This document will give you a flavour of things to do and see in Scotland. This is just a small selection of places to go and things to see.
Scotland
Scotland isn’t very large compared to the United States, Europe or Australia; however, the traffic can be busier so short distances can take a bit longer to cover, particularly at rush hour.
Weather
April, May, June, September and October can be the best months to visit if you want to avoid snow and main school holidays (apart from Easter which falls in April usually). You are best to bring clothes that can be worn in layers in case it is cold and always bring a raincoat.
The weather can be checked with this website:
Accommodation
Bed and Breakfast spots can be the best value for money, however there are many budget hotels in the larger towns and cities too. Note that most breakfasts will unlikely be vegetarian unless you have the porridge or toast. Commonly it consists of bacon, sausage, haggis, black pudding, eggs, baked beans, toast. All or a combination. British bacon tends to be served soft, not crispy unless requested.
There are hotels of varying price all over. The internet will help you find those most suited to you.
If RVing then Google is your friend. I have not travelled in the UK with an RV so cannot suggest campsites.
Tourist Passes
You can buy an explorer pass to save money if you are visiting several historic places. Note that some sites may be closed due to safety reasons so try to check them out in advance before deciding to buy a pass. These are limited so best to book when you know when you are visiting.
https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/explorer-passes/#section-3
Additionally, the National Trust for Scotland has many properties and a membership can be bought for free access to these. The website has a map that shows where all of these are and that would be a good way to discover places close to where you are going, or to plan a route. When not on the map, it shows places by category, e.g. battles, castles etc.
Unfortunately, the historic sites are not all covered by one organisation.
Transport
Rail and buses operate between the larger cities and are normally cheaper if you travel off peak. You are best to look up destinations online to find the best provider as there are different organisations in different parts of the country. Bus tours are quite popular around the cities which can be a good way to get a flavour of the area and to get some local history.
Aurora Borealis
Keep your eyes north on clear, dark and cloudless nights, particularly when further north and away from city lights, as the aurora borealis can been active and although mostly only seen through a camera, can be seen by the naked eye. Summer is when noctilucent clouds are visible.
You can get alerts by downloading an app or going to the website of
http://www.glendaleskye.com/aurora-alerts-app.php
Or
Mostly you need a camera but if they’re good you can see them without.
Edinburgh
One of the popular historic areas in Edinburgh is the Old and New Town, after the plague the old town was mostly covered over and the New Town built on top.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Town,_Edinburgh
Edinburgh Castle has an online ticket system which is probably best to use as it can be busy during summer. They may also have guided tours but these were suspended during covid (reserve in advance). The Castle also hosts the yearly Edinburgh Military Tattoo for which tickets are required and should be booked well in advance.
https://www.edinburghcastle.scot/
https://www.edintattoo.co.uk/history
The old town which is the area around the castle. You can walk up and down the narrow streets.
Princes Street Gardens is a popular spot to walk and have a picnic.
During the Edinburgh Festival, there are firework displays with a finale being held in the gardens. It is not easy to get tickets, but you can see the fireworks from other locations for free.
https://www.introducingedinburgh.com/princes-street-gardens
The Scott Monument is half way along Princes Street, a memorial to the famous Scottish writer Walter Scott.
There is a lot to see during the Edinburgh Festival in August and it is popular, with lots of street performances as well as shows:
https://edinburgh.org/things-to-do/edinburgh-festivals/edinburgh-international-festival/
In the evening try a ghost tour. The witchery one is good. The murder mystery if available or the ghosts and gore. Greyfriars is likely to cover some Harry Potter info as JK Rowling got some character names from there if that interests you.
https://www.witcherytours.com/
Greyfriars Bobby is near that graveyard so you could tour the graveyard yourself if going to see the dog (it’s not very exciting but is old).
The National Museum of Scotland is a huge museum in that area too:
https://www.google.com/search/static/gs/museum/m04ffs1.html
The Royal Mile has a few things to see:
St Giles Cathedral (the Heart of Midlothian paving stone is at the door)
Museum of Childhood
Museum of Edinburgh
The People’s Story Museum
Scottish Parliament Building
Holyrood Palace, Loch & Queen Mary’s Bath House
You will do plenty of walking in Edinburgh and one popular hike is up an old volcanic core – Arthur’s Seat, accessed at Holyrood Palace. It can be steep in places but has great views.
https://www.geowalks.co.uk/arthurs-seat/arthurs-seat-self-guided-walks/
Mary King’s Close, sealed up during the bubonic plague, is underneath this street and you can tour it (takes about an hour):
Close by is the Surgeon’s Hall Museum
There are some art galleries too and you can find several here:
https://www.nationalgalleries.org/
The Royal Botanical Gardens is popular:
As is Edinburgh Zoo
https://www.edinburghzoo.org.uk/
Eating & Drinking in Edinburgh
There are plenty of choices for various cuisines throughout the town with different budgets, Google can find these easily.
Scotland also has good Indian restaurants if you like curry.
If you want top quality (expensive) meals:
The Kitchin
The Witchery (also has rooms)
Tattu
You’d need to book these in advance.
Angels with Bagpipes is traditional Scottish cuisine.
https://angelswithbagpipes.co.uk/the-restaurant/
The Dome is a popular restaurant/bar on George Street in Edinburgh. Used to be a bank.
The Scotsman Bar on the Bridges which joins Princes Street, is a place JK Rowling is sometimes seen.
There is a large whisky experience at one end of Princes Street. Again, best to book.
https://www.scotchwhiskyexperience.co.uk/
The two large iconic railway hotels on each end of Princes Street with bars and restaurants. The Rutland (was the Caledonian Hotel) and the Balmoral Hotel. These have restaurants and bars.
There are many pubs offering good food and drinks.
CLOSE TO EDINBURGH
2 popular tourist attractions within an hour or so of Edinburgh are:
Rosslyn Chapel is a small and very old historic building featured in the Davinci Code movie.
Home
Melrose Abbey is where the heart of Robert the Bruce is buried (his body is at Dunfermline Abbey).
https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/melrose-abbey/
This is fairly close to the English Border where there are some other nice little towns to explore.
The East coast also has some lovely beaches – Portobello, Gullane, Yellowcraig are three of these.
FIFE
East Neuk of Fife
This is a really beautiful part of Scotland with lots of interesting small fishing villages and beaches. There are lots of great places to eat and quaint shops to explore and a lot of local farm food and drink suppliers. Many walking routes and one is the Fife Coastal Path which you would do in sections.
If doing a one-way hike, then the bus will be required to return, here is a link to timetables:
https://www.stagecoachbus.com/timetables
The most popular towns are:
St Andrews, Elie, Lower Largo, Crail, St Monans and Kingsbarns.
Lots of info on this website:
https://www.welcometofife.com/region/east-neuk
Some favourites are below:
St Andrews
This ancient University town is about 1.5 hours from central Edinburgh by car.
There are several small fishing villages along the way too which I would recommend visiting.
You can park in town where you will probably have to pay at a machine with pound coins. Lots of shops to browse. You pass the old golf course on the way in and you can walk over to it easily.
There is a very old Cathedral there called St Andrew’s. It is mostly derelict but the old wall still exists.
https://www.visitscotland.com/info/see-do/st-andrews-cathedral-p248231
Check it is open as several buildings had damage recently due to heavy storms.
There is a viewing tower called St. Rule’s in the same vicinity.
There is a nice beach too which is nice to walk along. It can be windy and used for wind sports like kite surfing.
https://www.visitscotland.com/info/towns-villages/st-andrews-west-sands-p315881
2 popular ice cream shops – Luvians and Jannettas are very good, and there are restaurants everywhere.
If you drive back via Anstruther you can have fish and chips at the award winning Anstruther Fish Bar. Expect to wait in line for up to an hour. If you eat inside the wait tends to be shorter.
https://www.anstrutherfishbar.co.uk/
Leuchars
There is an exceptional beach and forest close to the town where you can walk or cycle for miles. This also has a wildlife reserve for the seal and bird populations.
https://forestryandland.gov.scot/visit/tentsmuir
Note you will need coins to pay for parking and cannot get in without paying.
There is a small food shack at the car park serving coffee and crepes. Service might be slow as things are made to order.
St Monans has an old Windmill and depending on when you are there you can see the fisherman loading their nets.
Lower Largo is quaint and has a memorial to Alexander Selkirk, who provided inspiration for Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe.
Elie has a nice pub (the Ship Inn) at the beach and you can sometimes watch cricket matches on the sand and you can have a nice walk towards another golf course. There is also a “Chain Walk” along a cliff for those who are brave enough to do it.
A very popular seasonal eatery is the Harbour Café at Elie. It is open from April to October and serves local seafood. This will probably be quite a busy spot.
https://www.theharbourcafe.co.uk/
West Fife
Dunfermline
Once the capital of Scotland was appointed as a City in 2022.
If you don’t have much time, you can visit Dunfermline as a day trip by train or bus from Edinburgh to see the old Abbey and a couple of other interesting places.
https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/dunfermline-abbey-and-palace/
Next to the Abbey is Abbot House where the Abbot lived.
And a library with gallery, museum and giftshop next door.
Close by is the City Chambers and town clock. Another historic building – look for the gargoyles.
You can also visit the birthplace of Andrew Carnegie and walk through Pittencrieff Park which he left to the people of Scotland. It’s not a huge park but has some quaint corners and old ruins.
https://www.carnegiebirthplace.com/
Andrew Carnegie was a philanthropist who made his fortune in America from steel. He has bequeathed many libraries and other facilities to locations in Scotland and America.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Carnegie
Culross and Falkland
Both cute towns and both used as filming locations for Outlander.
Culross is another coastal town and is very old and believed to have been founded in the 6th century by St Serf. The Palace, Town House and Abbey are wonderful. Check if they are open as per previous note.
https://www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/culross
https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/culross-abbey/
More history can be seen by walking the reasonably flat 5 mile loop around Preston Island where you can see some old salt pans. You also get views out to Grangemouth where lies a large oil refinery. On a still cold day you can see the smoke rising vertically from the chimneys which can make for some great photos, particularly at sunset.
Falkland is out in the countryside and very picturesque with an old Palace which was a hunting lodge for James IV and James V build in the 1400s.
https://www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/falkland-palace
There are several lovely shops and restaurants in the town too.
STIRLINGSHIRE
Alloa – the Big Pineapple is an unusual tourist spot with a walled garden and grounds to explore.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunmore_Pineapple
https://www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/the-pineapple
Stirling
Between the Pineapple and Stirling town centre is the Wallace Monument.
https://www.nationalwallacemonument.com/
Stirling has a nice old town and Castle. There is also a lovely old footbridge in town.
https://www.stirlingcastle.scot/
https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/stirling-old-bridge/
Other Tourist Attractions in Central Scotland
Gleneagles
World famous Golf course, hotel and spa. Nice place to drive to and have a meal and/or drink. Also lovely place to stay if you can afford it.
Cromlix Hotel
This small hotel is near the town of Dunblane, and owned by the tennis player Andy Murray and another nice spot for food or to stay.
Nearby is the town of Doune with it’s castle:
https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/doune-castle/
And if you like wildlife then not too far away is a farm where you can see several wildlife species.
Highlands and Islands
Isle of Mull
https://www.visitscotland.com/destinations-maps/isle-mull/
Another beautiful island with lots of beaches sea eagles, sea otters and deer.
You can do a day trip to Iona to the place where St Columba first landed in Scotland. No cars on the island. A beautiful church and lovely beaches. There is a rare bird there too.
The isle of Ulva can be visited, David Livingston lived here once upon a time.
A nice boat tour is to the Treshnish Isles to see Puffins and then to Staffa and Fingal’s Cave.
Tobermory is the main town with its colourfully painted buildings.
Highlands
After Mull, if you want to see the Scottish Highlands you can drive to Glencoe. You can stop in at the Clan McDonald centre to get some history about the Campbell and McDonald wars. The King’s House Hotel is a nice spot to see views of the valley. Braveheart was filmed here along with several others.
https://www.visitscotland.com/destinations-maps/glencoe/
The Glenfinnan Viaduct just north of Fort William is famous for a steam train crossing a few times a day. You can actually go on the train too. This viaduct was used in the Harry Potter movies. You can get the train from Fort William to Mallaig with some stops and great views on the way.
If travelling by car, you could then stop at Eilean Donan Castle, which is on the road to Skye, if you approach from the South.
https://www.eileandonancastle.com/
The Isle of Skye
https://www.visitscotland.com/destinations-maps/isle-skye/
Is fabulous and probably most famous for its mountain ranges, the Cuillins with the iconic Inaccessible Pinnacle.
The seafood on the island is excellent, particularly the oysters. A lovely desert is the apple granny – try it if you get a chance. Lots of very good restaurants, one is the Three Chimneys and The Loch Bay another, both with accommodation.
The Talisker Distillery is interesting and has tours. Check online for availability:
https://www.malts.com/en-gb/distilleries/talisker/tours
A good example of an old Broch – a circular stone tower is fairly easy to reach:
https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/dun-beag-broch/history/
Other things to do on Skye:
The Skye Museum of Island Life
The Clan McDonald centre in Armadale
Kilt Rock with the Mealt waterfall
The Quiraing (hike) and The Old Man of Storr, an iconic rock.
Niest Point and its’ lighthouse (you can sometimes see whales at a distance from here)
A popular hike is the Fairy Pools
A boat trip from Elgol to Loch Coruisk and you get time to do a short hike to get a great view of the Cuillins.
This is only a snapshot of many things to do in Scotland, but will give you some ideas.
Article Written March 2023