The ancestral seat of the MacLeods on Skye is the isle’s most stunning castle. The castle is built on an elevated rock overlooking an inlet on the eastern shore of Loch Dunvegan. It was first built in the 13th century and developed piecemeal over the centuries. In the 19th century, the whole castle was remodelled in a medieval style – its current appearance dates from about 1840. As impressive as the castle are the beautiful and expansive gardens that surround it, where you can easily get lost for an hour or more by strolling through its different sections. Below we present our Dunvegan Castle and Gardens Travel Guide, which includes information on how to get to the Castle and how to make the most of your time there.
Disclosure: This page (Dunvegan Castle and Gardens Guide) may contain product affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, we may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. More details can be found on our disclosure and policies page.
You might also be interested in these pages:
Top Things to See and Do on Skye
4-Day Roadtrip Isle of Skye Itinerary
Isle of Skye Travel Guide: Things to Know Before You Go
Where to Stay on the Isle of Skye
Skye’s Best Hiking and Walking Trails
7 of the Best Castles to Visit in Scotland
Location of Dunvegan Castle and Gardens
The castle and gardens are located in the northwest of the Isle of Skye, roughly 35 km from Portree (a 35-minute drive). The Castle is located 1.5km north of the Dunvegan village.
For advice and tips on how to drive in Scotland, check out our Scotland Roadtrip Driving Guide. For advice and tips that are more specific to Skye with a focus on single-track roads, check out our Isle of Skye Road Trip Driving Guide.
If you haven’t booked your rental vehicle yet, we highly recommend using Discover Cars to get the best rates on your rental in Scotland.
If you don’t plan on having your own wheels, another option could be to join a Skye group tour with departures from either Portree (Skye), Inverness or Edinburgh.
Dunvegan Castle History
Dunvegan Castle is the oldest continuously inhabited castle in Scotland and has been the ancestral home of the Chiefs of clan MacLeod for over 800 years. Dunvegan has been continuously occupied by the chiefs of Clan MacLeod in an unbroken line, stretching back for over 7 centuries and 30 generations. Originally designed as a fortress to keep people out, today you can tour its beautiful interior steeped in history, stroll through its delightful formal gardens, and take a boat trip to see the Loch Dunvegan seal colony. The site was encircled by a curtain wall that completely protected the promontory on which the castle stands. The only entrance through the wall until 1748 was through a sea gate, which still stands. Almost all other traces of the curtain wall have disappeared.
Architecturally, the castle is built from the work of at least ten building periods ranging from the 1200s to the 1850s. From its impressive entrance hall to its ornately decorated State Rooms, the castle is a unique mix of building styles that reflect the requirements of the clan Chiefs who built them over the centuries. Dunvegan Castle today has a unified design with Victorian dummy pepper-pots and defensive battlements running the entire length of the roof, a romantic restoration carried out by the clan’s 25th Chief between 1840 and 1850.
Visiting the Dunvegan Castle
Parking: There is a large car park by the Castle. There’s also a small café and gift shop located within the car park. Public toilets are also located in the car park (additional toilets are available just outside the Castle)
Hours (2023): 10 am – 5:30 pm (last entry at 5 pm) (from April 1st to October 15th).
Costs (2023): Castle & Gardens (£16 for adults, £11 for children), Gardens only (£14 for adults, £9 for children). There are also rebates for students and seniors as well as family and group reduced fares.
Booking ahead: No need to make a reservation ahead of time, you can purchase a ticket at the front gate upon your arrival. You can however purchase a ticket online to skip the in-person ticket line at the castle ticket booth.
When to visit: Because the castle doesn’t open until the mid-morning, there is no real benefit to arriving for opening with the hope of beating the crowds. Your best bet for fewer people is to arrive later in the day, but know that you can spend at least an hour (and easily two hours) here given the size of the gardens.
If visiting the gardens (or going on a seal boat trip – more on this below) is a priority for you then you might want to try to avoid rainy and windy days.
Here’s a map of the site taken from the official castle website (where you can also find the most up-to-date information on pricing and opening hours). You’ll notice that there is a fair bit of walking involved to visit the castle and gardens. The Castle itself (item #4) is about a 5-minute walk from the car park (item#17).
If visiting the gardens (or going on a seal boat trip) is a priority for you then you might want to try to avoid rainy and windy days.
Seal boat trips: 25-minute seal trips (£12 for adults and £9 for children (2023)) depart daily from the jetty (item #11 on the above map) below Dunvegan Castle between 10 am and 4.30 pm on a first come first served basis (no online or advance booking is currently available), subject to capacity, sea and weather conditions. We unfortunately can’t comment on this activity as we didn’t partake in it due to our late arrival at the castle, so for more information please consult the official castle seal trip page.
Dunvegan Castle Tour
Internally the castle is much more luxuriously decorated than you might expect and it has been modified through the years to make it a more comfortable country home rather than a defensive stronghold
The Dunvegan Castle can either be visited at your own pace or via guided tours depart from the main castle entrance hall at regular intervals between 10.30 a.m. and 4.15 p.m. Regardless of your choice, the visit starts by ascending the main staircase to the first floor where you follow a route that takes you through a bedroom, the so-called “Fairy Tower”, the main reception room of the castle, the library and along a corridor that takes you past the entrance to the old pit dungeon, and finally into a room which houses a collection of memorabilia, including some items belonging to Flora MacDonald. The tour of the castle then descends to the lower quarters where you can see various displays in the rooms that would previously have been working areas for the castle servants.
The three best viewpoints for capturing a good picture of the castle exterior are: 1) directly in front of the main entrance (though it’s difficult to get a shot without people in it), 2) from within the Castle courtyard and 3) from the path connecting the castle gardens to the boat house from which the boat trips depart.
Visiting the Gardens
The Castle Gardens gardens are actually composed of several distinct gardens or themed sections spread out over 5 acres. There’s the Water Garden with its ornate bridges and small islands formal Round Garden featuring a beautiful parterre as its centrepiece, and the Walled Garden, which was formerly the castle’s vegetable garden and is now a diverse range of plants and flowers that complement the attractive features including a water lily pond, Garden Museum, a rare 17th-century lectern sundial, Glass House and the ‘Dunvegan Pebble’, a rotating 2.7 ton Carrara marble sculpture.
Nearby Attractions
The Fairy Pools – A beautiful walk with stunning mountain and waterfall vistas. A classic Skye shot walk where you will be surrounded by stunning scenery. Beautiful cascades, water pools, and the imposing Cuillin Mountains. The trailhead is located a 40-minute drive from the distillery.
Talisker Distillery – Sample some whiskey at Skye’s oldest and most famous distillery, a 30-minute drive away.
Town of Portree – Take a stroll through Skye’s largest town and its colourful harbour homes, located a 30-minute drive from the Castle.
Eilean Donan – Although it’s not quite on Skye, it’s without a doubt a worthy stop on your way in or out of Skye. The castle-to-castle drive will take you about 75 minutes.
Neist Point Lighthouse – A beautiful drive along a long and winding road will take you to the stunning vistas of Skye’s most photogenic lighthouse. The lighthouse is a 25-30 minute drive from the Castle.
Talisker Bay – To find yourself on a beach between sea stacks, cows and a stunning waterfall. A true hidden gem on Skye. A short walk will take you to a stunning beach. The trailhead isn’t far from the Talisker Distillery.
Trotternish Peninsula – A must-see while on Skye. It’s not a single attraction but rather a collection of many, including several waterfalls and hiking trails including the Quiraing and the Old Man of Storr.
Preparing a trip to the Highlands?
You might be interested in these pages:
Top Things to See and Do on Skye
4-Day Roadtrip Isle of Skye Itinerary
Isle of Skye Travel Guide: Things to Know Before You Go
Where to Stay on the Isle of Skye
Skye’s Best Hiking and Walking Trails
Preparing a trip to Scotland?
You might be interested in these Scotland pages:
10-Day Scotland Roadtrip Itinerary (Edinburgh and Highlands)
Scotland Driving Guide and Tips
7 of the Best Castles to Visit in Scotland
Best Things to See in the Scottish Highlands
Best Hikes to do in the Scottish Highlands
We also highly recommend these guidebooks:
Rick Steves Scotland
Lonely Planet Scotland’s Highlands
Photography Gear
If you like our photography, you might be interested in some of the gear we use to shoot our travel and hiking destinations.
Camera Body – Nikon Z 6ii Fx-series Mirrorless Body
Main Lens – NIKON 24-120mm F/4G ED VR AF-S
Zoom Lens – Sigma 745-306 150-600mm f/5-6.3
Polarizing filters – Urth Circular Polarizing (CPL)
Camera Tripod – K&F Concept 64-inch Camera Tripod
Mini-tripod – Lammcou Flexible Camera Tripod
Camera/hiking backpack – Vanguard Alta Rise 48 Backpack
Universal Travel Adapter – VYLEE Universal International Power Travel Plug
Other Travel Essentials
Travel Insurance
SafetyWing is a travel insurance company that offers comprehensive coverage for travellers. Includes Medical Insurance and Travel Insurance. Primarily geared towards long-term travellers, digital nomads, and expats.
e-Sim cards
Airalo is the world’s first and largest eSIM store with eSIM plans for 200+ countries and regions worldwide. With Airalo eSIMs, travellers can get connected the moment they land at their destination and avoid nasty data roaming charges
eSIMS are a sustainable alternative to single-use SIM cards – they are 100% digital, require less energy to produce and be re-used rather than disposed of.
Car Rentals
Discover Cars is our go-to website for car rentals. We almost always find our preferred rate there.
Transfer from Airport
Welcome Pickups is our favourite private transfer service, which you can pre-book at a fixed price. Currently available in 220 cities all over the world (mostly in Europe, but with several major cities in Asia, the Middle East and the US).
Kiwitaxi is another private transfer service – we haven’t tried it yet, but it’s currently available in a few more countries (102 as of 2024).
Hotels and Accommodations (coming soon)
Photography Prints
If you found this blog useful, you can help support our blog by purchasing low-cost digital prints. Printed physical prints are also available for purchase.
—–
—–
Well, that wraps it up! We hope you enjoyed our Dunvegan Castle and Gardens Guide and that it will prove useful for planning your trip to Scotland’s beautiful Isle of Skye.
—–
You might also be interested in these related pages:
1 Comment