Scotland Travel & Tourism

Planning a trip to Scotland? The best time to vacation is from May to October, which is likely to have the warm and sunniest of weather. No matter when you go, expect to experience some rain, so pack an umbrella or rain jacket.

There are many vacation destination stops that are a must include for any itinirary.

Edinburgh

The city of Edinburgh is captivating from every angle. Plan several hours of time to explore the city on foot, take a guided tour of Edinburgh Castle, and enrich yourself in the history of the land.

Midday take a leisure walk down Royal Mile and Princes Street to enjoy the many shops, restuarants, and local pubs. End the day by heading to the Beehive Inn for an informal dinner with drinks followed by a guided walking tour to discover the colorful characters of Edinburgh.

Highlands

Before taking a tour of the Highlands, stop in Glencoe Village’s visitor center to obtain information packets and see displays of the area. Get ready to start the tour with a trip to Urquhart Castle for a look at the castle ruins, gorgeous scenery, and a panaromic view of Loch Ness.

Take out your camera and follow up with a scheduled boats cruise of Loch Ness and Shiel which includes scenic views, local wildlife, and an anormous amount of Nessie watching.

Shetlands

While in the Shetlands, take a visit to Mousa Broch, known as the finest and most well-preserved Iron Age tower. The next stop is to explore Jarlshof Prehistoric and Norse Settlement. The highlights of the settlement include Viking long houses, medieval farmstands, oval-shaped Bronze Age houses, and Iron Age broch and wheelhouses.

The trip to Shetland is not complete without taking in the scenery which includes beautiful sheer cliffs, rolling green hills, dreary moors, and numerous lochs and inlets, making it an ideal place for fishing, walking, and cycling. Have a camera ready for encounters with the wildlife. Shetland is famous for their ponies, but travelers can also easily find migrating birds such as the Puffin and seals sunny on the white sandy beaches and rocks.

Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, is historical, cultured, and cosmopolitan rolled together. The city is perched upon numerous extinct volcanoes and rocky crags which sheltered by the Firth of the Forth shoreline to the north.

Due to the Gulf Stream, prevailing westerly winds are pleasantly mild making May, June, and September the ideal time for travel. Rain is always expected but changes quickly from a rainy morning to a sunny afternoon. It is not uncommon for haar, a dense chilly fog to appear but can easily be escaped by heading a few miles inland.

Edinburgh holds many international festivals each year to attract visitors, performers, and artisians. Its firework displays are astounding with ruby and emerald colors exploding in the air as cascades of sparkling streams reflect down the walls of the castle.

Edinburgh Castle is the main attraction which dominates the city skyline. From its ramparts, you can look down to see medieval lanes, sweeping terraces, and the modern capital below. Its galleries present the most cutting-edge art, restuarants, clubs, and bars to create a cosmopolitan flair mixed with a distinct Scottish twist.

Find time in your busy itinerary to take part in Edinburgh’s tradition of climbing Arthur’s Seat in Holyrood Park. A climb requiring a bit of endurance, it is well worth the hike up the extinct volcano to see the best vantage points of the city and countryside below. Later in the evening head back to the Royal Mile for a walking ghost tour if you dare, followed by a romantic candlelit dinner at The Witchery by The Castle.

Spending a few days in Edinburgh? Don’t forget to sign up for the Edinburgh city pass to enjoy free access to over 25 top attractions and gain exclusive offers for restuarants and shops throughout the city.

Who, returning from vacationing in Scotland, hasn’t raved about the capital city with its royal connections, distinctive architecture and non-stop cultural events? Best of all, the emblematic spectacle of Edinburgh Castle, perched high on its promontory, is a heart-stirring sight. Open daily to visitors, the castle is a Scottish national treasure. The admission ticket entitles the visitor to a free guided tour. Among its store of fascinating artifacts, you’ll find Scotland’s crown jewels, known as the Honors. These were last used for the crowning of Charles II (Mary, Queen of Scots’ great grandson) in 1651. Fittingly, too the “Stone of Destiny” resides here in the most historic of all of Scotland’s many royal seats. Its symbolic significance as Scotland’s Coronation Stone led to its removal in 1296 by English king at that time, Edward I. The stone remained on English territory specifically, within Westminster Abbey until 1950. The Scottish National War Museum, within the castle, records and conveys to visitors much of the upheaval that marks the country’s history. Tourism in Scotland thrives as much on the blood spilt in its past as it does on the country’s present-day splendors.
Wending one’s way down from Castle Hill, taking the obvious route the crazily uneven cobbles of the steeply descending Royal Mile  a diverting cavalcade greets the visitor. This comprises unassuming tearooms, old traditional pubs, wine bars, shops selling designer jewelry and ceramics; music stores, thrift shops, whisky retailers, galleries small museums, all sitting cheek by jowl on both sides of this partially pedestrian-only thoroughfare.
Finish a first-rate day out with a second royal attraction; Holyrood Palace sits at the foot of the regal slope. So, having made it down that gentle mile, and provided one’s attention can be dragged from the retail cavalcade, enter the palace that was reputedly the great favorite of the late Queen Mother.

Scotland has a small capital in terms of population home to under half a million. But the city of Edinburgh sprawls. On its northern edge lies Leith, a reinvigorated dock area, where trendy bars and eateries rub shoulders on the quayside. The longest-running of these is the Waterfront Wine Bar known for inventive home-cooked meals. A couple of miles to the west of Leith you find Newhaven Harbour. It opens on to the Firth of Forth, Edinburgh’s wide estuary. From this fishing harbor you can take seafaris and birdwatching cruises. Puffins, skuas, red-throated divers and kittiwakes on the list of feathered friends. The hauntingly atmospheric island of Inchcolm with its 12th century ruined Abbey can be reached, too, by ferry from Newhaven.
Staying on land, alternatively, one can venture approximately four miles west to arrive at delightful Cramond with its River Almond walks. From the shore, taking care to observe the times of low tide, the causeway leading to Cramond Island can be walked. About a mile long, it takes the intrepid ambler to this small uninhabited island with its World War Two fortifications.
Moving a little closer to town, but remaining within the north-west part of the city, little-known Dean Village gives a fascinating insight into the days of mill communities on the River of Leith. A very deep and narrow valley, it contains interesting architecture. The river path gives an impressive first view of Dean Bridge, built in 1833 by Thomas Telford.

Edinburgh’s other less focused-on treasures include the Scottish Parliament Building at the eastern end of the city centre’s artery, the Royal Mile. Open Monday to Saturday, admission is free. The design (the work of Barcelona architect Enric Miralles) is either loved by visitors or loathed.
Once finished, you are just a stone’s throw from “Our Dynamic Earth” a celebrated multi-sensory time-travel experience which attempts to recreate the planet at key stages in its history.

Edinburgh’s famous Royal Mile must surely be a world showstopper. Forming the backbone of a capital city that was built on a series of geological mounds and oddities, the Royal Mile runs pell-mell downhill from west to east. Without any hint of symmetry or boring stateliness, the Royal Mile actually High Street, Edinburgh – does its own idiosyncratic thing. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe has its office here and it becomes the hub for a stream of free, wacky performances during August.
But Edinburgh’s classic thoroughfare is Princes Street. A wonderfully open, scenic street, its principal landmark is the Scott Monument. This latter is a sidewalk slice of spindly neo-gothic history, crying out to be climbed, all 287 steps, for the sake of the view and the exercise involved in the ascent. When the weather is good  and, being on Scotland’s east coast, Edinburgh enjoys a drier, sunnier, if often quite cold, climate  Princes Gardens offer the best rest place. Take a break from that climb or from shopping to admire the famous horticultural clock made of blooms. At the east end of Princes Street stands the impressive bulk of the Old Waverley Hotel and the Princes Mall, with its distinctive, individual stores.
Stretching the definition of Street a little, and taking a break from the urban environment, one of Scotland’s less frequented pieces of truly ancient history takes the form of The Parallel Roads. This Highland marvel can be encountered by anyone taking the A86 highway to the east of Spean Bridge. Venture into the typical sheep-strewn wilderness of Glen Roy. A sizeable vista opens up. Driving for runs approximately ten miles brings the traveler not to roads, but to the remarkable set of parallel lines on the hillside which indicate the levels of a former glacial loch as it melted over millennia in the last ice age. It’s Britain oldest existing Ice Age remnant and a fitting trump card on any tourism itinerary.

Who, returning from vacationing in Scotland, hasn’t raved about the capital city with its royal connections, distinctive architecture and non-stop cultural events? Best of all, the emblematic spectacle of Edinburgh Castle, perched high on its promontory, is a heart-stirring sight. Open daily to visitors, the castle is a Scottish national treasure. The admission ticket entitles the visitor to a free guided tour. Among its store of fascinating artifacts, you’ll find Scotland’s crown jewels, known as the Honors. These were last used for the crowning of Charles II (Mary, Queen of Scots great grandson) in 1651. Fittingly, too the “Stone of Destiny” resides here in the most historic of all of Scotland’s many royal seats. Its symbolic significance as Scotland’s Coronation Stone led to its removal in 1296 by English king at that time, Edward I. The stone remained on English territory specifically, within Westminster Abbey until 1950. The Scottish National War Museum, within the castle, records and conveys to visitors much of the upheaval that marks the country’s history. Tourism in Scotland thrives as much on the blood spilt in its past as it does on the country’s present-day splendors.
Wending one’s way down from Castle Hill, taking the obvious route  the crazily uneven cobbles of the steeply descending Royal Mile  a diverting cavalcade greets the visitor. This comprises unassuming tearooms, old traditional pubs, wine bars, shops selling designer jewelry and ceramics; music stores, thrift shops, whisky retailers, galleries small museums, all sitting cheek by jowl on both sides of this partially pedestrian-only thoroughfare.
Finish a first-rate day out with a second royal attraction; Holyrood Palace sits at the foot of the regal slope. So, having made it down that gentle mile, and provided one’s attention can be dragged from the retail cavalcade, enter the palace that was reputedly the great favorite of the late Queen Mother.