Urquhart Castle
Urquhart Castle is a castle that sits beside Loch Ness. On the map, it sits 21 km southwest of Inverness. It is protected as a scheduled monument.
Castle near Inverness
One of the best-known places to visit in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
#99 of the 8,556 museums, castles, gardens and other attractions we list, by how widely it is covered (27 Wikipedias). About ↓
A trip from Inverness
Urquhart Castle is 21 km southwest of Inverness. Towns near it ↓
Cared for by Historic Environment Scotland
One of the places Historic Environment Scotland looks after; members usually get in free. About ↓
Scheduled monument
On the official list of protected heritage; Inverness has 299 listed buildings in all, on its History page. About ↓
Written from OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, NRS’s localities and Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Weather, month by month
For warmth, aim for June to August (17–19°C highs in Inverness).
Urquhart Castle
Care of the site is provided by Historic Environment Scotland. Its Wikipedia coverage spans 27 languages. Close by, Aldourie Castle is 11 km away, one of 2 within 15 km.
- Type
- Castle
- Run by
- Historic Environment Scotland
- Listed
- Scheduled monument
- Wikipedias
- Covered in 27 languages
- Town
- 21 km southwest of Inverness
Hours, entry and address
- EntryA fee is charged
Urquhart Castle at a glance
Urquhart Castle is in orange, with the places near it numbered as below.
© OpenStreetMap contributors · NRS locality 2022
Towns near Urquhart Castle
The most populous of the 8 is Inverness, at 48,257. The towns are in order of distance, its own town first.
Inverness
Milton of Leys
Muir of Ord
Westhill
Compare the 8 towns
| Town | Where Urquhart Castle is | People | Places to visit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inverness | 21 km northeast of it | 48,257 | 12 |
| Milton of Leys | 21 km northeast of it | 3,168 | 9 |
| Muir of Ord | 21 km north of it | 2,832 | 5 |
| Westhill | 24 km northeast of it | 5,681 | 13 |
| Smithton | 25 km northeast of it | 2,905 | 14 |
| Culloden | 26 km northeast of it | 3,699 | 12 |
| Dingwall | 31 km north of it | 5,274 | 9 |
| Aviemore | 40 km east of it | 2,841 | 3 |
While you are near Urquhart Castle
There are 2 within 15 km, 2 castles among them.
Within 15 km, close and well known first. Numbers match the map.
Questions before you go
Where is Urquhart Castle?
Urquhart Castle is 21 km southwest of Inverness, Highland.
What is Urquhart Castle?
Castle that sits beside Loch Ness.
Who runs Urquhart Castle?
Historic Environment Scotland, so members usually get in free; check opening times before you go.
When is the best time to visit Urquhart Castle?
June to August are the warmest months in Inverness, with afternoon highs of 17–19°C (Met Office 1991–2020 averages).
Is Urquhart Castle a listed building?
Yes: scheduled monument.
What else is there to see near Urquhart Castle?
Within 15 km: Aldourie Castle (11 km) and Beaufort Castle (15 km).
Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the NRS 2022 locality (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.