Scotland attractions

Set within the city’s oldest park, historic Glasgow Green, the fascinating People’s Palace documents the social history of Glasgow, recounting tales of city life from 1750 through to the 20th century. Adjoining the red sandstone Victorian museum building is the Winter Gardens, a Victorian-era greenhouse packed with tropical plants.

Established in 1670, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is one of Europe’s oldest botanic garden. Covering an area of more than 70 acres (28 hectares), the garden—which encompasses everything from Victorian glasshouses to a giant water lily pond and a rock garden—is a haven of tranquility in Scotland’s bustling capital city.

Built in 1471 as the home to a hospital chaplain, this grey-stone house is one of just a few surviving medieval buildings—and the only surviving medieval residence—in all of Glasgow. Provand’s Lordship now serves as a museum, with period-accurate rooms filled with antique furnishings and displays relating to the history of the house.

One of just a few distilleries in Scotland’s Lowlands region, Glenkinchie Distillery has a scenic farmland setting, just 15 miles (24 kilometers) from Edinburgh. Its whisky is famously used in Johnnie Walker blends (in addition to being sold as single malts), and its distillery also serves as a regional base for the Johnnie Walker brand.

Together with the larger Isle of Lewis, the Isle of Harris forms the largest island of Scotland's Outer Hebrides, Lewis and Harris. Traditional villages and distilleries dot the small island, but it’s better known for its rugged mountain landscape, tweed manufacturing, and some of the best beaches in Scotland, such as Luskentyre—part of the sandy bay looking toward the Isle of Taransay.

Made famous in the final scene of the classic film Braveheart, the Battle of Bannockburn was where King Robert the Bruce led the greatly outnumbered Scottish forces to victory over the English in 1314. To this day, the victory is hugely celebrated in Scottish history, and the Battle of Bannockburn Visitor Centre is one of the most popular tourist destinations in central Scotland.

This well-preserved 17th-century street now lies hidden beneath the Edinburgh City Chambers on the Royal Mile. It takes its name from Mary King, a merchant and mother who lived on the close (alleyway) and was considered a woman of high social standing with rare voting rights. Her former street is a unique spot, as it’s the only Edinburgh close that’s now underground. It’s also shrouded in mystery, with many reports of paranormal activity over the years.

Originally built as a Norman defense in the 11th century, imposing Alnwick Castle has been expanded piecemeal over the years, and encompasses medieval, Gothic, and neoclassical elements. The castle—about 85 miles (137 kilometers) from Edinburgh—has caught the eye of location scouts, who picked it to serve as Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films and Brancaster Castle inDownton Abbey.

Pleasure boats float along Caledonian Canal, a scenic 60-mile (97-kilometer) waterway that runs through Scotland's Great Glen, connecting Fort William in the southwest to Inverness in the northeast. The canal, which links Loch Lochy, Loch Oich, Loch Dochfour, and Loch Ness, is popular with walkers and cyclists, who follow towpath trails.

Nestled amid the picturesque landscapes of Scotland, Hopetoun House is a historical masterpiece offering a taste of Scottish grandeur. Used as a prominent filming location in the TV series Outlander, it’s a popular destination for diehard fans. However, you don’t have to pine for a kilted Scot to enjoy the country estate.

Occupying a 16th-century house with a bright red and yellow facade, the Museum of Edinburgh (formerly Huntly House) tells the rich history of the city, from prehistoric times to the present day. Among the star exhibits is the collar and bowl of Greyfriars Bobby, a dog who kept watch at his master’s Edinburgh grave for 14 years.

Though the pedimented and pillared Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) building is very much classical, the collection of challenging contemporary artworks contained within it are anything but. The gallery’s art collection spans the 1950s to the present day, with artists including David Hockney, David Shrigley, and Andy Warhol all represented.

Using projections and special effects, this immersive exhibition focuses on the ecology of Loch Ness and the mysterious monster that supposedly swims its waters. Curious visitors find out about the lake habitat and the likelihood of a monster surviving here, as well as learning about previous monster hunts, research missions, and hoaxes.

Dating back to 1897, Old High Church (or Old High St. Stephen’s) is the oldest church and congregation in the Scottish Highlands capital of Inverness. The church is noteworthy for its Arts and Crafts/Gothic-style architecture, Ballantine stained glass, 1902 organ, and adjacent cemetery overlooking the Ness river.

Set amid the rolling glens of Scotland’s premier whisky region—Speyside, in Cairngorms National Park—the Glenlivet Distillery is known for producing the granddaddy of all single malts. Distilled in unique lantern-shaped copper stills and matured in oak casks for at least 12 years, The Glenlivet has a fruity, smooth flavor thanks to using Scottish barley and spring water from the local Josie's Well.

See Scotland’s famous faces rendered in paint, pencil, marble, bronze, and on film, in this vast Venetian Gothic-style building. Famous Scots and well-known figures from throughout history, from Mary, Queen of Scots and Bonnie Prince Charles to Tilda Swinton and Sean Connery, are all immortalized here in various forms.

Named for Scotland’s great Romantic novelist, Sir Walter Scott, Scott’s View offers an epic panorama of southern Scotland’s green landscape. Travelers come here to see the Eildon Hills' three peaks, the River Tweed's sparkling waters, and the rolling Tweed Valley. This spot is often included on local cycling and walking routes and is popular on a day trip from Edinburgh into the Borders area.

Set among the wooded countryside of Aberdeenshire, the 16th-century Crathes Castle is known for its ties to Robert the Bruce. The tower house’s interior features original painted ceilings, portraits, and antique furniture, while the 593-acre (240-hectare) estate encompasses walled gardens and parkland threaded by marked trails.

If you're interested in history, Scone Palace, on the outskirts of Perth, is unlikely to disappoint. Situated where an early-Christian church once stood, this stately palace has housed the Earls of Mansfield for some four centuries. It also served as the crowning palace of Scottish kings for nearly 1,000 years.

Surrounded by the natural beauty of Highland Perthshire, Blair Castle is one of Scotland’s most popular attractions. For seven centuries, it has been the home of the Atholl family, and it also remains home to Europe's last remaining private army, the Atholl Highlanders. More than 30 rooms are open to the public, providing a glimpse into aristocratic Highland life.

One of the oldest and most celebrated distilleries in Scotland’s Speyside region, Cardhu Distillery was founded in 1824, and is now owned by Diageo. Renowned for its single-malt whiskies (and famously used in Johnnie Walker blends), Cardhu is also a regional base for the Johnnie Walker brand, and features a well-equipped visitor center and bar.

Standing steady against the fearsome storms that ravage the northern tip of the Isle of Lewis is the Butt of Lewis Lighthouse. Made from red brick, which is highly unusual for Scottish lighthouses, it was designed by Scottish engineer David Stevenson in 1862. It was one of the last Scottish lighthouses to be automated in 1998.

Built without bricks or mortar—just stone placed next to stone—on an exposed Lewis hilltop nearly 2,000 years ago, Dun Carloway (Dùn Chàrlabhaigh) roundhouse has stood tall against the Isle of Lewis’s raging Atlantic storms since the Iron Age. It is one of the best-preserved brochs in Scotland.

Created by glacial meltwater, the tree-lined Corrieshalloch Gorge is punctuated by a series of waterfalls. From an observation deck and swaying suspension bridge, you can look down upon the rushing River Droma, which courses through the ravine and drops over the 150-foot (46-meter) Falls of Measach.

Located on the shores of Loch Shiel, Glenfinnan Monument—constructed in 1815 and completed in the 1830s—is a tribute to all who fought for and lost their lives during the 1745 Jacobite Rising. The 59-foot (18-meter)-high column is crowned by the figure of a kilt-wearing Highlander, and visitors can ascend to the top for remarkable views.

Scotland’s Isle of Islay is a land of dramatic coastal scenery, vibrant bid life, and fine seafood, but it’s Islay’s distinctive smoky whiskies that really draws the visitors. Home to nearly a dozen working distilleries, including Lagavulin and Bowmore, Islay’s distinctive single malt makes it a bucket list destination for whisky lovers from across the world.

The hip Glasgow West End is where classic and contemporary Scotland collide. Cobbled streets lined with grand Victorian architecture lead to coffee shops, boutique stores, art galleries, leafy parks, and restaurants. Ashton Lane is the area's heart, while Finnieston, Kelvinbridge, and Partick are among the UK’s coolest neighborhoods.

So expansive are the collections of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (Modern One) that they need not one but two enormous buildings to house them: Modern One and Modern Two. Modern One, occupying a 19th-century building, features a collection of 20th-century works, including pieces from Tracey Emin, Matisse, Picasso, and Lichtenstein.

Set within an imposing neoclassical building, this museum presents an impressive collection of artwork spanning the Renaissance to the 20th century. Works by European masters, such as Titian, Monet, Rembrandt, and van Gogh, are complemented by a collection of Scottish works that includes pieces from Allan Ramsay and Sir Henry Raeburn.

A tiny island just off the coast of the Isle of Arran, the Holy Isle (Eilean Molaise) has long been seen as a spiritual destination. The former residence of the 6th-century St. Malaise, and known for its Viking history and runes, the island is today home to the Centre for World Peace and Health, a Buddhist retreat and meditation center.