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Eilean Donan Castle
Scotland
Rugged, colorful, and feisty, Scotland stands apart. From its stony architecture to its unmanicured landscape to the more laid-back nature of its people — and their peculiar fondness for haggis — Scotland is distinctly not England. A proud identity unites the sparsely populated country, all the way from the southern lowlands, which border England just north of Hadrian's Wall, up to the Norwegian latitudes of the rocky Highlands and remote islands. Outside its main cities, Scotland's sights are subtle, but the misty glens, brooding countryside castles, and warm culture are plenty engaging. It's easy to fall in love with the irrepressible spirit and beautiful landscape of this faraway corner of Britain.
Places
At a Glance
▲▲▲ Edinburgh Proud and endlessly entertaining Scottish capital, with an imposing castle, attractions-studded Royal Mile, excellent museums, and atmospheric neighborhoods.
▲▲ Glasgow Scotland's fun and funky biggest city — gritty but gentrifying, and packed with gregarious locals, edgy culture, and a treasure trove of Art Nouveau architecture.
▲▲ St. Andrews Beach town that hosts Scotland's top university and the world's most famous golf course, plus interesting industrial museums in nearby Dundee and charming coastal scenery in the East Neuk.
▲▲ Oban & Inner Hebrides Handy home-base town of Oban, with boat trips to the isles of Mull, Iona, and Staffa.
▲▲ Inverness Regional capital with easy access to more Highlands sights, including Culloden Battlefield (Scotland's Alamo) and monster-spotting at the famous Loch Ness.
▲▲ Isle of Skye Dramatically scenic island with craggy Cuillin Hills, jagged Trotternish Peninsula, castles, a distillery, dynamic clan history, and the colorful harbor town of Portree.
▲▲ Glencoe Stirring "Weeping Glen" offering some of the Highlands' best scenery and hikes.
▲ Stirling Site of one of Scotland's top castles (home of the Stuart kings) overlooking a historic plain, with great sights nearby — from giant horse heads and a Ferris wheel for boats at Falkirk to Highland scenery in the Trossachs.
▲ Orkney Islands Fascinating island group off the north coast, with Scotland's best prehistoric sites, evocative Old Norse history, and WWI/WWII naval harbor.
▲ Fort William and the "Road to the Isles" Transit-hub town anchoring a meandering road through a particularly historic and rugged stretch of the western coast.
▲ Eastern Scotland Area with a grab-bag of sights between Inverness and Edinburgh, including a look at early Iron Age crannog life on Loch Tay, the distilleries of Speyside, the royal Scottish retreat at Balmoral Castle, and cliff-capping Dunnottar Castle.
▲ Wester Ross and the North Coast Some of the Highlands' best get-away-from-it-all scenery.
▲ Pitlochry Whisky and hillwalking mecca.
Plan
Photos
Watch
- Clan Heritage in the Scottish Highlands (clip)
- Deciphering the Glaswegian Accent (clip)
- Edinburgh (episode)
- Glasgow and Scottish Passions (episode)
- Glasgow’s Restoration (clip)
- Island Hopping (clip)
- Oban: Gateway to the Scottish Isles (clip)
- Scotland’s Highlands (episode)
- Scotland’s Islands (episode)
- Skye’s Trotternish Peninsula
- Travel Talks: Scotland
Read
- Go Left, Young Man: Driving in Great Britain and Ireland
- Strange Food: Europe’s Offbeat Delicacies
- The King’s English: Brilliant and Baffling
- The Remote Rewards of Scotland’s Orkney Islands
- Booking It Through Europe: Top Literary Stops
- Edinburgh: Sightseeing Beyond the Royal Mile
- Edinburgh’s Royal Mile
- Great Scares in Great Britain
- In Britain, the Kids Are Alright
- Scotland’s Independent Streak
- The View from Edinburgh Castle
- Glasgow Surprises with Art, Design, and Culture
- Open Doors to the Past: Visiting Europe’s Time-Warp Homes
- Britain’s Royal Residences: Where the Queen Cools Her Crown
- Europe’s Wide World of Traditional Sports
- Going to the Dogs (and Other Animals) in Europe
- Highlands Highlights in the Heart of Scotland
- O’er the Ramparts: Castles in Great Britain
- Scotland’s Magical, Mystical Isles
- Scotland’s Most Intoxicating Places
- Top Sights Where ‘Harry Potter’ Was Filmed
- St. Andrews: Hit the Links, Books, and Beach
Scotland
Edinburgh
Glasgow
Scottish Highlands
St. Andrews
Listen
- Backroads Scotland (11:21)
- Celts of Wales and Scotland (45:34)
- Day Hikes in Europe (12:27)
- Edinburgh and Scotland (32:31)
- Edinburgh, an Insider's Guide (46:45)
- European Food Specialties (29:11)
- Exploring Glasgow's Cool Vibe (18:55)
- Glasgow (12:24)
- Highlands & Islands (22:23)
- Isle of Skye (11:29)
- Isles of Britain (11:23)
- Photogenic Scotland (18:58)
- Scotch Tasting Rooms (16:59)
- Scotland Highlands (30:19)
- Scotland Itineraries (30:03)
- Scotland's Inner Hebrides (12:29)
- Scotland's Robert Burns (17:10)
- Scottish Folk Music (18:51)
- Scottish Hebrides (12:00)
- Scottish Hebrides: Island Life (18:35)
- Scottish Pub Talk (16:14)
- Sheep Encounters (35:43)
- Walking Edinburgh (18:14)
Scotland Audio Tours
- Edinburgh: Royal Mile Walk
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