Must-see attractions in Scotland

  • Oban Distillery

    Oban

    This handsome distillery has been in operation since 1794. The standard guided tour leaves regularly (worth booking) and includes a dram, a take-home…

  • Victorian Toilets

    Southern Highlands & Islands

    Dating from 1899, these toilets are a monument to lavatorial luxury − a disinfectant-scented temple of green and black marbled stoneware, glistening white…

  • Holm of Papay

    Orkney

    This uninhabited island just off the eastern shore of Papa Westray is notable for its three chambered cairns, the largest of which (South Cairn) is most…

  • Loch Lomond Sea Life

    Loch Lomond

    The centrepiece of Loch Lomond Shores is this aquarium, which has displays on the wildlife of Loch Lomond, an otter enclosure (housing short-clawed Asian…

  • Corgarff Castle

    The Cairngorms

    In the wild hills of the eastern Cairngorms, near the A939 road from Cockbridge to Tomintoul, is the impressive fortress of Corgarff Castle. The tower…

  • John Muir's Birthplace

    Scotland

    This excellent interactive museum pays rousing tribute to Dunbar native John Muir (1838–1914), better known as a pioneer conservationist and the father of…

  • Tall Ship

    Glasgow

    The magnificent Tall Ship Glenlee, a beautiful three-master launched in 1896, is berthed alongside the Riverside Museum. On board are family-friendly…

  • People's Palace

    Glasgow

    Set in the city's oldest park, Glasgow Green, is the solid orange stone People's Palace. It is an impressive museum of social history, telling the story…

  • Bharpa Langass & Pobull Fhinn

    Outer Hebrides

    A waymarked path from a car park off the A867, 6 miles southwest of Lochmaddy, leads to the chambered Neolithic burial tomb of Bharpa Langass and the…

  • Shetland Crofthouse Museum

    Shetland

    At Boddam a side road leads to the Shetland Crofthouse Museum (donations welcomed). The years drop away when you enter and step back into a primitive…

  • Scalloway Castle

    Shetland

    Scalloway's most prominent landmark is its castle, built around 1600 by Earl Patrick Stewart. The turreted and corbelled tower house is fairly well…

  • Orkney Museum

    Kirkwall

    This labyrinthine display in a former merchant’s house gives an overview of Orcadian history and prehistory, including Pictish carvings and a display on…

  • Watermill

    Highland Perthshire

    You could while away several hours at this converted watermill, which houses a cafe, bookshop and art gallery exhibiting contemporary works of art. The…

  • Craigellachie Nature Reserve

    The Cairngorms

    This reserve is a great place for short hikes across steep hillsides covered in natural birch forest where you can spot wildlife such as the peregrine…

  • Davaar Cave

    Southern Highlands & Islands

    A very unusual sight awaits in this cave on the southern side of Davaar island, at the mouth of Campbeltown Loch. On the wall of the cave is an eerie…

  • Loch of the Lowes Wildlife Centre

    Highland Perthshire

    Loch of the Lowes, 2 miles east of Dunkeld off the A923, has a visitor centre devoted to red squirrels and the majestic osprey. There’s a birdwatching…

  • Unstan Chambered Cairn

    Orkney

    This atmospheric neolithic tomb, on a smaller scale than nearby Maeshowe, is a site that you may well get to yourself. It's a very tight squeeze down the…

  • Braemar Castle

    The Cairngorms

    Just north of Braemar village, turreted Braemar Castle dates from 1628 and served as a government garrison after the 1745 Jacobite rebellion. It was taken…

  • Noup Head

    Orkney

    This bird reserve at Westray's northwestern tip is a dramatic area of sea cliffs, with vast numbers of breeding seabirds from April to July. You can walk…

  • Orkneyinga Saga Centre

    Orkney

    This centre has displays relating to the Orkneyinga Saga, and an interesting video depicting some of the saga’s deeds. To get here follow signs for the…

  • St John’s Tower

    Southern Scotland

    This is the only remnant of the church that hosted a parliament in 1315, the year after the celebrated victory at the battle of Bannockburn. John Knox’…

  • Museum of Piping

    Glasgow

    This museum in the national centre for bagpipes covers the history of this Celtic instrument, with several fine historic pieces on display. It's worth…

  • Bishop's Palace

    Kirkwall

    Right opposite St Magnus Cathedral, the ruined but attractive Bishop’s Palace was built in the mid-12th century for Bishop William the Old. There’s a good…

  • Robert Burns Centre

    Dumfries & Galloway

    A worthwhile Burns exhibition in an old mill on the banks of the River Nith; it tells the story of the poet and Dumfries in the 1790s. The optional…

  • Westray Heritage Centre

    Orkney

    This heritage centre has displays on local history, nature dioramas and archaeological finds, with some famous neolithic carvings (including the 5000-year…

  • Dwarfie Stane

    Orkney

    A short walk from the road through Rackwick Glen, and an obligatory stop on the way to the Old Man of Hoy, the 5000-year-old Dwarfie Stane is the only…

  • Quendale Water Mill

    Shetland

    South of Boddam, a minor road runs southwest to Quendale. Here you’ll find the small but excellent, restored and fully operational 19th-century Quendale…

  • Earl's Palace

    Orkney

    The ruins of this palace, built in the 16th century by the despotic Robert Stewart, Earl of Orkney, dominate the village of Birsay. Today it’s a mass of…

  • Ullapool Museum

    Ullapool

    Housed in a converted Telford church, this museum relates the prehistoric, natural and social history of the town and Lochbroom area, with a particular…

  • Taigh Chearsabhagh

    Outer Hebrides

    Taigh Chearsabhagh is a museum and arts centre that preserves and displays the history and culture of the Uists, and is also a thriving community centre,…

  • Calanais Visitor Centre

    Outer Hebrides

    This visitor centre near the Callanish Standing Stones is a tour de force of discreet design. Inside is a small exhibition that speculates on the origins…

  • Kintyre Gin

    Southern Highlands & Islands

    Set in a former piggery on the Torrisdale Castle estate, this new distillery on the eastern side of Kintyre has been turning heads in the spirit world,…

  • Bute Museum

    Southern Highlands & Islands

    The most interesting displays in this museum behind Rothesay Castle are those recounting the history of the famous Clyde steamers. Other galleries cover…

  • Colonsay House Gardens

    Southern Highlands & Islands

    Situated at Colonsay House, 1.5 miles north of Scalasaig, these gardens are tucked in an unexpected fold of the landscape and are famous for their…

  • An Lanntair Arts Centre

    Outer Hebrides

    The modern, purpose-built An Lanntair (Gaelic for 'lighthouse'), complete with art gallery, theatre, cinema and restaurant, is the centre of the town’s…

  • Coral Beaches

    Skye

    From the end of the minor road beyond Dunvegan Castle entrance, an easy 1-mile walk leads to the Coral Beaches – a pair of blindingly white beaches…

  • Mull of Galloway Lighthouse

    Dumfries & Galloway

    You can climb the lighthouse at the Mull of Galloway for views over four different political entities: Northern Ireland, Scotland, England and the Isle of…

  • Isle of Jura Distillery

    Southern Highlands & Islands

    There aren't a whole lot of indoor attractions on the island of Jura apart from visiting the Isle of Jura Distillery. The standard tour runs twice a day,…

  • Bosta

    Outer Hebrides

    On a sunny day, it’s worth making the long detour to Great Bernera's northern tip for a picnic at the perfect little sandy beach of Bosta. As an…

  • St Kilda Viewpoint

    Outer Hebrides

    From the westernmost point of the road that runs around North Uist, a minor, drivable track leads for 1.5 miles to the summit of Clettraval hill where a…

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