I can certainly understand the other reviewer's negative comments about this property. Much of the castle is closed for major restoration projects, including the Royal Lodgings (eventually they will appear as they did during the 1500's). The projects will take many years; the preservation of historical sites is painstakingly slow.

In the meantime, they do have some interesting exhibits. The palace vaults contain exhibits about everyday life at the castle and this exhibit is very well written. The Medieval kitchens presentation has been completed and couldn't be better (outstanding attention to detail). James IV’s Great Hall has been restored (authentically, it does not have furniture). They also have a "prisons of war" exhibit featuring what life was like in prison at the castle during the 1700's- grim as expected.

The castle has built a tapestry studio; they are reweaving replicas of the famous "Hunt of the Unicorn" series. The first two are done and can be seen in the Chapel Royal. At 13:00 the weavers give a talk about how they interpret the original tapestries, maintain historical integrity, weaving techniques, etc. Really, it's more interesting than you might think.

Stirling Castle administrators are still charging the full admission price- about $17-most likely to fund these projects. They charge 2 GBP ($4) for parking. A visit to Argyll's Lodge, a historical home steps away from the castle parking lot, is included in the ticket price. However, skip it if you are pressed for time; it's nothing special.

The pub outside of the castle gates is great with a very cute patio.

First, I should say this was my first and only visit to a castle (and want to see more!) This was my first trip to Europe and only spent a few days in Scotland. My aunt has relatives in Scotland, and she also lived there, and said that Stirling Castle was her favourite.... so of course that's where we had to go.

Now to the review. I must say the whole experience was incredible. We stayed in Glasgow and took the train to Stirling for a day trip. We asked for directions to the castle, and after the guy at the station gave us the directions he said, "just keep walking up.... if you end up downhill you're going in the wrong direction". The walk to the castle was amazing.... everywhere I looked the buildings and roads were so quaint. As we neared the castle, we were up on some hill, the view amazing, and also heard bagpipes in the background. Ahhhhh.

As for the cost to get in, well, everything in Europe is expensive so I really didn't think anything of it.

We went on the free guided tour, I found it very interesting and informative. After the tour, we just went from one area to the next, and I just thought the scenery was beautiful, and I would just think "wow..... I'm really in Scotland".

I'm not sure what my favourite part was.... but I can say that I do think it is worth seeing, the people very friendly, and Stirling itself is a beautiful place.

I can't understand how Stirling castle can be considered one of the most important attraction of Scotland since it has nothing to see! It certainly has an historical significance, but that's not enough for an admission ticket of more than 10£ per person (the most expensive of the 10 castles we visited in Scotland), and though has beautiful exteriors and a nice view on the surrounding plain, you could perfectly see them from the outside, paying just the 2£ of the parking. In the interiors there is absolutely nothing, except for a bare pictorial decoration in the chapel and a wooden roof in the great hall (as an upside down hulk, nothing special anyway). However what gets you annoyed is the swindle of the audioguide: it just goes on repeating sentences such as "try to imagine how this room could have been in the past...what splendour and magnificence it had" ( it HAD because now it HAS literally nothing) or, the best ones: " coud you ever have thought that in this room there was nothing?" and "look at the window painted on the wall: isn't it marvellous?" (it was just the drawing of a window that the painter had made for want of anything better). There isn't any furnishing, any tapestries, any table with chairs, anything at all. The only barely nice attraction is a museum on scottish army (which is free once you've paid the admission ticket) but you would never expect that's the only thing to see in "the castle whose historical importance is second only to Edinburgh castle". If you want to go there my advice is: don't enter, see the exteriors, the view on the plain and then go back to visit all the other castles of Scotland that are really marvellous

We toured a number of castles in Scotland and all of them were worthwhile and had something to recommend them but Stirling Castle is among the best. I walked into the castle and said, "Now, this is what a castle should look like!" It suited my Hollywood-inspired ideals of dimension and grandeure more than any other.

We visited in a downpour and the grounds would have been more appealing and the views more impressive on a clear day but the lowering skies and running water in the gutters somehow added to the atmosphere of this ancient edifice.

One is allowed into most areas of the castle. I found the kitchens to be especially informative and enjoyed the displays in the lower levels as well. Even in the rain, the gardens and the battlements were worth getting soaked to see.

Stirling Castle is one I hope to visit again in fairer weather but I don't regret this visit a bit!