The beautiful castle is only to be viewed from the outside as it is a true home to the royal family and we respect their privacy, but, still, it's well worth a visit only when no royals are in residence. Their favourite time of year is about 6 weeks around August, so try not to go then. The dance hall... More

We were really anticipating seeing a large, "modern" Scottish castle and grounds. When we arrived and forked over 9 pounds apiece, our expectations were enforced. We were told that there was transport up to the castle, but it was "mainly for old and handicapped people". Since we are young and in good shape, we elected to walk, especially since there... More

Worth a visit but not much to see compared with other castles on Deeside like Crathes and Drum.

Even a dismal, dreary, wet and cold day could not dampen our spirits as we toured Balmoral Castle's grand ballroom, grounds and gardens. We thoroughly enjoyed our tour. All the staff were very polite and helpful. Beautiful and stunning. Recommend arranging to also visit the Royal Lochnagar distillery and Braemar Castle(Fri, Sat and Sun only) for a full day. Wear... More

You know you are not going to see much inside but the grounds are fantastic - spotted 2 red squirrel on way back to car. The restaurant/cafe is very poor though. The worst we had experienced in our two days in the area. Bought in cakes that were dry and poor in quality. The shop is selling tat with a... More

We travelled over an hour and a half over one of the worst roads in scotland to see this castle and we got to see virtually nothing. First of all, the car park is a pay and display so you have to pay a couple of pounds before you even get near the castle. I had checked out the website... More

The audio tour was good but thought that the video in the ballroom was a bit dated showing John Major as Prime Minister. Thought they would have something more up-to-date for the Diamond Jubilee. The tea room was lovely and we had a decent lunch. It's a lovely place to walk round but much better when the sun shines.

I was disappointed with the gardens as I visited in July, just before the Royal Family were due to arrive. Nice to be able to walk in the grounds, but you see little of the house.

Though the outlying area is not much to look at,wait till you see the grounds and the castle .Simply wonderful.