7 Great Places to Visit in Scotland

Do you like beautiful valley landscapes, with cute hairy cows munching on the grass, and a backdrop of crystal clear water and snowy mountains? Sounds like you need a vacation in the highlands of Scotland. If you’re already planning on going to Scotland, here are some terrific places to checkout!

Location 1: Edinburgh

Edinburgh is a great place to visit, with tons of amazing tourist spots and beautiful locations all throughout the city.

History:

Edinburgh is currently the capital of Scotland, as it has been since the middle of the 14^th century. It’s history dates to prehistoric times. It was the primary seat of the Scottish crown until Scotland was annexed to England. From that time to today Scotland has been the official seat of the Royal Crown in Scotland, with the Holyrood House being the official royal palace to stay in.

Scottish history is long and complex, full of revolutions, wars, amazing scientists, and countless other historical achievements. Some of the most innovative scientists in the world have been born and resided in Edinburgh (such as James C. Maxwell).

Top Sites:

We’ll talk more about great places to visit in Edinburgh in a different article, but here are a couple of highlights:

• Edinburgh Castle
• Palace of the Holyrood House
• King Arthur’s Seat
• The Real Mary King’s Close

Things to Bring:

If you are going in winter, than you should bring jackets, long underwear, gloves, and other winter clothes. Be prepared for snow, rain, hail, and ice. You should only bring a few jackets and pants if you go during fall or spring.

Time to Go:

Tourist season is mostly from mid-April to mid-October, with its peak between July and August. The average high for the city during this time is 65° F (18.3° C). If you want to stay during this time period, reserve where you are staying well in advance, and reserve your plane tickets in advance, as well.

Location 2: Loch Ness

A beautiful lake, the waters of Loch Ness are said by some to hold a mysterious creature beneath the surface. Almost every drive to Loch Ness will take you through the Scottish Highlands.

History:

Loch Ness is the second largest Scottish loch (by surface area) and contains more water than any other lake in all of the United Kingdom, and more freshwater than all of the lakes in Wales and England combined. It is also thought to be the home of a creature known as the “Loch Ness Monster” or locally referred to as “Nessie”.

Warning: Do not pet the Loch Ness Monster! It is unknown whether or not it is carnivorous.

Top Sites:

Loch Ness has more than a few tourist destinations around it (besides the lake itself). Here are a few of the top sites:

• Urquhart Castle
  • Right next to Loch Ness
  • Many tickets to see the lake also let you explore this ancient structure
• Highland Wildlife Park
  • Beautiful natural park near the shores of Loch Ness

The other things to do will be covered in Location 3 (Inverness).

Time to Go:

Due to frozen roads, you generally can only go between April and October.

Location 3: Inverness

The city of Inverness is only a few miles down the road from Loch Ness, and is on the river Ness. Besides being regarded as the capital of the highlands in Scotland, it has many interesting historical sites, and other fun things to do around it.

History:

Inverness is the northernmost city in the UK. It lies near two important battle sites, the Blar nam Feinne (11th century, battle against Norway), and the Battle of Culloden (18th Century, final battle of the Jacobite Uprising). Currently Inverness is one of Europe’s fastest growing cities, having gone from around 47,000 in 2012 to just under 70,000 people in 2018.

Top Sites:

There are many places of historic importance, natural beauty, or just general interest to see in Inverness. Here are a few of those places:

• Inverness Castle
  • Not completely open to the public, you can walk through the grounds and the North Tower
• Inverness Cathedral
  • Northernmost Cathedral on island of Britannia.
• Site of the Battle of Culloden
  • Last armed conflict on British soil

Things to Bring:

Bring a jacket and pants, no matter what time of year you go. It almost never goes above 70° F (21° C).

Time to Go:

Go between April and late July. Later than that and it starts cooling down.

Location 4: Loch Lomond

The largest loch in Scotland (by surface area), Loch Lomond is a site of historic importance. Many songs and books have been written on the “bonnie banks” of Loch Lomond.

History:

Loch Lomond has been a popular tourist destination for almost 400 years. Dozens of television shows, songs, movies, books, and the like have mentioned or been set at Loch Lomond.

Top Sites:

There are many parks, castles, and other cool places to see near Loch Lomond:

• Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Parks
  • First of two national parks established by Scotland in 2002
• Inveraray
  • See Below
• Ben Munro
  • One of Scotland’s most popular mountains.
• Town of Balloch
  • Home of Balloch Castle

Time to Go:

Go during summer. During winter, early spring, and later fall Loch Lomond is frozen.

Location 5: Scottish Highlands

Many of the mentioned places have been in the highlands, but the highlands themselves surely deserve their own point.

History:

The Scottish Highlands have been the site of many rebellions, battles, wars, and civilizations (including prehistoric ones). This land is also home to thousands of square miles (square kilometers) of beautiful mountains, valleys, and grazing ranges for hairy cows.

Top Sites:

There are many mountains, valleys, castles, and other things to see in the highlands. Here are a few of the most famous:

• Ben Nevis
  • This is the tallest mountain on the island of Britannia
  • Collapsed dome of an ancient volcano
  • Thousands of people climb it each year
• Stirling Castle
  • Extremely important in Scottish Royal history
• Glamis Castle
  • Where Queen Elizabeth II was born, previous home of Scotland’s Macbeth and King Malcolm.

Time to Go:

Great to visit in summer, when the roads aren’t frozen. If, however, you like frozen roads, blizzards, and having no internet or cell phone connection (and no people for hundreds of miles) feel free to go during the winter.

Location 6: Isle of Skye

This is the largest and northernmost major Scottish Island.

History:

Was once an island well populated by the Scottish. After the Jacobite rebellion of the 18th century, over 12,000 Scots were moved from the island, and many houses were replaced with sheep farms. Today the population is in decline in the local area.

Top Sites:

• The Storr
  • A series of amazing rock formations on a mountainous coastline
• Dunvegan Castle
  • Historic castle from before the 13th century
  • Seat of the Clan MacLeod
• Dunscaith Castle
  • Castle in ruins on a cliff that is jutting out of the Isle of Skye

Time to Go:

Like everything else in Scotland, it will likely be most pleasant during the summer, but make your own choice.

Location 7: Inveraray

Inveraray is the head of the ancient Campbell clan of Scotland. It is a small town on the river Aray.

History:

It used to be a Royal Burgh (a Scottish Town granted a Royal Charter), until 1975 when that term was removed from the law. Today it is a tourist attraction, and the home of the Duke of Argyll (the head of the Campbell clan). Inveraray castle itself has been around since before the 15th century, but was reworked in the mid-18th century.

Top Sites:

The best place to visit in Inveraray is Inveraray Castle, which is often compared to a fairy tale castle.

Time to Go:

You should probably go during the summer, as with all of the other listed places in Scotland.

There are many other places to visit in Scotland, but these are a few of the most famous and most visited places. If you want a physical book full of great places in Scotland (including these), check out the Rick Steves Scotland guide. If you liked this article, and want to see other travel articles like this, be sure to check out planandorganize.com for more.