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Tantallon Castle

Tantallon Castle

Tantallon Castle
4.5
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
Set on the edge of the cliffs, looking out to the Bass Rock, this formidable castle was a stronghold of the Douglas family. Ascend Tantallon’s towers for spectacular views of the Bass Rock and to watch gannets plunge into the North Sea. Then descend into the depths of a particularly grim pit prison. The castle was home to the powerful Red Douglas dynasty, which often clashed with the Crown. It was besieged by both James IV and James V but was ultimately destroyed by Oliver Cromwell’s troops in a siege of 1651. Many artefacts are displayed to help tell its dramatic stories.
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  • Amy Hadden M
    20 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Tantallon!
    This is the most beautiful place I've ever seen. The castle is huge and you can go inside on your own. Some areas are closed but this did not detract from the experience of being in a very old castle with an incredible history. It's more of a wild castle than, say, Edinburgh or Stirling. The views are stunning of the sea and the countryside. It's very dramatic, esp with the wind blowing and the waves crashing... Staff at the visitors' center are friendly, knowledgeable, and open to questions. It's not difficult to get to without a car. From Edinburgh, take the train to N Berwick. Then, grab the 120 bus and ask the driver to drop you at Tantallon. Take your time approaching the castle and take in the history and the landscape.
    Visited October 2023
    Travelled solo
    Written 12 November 2023
  • Mike the Diver
    Edinburgh, United Kingdom224 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Brilliant Attraction
    Been here a few times with my now 8 year old. Very impressive ruin, big enough to easily spend a good couple of hours and a really fascinating insight into medieval history. As my child remarked "How come they built this 500 years ago and it's still standing but houses they build nowadays fall apart?" Lovely grounds too and a fantastic view down onto Seacliff Beach and across to the imposing Bass Rock. Great value for money too and plenty of (free) car parking
    Visited February 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 11 February 2024
  • Emmandeye
    191 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Excellent Castle Visit
    Great visit, highly recommend. The castle is really interesting and the HES team on duty were knowledgable and friendly. The structure is remarkable, a curtain wall design. An insight into the past. You can walk round the parapet, going up and down via narrow winding stairs. Great views of the bays, beaches and headlands of the area, and of course of Bass Rock. Lots of flora and fauna to be seen, even on a cold day in March - Reed Bunting, Stonechat, Fulmar, Kestrel, Eider......some interesting plants too. It's worth noting that there are clean toilets here as well.
    Visited March 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 28 March 2024
  • Alisdair Gray
    Hamilton, United Kingdom298 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Rugged ruin, rather remarkable!
    A fantastic ruin with some of the best views on the East Coast of Scotland. Plenty to see and do here and some steep climbs up to the top of the castle walls! Was a bit muddy underfoot but it did not spoil our day. Staff were great. Very enthusiastic and knowledgeable. Entry was reasonable too, and I liked the wee gift shop as well.
    Visited April 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 10 April 2024
  • nibblers2016
    Bridlington, United Kingdom122 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A truly atmospheric and special place
    Wow! What a truly fabulous castle. Although the castle is in ruins there is enough still there to give you a real feeling of what it may have been like to live and work there. The setting, being on the edge of the cliff, is very atmospheric, especially when the sea mist rolled in. The pink stone is beautiful and gives the castle a very romantic feel. We've visited a lot of castles but this one will definitely stand out as being one of the more beautiful and interesting ones. The staff in the shop were very friendly and the information boards really helped to bring the castle back to life. It's definitely a very special place.
    Visited May 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 26 May 2024
  • GoingGuide
    Nottingham, United Kingdom2,458 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Stunning views
    Excellent place to visit situated on the coast just east of North Berwick. Gives a good historical summary of life and events that took place at the castle and the surrounding region. Staff were very welcoming and helpful. Views from the tower and the walls were excellent. Worth a visit.
    Visited July 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 31 July 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

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4.5
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Gerry M
Glasgow, UK11 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2020
Instead of promoting the visitor experience, The Civil Servants in charge during COVID have just made it a difficult task to visit and enjoy this piece of Scottish Heritage. If you’re driving by and decide to drop in, forget it.
After parking and then walking the 1/4 mile down the boring drive, boring because they have cultivated a tall hedge to block your views on both sides of the roadway, you get to the obligatory shop and a tall fence, each set to prevent you seeing the castle and view unless you pay online. Although the shop will take your money there and then, they will not sell you a ticket. You have to go online and try to book from their website and that’s where the civil service notion of a good idea to centralise ticket sales let’s them down. If the visitor number is at max, the website won’t let you book, but it won’t tell you why you can’t book.
Hopeless! And it’s back along the boring road with no view to your car and move on to some other attraction that wants visitors. Come on Historic Environment Scotland, look at the sites you have been given responsibility for and think about the visitor experience and make it better. At Tantallon, provide clear info about the parking, sell tickets locally and for goodness sake cut the hedges so the view can be seen.
Written 22 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback regarding your visit to Tantallon Castle. We are very sorry to hear that you were so disappointed with your experience when visiting us. We have introduced entry time slots so that we can manage capacity on arrival at sites and to help with physical distancing and overall visitor experience and safety during this difficult time. Getting our visitor experience right whilst also keeping our visitors safe is an important balance for us. We made every effort to promote that tickets must be booked online in advance and recommended that our website be reviewed, as well as using various media outlets to inform potential visitors and the general public of these revised arrangements. We are very sorry that this was not clear to you before your visit and we will continue to review the information available to visitors. We’re taking all feedback on board as we navigate through the ever evolving new circumstances and we will do what we can to improve the experience of our visitors. Thank you again for your feedback.
Written 1 October 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Philip W
Leeds, UK195 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2022
Be aware there are 2 car parks, one next to the entrance and one by the road.
Entrance is currently free of charge. It is a great shame that Heritage Scotland have felt it necessary to close a massive number of their sites for safety reasons but hope they open soon.
Nonetheless it is still impressive (with a fine view of Bass Rock). Staff were on site preparing interior pictures for visitors - sound very interesting.
Well worth a visit.
Written 3 May 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Peter
7 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020
Didn't catch his name, but the male staff member who was working while we were there was absolutely fantastic. Very welcoming and took the time to chat and advise us on other places to visit, really made a big difference.
The castle itself is great, full of information inside and the scenery is amazing. Very glad we chose to make an impromptu visit.
Written 5 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

robandsue51
Sheffield, UK11 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2020 • Couples
The castle site offers a great view of Bass Rock and the Forth. The castle itself is pretty much a ruin, but the staff are extremely helpful in pointing out the key features. Notice boards around the site are also very helpful in explaining The castle history and what to look out for. That Oliver Cromwell has a lot to answer for! Definitely worth the short detour from the main road.
Pre-booking is essential during present pandemic, but the upside of that is that you are almost alone for the duration of your visit.
Written 27 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Hathor01
Sheffield, UK72 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020
We visited today with young kids and loved it. The castle has just re-opened and there are sensible one way systems and plenty of sanitiser in place. The dungeon and middle tower are out of bounds because of social distancing restrictions, but there is still plenty to see and explore.

The setting is phenomenal, and the ruins are great. It was super windy - so make sure you take warm stuff, but it just added to the atmosphere and the fun. We had a baby in a sling and toddlers with us - and managed the spiral staircases no problem with extra care from the grown ups.

There are toilets, and small gift shop and some picnic tables.
Written 28 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Nicola C
Salies-de-Bearn, France27 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2024 • Friends
A beautiful site. The castle is located on a plateau on the edge of a cliff.
We were lucky enough to have a wonderful day with a great sun.
The view is superb and the castle deserves a visit. Certainly it is partly in ruins but one can access on the ramparts by narrow spiral stairs. There is also a room where objects discovered at the castle are displayed. A small booklet for £1 in French, available at the counter, allows you to fully understand the eventful history of this castle.
Small clarifications: the toilets at the reception are of impeccable cleanliness.
A few hundred meters away, set back from the road is an ideal place to eat. Great sea views, and good food.
Automatically translated
Written 21 September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Nick S
Oxford, UK149 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2020 • Couples
A hefty walk along the beach from North Berwick (watch the tides and check your path or stay on the road) or a bus ride from the town, this was not to be missed. Views out onto crashing waves and masses of seabirds out by the Bass Rock: this was an awesome spot!
The red castle walls are foreboding, majestic and even with some restrictions for the pandemic there was access to the battlements. Staff on hand were helpful and friendly- more than making up for having to book beforehand (a minor irritation), information boards were, well, informative, and on the whole a really enjoyable afternoon.
I’m not a huge fan of cafes at such sites- but Tantallon, if you’re thinking about it, even a stall in the car park would be welcome...
Written 1 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Molly
Stockport, UK15 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2021 • Couples
Visited today with my boyfriend just before they closed. Wonderful free to enter historical site with very friendly staff. When we arrived we received a warm welcome and then proceeded to make our way up to the castle. Unfortunately the castle is currently closed due to structural problems, but that honestly didn’t falter our experience and we still really enjoyed walking around the site and learning about it. They also have a very cute little gift shop which has everything you could want! Would love to visit again when the castle re-opens but honestly don’t let the fact that you can’t currently enter the castle put you off - it’s still very much worth a visit!
Written 15 October 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

annie m
50 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2022 • Couples
Twice in three weeks.
Even poor weather doesn't spoil it here. The views are great. We got to choose our touring pitch and with it being less busy in October, had beautiful views of Bass Rock for two of our 3 nights.
Great facilities. Best we've had. Close to a good garage that got us a new tyre fitted the next day from noticing damage. Good train service to Edinburgh. The station is an easy 1.5 mile walk. Or the bus leaves from Tesco almost opposite.
Fabulous walks in dry weather and fabulous views in poor weather.
Written 6 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jacqui M
632 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2020 • Couples
Just a short drive from North Berwick, this mediaeval castle has an imposing presence by the sea. Don’t miss a peek in the dovecot which used to provide young pigeons for castle feasts! Despite the castle being in ruins, you can still visit some of the rooms and imagine how they lived in days gone by. The walk along the curtain wall is a must-do, for spectacular views of the castle grounds and also across to the Bass Rock and Berwick Law. A very pleasant visit, made better by the sun shining.
Written 11 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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TANTALLON CASTLE (2024) All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

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