Glamis vs Balmoral: Which Scottish Castle Should You Visit?
Balmoral Castle, the home of King Charles III in Royal Deeside. All photos by John O’Boyle / The Empty Nest Explorers
We visited Balmoral Castle and Glamis Castle on back to back days, and we loved them both. If you have the time, do both. They tell different parts of the same Scottish story.
But a lot of travelers only have room for one. So we put together this honest comparison to help you choose the one that fits your trip.
Here is the short version, then all the detail below.
| At a Glance | Glamis Castle | Balmoral Castle |
|---|---|---|
| Type of castle | A true old fortress and family home, thick walls and turrets | A grand Victorian country house built to look like a castle |
| Royal connection | Childhood home of the Queen Mother, loved by George VI | A working royal residence and Queen Elizabeth II's favorite home |
| Interior visit | INCLUDED Guided tour in the £19.50 ticket, ages 5+ | SOLD OUT 2026 Around £110, adults 16+ only |
| Grounds only | £9.50 | £18.50 |
| Photos inside | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| From Edinburgh | About 1 hour 45 minutes | About 3 hours |
| Good for kids | Yes, playful ghost tales and a play park | More of an adult vibe |
| Booking | Easy, rarely sells out | Interior tour sells out months ahead |
| Best for | Castle lovers who want a rich interior tour | Royal family fans and Royal Deeside scenery |
Glamis Castle, the ancestral seat of the Earls of Strathmore and Kinghorne since 1372 .
Glamis vs Balmoral: Our verdict if you only have one day
Choose Glamis if you:
Love proper medieval castles with turrets, stone walls and ramparts
Want a rich guided tour of the interior
Enjoy legends, ghost stories, and a bit of history
Are staying near Dundee or Angus
Are visiting Scotland for the first time and want a castle visit with full interior access and some royal connections
Choose Balmoral if you:
Love the Royal Family and follow them closely
Enjoy mountain scenery and long estate walks
Are a fan of The Crown, or of Victoria and Albert, or of Queen Elizabeth II
Are already spending time in Royal Deeside
Are willing to spend around £110 on the interior tour, which brings Balmoral up to Glamis as an experience
For most first-time visitors who want actually to go inside a castle, Glamis is the stronger pick.
For true royal family devotees, Balmoral is essential even with its limits.
Now let's get into the details.
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Choose Glamis if you…
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Choose Balmoral if you…
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Beautiful wooded walking trails lead to the River Dee at Balmoral.
What Glamis and Balmoral Castles have in common
Before the differences, it helps to know how much these two share.
Both have major royal connections. Both are open to the public. Both use a two tier ticket, so you can pay for just the grounds or add a guided tour of the interior.
Neither one allows photos inside. You can take all the photos you want of the grounds at either place.
Both have lovely eating options, with fresh produce grown in their own kitchen gardens. We had lunch at each one, and we think it added a lot to the day.
At both castles, we suggest a couple of hours minimum. Add lunch, and you have a really nice half day or full day.
The long approach to Glamis Castle amplifies the drama.
As castles go, Glamis wins on atmosphere
If you want that classic Scotland castle feeling, Glamis is the one.
Glamis (pronounced "glahms") is the more "castley" castle. It was a real fortress once, though it has been a family home for centuries. You get the dramatic turrets, the arrow slits, the ramparts, and the cannons out front.
Inside, the castle character is still there. Thick stone walls in the Crypt, spiraling stone staircases, arched ceilings, and uneven floors that go back hundreds of years. We cover it all in our complete guide to visiting Glamis Castle.
Balmoral is not really a "castle" at all. It is a large country house built in the 1850s for Queen Victoria and designed to look like one. The turreted tower is the main castle feature. Our post: Visiting Balmoral Castle gives you all the info
It is a beautiful building. Just know that it is far younger than Glamis, and it was never meant to defend anyone.
So for a true Scottish castle experience, Glamis is the better choice.
The official entrance at Balmoral Castle, with the royal cyphers of King George V and Queen Mary leaving no doubt that it is a royal residence.
Royal connections, and this is where Balmoral shines
Both castles have royal history, but of very different kinds.
Balmoral is an actual royal residence. It goes back to Queen Victoria and is still owned by the monarch today, passed down through personal wills rather than the Crown. The family very much still uses it.
Queen Elizabeth II is said to have loved Balmoral most of all her homes, and she passed away there. If you admire the late Queen, you will feel very close to her here. Crathie Kirk, the family's little parish church, sits right across the road with its own royal history.
Glamis has never been a royal residence. It belongs to the Bowes Lyon family, long respected Scottish aristocrats, but not royalty themselves.
Its royal link is more personal. Glamis was the childhood home of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, born Elizabeth Bowes Lyon. When she married the future King George VI, he became a frequent and happy visitor. That is a warm, family kind of connection, and you can read the full story in our post on King George VI at Glamis.
So if you follow the current royal family, or you loved The Crown, Balmoral will probably speak to you more. If you love the Queen Mother and George VI era, Glamis is your place. You can also read our full Balmoral guide here.
Comparing the grounds and gardens of Balmoral and Glamis Castles
Both estates have beautiful, lovingly kept gardens. There is simply more of it at Balmoral.
Glamis feels a touch more wild and old fashioned in the best way. Balmoral feels more manicured and updated. You can see King Charles' "harmony with nature" ideas at work throughout.
Balmoral has the stronger pull for wildlife and big estate landscapes. There are wooded trails everywhere, and the ones leading down to the River Dee are really special.
Honestly, the River Dee is one of the things that makes Balmoral feel magical. There is something about the freshness and the calm of it that stays with you.
The Pavilion Gift Shop serves as welcome center at Glamis Castle.
Cost, and why Glamis is the better value
This one is not close. Glamis costs far less.
Quick “back of the napkin” math: For about the same price as the grounds only ticket at Balmoral, you can get the grounds plus the full interior tour at Glamis.
At Glamis, adding the inside is a no brainer. It is only a little more money, and the interior is the highlight of the whole visit. Do the inside tour, every time.
At Balmoral, the interior is a bigger decision. It costs much more than the grounds ticket. We actually chose to skip the Balmoral interior tour, mostly because of the price.
That said, we think "just the outside" at Balmoral is more interesting than "just the outside" at Glamis. The estate itself is the draw.
One more thing on Balmoral. The interior tour is very limited, and it sells out almost the moment it goes on sale. It is already sold out for 2026. Getting a Glamis ticket, on the other hand, is no trouble at all.
The River Dee truly makes Balmoral special. But Glamis is probably more kid friendly.
For families with kids, Glamis wins
Glamis wins for kids, and it is not really close.
Glamis runs lots of family friendly events through the year. There is an outdoor play park, and the guides lean into the ghost stories in a fun, playful way rather than a scary one. They do some special things around Halloween in that same spirit.
Kids aged 5 and up are welcome on the interior tour at Glamis. On our own tour there was a little girl around six, and the guide made a point of including her, letting her open doors along the way. It was also kind of fun that her name happened to be Elizabeth, just like Elizabeth Bowes Lyon, who was a child here. “Elizabeth, will you open the door for us?” It was really sweet!
Balmoral has a more adult atmosphere - as far as the visitor experience goes. Children under 16 are not allowed on the interior tour at all. It is a lovely place, but not one we would build a family day around.
Eating at both Glamis and Balmoral is worth it
We enjoyed the food at both castles, and both grow produce in their own kitchen gardens.
Glamis serves lunch in the original Victorian kitchen. Tables sit in rows among the old copper pots and vintage decor. It is charming and full of character.
Balmoral's restaurant is newly refurbished, elegant, and comfortable, with some outdoor seating in that lush setting. We sat looking toward the castle tower. It fits something we often say about royal sites, that they always feel a little nicer than they even need to be.
Both do afternoon tea in their own way, and both had genuinely good food, Scottish specialties, and tasty sandwiches.
Do stop for lunch wherever you go. It made the day better at both.
| Castle | What It Is | Royal Connection | Adult Entry | Open Season | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edinburgh Castle | A real medieval fortress on a volcanic rock | Historic royal stronghold, home of the Crown Jewels of Scotland | Around £23.50 online, everything included | Year round, closed Dec 25 and 26 | First timers who want the classic castle on a hill |
| Inverness Castle | A Victorian courthouse reborn as an immersive experience | Light. More about Highland culture and folklore | Around £20 online, everything included | Year round, closed Christmas Day | Highland culture fans and that rooftop city view |
| Glamis Castle | A true old fortress and family home with turrets | Childhood home of the Queen Mother, loved by George VI | Around £19.50 with the interior tour included. Grounds only £9.50 | 20 March to 31 October, grounds to 22 December | Castle lovers who want a rich interior tour |
| Balmoral Castle | A grand Victorian country house built to look like a castle | A working royal home and Queen Elizabeth II's favorite | £18.50 grounds. Interior tour around £110, sold out 2026 | Approx 28 March to 9 August | Royal family fans and Royal Deeside scenery |
Balmoral is striking in its wider setting, with the Highland scenery all around it.
Photography at both castles
Both castles forbid photos inside, and both have wonderful exteriors and grounds to shoot.
Glamis is arguably more photogenic up close, with its warm pink sandstone and dramatic turrets. Balmoral is more striking in its wider setting, with the Highland scenery all around it.
The "still a family home" factor
This shapes what you actually see inside.
At Glamis, you see quite a few rooms, and much of it is set up with visitors in mind, though some spaces are still in use.
At Balmoral, the interior tour takes you through rooms that are very much in current use, like the King's study and the family dining rooms.
Balmoral's public season is short by necessity. The family is in residence roughly August through October, so visiting closes when they arrive.
Glamis is still the home of the Earl of Strathmore, but it is set up to welcome visitors across a longer season.
Drinving through the Highlands of Scotland can be breathtaking.
Getting there from Edinburgh
Both work as long day trips, and both are even better as stops on a wider road trip.
Glamis is about 1 hour 45 minutes from Edinburgh via the A90.
Balmoral is about 3 hours via the A93, out in Royal Deeside.
If you would rather not drive, tours run to Balmoral from Aberdeen and Edinburgh, and you can browse options on Viator. For a night nearby, you can compare places to stay on Booking.com.
A quick note: some links here are affiliate links. If you book through them, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It helps keep this blog going, and we only recommend things we believe in.
Queen Mary’s Flower Garden at Balmoral Castle. Some paths are wheelchair accessible at Balmoral but not all.
A quick word on accessibility
Neither interior is built for easy access, which is common with historic buildings.
Balmoral's grounds do fairly well outdoors. There are step free paths in places, mobility scooters you can borrow, and accessible toilets in key spots. Some of the woodland paths can still be tricky for wheelchair users. If you are booking the interior tour, it is worth contacting the estate ahead to ask about access inside the historic rooms.
At Glamis, the grounds, the Kitchen Restaurant, and the exhibition area are accessible, but the castle's upper floors are not. There is accessible parking, a ramp at the main entrance, and a video tour for anyone who cannot manage the stairs.
A cannon outside Glamis Castle - it’s a very “castle-y” castle.
So, which castle should you choose, Balmoral or Glamis?
If we had to sum it up, it comes down to what you want out of the day.
Go to Glamis for the castle itself, the interior tour, the legends, and great value.
Go to Balmoral for the living royal connection, the Highland scenery, and the estate walks by the Dee.
And if you can swing both, do both. We did, and we would not trade either day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Glamis or Balmoral better to visit?
It depends on what you want. Glamis is the better true castle experience, with an included interior tour and great value. Balmoral is better for royal family fans and Highland scenery. First time visitors who want to go inside a castle usually prefer Glamis.
Can you go inside both Glamis and Balmoral Castles?
Yes, both offer interior access, but very differently. At Glamis the guided interior tour is included in the standard ticket and open to ages 5 and up. At Balmoral the interior tour is a separate, pricier ticket for adults 16 and over, and it sells out far in advance.
Which is cheaper, Glamis or Balmoral?
Glamis is cheaper. For roughly the price of the grounds only ticket at Balmoral, you can get the grounds plus the full interior tour at Glamis.
Can you visit Glamis and Balmoral in one day?
It is a stretch. They are about two hours apart by car, and each deserves a couple of hours plus lunch. We visited on two separate days and were glad we did.
Which castle is better for royal history?
Both, but in different ways. Balmoral is a working royal residence tied to Queen Victoria and every British monarch since, and was a favorite residence of Queen Elizabeth II. Glamis specifically is tied to the Queen Mother's childhood and King George VI and their daughters Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret. Pick the story that means more to you.
About the Authors
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John and Debbie O'Boyle are the team behind The Empty Nest Explorers. John is a professional photographer whose work has been published by The New York Times, NBC News, and Getty Images. He is a member of the American Society of Media Photographers, has been part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team, and has received two New York Emmy nominations. Debbie is a writer and photographer with 30+ years of experience, formerly with The Star-Ledger and NJ.com. Together, they create in-depth travel guides for couples and empty-nest travelers who want to make the most of every destination. |
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We visited Glamis and Balmoral on back-to-back days, and we loved them both.
But if you only have time for one, they are very different visits. Glamis is the true castle with the interior tour included. Balmoral is the working royal home out on Deeside.
Here is our honest comparison, including the difference in what you pay and what you get.