Half price, then free, for English Heritage members
This place is cared for by Historic Environment Scotland. First-year English Heritage members get 50% off the ticket price; members who have renewed get in free. Bring your valid membership card, and any pre-booked tickets, to ensure entry.
More information
In-person price; £7.50 booked online. One undated price table is published; recheck in spring 2027. Children under 7 free but need a ticket; up to two carers free per transaction; Young Scot card holders pay £1 online; 25 per cent off with code GOOD25 for car-free visitors booking online. Explorer Pass accepted. No family ticket or audio guide. English Heritage members: half price in your first membership year and free after your first renewal, on showing a valid card; bookings capped at six people per membership. Historic Scotland members free.
In-person price; £3.50 booked online; under-7s free with a ticket. English Heritage members: half price in your first membership year and free after your first renewal, on showing a valid card; bookings capped at six people per membership. Historic Scotland members free.
In-person price; £6 booked online. English Heritage members: half price in your first membership year and free after your first renewal, on showing a valid card; bookings capped at six people per membership. Historic Scotland members free.
No charge for anyone.
Historic Scotland says limited parking is available at Aberdour railway station, a five-minute walk from the visitor centre, whose car park is for visitor use, and that a small car park next to the visitor centre can be used by people with mobility needs after calling 01383 860 519 to check availability. ScotRail's station page says parking is free (94 spaces; OpenStreetMap counts 70), so the status is recorded as free; a visitor in August 2026 found it full on a busy weekend, with other parking nearer the beach a short walk away. From the station car park the approach to the site is relatively level and about 500 m long.
Driving pin: the station car park, 108 m south-west of HES's pin on the castle. By rail: Aberdour station, five minutes' walk, with direct services to Edinburgh and Perth. By bus: Stagecoach 7 and 7A from Rosyth, Kirkcaldy and Dunfermline to Station Place. By bike: Aberdour is on National Cycle Route 76, with a rack at the castle; 25 per cent off online with code GOOD25 when arriving car-free.
Aberdour Castle and Gardens began as a two-storey hall house, possibly of the early 1100s, making it among the oldest masonry castles still standing in Scotland, and went on to serve three noble families for 500 years. Robert the Bruce granted it to Thomas Randolph, Earl of Moray, in 1325, and from 1342 it belonged to the Douglases, whose descendants became earls of Morton: they heightened the hall house into a tower house in the 1400s, James Douglas, 4th Earl, built the central range in the later 1500s while Regent of Scotland, and the 8th Earl added the east range with its fine gallery in the early 1600s. Alongside the castle buildings, part ruined and part roofed, are a delightful walled garden full of colour, impressive terraces, an orchard first planted in 1690 and a superb beehive-shaped doocot, one of the largest in Scotland. Visitors look out for the painted ceilings, picnic in the gardens and recognise the monastery from the first series of Outlander.
Later dates are in the calendar.
Prices, non-members
| Ticket | On the day | Online |
|---|---|---|
| Adult | £8.50 | £7.50 |
| Concession | £6.80 | £6.00 |
| Child | £4.00 | £3.50 |
1 April to 30 September daily 10am to 4.30pm; 1 October to 31 March 10am to 4pm on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, closed Thursday and Friday; closed for lunch 12.30pm to 1.30pm; last entry 30 minutes before closing in summer and 45 minutes in winter; closed 24 December to 4 January. Historic Scotland recommends booking in advance to guarantee entry. No works notice on 18 October 2026; Monument Monitor conservation signs on site.
From the station car park the approach is relatively level and about 500 m; the reception and shop have level access, and throughout the castle there are small steps, raised thresholds and low walls, with two steps down to the cobbled kitchen and stairs to the upper levels including the hall. Toilets on site; the nearest adapted toilet is at the railway station about 500 m away. Shop with ice cream, picnic area, no cafe. Dogs on leads in the outdoor areas including the gardens.
Dogs: Dogs are welcome in the outdoor areas; HES's general guidance asks for a lead and keeps pet dogs out of the visitor centre and roofed areas. The walled garden, terraces and orchard are outdoor areas inside the ticketed site.
Photo: Aberdour Castle's ruined tower house and roofed ranges above the stone-walled terraced garden. andrew mcmillan, CC BY 3.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aberdour_Castle_-_panoramio_(5).jpg. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0. Resized and cropped for display; derivatives retain the source licence.
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Dog access not confirmed
17 miles (27.4 km), about 6.5 hours, through the village of Aberdour with its castle and gardens; one of Scotland's Great Trails, walk a section from the station. Free.
