Peterhead Prison Museum: An Insight into Scotland's Only Convict Prison History

Discover the captivating history of Peterhead Prison Museum, Scotland’s only convict prison. Explore its role in the railway industry, the dramatic SAS siege, and experience the sights, sounds, and smells of this award-winning attraction.

Duration: 4 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Peterhead Prison Museum - Our 5* Multi-Award winning visitor attraction is set within the former HM Convict Prison, Peterhead.
    Unique in many ways including being the only “Convict” prison in Scotland [to come here meant you were sentenced to “penal servitude”]; It had the first “state owned” railway in Britain; and it was the only time the Special…
What's Included
  • Includes an audio set for guided tour
Additional Information

The tour covers the scenario within the one and only ‘Convict’ prison in Scotland.
The tour explains that it accommodated the first ‘state-owned’ railway in Britain, and you’ll have the opportunity to view the previous wagons and equipment utilized in the railway.
The tour expounds and displays to visitors the famous usage of the SAS to terminate a…

Location
Peterhead Prison Museum
South Road, Admiralty Gateway
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(637 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
I9355owjenniferr
Sep 30, 2025
Enjoy a day out - Great place .lovely walk around at own pace .Brilliant value for money .interesting infomatiom with headphones and listening device Also lovely cafe and staff.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
W1753rcjodyc
Sep 29, 2025
Great, funny experience. - Visited yesterday with my 2 sons. Tour was amazing, guy (David) was very informative. Learned loads, left time for questions. Had personal experience working in the jail which made it better. Would defo come back despite travelling from Glasgow!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kathkdavies
Sep 26, 2025
Excellent experience - This was my third visit to Peterhead Prison Museum and as I have done two self guide tours in the past I thought I’d treat myself and a friend to a guided tour. We had a fantastic afternoon with David as our guide he was very knowledgeable and entertaining. The 90 minute we had with him flew by and just whetted our appetite to find out more about the prison’s history. After the tour with David we stopped by the café and enjoyed an excellent lunch with a fantastic view of the harbour. After lunch we made our own way back to the reception centre stopping on the way to read about the various prisoners and their escape attempts. At the reception area we were welcomed back by Jane who very kindly shared some of her family’s experiences during the building of Peterhead harbour. Overall we had a great afternoon and high recommend a visit. Whatever tour you choose to take you’ll have a fantastic time.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Excursion29799962818
Sep 22, 2025
A fab day out - My pal & I visited last Saturday. This was my third trip to the museum (his first) although my first time on the guided tour. David is a brilliant guide, with humour and honesty he gave us the benefit of his 25 years of experience, the majority of that being in the old prison. Well worth the £25 admission fee, the tour lasts 90 min, is packed with information and he encourages questions . All the staff are so welcoming and friendly, the cafe has a lovely menu, with a great selection of locally sourced products and a cracking view. They gave us a hot tip, if you take the early tour, you’ll have time to wander around afterwards, spend time in the exhibits, the barbershop is worth an visit, and read the information boards. All in all 11 out of 10 from us a fab day out.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sarahfr9907st
Sep 21, 2025
Fantastic museum - We did the audio tour..very informative, easy to use and follow with the map. Took our dog as it's dog friendly and only problem we encountered was the mannequins that he had a wee bark at the first one. Dogs also allowed in sitting area of cafe. Very friendly staff. Going back to do the guided tour which comes highly recommended 👌
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Paulfq5365jb
Sep 20, 2025
Worthwhile Visit - I would recommend the guided tour was very good at first hand experience from our guide David Smith. The timing was perfect and the chance afterwards to visit areas we briefly covered and read the information provided
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Gillzer94
Sep 15, 2025
Fantastic guided tour - thoroughly recommend it - We were given a warm welcome at reception and a short explanation as to what to expect. Our guide David (being an ex-warden) was full of interesting stories and was very knowledgeable about the history of the prison. He was happy to answer all of our questions and was very friendly. It was fascinating getting to see what life was like for the prisoners and to hear about the working lives of those entrusted to care for the prisoners. The tour lasted about 1.5 hours, but we visited the cafe afterwards where the staff were equally as nice. We were then given more time to explore the prison in more detail, which we appreciated. We take our hats off to the wardens/officers who do a difficult job and often with little thanks. It is a tour we would thoroughly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
S3301ssdavids
Sep 14, 2025
Great tour - Had an excellent tour round Peterhead prison today. Our guide, David, an ex prison guard, was fantastic. Very knowledgeable, great at answering any questions we had. David took his time guiding us round the prison and didn’t rush us, giving us plenty of time to take in different parts of the prison. 100% would recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Emmar4057
Sep 8, 2025
Brilliant day out - Absolutely brilliant. The museum we have visited which received no complaints from the children and teenagers! Our group spanned 10 year olds to 86 year olds, and all thoroughly enjoyed it
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stobgarbh
Sep 7, 2025
Excellent guided tour - We took the prison tour with guide David Smith. David is an ex prison officer and his explanation and first-hand insight into the operation of the prison together with his almost believable banter on spooks and ghosts made our visit most enjoyable. Excellent visit.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $20
up to 10 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).