Wheelchair Accessible Edinburgh Castle

Accessibility :

Wheelchair Accessible Building (mostly),
Wheelchair Accessible Toilets,
Parking Available near Entrance
(Advance Booking/Blue Badge Holders only)

Further Info

Official Website

Official Access Guide

Official HES Access Map

Euan’s Guide

Simply Emma Blog

Tripadvisor

More....

For details of other wheelchair accessible hotels, wheelchair-friendly eating and drinking options and wheelchair accessible attractions in Edinburgh, see the Wheelchair Accessible Edinburgh Guide

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The majority of Edinburgh Castle is wheelchair accessible.

Arrival at Edinburgh Castle by Car

Between October and May, there are 6 accessible Blue Badge parking spaces on the Castle Esplanade (which is directly in front of the entrance to Edinburgh Castle). To book one of the spaces, call +44(0) 131 225 9846 or email ecadmissions@hes.scot.

There are also 5 accessible parking bays in the nearby NCP Edinburgh Castle Terrace car park. However, Castle Terrace is located below Edinburgh Castle, so manual wheelchair users might need a good push up the hill (powerchair users should be OK though). These spaces are allocated on a “first come” basis too though – it’s not possible to book them in advance.

Vehicles/taxis can drop passengers off on the Castle Esplanade too though (this is directly in front of the entrance to Edinburgh Castle). However, between June and September, Castle Esplanade is closed to traffic (due to the Edinburgh Military Tattoo preparations) so you will be dropped off slightly further away.

 

Arrival at Edinburgh Castle by Public Transport

Train:

The nearest train station is Edinburgh Waverley Train Station.

However, although it looks reasonably close on a map, Edinburgh Waverley Station is also at the foot of the hill leading up to Edinburgh Castle. My advice if arriving at Edinburgh Waverley would be to take a wheelchair accessible taxi, from the taxi rank at the station, up the hill to Edinburgh Castle.

If you do decide to walk (or be pushed) though, which is definitely possible, then I would recommend leaving Edinburgh Waverley Station via the two wheelchair accessible lifts which take you towards Waverley Market (the opposite direction!), turning right onto Princes Street, then again turning right onto North Bridge, and crossing the bridge. Turn right again (into High Street), and trundle up to Edinburgh Castle from there. This is a circuitous route – but the two lifts at Edinburgh Waverley, and the roundabout route, minimise the gradient.

There is a shorter route (via Cockburn Street), but Cockburn Street is seriously steep – and any wheelchair pusher will struggle.

Trams & Buses:

These also arrive near Waverley Market on Princes Street, so simply follow the directions above too (the bit from Princes Street to Edinburgh Castle anyway).

Entrance - Access to Edinburgh Castle

Access to Edinburgh Castle includes rolling across a slatted wooden bridge from Castle Esplanade. The gradient here is no more than 5 degrees.

Once inside Edinburgh Castle you arrive at the lowest point. There is a wheelchair accessible vehicle here (which can also carry motorised wheelchairs depending on dimensions). This vehicle will take you up to Crown Square (which is almost the highest point of Edinburgh Castle). And you simply roll back down from there.

But this is where the not-so-good news starts:

Edinburgh Castle Building Accessibility

Because of the age of Edinburgh Castle (there has been a fort on this rock since the Iron Age), some parts are steep; and access to many areas of Edinburgh Castle involves steps.

And cobbles abound!

And it is these cobbles which may be the biggest problem for you.

Wheelchair Accessible Toilets at Edinburgh Castle

There are wheelchair accessible toilets at the entrance, where you first arrive. More wheelchair accessible toilets are available in Crown Square, where the motorised transport will drop you off. And there are wheelchair accessible toilets in the step-free Redcoat Café (although these are currently closed – but have been replaced by temporary portaloos). The wheelchair accessible toilets in Crown Square are very nearby though.

Wheelchair Accessible Cafe/Restaurant at Edinburgh Castle

As stated above, Redcoat Café is step-free, and normally has wheelchair accessible toilets too (also see above).

The Simply Emma blog reports accessible features that are not yet mentioned on the Official Edinburgh Castle Website.

See the Wheelchair Accessible Edinburgh Guide for details of other wheelchair accessible attractions, restaurants and hotels in Edinburgh.

Photo credit: Edinburgh Castle from the Ross Fountain in Edinburgh’s Princes Street Gardens, by Eduardo Vieira from Pixabay.

If this information has assisted you in planning your travels with your wheelchair, please consider making a donation to my Virtual Kiltwalk appeal for 2022 – in aid of FareShare. And thanks to an ADDITIONAL donation of 50% by Sir Tom Hunter, FareShare will actually receive 150% of the amount that you donate!

Thanks, Iain.

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