Edinburgh Castle is among 40 of Scotland’s castles and other historic attractions which will be giving away free tickets over the weekend of Saturday 1st December and Sunday 2nd December 2012.
The promotion, being organised by government culture agency Historic Scotland, is open to people who pre-register online as part of this year’s St. Andrew’s Day celebrations.
As well as Edinburgh Castle (Scotland's top paid for tourist attraction), the recently refurbished renaissance palace at Stirling Castle and Urquhart Castle on the banks of Loch Ness will be taking part in the special offer.
As in previous years, entry to Edinburgh Castle and St. Andrews Castle and Cathedral will also be free to walk up visitors on Friday 30th November.
December offer
Edinburgh Castle will have a limit of 5,000 tickets and Stirling Castle will have a limit of 3,500 over the weekend, in order to ensure that visitors have the best possible experience.
Participating attractions in the Lothians include Edinburgh Castle, Blackness Castle, Craigmillar Castle, Dirleton Castle and Tantallon Castle.
The Ticket Giveaway is part of the Scottish Government’s Winter Festivals programme – which celebrates three of the country’s prominent Scottish festivals - St. Andrew’s Day, Hogmanay and Burns Night.
Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs said they were providing an opportunity for people to "get out and about and explore their history and heritage".
She added: “Edinburgh Castle was voted the top UK Heritage Attraction at the recent British Travel Awards for the second year running and Stirling Castle was voted the best Visitor Attraction at the Thistle Awards and the best-loved UK attraction by readers of Which? magazine. These are fantastic accolades which showcase the continued appeal of some of our most well known historic attractions to visitors both at home and around the globe."
The free day on the 30th, will allow visitors to Edinburgh Castle to view the Honours of Scotland and the Stone of Destiny on Scotland’s national day.
Tickets to Edinburgh Castle during the off-peak season (October to March) are usually £14.50 for an adult, £11.60 for a concession, and £8.60 for a child.
During the peak season tickets were £16 for an adult, £13 for a concession, and £9.20 for a child.