Balmoral Castle
Balmoral Castle
Scotland · Aberdeenshire, Royal Deeside · Near Aberdeen
Built 1856 · Scottish Baronial — conical granite towers, bartizans, and crow-step gables designed by William Smith under Prince Albert's personal direction
This page is part of an independent travel guide and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by Balmoral Castle.
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Quick Facts
- Hours
- Daily 10:00-17:00
- Day trip from
- €116
- Duration
- 2-3 hours
- Best time
- Late April to July
- Nearest city
- Aberdeen
Featured Tour
From Aberdeen: Balmoral Estate & Royal Deeside Tour
Cancellation available · Instant confirmation
Highlights
- ✦The private Highland estate of the British Royal Family since 1852, when Queen Victoria and Prince Albert purchased it — still the summer residence of the Sovereign today
- ✦Designed by Prince Albert himself in collaboration with Aberdeen architect William Smith, built in local Aberdeenshire granite in the Scottish Baronial style between 1853 and 1856
- ✦The Ballroom — the only room in the castle open to the public — houses a rotating exhibition of paintings, silver, and royal memorabilia not otherwise on public display
- ✦Set within 20,000 acres of Cairngorm moorland along the River Dee, with access to formal gardens, carriage rides, and estate land walks
- ✦The surrounding Royal Deeside landscape immortalised by Queen Victoria in her journals — heather moorland, Scots pine forest, and mountain views that define the Scottish Romantic ideal
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Skip-the-line tickets & expert guides
Balmoral Castle is the private Scottish estate of the British Royal Family and one of the most evocative royal residences in Europe. Situated on the River Dee in Aberdeenshire within the Cairngorms National Park, the estate encompasses 20,000 acres of Highland moorland, ancient Caledonian woodland, and heather-covered hills that have drawn British monarchs since Queen Victoria first visited in 1848 and declared it 'my dearest Albert's own creation'.
The current castle was built between 1853 and 1856, replacing an earlier house on the estate that had proved too small for the expanding royal household. Prince Albert directed the design in close collaboration with Aberdeen architect William Smith, producing a building in the Scottish Baronial style — granite-built, with conical corner towers, bartizans, crow-step gables, and a 30-metre clock tower that anchors the composition. The building material, Invergelder granite from the estate itself, gives the castle its characteristic pale grey shimmer.
The castle is open to visitors from April to late July each year, when the Royal Family is not in residence. Access is limited to the Ballroom — the largest room in the castle, which houses changing exhibitions of royal paintings, silver, and memorabilia — and to the formal gardens, kitchen garden, and estate grounds. Carriage rides through the estate are available in season.
The wider Royal Deeside landscape — the valley of the River Dee from Aboyne to Braemar — retains much of the character that captivated Victoria and Albert: small granite towns, Scots pine forests, heather moorland, and the high Cairngorm peaks rising above the valley. The village of Braemar, 12km west, hosts the Royal Highland Gathering each September, one of Scotland's most famous Highland Games events and traditionally attended by the Sovereign.
History
The history of Balmoral as a royal residence begins with Queen Victoria's first visit to Scotland in 1842 and her subsequent discovery of the original Balmoral House in 1848. Victoria was so enchanted by the Deeside landscape — comparing it favourably to the Thuringian hills of Prince Albert's homeland — that the couple purchased the estate in 1852. Prince Albert immediately began planning a new, larger castle, working closely with local architect William Smith to produce the Scottish Baronial building completed in 1856, three years before Albert's premature death.
The estate has remained in royal hands ever since. Victoria made it her most private retreat, spending increasingly long periods there after Albert's death, and writing her celebrated Highlands journals that romanticised the Scottish landscape for a Victorian readership. Each succeeding monarch has maintained the tradition of the summer Balmoral visit, which typically runs from August through October.
The estate was expanded significantly in the Victorian period and now encompasses four farms, grouse moors, deer forest, and river beats on the Dee. It operates as a working Highland estate year-round, with only the core castle and gardens accessible to the public during the spring opening season.
How to Visit
Getting there: Balmoral Castle is near Ballater in Royal Deeside, about 90km west of Aberdeen. By car, take the A93 west from Aberdeen through Banchory and Ballater — roughly 1 hour 15 minutes; from Edinburgh allow about 2.5 hours via the A90 and A93. There is no train service to Ballater (the line closed in 1966); Stagecoach operates buses from Aberdeen to Ballater, from which the final 10km to the castle requires a taxi. A car or guided tour is the most practical option for most visitors.
Tickets: Walk-up entry £19 adult, £10 child. The Royal Deeside day tour (t343186, from €116, 4.9★/284 reviews) — a 7.5-hour guided trip from Aberdeen covering Balmoral Estate, Crathie Kirk, and the Dee Valley — is the most convenient no-car option from Aberdeen; book in advance.
Practical tips: Balmoral is open April to late July only — it closes around 9 August when the Royal Family arrives for their annual summer stay; verify exact closing dates at balmoralcastle.com before booking travel. Only the Ballroom exhibition and estate grounds (formal gardens, kitchen garden, carriage rides) are open to the public; the royal apartments are never accessible. July is the final month of the season and can be busy — earlier in the opening period means fewer visitors.
Combine with: [Dunnottar Castle](/castles/scotland/dunnottar-castle), the dramatic clifftop ruin near Stonehaven about 50km east, and [Glamis Castle](/castles/scotland/glamis-castle), the ancestral home of the Earls of Strathmore about 60km southeast, make a natural Royal Deeside and Angus castle circuit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Balmoral Castle is open to visitors from April to late July only, typically closing around 9 August when the Royal Family arrives for their annual summer stay. The castle is closed from August through March. Check the official Balmoral Castle website for exact dates each year.
Location
Balmoral Estate, Ballater, AB35 5TB, Scotland
Nearby Castles
Tours & Tickets
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From
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