Aberdeen City & Shire

Castle Fraser, Garden & Estate

One of Scotland’s largest tower houses, with an impressive portrait collection

Overview

Alert warning

Following national advice concerning social distancing and mass events and gatherings, we’ve taken the difficult decision to close all our gated properties (historic buildings, visitor centres, visitor facilities, cafés, shops and toilets) and suspend all events across Scotland with effect from Friday 20 March 2020. The estate will remain open.

View of Castle Fraser’s main entrance in autumn

Overview

Stand before one of the largest tower houses in Scotland.
Discover quirky features such as the Laird’s Lug, hidden trapdoors, secret staircases and a spy hole!
Admire fascinating family treasures and portraits, including a Raeburn.
Venture up to the top of the round tower for incredible views.
Let young imaginations run free in the Woodland Secrets play area.

Today’s Opening Hours

Castle: Closed
Garden: 10.00–16.00
Grounds: All year, daily, dawn–dusk
Shop: Closed
Tearoom: Closed

See full opening times

Entry prices

Adult: £14.50
Concession: £11.00
Family: £33.00
One adult family: £27.50
Young Scot: £1.00

See all entry prices

Membership

At all Trust places, admission is free for members.

Join from £4.50 / month

Close-up of the Castle Fraser towers
The servants’ quarters in Castle Fraser
Tall trees in Castle Fraser woodland
A sunny day in the Castle Fraser walled garden

About this place

With a core that possibly dates back to the 1450s, Castle Fraser is a fabulous place to soak up the atmosphere of old Scotland. Later additions made the building into a huge fortified structure, one of the largest tower houses in the country.

Home of the Fraser family for more than 400 years, the castle is filled with family portraits, ornaments and mementos – all of which have their own colourful stories to tell about the lairds.

The traditional walled garden includes specimen trees, herbaceous borders, a medicinal border and organically grown fruit and vegetables.

The designed landscape you see today at Castle Fraser was established in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Walking the trails in this attractive parkland setting, you can see how the estate’s design combined practical functionality with impressive vistas.