Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh's foremost paid visitor attraction, opens its doors for free as part of the annual St Andrews Day celebrations. Entrance is normally £14 for adults, £8.20 for children, £11.20 for concessions, and kids under 5 are free.
Weekend "fire and frost" celebrations, on 26th and 27th, will see artists sculpting with ice and school children creating lanterns for a grand finale on the Castle Esplanade on Sunday night (6.30pm-8pm) featuring firedrawings, projections onto the castle wall, and a fireworks display.
As well as costumed performances a Winter Festival Family Quiz is being launched at Edinburgh Castle which will run until Burns Night, whilst the Gaelic Junior Guides will be conducting two special performances on St. Andrews Day itself.
Beyond Edinburgh
Over 40 heritage attractions around Scotland run by government agency Historic Scotland open their doors for free annually at the end of November.
As well as Edinburgh Castle, the newly refurbished renaissance palace at Stirling Castle and Urquhart Castle on the banks of Loch Ness will be participating in the St. Andrews ‘Visit For Free’ programme.
In the Edinburgh and Lothians, participating attractions alongside Edinburgh Castle are Blackness Castle, Craigmillar Castle and Direlton Castle and Gardens.
The ‘Visit for Free’ programme is part of Scotland’s Winter Festivals – which celebrates three of the country’s most distinctive festivals - St. Andrews Day, Hogmanay and Burns Night.
Get your free tickets
Visitors need to register in advance at www.ticketgiveaway.co.uk to download their free weekend pass which gives free access for up to two adults and three children to all ticketed Historic Scotland properties on Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th November.
Edinburgh Castle and St. Andrews Castle and Cathedral will also be free to walk up visitors on the 30th November, to view the Honours of Scotland and the Stone of Destiny on Scotland’s national day which both reside at Edinburgh Castle.
"Visit for free" attractions around Scotland
Over 40 of Historic Scotland's 345 sites will be open for free, including:
- Arbroath Abbey
- Arnol Blackhouse (not open on Sunday, 27th November)
- Blackness Castle
- Bothwell Castle
- Caerlaverock Castle
- Cardoness Castle
- Castle Campbell
- Corgarff Castle
- Craigmillar Castle
- Craignethan Castle
- Dallas Dhu Distillery
- Dirleton Castle
- Doune Castle
- Dryburgh Abbey
- Dumbarton Castle
- Dunblane Cathedral
- Dunfermline Palace
- Dundrennan Abbey
- Dunstaffnage Castle
- Edinburgh Castle
- Edzell Castle
- Elgin Cathedral
- Fort George
- Huntingtower Castle
- Huntly Castle
- Iona Abbey
- Jedburgh Abbey
- Linlithgow Palace
- Maeshowe Visitor Centre
- Melrose Abbey
- New Abbey Corn Mill
- Rothesay Castle
- Skara Brae
- Smailholm Tower
- Spynie Palace
- St Andrews Castle
- St Andrews Cathedral
- Stirling Castle
- Sweetheart Abbey
- Tantallon Castle
- Tolquhon Castle
- Urquhart Castle