UK Castles....which ones are a must see?

[luv2sleep]

We are headed to the British Isles on the Magic. There are so many ports with castles. The following castles are what I am trying to decide on: Newcastle castle, Edinburgh castle, Alnwick castle, and Stirling castle. Any thoughts on which are ones we must not miss? Thank you!!!

 

[jdb in AZ]

Edinburgh castle is a must see!

 

[bbel]

Alnwick! There's lots to do for all ages, and the family still live there which gives it a bit of a different feel. But it is a trek out to/from a port/city though I think?
Even more so if you're into Harry Potter or seen the movies....

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Edinburgh really is a must-see.

 

[CrusingFamily4]

We just got back from our Scotland trip 2 weeks ago. My twin 8 year olds preferred Edinburgh castle over Stirling. Honestly, both are great, but our guide in Edinburgh was much easier to understand If you are going to Stirling, may I recommend the battle of bannockburn? It is an interactive exhibit that my girls loved.

 

[MaleficentUK]

Edinburgh. The castle and the city look awesome. Be prepared for lots of steps and hills.

 

[tidefan]

My favorites are Arundel, Warwick, Leeds, and of course... Windsor...

You can do all of these from your base in London/Dover prior to or after the cruise!

 

[scottishclover]

We are headed to the British Isles on the Magic. There are so many ports with castles. The following castles are what I am trying to decide on: Newcastle castle, Edinburgh castle, Alnwick castle, and Stirling castle. Any thoughts on which are ones we must not miss? Thank you!!!

Edinburgh Castle for the one o'clock gun. If you are doing it on your own buy tickets online to avoid the queues. Be aware if you do visit the inside of the castle and want to do it justice, it won't leave you a lot of time to do much else in Edinburgh. Edinburgh and Stirling Castle are both quite similar.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

My favorites are Arundel, Warwick, Leeds, and of course... Windsor...

You can do all of these from your base in London/Dover prior to or after the cruise!

I'll add: If you have any history buffs, Dover Castle is fun from Dover. In/from London proper, the Tower is ultra-touristy but a great deal of fun if you let it be. Do a walking tour with one of the warders (free).

 

[Disneyfriend]

I'm wondering the same thing. I am a history buff on my first trip to the British Isles, so of course my inclination is to see EVERY castle and take every possible tour.

But . . . I have to think of my kids (who will be 11 and 13 at the time). They love history, but will still have the normal immaturity of their ages.

I frequently think of my cousin's trip to Europe. Although quite intellectual and interested in seeing the historical sights, she eventually reached the point of castle overload. Toward the end of her trip, she literally sat on the tour bus because she couldn't bear to see another castle.

I don't want that to happen to my family. Or to me!!

ps. . . We are doing the British Isles tour, plus planning to spend another 4 or 5 days in the London area. This sounds like a lot of time, but there are just so many wonderful things to do and see. I'm really struggling with how to fit things in without burning us out completely!

 

[clareyfairymouse]

Edinburgh castle is great, definitely one to do.
As others have said, book tickets online first as the queue can be quite long at peak times.

 

[Canadian Girl]

Be aware that Edinburgh is very much a tourist trap. We spent several days there last summer and I was very disappointed with the castle after visiting castles in Wales. It was very crowded and the town while beautiful was very expensive for tourists. Something else to do is Mary's Close, a now underground old part of the city on the main street. We will be back there on a cruise in 2018. Not sure what we will do for the day.

 

[Vicki106]

We just returned from a family trip to London on Monday. I would highly recommend Leeds Castle. It is gorgeous and is not to be missed. We also went to the White Cliffs of Dover and drove past Dover Castle. It is situated on the cliffs and looked great, but it just didn't fit into our schedule. In Scotland, we visited both Stirling Castle and Edinburgh Castle. My favorite of those 2 would be Stirling, but it is a close race. Both were amazing. Have fun and enjoy!

 

[bobbiwoz]

Edinburgh castle is a must see!

Agree! We went to it during the Military Tattoos!

 

[hrhdhd]

Not exactly a castle, but in Edinburgh there's also the Palace of Holyroodhouse, which is at the other end of the Royal Mile from Edinburgh Castle.

https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/visit/palace-of-holyroodhouse

 

[Princess Leia]

Not exactly a castle, but in Edinburgh there's also the Palace of Holyroodhouse, which is at the other end of the Royal Mile from Edinburgh Castle.

https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/visit/palace-of-holyroodhouse

I would agree that this is a really interesting place to visit. It is particularly good if you are interested in Mary Queen of Scots. You can do an audio tour that makes it really accessible.

Edinburgh Castle is also worth visiting.

I enjoyed Alnwick Castle although it was freezing the day we were there in September.

 

[Chiasgirl]

Our favourite castle is Alnwick. It is much less crowded than Edinburgh and there are a lot of great activities going on all day. If anyone in your family is a Harry Potter or Downton Abbey fan, they will recognize some of the places.

 

[woody64]

I would say Edinburgh #1, Sterling and nearby Doune castle (for Monty Python and Outlander fans) #2

 

[kgwoozle]

I don't know how much time you have in Edinburgh but I enjoy craigmillar castle. It is a well preserved ruin that you can get up close and personal with and have it mostly to yourself. I would do it in addition to Edinburgh Castle. Take a cab or the bus to the Royal Infernery Hospital then walk up the hill.

 

[Scraptographer]

We have visited the UK a couple of times and although I enjoy castles, I agree with one of the above posters that as a family you can quickly get 'castle burnout'. We did a British Isles cruise on the Ocean Princess in the summer of 2014 (I think) and I did a trip report with photos - if you Google something like Disney Sheep British Isles cruise report, it should come up (it is on another cruise board or I would link it).

We were fortunate to stay overnight in Edinburgh and we did Edinburgh Castle first thing on our first day. We also climbed Arthur's Seat which 'looms' over Holyrood Palace, and we visited the National Museum and saw 'Dolly' the cloned and now stuffed sheep. If you are Harry Potter fans I highly recommend enjoying a meal or at least a tea break at the Elephant House where JK Rowling wrote part at least part of the first Harry Potter book. There is also a graveyard near there where jK was inspired by some of the names for characters in the book. There is so much to do in Edinburgh. We thought that Edinburgh castle was neat as castles go. Our daughter has also visited Stirling Castle with her theatre group and she enjoyed that as well.