Getting here
Craigievar Castle is 6 miles south of Alford, 15 miles north-west of Banchory and 26 miles west of Aberdeen. The entrance and main drive are signposted off the A980 (Alford to Banchory road).
Please note that some route planning sites and sat-nav systems will provide directions to reach the castle via the south drive. The south drive is not accessible to vehicles and there is no parking available, as the properties at the end of the drive are privately owned.
For further road information and route guidance, please see the Planning section below.
There is no direct public transport to the castle. There are bus services to Alford, Lumphanan and Aboyne, from where you can then take a taxi to Craigievar. It is advisable to pre-arrange the taxi for both directions.
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Opening times
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Castle, shop and kiosk
The castle operates guided tours only, with a first-come, first-served allocation to places. Advance booking is not possible. Tours are limited to a maximum of 10 people per tour and run at approximately 45-minute intervals, with the last tour at the times shown below. The castle, shop and kiosk close when the last tour starts.
- Current period 28 Oct–3 Apr 2025, closed 4 Apr–31 May, Fri–Mon, 10.30–16.00 1 Jun–31 Aug, daily, 10.30–16.00 1 Sep–29 Sep, Fri–Mon, 10.30–16.00 30 Sep–26 Oct, Sat–Sun, 11.00–15.00 27 Oct–31 Dec, closed
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Grounds
- Current period 1 Jan–31 Dec, daily, dawn–dusk
Entry prices
- Adult
- £16.50
- Concession
- £12.50
- Family
- £37.50
- One adult family
- £33.00
- Young Scot
- £1.00
- Adult
- Free
- Family
- Free
- One adult family
- Free
- Concession
- Free
Planning your visit
Please note that we do not have EV charging facilities at Craigievar. The nearest ones are at Torphins (9 miles) and Alford (8 miles).
3G/4G phone coverage can be very poor.
At the moment, both trails are open but residual damage from storms Arwen, Babet, Gerrit and Kathleen have weakened some tree roots to the extent that any high winds may cause further fallen branches and trees. We check the trails regularly and may need to close them at short notice.
Drone flying is not permitted at this property without prior permission and approval. Commercial operators should contact the Trust’s Filming Manager at filming@nts.org.uk.
Please see our drop-down Facilities below for helpful information about planning your visit. For more information about planning your visit, please see our frequently asked questions.
Additional route guidance for driving to Craigievar
There are three routes from Aberdeen (east):
1) Follow the A944 via Westhill, Elrick and Dunecht to Alford and then take the A980 south until you see the signs for Craigievar Castle, directing you to the right up the main drive.
2) Follow the A944 until the major set of traffic lights before Westhill. Turn left onto the B9119 and follow this for approximately 17 miles to the junction with the A980. Take a sharp right and follow the A980 for approximately 2 miles until you see the brown signs directing you to the left, up the main drive.
3) Follow the A944 until the major set of traffic lights before Westhill. Turn left onto the B9119 and follow this for approximately 16 miles. About 1 mile after climbing a long sweeping hill with views of a valley and two wind turbines, there is a turning to the right between the last two houses, signposted Kintochter; it is marked on maps as Old Military Road. Follow this to the end and then turn right onto the A980. Follow the A980 until you see the brown signs directing you to the left, up the main drive. (Please note the Old Military Road is single track with passing places and has a sharp left corner just before reaching the A980.)
From Ballater (west):
Follow the A93 towards Aberdeen until you reach the junction with the B9119 on the left. Follow the B9119, through Tarland, until the junction with the A980. Turn left and follow the A980 for approximately 2 miles until you see the brown signs directing you to the left, up the main drive.
From Inverness or Alford (north):
Follow signs to Alford and then take the A980 south until you see the signs for Craigievar Castle, directing you to the right up the main drive.
From Banchory (south):
Follow the A980 from Banchory until you see the signs for Craigievar Castle, directing you to the left up the main drive.
Please note some sat-nav directions may wish to take you through narrow winding roads as these may be ‘shorter’ than the routes set out above.
Facilities & access
- Access to the castle may be difficult for people with limited mobility as there are stone steps leading into the castle and shop.
- Access to the upper floors is via steep, spiral stone stairs.
- The shop is down four steps from the entrance lobby.
- The grounds around the castle are accessible.
- The trails are on unsurfaced paths, are very steep in sections and can be slippery in wet weather.
We have an ongoing programme of accessible content development. Detailed accessibility guides for the most visited Trust places are available on our Accessibility pages as well as links to useful resources.
We’d love you to visit the Euan’s Guide website to review the accessibility of Trust places and tell us (and others) what’s good and where we need to do better.
Cycle racks are available in the car park.
Dogs are allowed in the grounds but please keep them on a short lead in the marked area in the vicinity of the castle and when close to fields with livestock.
The castle operates guided tours only, with a first-come, first-served allocation to places. Advance booking is not possible.
Tours are limited to a maximum of 10 people per tour and run at approximately 30-minute intervals during opening hours.
We have three holiday cottages in the grounds at Craigievar Castle:
North Mains (sleeps 4)
South Mains (sleeps 6)
Steading Cottage (sleeps 4)
Booking a holiday with the National Trust for Scotland helps us to protect these places, now and for the future.
There is no tearoom at Craigievar but hot and cold drinks, pre-wrapped cakes, crisps and ice creams can be purchased from the kiosk in the grounds. Sit at the picnic tables and enjoy the view of the castle.
Car parking is free for members. The car park is 300m from the castle.
Sit at the picnic tables and enjoy the view of the castle, and perhaps enjoy an ice cream, drink or snack from our kiosk.
The Woodland Trail is open around the castle grounds and the meadows below it – with a wide variety of plants and animals to see.
At the moment, both trails are open but residual damage from storms Arwen, Babet, Gerrit and Kathleen have weakened some tree roots to the extent that any high winds may cause further fallen branches and trees. We check the trails regularly and may need to close them at short notice.