Balmoral Castle

A beautiful castle! The inside is not currently open to the public, but the grounds are amazing, as is the surrounding forest. Some of the most beautiful old pine trees I've ever seen. And the river is stunning. Be sure and take a look at the gardens as well. Also, it's free!

Very prestigious castle, which is used by the Royal family. Located in a tranquil place surrounded by mountains and forests. The river dee is flowing around it. The castle has a very picturesque garden. It's own green houses for flowers & vegetable. It's open only on certain days of the year. Suggest to book online. Free audio guide comes with an online booking option. Big car park within walking distance. There is a souvenir shop and a few cafes at the end of the route. Only the Ball room in the castle is open for visitors with the basic ticket option.

Great morning out with tour of the grounds including audio guides. Route is well set out with option to explore other paths. Grounds are lovely and well worth the effort. Ample parking outside grounds for £5

This castle has been on my bucket list for years and I am so glad I made the drive. The drive was not only beautiful but seeing the castle in real life was magical. We stopped in for a quick lunch at the cafe, the soup was delicious but I would skip the cold sandwiches. We also loved wandering the grounds and enjoying the nature that surrounds it.

Magical!! I can see why Queen Elizabeth loved coming here and where she spent her last moments on earth. Beautiful property! We couldn’t visit the interior of the castle but instead roamed the grounds. We drove from Inverness to Balmoral which was isolated at the foot of the Cairngorms. If you are visiting the Highlands of Scotland, please do yourself a favor and stop by this estate, grab a bite to eat at the restaurant, and peruse the gift shop.

I visited this wonderful castle 2 weeks ago with friends and family and enjoyed it a lot. The ticket only allowed us to enjoy the gardens and surroundings but not the castle itself. If you want to explore the castle, you need to spend an eye watering £300. Anyway, the gardens and the natural beauty made our day. The parking is £5 for a car, and there is one restaurant and a toilet (closes at 4 pm) at the end of the car park. You can get restaurants, shops, and washrooms once you enter the area. Overall, it is a nice place for a day out, I think it's pricy.

Well it's a beautiful castle and grounds, but beware the fine print! We assumed a general admission ticket would get us into most of the castle, as is typically the case, but it actually only gets you into the ballroom where some art by or of the royals is displayed, and to see the rest you have to go with a private tour which must be booked months in advance. This was fairly disappointing for us, although technically our fault for not reading all the details, but still we'd have happily paid 30lbs each to see the whole thing. It kind of seemed not worth going just to look at the grounds and go in the ballroom, honestly.

Amazing exterior and grounds to visit! We enjoyed the great weather while there. The walk along the riverside is worth it. Cafe was great and had enough food to make a lunch out of it. We went on a Sunday and the parking lot was almost full. Even with that, the grounds were not crowded at all.

While I do think Balmoral Castle is worth a visit, it is important to realize that you are basically paying (a hefty fee!) to visit the beautiful castle grounds. There is very little of the actual castle that you can visit, and in that small ballroom section that you can, you can't take photos or video. There is (of course) a well appointed cafe and gift shop and clean toilets. There's a small paid parking lot a short walk from the ticket booth. It's quite a bit of walking if you want to explore the majority of the grounds so keep that in mind.

If you want to come, that is fine however it is the national park around it that is the real treasure. The cafe here is not much more than fruit and cheeses. Don't count in anything substantial. Also you can do this in under 45 min if you hurry but plan on an hour.

5 friggin p had a lovely walk on the grounds and learnt a lot thanks to the free audio guide. had a really nice lunch at a very good price. went into the gift shop and selected £400 worth of china for my tea service back home. was asked if I wanted to purchase a bag for 10c Australian, left all my items at the counter and left. sorry your majesty but that's just offensive

Purchased by Queen Victoria in 1848, the Estate has been the Scottish Home of the British Royal Family ever since. The Estate extends to just over 50,000 acres of heather clad hills, ancient Caledonian woodland, policies and of course the beautiful River Dee is nearby. Over the past 150 years careful stewardship by the owners, The Royal Family, has preserved the wildlife, scenery and architecture which is available for all generations to enjoy. Once you have purchased your ticket from the Gate Shop you pass through the elegant main gates, either on foot or on the tractor trailer ride, and travel up the tree lined main drive which takes you to the Balmoral Exhibition where the audio tour starts. The audio tour is included in the admission and guides you around the grounds, gardens and exhibitions. Languages available are French, German, Italian, Spanish and English. Once you have browsed the Balmoral exhibition you can walk across the courtyard to view the short audio visual presentation about the Estate, view the wildlife and art exhibition before moving on to the gardens. The Gardens Wander through the large kitchen garden, visit the conservatory and enjoy the views from the fountain area before viewing Garden Cottage, which lies in a secluded spot in the grounds only a short distance away from the Castle and the impressive rose garden. The Ballroom The Ballroom houses a collection of fine art, silver figurines and porcelain from within the Castle. There is a short film of the Royal Family at Balmoral, together with a display of Ballgowns belonging to HM the Queen. The Gift and Coffee Shop In the gift Shop you can purchase some exclusive Balmoral gifts before relaxing in the spacious Coffee Shop. Afterwards wander along the riverside path or enjoy one of the many waymarked trails on the estate.