A view of the Old Tower at Drum Castle, standing beside the Jacobean extension of the castle. The tower is square with battlements. A large area of mown grass is in the foreground.

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Drum Castle

Places

Aberdeen City & Shire

Drum Castle, Garden & Estate

Planning your visit

Alert warning

Please note that our Little Oaks play area will be closed for its winter hibernation from Monday 4 November 2024.

Getting here

Drum Castle is 3 miles west of Peterculter, 10 miles west of Aberdeen and 8 miles east of Banchory.

Address Drum Castle Drumoak by Banchory Aberdeenshire AB31 5EY

Drum Castle is situated ½ mile off the A93 (the Aberdeen to Banchory road).

Travelling west from Aberdeen, pass through Peterculter. After 3 miles, turn right towards Drum Castle.

Heading east from Banchory, travel 8 miles and then turn left towards Drum Castle.

Buses run every 30 minutes during the day along the A93. The bus stops are ½ mile from the castle (approximately a 20-minute walk).

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Drum Castle is part of ScotRail’s 2-for-1 initiative, which allows two adults entry for the price of one, when they present a valid rail ticket and a paper voucher.

Find out more and download your voucher from the ScotRail website

Contact information

Telephone: 01330 700334

Email address: drum@nts.org.uk

Get directions

Provided by Google Maps

Opening times

Castle, shop and tearoom Entry to the castle is by guided tours, which run throughout the day; last entry at 3pm.: Current period 2 Nov–27 Dec, Sat–Sun, 10.30–16.00 28 Dec–31 Dec, daily, 10.30–16.00 1 Jan–10 Jan 2025, closed 11 Jan–28 Feb, Sat–Sun, 10.30–16.00
Walled garden: Current period 1 Nov–31 Mar 2025, closed
Grounds: Current period 1 Jan–31 Dec, daily, dawn–dusk

Entry prices

Castle & Walled Garden

Adult: £16.00
Family: £36.50
One adult family: £31.50
Concession: £12.50
Young Scot: £1.00

Walled Garden only

Adult: £5.00

Members go free

At all Trust places, admission is free for members.

Join us today

Planning your visit

Please note pre-booking is not required.

Please note that the Tower is currently not accessible to visitors until further notice, due to ongoing structural repairs.

The open walkway and stone walls of the crenellations at the top of the castle are exposed to the harsh Scottish weather and require continual maintenance to ensure they remain watertight. With increasing rainfall posing a greater threat, we are currently investigating new ways of dealing with the water at the top of the tower to ensure that the castle is protected, now and in the future.

This may mean sensitively covering the wall walk and wall heads to prevent water getting into the masonry. This would be the first step in a project that will run over a few years as the water is managed and the tower begins to dry out.

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 note that we do not have EV charging facilities at Drum Castle.

Please see our drop-down Facilities below for helpful information about planning your visit. For more information about planning your visit please see some frequently asked questions.

Facilities & access

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.

Accessible parking

There’s a designated disabled parking area in the main car park and spaces near the walled garden.

Accessible toilet

There’s an accessible toilet through the main archway and to the left of the courtyard.

Baby changing

There are baby changing facilities in the accessible toilet, which is through the main archway and to the left of the courtyard.

Bike facilities

There are bike racks next to the courtyard and in the main car park.

Buggy access

Café

Mary’s Larder tearoom has indoor seating within the castle, as well as a takeaway offer with outdoor seating available in the courtyard.

Children’s activities

Coach parking

Dogs welcome

Dogs are welcome in the grounds but must be kept on a lead while in the car park, near the children’s play areas, in the courtyard and around the castle areas.

Dogs are not allowed in the walled garden.

Guided tour

Hearing loop

A hearing loop is available for castle tours.

Highchair

Holiday accommodation

We have two holiday properties at Drum Castle:

Courtyard Cottage (sleeps 2)

Holly Leaf Cottage (sleeps 2)

Booking a holiday with the National Trust for Scotland helps us to protect these places, now and for the future.

Parking

Car parking is free for members.