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Travel advice for Scotland
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written by Rough Guides Editors
updated 4.01.2023
Are you wondering what are the best things to do in Scotland you need to include in your trip? Read on to make sure you don't miss out on these big ones, taken straight from our travel guide.
The information in this article is inspired by The Rough Guide to Scotland, your essential guide for visiting Scotland.
The Great British Road Trip
Get ready to explore Britain on this unique self-drive road trip. Choose the car of your liking before you hit the road: from the Cotswolds and its picturesque villages over the Beatle's favorite hang-out in Liverpool to Scotland's capital Edinburgh: this trip includes many highlights to be explored
customize ⤍Festive Feelings around Christmas in Scotland
Experience the magic of Christmas in the heart of the Scottish Highlands! Lovely Christmas Markets and winter festivals await visitors during the winter months, but this itinerary can also be turned into a summer festival hop!
customize ⤍Scotland's Wildest Natural Scenery
Want to lose yourself in Scotland's wildest natural scenery? This itinerary is a breath of fresh air and perfect to explore the most enchanting landscapes of the Highlands. It will allow you to get to know the wildest landscapes of Scotland, its fast-paced history and its amazing traditions.
customize ⤍A true 'Outlander' Adventure
Calling all Outlander lovers…you are in luck! Who would like to follow in the footsteps of the nurse Claire Beauchamp on her trip to Scotland in 1743? We have designed the perfect itinerary to experience the most charming corners that feature in the series.
customize ⤍Magical 8-Day Family Adventure in Scotland and England : From Harry Potter to Loch Ness!
Searching for an unforgettable family adventure? Scotland is the perfect destination! With a perfect balance of nature, adventure, and Scottish culture. This 8-day trip offers a delightful mix of activities that everyone in the family will enjoy. Get ready to create life long lasting memories!
customize ⤍Highland Tour: Isle of Skye, Loch Ness and Edinburgh
Discover the beautiful region of Perthshire, the famous Loch Ness and Inverness – the capital of the Highlands. Get a chance to admire Europe’s oldest mountain, stroll along sandy beaches on the Scottish West Coast, and visit the mysterious Isle of Skye.
customize ⤍Walking around vintage England and picturesque Scotland
Visit two traditional capitals, London and Edinburgh, and enjoy a trek through the Loch Lomond national park. This trip will let you discover peaceful Scottish islands by foot, with several days of detailed walking tours included in the trip.
customize ⤍Harry Potter and The Alnwick Castle
You are one step away from joining a magical adventure! If you are fans of the wonderful world of the little magician apprentice, Harry Potter then the time has come to discover the very scenes where the Harry Potter universe was filmed. Do not forget to bring your wand. We await you on platform 9¾!
customize ⤍The largest piece of pitchstone in the UK, An Sgùrr (1289ft) is the obvious destination for a hike. The route up is not as daunting as the cliffs suggest; the path is signposted left from the main road, crossing the boggy moor to approach the summit from the north via a saddle (3–4hr return). The rewards are wonderful views of Muck and Rùm.
Though it’s a dying custom, this still takes the form of the tradition of ‘first-footing’ – visiting your neighbours and bearing gifts. All this neighbourly greeting means a fair bit of partying, and no one is expected to go to work the next day, or, indeed, the day after that. Even today, 1 January is a public holiday in the rest of the UK, but only in Scotland does the holiday extend to the next day too.
It’s the biggest national park in Britain, and while Aviemore and the surrounding area are regarded as the main point of entry, particularly for those planning outdoor activities, it’s also possible to access the park from Perthshire as well as Deeside and Donside in Aberdeenshire.
Delight in the rolling hills and wildlife of the Cairngorms National Park, relish a dram of whisky and learn the legends and little-known secrets behind these two quintessential Scottish wonders on this guided Cairngorms National Park and Whisky Tour.
Find accommodation options to stay in the Cairngorm Mountains area.
Here, rather than re-create a single museum-piece black house as at Arnol, a whole cluster of nine thatched crofters’ houses – the last of which was abandoned in 1974 – has been restored and put to use as accommodation for holiday-makers and a museum. As an ensemble, they give a great impression of what a Baile Tughaidh, or black house village, must have been like.
The site is dominated by the Abbey Church, which has lost its west front, and whose nave is reduced to the elegant window arches and chapels of the south aisle. Amazingly, the stone pulpitum (screen), separating the choir monks from their lay brothers, is preserved. Outside, the exterior sculpture is even more impressive: crouching figures holding scrolls bearing inscriptions such as ‘He suffered because he willed it’.
The harbour – known as Main Street – is one long parade of multicoloured hotels, guesthouses, restaurants and shops, and you could happily spend an hour or so meandering around. The rest of the upper town is laid out on a classic grid plan and merits a stroll too — if only for the great views over the bay.
If Parliament is in session, it’s normally possible to watch proceedings in the debating chamber from the public gallery or committee meetings, though you have to get a free pass from the front desk in the lobby. To see the rest of the interior properly you’ll need to join one of the regular guided tours.
By the time you’ve reached the heart of the glen, with the huge rock buttresses known as the Three Sisters on one side and the Aonach Eagach ridge on the other combining to close up the sky, you’ll almost certainly want to stop.
On its south side, the perpendicular rock face features an imposing series of black basalt columns, known as the Colonnade, which have been cut by the sea into cathedral-esque caverns – most notably Fingal’s Cave.
Northwest of Staffa lies the Treshnish Isles, an archipelago of uninhabited volcanic islets, none more than a mile or two across. The most distinctive is Bac Mór, shaped like a Puritan’s hat and popularly dubbed the Dutchman’s Cap. Lunga, the largest island, is a summer nesting place for hundreds of seabirds, in particular guillemots, razorbills and puffins.
The principal events are the Edinburgh International Festival and the much larger Edinburgh Festival Fringe, but there are also Book, Jazz and Blues and Art festivals, among others, as well as the Military Tattoo on the Esplanade. As well as the official Edinburgh Festivals website, each festival produces its programme well in advance.
Read our guide to where to stay in Edinburgh and find accommodation options in the best areas of the city.
The smoky, peaty, pungent quality of Islay whisky is unique, recognizable even to the untutored palate, and all nine of the island’s distilleries will happily take visitors on a guided tour, ending with the customary tipple.
Find more information on Scottish whiskey history and culture in our guide to the whisky trail in Scotland.
The site is big and confusing, scattered with the ruins of buildings dating from the Bronze Age to the early seventeenth century. The name – misleading, as it is not primarily a Viking site – was coined by Sir Walter Scott, who used the ruins of the Old House in his novel The Pirate.
Out in the islands, pubs are few and far between, with most drinking taking place in the local hotel bar. In Edinburgh and Glasgow, you’ll find traditional pubs supplemented by upbeat, trendy café-bars.
Join a pub crawl in Edinburgh for the best-ever night out in the Scottish capital. You’ll get 6 free shots, discounts on drinks, free VIP club entry, skip-the-line admission, and much more. Enjoy some tastes of Scottish whisky as well.
Tragically, in May 2014, a fire – which started in the basement – took hold in the west wing, destroying studios, archival stores and, worst of all, the library. At the time of writing, the visitor centre, shop and exhibition spaces in the Reid building were all closed and tours were not running, which is likely to remain the case for time yet.
The collection covers a wide range of artistic periods and styles and includes works by artists such as Monet, Renoir, Degas, Cézanne, and Picasso, as well as ancient Greek and Roman objects, Chinese ceramics, and Islamic art. The museum also has several outdoor sculptures on display in its gardens.
Glasgow is also famous for its greenery. Read our guide to Glasgow's parks and see why it's a city worth visiting.
Rising to more than 40ft and looking rather like a Stone Age cooling tower, Mousa Broch has a remarkable presence and features in both Egil’s Saga and the Orkneyinga Saga, contemporary chronicles of Norse exploration and settlement. To get to the broch, simply head south from the jetty along the western coastline for about half a mile.
The low entrance passage leads through two concentric walls to a central courtyard, divided into separate beehive chambers. Between the walls, a rough (very dark) staircase leads to the top parapet; a torch is provided for visitors.
The Old Town, although only about a mile long and 400 yds wide, represented the total extent of the twin burghs of Edinburgh and Canongate for over six hundred years, and its general appearance and character remain indubitably medieval. Containing the majority of the city’s most famous tourist sights, it makes the best starting point for your explorations.
In addition to the obvious goals of the castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse at either end of the famous Royal Mile, you’ll find scores of historic buildings along the length of the street.
Visit the vaults beneath Oldtown in Edinburgh, dating back to the early 18th century. Your guide will tell you about murders, witches and the people who inhabited this supposedly haunted location.
On many levels, the main buildings are interspersed with delightful gardens and patches of lawn, while endless battlements, cannon ports, hidden staircases and other nooks and crannies make it thoroughly explorable and inspiring.
For the chance to see the castle at night, look out for special events such as the Hogmanay (new year) party and concerts in the atmospheric Great Hall by luminaries such as the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.
This tailor-made trip to Scotland's Wildest Natural Scenery is a breath of fresh air and perfect to explore the most enchanting landscapes of the Highlands. It will allow you to get to know the wildest landscapes of Scotland, its fast-paced history and its amazing traditions.
The National Museum of Scotland is essentially two distinct museums, internally connected: the unorthodox modern sandstone building on the corner of George IV Bridge houses collections of Scottish heritage, while the much older Venetian-style palace offers a more global perspective.
Inside, the wealth of exhibits is enough to occupy days of your time, dip in and out at leisure or during rain showers. Parents will also find the place a useful sanctuary since there are numerous child-friendly rooms, interactive exhibits and cafés
There’s a choice of routes from Tarbert to the ferry port of Leverburgh, which connects with North Uist: the east coast, known as The Bays (Na Baigh), is rugged and seemingly inhospitable, while the west coast is endowed with some of the finest stretches of golden sand in the whole of the archipelago, buffeted by the Atlantic winds.
Few of Iona’s many-day visitors get further than Baile Mór, the island’s village, and the abbey, but it’s perfectly possible to walk to the stunning sandy beaches and turquoise seas at the north end of the island, or up to the highest point, Dún I, a mere 328ft above sea level but with views on a clear day to Skye, Tiree and Jura.
If you're interested in visiting the Caledonian Forest, you can find small fragments of it in various parts of Scotland, including the Cairngorms National Park, the Monadhliath Mountains, and the Torridon Hills. Many of these areas are protected as nature reserves or national parks, and offer opportunities for hiking, birdwatching, and other outdoor activities.
Experience the magic of Christmas in the heart of the Scottish Highlands! Lovely Christmas Markets and winter festivals await visitors during the winter months, but this tailor-made tour to Festive Feelings around Christmas in Scotland can also be turned into a summer festival hop.
Once the principal fortress of the northeast, the mainly fifteenth- and sixteenth-century ruins are worth a good root around, and there are many dramatic views out to the crashing sea.
Combine the majestic heights of Royal Deeside with the epic cliff-top site of Dunnottar Castle on this scenic driving tour. Explore some of the area's most fascinating landmarks like the falls of Feugh and Muir Nature Reserve amongst others.
These monoliths – nearly fifty slabs of gnarled and finely grained gneiss up to 15ft high – were transported here between 3000 BC and 1500 BC, but their exact function remains a mystery. No one knows for certain why the ground plan resembles a colossal Celtic cross, nor why there’s a central burial chamber.
You can visit the stones at any time, but if you need shelter or some simple sustenance, head to the nearby Callanish Visitor Centre, which has a small museum that explores the theories about the stones.
Walk along the most romantic spots on the Isle of Lewis at Callanish on a 2-hour group walking tour with a local guide.
It requires no great imaginative feat to comprehend the strategic importance that underpinned the castle’s, and hence Edinburgh’s, pre-eminence in Scotland. From Princes Street, the north side rears high above an almost sheer rock face; the southern side is equally formidable and the western, where the rock rises in terraces, only marginally less so.
Would-be attackers, like modern tourists, were forced to approach the castle from the narrow ridge to the east on which the Royal Mile runs down to Holyrood.
Join this engaging English-language guided tour of Edinburgh Castle to discover its incredible 3,000-year history and the significant role it has played in shaping Scotland.
Its fame, however, is based overwhelmingly on its legendary inhabitant, Nessie, the ‘Loch Ness monster’, who encourages a steady flow of hopeful visitors to the settlements dotted along the loch, in particular, Drumnadrochit. Nearby, the impressive ruins of Castle Urquhart – a favourite monster-spotting location – perch atop a rock on the lochside and attract a deluge of bus parties during the summer.
Scotland is the ideal destination for your next family adventure. You will find the perfect balance between nature, adventure and fun with this 6-day tailor-made Family Adventure in Scotland - from Harry Potter to Loch Ness.
According to one theory, Skye is named after the Old Norse for ‘cloud’ (skuy), earning itself the Gaelic moniker Eilean a’ Cheò (Island of Mist). Despite unpredictable weather, tourism has been an important part of the economy since the railway reached Kyle of Lochalsh in 1897.
People still come in droves, yet Skye is deceptively large. You’ll get the most out of it – and escape the worst crowds – if you explore the remoter parts of the island, and visit outside of the tourist season, which enters full-throttle between June and August.
Get a chance to admire Europe’s oldest mountain, stroll along sandy beaches on the Scottish West Coast, and visit the mysterious Isle of Skye on this tailor-made Highland Tour.
The centrepiece is undoubtedly Loch Lomond and the most popular gateway is Balloch, the town at the loch’s southern tip; with Glasgow city centre just nineteen miles away, both Balloch and the southwest side of the loch around Luss are often packed with day-trippers and tour coaches. Many of these continue up the western side of the loch, though the fast A82 road isn’t ideal for tourists who wish to enjoy a leisurely drive.
Visit two traditional capitals, London and Edinburgh, and enjoy a trek through the Loch Lomond national park. This tailor-made trip to vintage England and picturesque Scotland will let you discover peaceful Scottish islands on foot, with several days of detailed walking tours included in the trip.
St Andrews is compact and easy to walk around. With its medieval layout intact, its three main streets, almost entirely consisting of listed buildings, run west to east past several of the original fifteenth-century university campuses towards the heavily ruined Gothic cathedral. There’s little left of the town’s castle, which sits on the promontory further north.
Enjoy a day in the medieval kingdom of Fife on this day trip from Edinburgh. Visit its fishing villages, the town of St. Andrews, and the picturesque Falkland and its formal royal palace.
Are you looking for even more Scotland inspiration? Check out our round-up of the most remote places in Scotland, as well as the most beautiful places in Scotland as voted by our readers.
If you prefer to plan and book your trip to Scotland without any effort and hassle, use the expertise of our local travel experts to make sure your trip will be just like you dream it to be.
Ready for a trip to Scotland? Check out the snapshot of The Rough Guide to Scotland or The Rough Guide to the Scottish Highlands & Islands. If you travel further in Scotland read more about the best time to go, the best places to visit and the best things to do in Scotland. For inspiration use the itineraries created by our local travel experts in Scotland. A bit more hands-on, learn about getting there, getting around the country and where to stay once you are there. And don't forget to buy travel insurance before you go.
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written by Rough Guides Editors
updated 4.01.2023
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