This summer (from July 1 to August 4), visitors who happen to be in the Aberdeenshire region of the Scottish Highland may be able to step into the famously cloistered royal home.
The notoriously private residence has been a sanctuary for the royal family since 1852 when it was first purchased for Queen Victoria by Prince Albert. Completed in 1855 as a 167-room castle set in a park of a staggering 50,000 acres of land, Balmoral has since become the ultimate private residence. The late Queen Elizabeth II famously viewed Balmoral as her personal sanctuary, a place she retreated to each summer, and where she breathed her last breath in September 2022.
Balmoral also has long been where members of the Windsor family retreat for holidays and summers away from London. It was the residence where the then Prince Charles and Camilla sheltered during the pandemic, where Princess Diana and Prince Charles ended their honeymoon, and where Princes William and Harry were reportedly informed of their mother’s tragic death.
Visitors are granted access to Balmoral’s grounds each year from April through August, outsiders have never been allowed access to the castle’s interior rooms.
This summer’s interior tours are quite small, limited to just 10 people at a time, and run 100 British pounds ($127) per person, or 150 British pounds ($190) with an additional add-on of afternoon tea. The private tours will visit several of the castle’s rooms although with nearly 170 in total, presumably many won’t make the cut.
Usurpingly, the tours sold out within 24 hours, but would-be visitors would be wise to keep an eye on the website for the possibility of cancellations and additional time slots. And for those not lucky enough to snag a ticket to peer inside the castle’s sanctuary, they can opt for Land Rover expedition tours to see the surrounding parklands and wildlife. They’re also guaranteed to have better luck visiting the Balmoral Estate grounds. Tickets for outdoor visits run under 18 British pounds ($23), and are still available for booking. And with 50,000 acres to explore, that might just be the better deal.
