has no time slot: you pick a date, and it gets you in once on any day in the seven days from then.

Join a guided tour that includes entry

Tour companies book castle entry for their groups themselves. If the castle's own calendar has nothing for your day, it's worth checking a tour's calendar too.

On Civitatis, this castle tour includes your entry ticket and a 90-minute guided tour in English.

Or see a different castle

• Craigmillar Castle is a short bus ride south-east of the centre. It's a well-preserved medieval castle, and far quieter than Edinburgh's.
• Stirling Castle is under an hour away by train, with a restored royal palace inside. In summer, book it ahead too.

When are Edinburgh Castle tickets released?

Edinburgh Castle puts its tickets on sale in two seasonal blocks, a few weeks before each season starts: summer runs from 1 April to 30 September, and winter from 1 October to 31 March. Summer 2026 tickets went on sale on 23 February 2026, five weeks ahead. Winter tickets weren't on sale yet on 17 August 2025, or on 2 September 2026. In 2026 they came out later that September.

The castle doesn't announce these dates, so we keep track of them here:

As of 21 October 2026, dates from 26 to 31 March 2027 weren't on sale yet. Visiting then? Watch for them from mid-February.

If you're planning ahead, set a reminder for mid-February for a summer visit, or mid-August for a winter one. Then check every few days until your dates show up.

Christmas and New Year

The castle is closed on 25 and 26 December. On Christmas Eve it closes early (last entry 3pm), and on New Year's Day it opens late, at 11am.

At Christmas 2025, one traveller found every date from 24 December to 2 January greyed out while later dates could be booked. The closures explain some of that, but nobody could say for sure about the rest. If you're coming for the holidays, check from the day winter dates go on sale, and book as soon as yours appears.

How far ahead should you book?

Between April and September, book as soon as your dates go on sale, and especially for August, when the Edinburgh festivals fill the city. The castle itself warns that tickets "often sell out far in advance, especially over the summer months".

The rest of the year you have more leeway, but don't leave it to the day. Tickets cost more at the gate, and the gate only sells them while some are left online.

Planning the rest of your visit? Our Edinburgh Castle guide covers the highlights and how to get there.

Frequently asked questions