Scotland is a part of the United Kingdom and is a country itself. There are many places to visit in Scotland. The country has gained a lot of visitors over the years, and the capital of Scotland has played a significant role in terms of popularity. There is no doubt that the country has witnessed over 150 million visitors in 2019. The largest city in Scotland, Glasgow, had around 10 million overnight stays.
Scotland is full of beautiful places, including beaches, pools, and museums, from castles to whiskies. We will get to know about some of those places below.
11 Places to Visit in Scotlands
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Isle of Skye
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National Museum of Scotland
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Edinburgh
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Glasgow
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Scottish highlands
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Inverness
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Loch Lomond
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Fort William
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Aberdeen
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Loch Ness
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The North coast
1. The Isle of Skye
The Isle of Skye is located on the northwest coast of Scotland and is connected to the Skye bridge. And Mallaig is one of the places to visit in Scotland. This place is the largest and northernmost island in Scotland and a popular tourist attraction because of its outstanding natural beauty. It is famous for its medieval castles, landscapes, and fishing villages. There is no specific day or season to come here because all weathers are equally breathtaking.
Attractions on the Isle of Skye
The above things are attractive on the Isle of Skye, but there are to count, so let me tell you about individually one. One of the popular attractions here is its number of pools providing clear water and fantastic view if you love daring, don’t forget to swim in the water.
Moving to another attraction, hiking, because we all know that nothing is better than hiking and remember to take your camera with you to capture the sceneries. This is a reason for you to visit Scotland. But if you want to check out the best beaches, you should check out the article The Best 7 west coast Scotland beaches.
The Island of Skye is an excellent place for watching wildlife where you can find whales, seals, dolphins, and red deer. These creatures are a plus point on the Isle of Skye. There is no specific month or season to visit the Isle of Skye, but the month of June is better than the dry months of April and May. The Isle of Skye is a beautiful landscape offering breathtaking scenery.
2. National Museum of Scotland
Established in 2006, The National Museum of Scotland is one of the most popular tourist attractions outside London. Located on chambers street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF, United Kingdom, the national museum of Scotland has many events and exhibitions for everyone. There are so many things to do and see here.
Starting from exploring galleries related to Art, Design, fashion, the Natural world, Scottish history, and Archaeology, you can learn everything about Scotland’s present and history to define Scotland’s future.
If you are a Harry Potter Fan
If you are a true Harry Potter fan, this is what you can find in this museum. In Scottish history, you can see Lewis’s chess pieces presented in the museum, which you must have seen in the Harry Potter and Philosopher’s stone. In detail, you will also see Mary, Queen of Scots, and her belongings. Except for all these things, the Animal World in the National Museum of Scotland has attracted kids the most. They love to visit the Animal world at least once to see the animals, from polar bears to Lions from Africa.
3. Edinburgh
There are so many things and places to go in Edinburgh. Let’s talk about them one by one. Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland. The city has a medieval old town and beautiful gardens. Calton Hill is a hill in central Edinburgh and is located on the east of prince’s street. Calton Hill is home to many monuments and buildings which can be seen from very far.
Places to Go
Next is the Scottish national gallery of Modern art, one of the art galleries in Scotland where you can explore the history of Scotland. The Royal Mile is a famous street in Edinburgh joining Edinburgh castle and Holyroodhouse Palace.
Lastly, the royal yacht Britannia, the royal yacht of the British monarch, is one of the top tourist attractions. There is an old town in the capital city of Scotland that is the oldest part of the city reserved as an old town and is a famous place to visit in Scotland.
Edinburgh Castle is one of the oldest places in Scotland. The castle is known for its remarkable and fascinating history, including royal residence, prison, and fortress. If we focus only on the history of this castle, then there are many stories and secrets to tell.
History of Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle was the residence of the Scottish monarchs. Many kings and queens lived in the castle for many years, and between 1296 and 1341, the English invaders captured the castle twice but were taken back by Scots twice. The structure is another matter of concern because the castle is built on a famous volcano named castle rock which is counted among the places to visit in Scotland.
The castle rock adds a plus point to the castle’s popularity people are curious to know and see the castle. You can easily understand that this is more than 900 years old. There is another castle called Stirling castle located in the Stirling. Stirling Castle is a famous castle in Scotland. This castle is situated on the hill from where you can see the historic town and those cobbled streets.
4. Glasgow
Glasgow is one of the most popular cities in Scotland. There is so much to do and visit in Glasgow. If you want to list the places to visit in Scotland, then this list will be very long.
Places to Visit
There are many places in Glasgow like the cathedral, Museum, Art gallery, and science center so let’s talk about them individually. Glasgow Cathedral is the parish church in Scotland. Glasgow cathedral is the oldest building in Glasgow and is the oldest cathedral in Scotland. The next one is the Riverside Museum, located on the bank of the River Clyde, and the very famous Zaha Hadid designed it.
The place to visit in Glasgow is the Kelvingrove museum and art gallery. The Kelvingrove art gallery is known for its excellent art collection and is a popular tourist destination in Glasgow. The Glasgow Science center was established in 2001. The Science center was opened by Queen Elizabeth in 2001 and is now a popular place to visit in Scotland.
5. Scottish Highlands
The Scottish Highlands is one of the best places to visit in Scotland and is a great tourist attraction. Located in the northern part of Scotland, the Scottish Highlands present wild and aesthetic sceneries. The Scottish Highlands are full of adventure and fun, but do you know the secret of this place? Don’t worry, we are here to pull the curtains.
More Harry Potter
If you are a true Harry Potter fan, then you should know that this northern part of Scotland is where the Harry Potter shooting was held and not harry potter, but the loch ness monster hunting was also done here. People worldwide who love harry potter and its adventure journey should also take a train ride and absorb the beauty of the Scottish Highlands.
The west highland railway line connects Glasgow with the town of Fort William and the Oban and Mallaig. You will be more fascinated to see the Glenfinnan viaduct. This is one of the reasons that will make you visit Scotland.
The Scottish Highlands is one of the best places to visit in Scotland and is a top tourist attraction, so if you are planning to visit Scotland, do add the Scottish Highlands to your list and see the Scottish highland mountains. You can plan a week trip and visit the west coast to explore and enjoy some time with your family on Scotland’s west coast. An activity like wild camping is something you must do here.
6. Inverness
Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative center for the Highland council. The population of Inverness is an excellent topic to talk about. In the year 2012, the population of this city increased even more in the next coming years.
Now, this city holds the quarters of the population of the highlands. Inverness city has always been a great place to visit in Scotland, but there are some places in Inverness.
History of Inverness Castle
Let’s start with Inverness Castle, which was established in 1057. The history of Inverness castle says that King Malcolm III is the one who builds this castle but after destroying Macbeth’s castle at the crown hill.
The next best place to visit in Inverness is the Inverness Botanic gardens, where you can enjoy the scenery of new and beautiful flowers and plants blooming every season. Here you can see locally raised plants in gardens and glasshouses. One can even buy them. But don’t forget to sit with your friends and enjoy the beautiful surroundings.
Places to visit in Inverness
There are a few more places in Inverness named River Ness, Inverness Museum and art gallery, and Victorian market. River Ness is a river located in the highlands of Scotland. It flows from Loch Dochfour to the end of loch ness.
Inverness museum and art gallery are very close to Inverness castle you can visit both in a single day. Entry to the museum is all free. The Victorian market is located in the heart of Inverness and is a great place to enjoy shopping.
7. Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond is a Scottish lake in Scotland, United Kingdom. The lake is 36.4 kilometers long and is the largest lake in Great Britain, the United Kingdom. This lake is a beautiful place to spend some time and view the vivid, flowing lake and one of the great places to visit in Scotland. Loch Lomond contains many islands like Luch Murrin, the British Isles, and many more. This is a trendy tourist place in Scotland where you can also find the Trossachs national park in the center.
You must have heard the song featuring Loch Lomond, “The Bonnie Bank O’ Loch Lomond. The volume of this lake is 0.62 cu mi, and it is the second-largest lake in Great Britain after Loch Ness in water volume.
Loch Lomond contains more than 30 islands, many of which are the largest by standards of British freshwater bodies. These islands around the lake are the natural beauty of this lake.
What happened in the Past?
Loch Lomond was found 5000 years ago when people decided to visit and identify this lake. But loch became a popular destination when James Boswell and Samuel Johnson visited its islands in 1773. Loch Lomond is Scotland’s premier boating and water sports venue. Here you can play sports like kayaking, paddle boating, wake boating, wake surfing, and many more sports games. This is one of the best places to visit in Scotland.
8. Fort William
Another place to visit in Scotland is Fort William. Fort William is a town in Scotland, and just like loch Lomond, Fort William is also quite famous for its population because it has the largest population in Inverness. It is one of the major tourist attractions. Surrounded by many mountains and places, you can find Glen Coe to the south and east, Ben Nevis can be seen, and Glenfinnan station museum to the west.
Things to do?
Fort William is a center for people who love hill walking and climbing. Because the Ben Nevis Mountain range is spread out in its nearby areas and gives good hill walking trails in fort William, it is also recognized for its downhill mountain bike track. You can even go to Ben Nevis from here to see the highest mountain.
Fort William is not only known for hiking trails, but many movies have found this place a better fit for their movies. Harry Potter fans can be excited to visit this place because Harry Potter has been shooter here. Rob Roy, Being Human, and Braveheart are some movies shot here.
9. Aberdeen
Aberdeen is a city in northeast Scotland and is also known as a granite city. This city is famous because this quarried granite stone was used to build London’s houses of parliament, Waterloo bridge, and many famous buildings. Why? Because the city is covered with so many grey stone buildings. You may consider why and what these grey stone buildings are good.
Granite Buildings
Aberdeen is located on the northeast coast of Scotland. There are a few things to know about Aberdeen. The first thing is that this city is affluent in terms of workers. The rich history of Aberdeen is another thing to discuss. You can find the famous historical granite production. Duthie Park is a well-known park in Aberdeen where you can see the David welch winter gardens, the most extensive indoor gardens in Scotland, and one of the best places to visit in Scotland.
Aberdeen has the world’s second-largest granite building. The city also has the most significant number of whisky distilleries in Scotland.
10. Loch Ness
There are so many Scottish lakes and rivers in Scotland that you may have to take a break and start exploring them again. Loch Ness is always counted as the best place to visit in Scotland. By the surface area, this loch is the second largest Scottish loch after loch Lomond.
Loch Ness is a lake that contains more water than the lakes in England and Wales. This also makes it the most significant water body in Great Glen. Isn’t it awesome?
Monster in Loch Ness
The Loch Ness Centre and exhibition have attracted tourists. They have arranged special effects so we can imagine the Nessie monster and reveal the famous Nessie story. Here in Loch ness center, you can discover the history and mystery of Nessie.
Besides all the things, boating is another reason to visit the loch ness. People also like to do activities like boat tours, wild camping, and boat cruise.
11. The North Coast
The North Coast 500 is a 516 miles route also known as NC500. This route was launched in 2015 with the thought of attracting visitors, and it worked. NC500 has increased visitors, which has helped the people in the surrounding area of this route. The North Coast is one of those places to visit in Scotland where any tourist would love to go.
The North coast route includes many places which start from Inverness and move via Muir of ord, Applecross, Gairloch, Ullapool, Castle of Meg, Wick, Dingwall, and some more places in between these places but clockwise, this route goes back to Inverness.
As we know, the NC500 was launched to spread tourism and help locals, but the route became more popular than they had imagined. Tourists start coming here more every year, and this route was also described as the fifth position in the ” top 5 coastal routes in the world” in Now Travel Magazine.
Cycling Challenge
But what is more interesting here is the route becomes a cycling challenge, and every year, a new face comes to highlight to break the previous records. Robbie Mitchell holds the records by completing the challenge in 29 hours, 5 minutes, and 42 seconds. All these things have made the North coast one of Scotland’s best places to visit.
The Orkney islands are also located on the northern coast of Scotland. The islands have neolithic sites and tall cliffs.
Conclusion
As a tourist or a domestic visitor, the above places to visit in Scotland are not enough for any of them because there are so many places, lakes, beaches, and parks in Scotland.
All the above places are worth visiting in Scotland and experiencing those activities you may have never done. But it doesn’t mean that only the above places are good, but there are so many other places to visit in Scotland.
The resident of Scotland and tourists from different countries can be seen in other places too. Some popular cities above are Fort William, Inverness, Aberdeen, and Glasgow. However, cities like Stirling, Dundee, Perth, St. Andrews, and many more are popular but hidden in the shadow of the most popular cities. To know more about it, check Explore 7 best places in Scotland.
