Website is terrific for the castle, buying a ticket online was easy and this way we did not have to figure out where to buy tickets or wait in lines but I saw no lines anyway and it was middle of afternoon when we arrived during a weekday. We also saw what was the very end of a few peeps from a military wedding party departing as we entered the grounds. So we did see some kilts and nice looking dressy uniforms brisking away! We were going to follow the tour guide but we could barely hear him so decided to walk about ourselves. Honestly it is a lovely cobblestone grounds, great views from the top but confusing to figure out which way one should go to explore and the website makes it to be more then it really is. Have no idea if a map is offered anywhere? Some places are inaccessible due to the grounds are still used by military regiments as their headqrts. & apartments. The most interesting part is the POW underground area. Just note that it is mid June and before you even get into the castle they are already setting up the massive August festival platforms which truly takes away the entrance to the castle and looks like instead a concert is about to take place, truly dissapointing to see this eyesore of blue bleachers! Definately overpriced to say the least but so is everthing else in Edinburgh for that matter, especially if traveling on the poor American dollar! I would suggest you visit the website and save your money and see the castle from the outside and spend more time walking on the Royal Mile checking things out.

Although this is the attraction that every visitor to Edinburgh goes to see, we felt it was overpriced for what it was, and too touristy. You can find many better castles in Scotland or in Wales. The problem with Edinburgh Castle is that large parts of it are not accessible so you don't really get the feeling of how life was in the Castle. Better to visit a less touristy castle where the entrance fee is lower and you can wander freely up the towers, around the turrets, into the rooms and you begin to feel the atmosphere and imagine what life must have been like. Many Welsh castles will let you do this - Caernarfon or Harlech for example. Edinburgh Castle's other boast is the view over the city which is certainly spectacular, but can also be seen for free from Carlton Hill without the company of hundreds of other tourists. In my view a visitor to Edinburgh can safely skip the Castle; Edinburgh has a wealth of other attractions and tours to choose from.

We visited the Castle on our trip to Edinburgh and went early morning which turned out to be a wise decision.

We arrived there about 9:30 and spent a couple of hours looking around. When we arrived, we got our tickets within about 5 minutes however the queue as we were leaving was massive and I bet would have taken probably half an hour just to buy the tickets.

Entry cost is £11 per person which on reflection seems a bit pricey as a lot of the buildings are not open to the public but it was a nice way to pass a couple of hours.

The views from the castle are amazing and offers some great photo opportunities.

Unfortunately they dont allow you to take photos inside the buildings for some reason and some of the museum displays are a bit dated and cramped in but other areas such as the prisons are good to see,

If you are going on foot be prepared for an up hill walk to get there but its close to the city centre so is within easy reach of the stations and hotels etc

It was windy and cold on the day we went but all in all its worthwhile to see whilst in Edinburgh

There isa lot of history in the environs of Edinburgh Castle, but it is the most "commercial" castle I found in Eastern Scotland. Very limited access to rooms/areas - you cannot walk the wall, for example - and most interior rooms do not allow any photograpghy. Wonderful views of the city of Edinburgh, good information on Scottish war heritage.