Smith Art Gallery & Museum

Stirling Region

　　Oswald the museum cat greets visitors to this treasure trove of local history, which tells the story of Stirling from prehistoric to modern times. The prize exhibit is the world's oldest football, discovered in 1981 behind panelling in the Queen's chamber in Stirling Castle; it may date from the 1490s....

Argyll's Lodging

Stirling Region

　　This elegant building is Scotland's most impressive 17th-century town house, built for a wealthy local merchant and later acquired by the Earl of Argyll when he thought that Charles II might use Stirling Castle as a royal residence. It has been tastefully restored and gives an insight into the lavish...

Bannockburn Heritage Centre

Stirling Region

　　Robert the Bruce's defeat of the English army on 24 June 1314 at Bannockburn established Scotland as a separate nation. The Bannockburn Heritage Centre uses interactive technology to bring the battle to life. The highlight is a digital projection of the battlefield onto a 3D landscape that shows the movements...

National Wallace Monument

Stirling Region

　　Perched high on a crag above the floodplain of the River Forth, this Victorian monument is so Gothic it deserves circling bats and croaking ravens. In the shape of a medieval tower, it commemorates William Wallace, the hero of the bid for Scottish independence depicted in the film Braveheart. The...

Old Town Jail

Stirling Region

　　This impressive Victorian prison building lay derelict from the 1960s until 2015, when it was reopened as a visitor attraction. Costumed guides lead tours around the former prison cells and up to the top of the observation tower, recounting gruesome tales of prisoners, punishments and executions along with fascinating facts...

Killiecrankie Visitor Centre

Highland Perthshire

　　Located near the site of the Battle of Killiecrankie, this visitor centre has great interactive displays on the Jacobite rebellion and local flora and fauna. There's plenty to touch, pull and open – great for kids. ...

Wild Space

Highland Perthshire

　　This combined art gallery, interpretation centre and bookshop is run by environmental charity the John Muir Trust. It stages exhibitions of contemporary landscape art, and sells maps, walking guides, and wildlife- and environment-related books. ...

Blair Athol Distillery

Highland Perthshire

　　Tours here focus on whisky making and the blending of this well-known dram. More detailed private tours give you greater insights and superior tastings. ...

Explorers Garden

Highland Perthshire

　　This gem of a garden is based around plants brought to Scotland by 18th- and 19th-century Scottish botanists and explorers such as David Douglas (after whom the Douglas fir is named), and celebrates 300 years of collecting and the 'plant hunters' who tracked down these exotic species. ...

Pass of Killiecrankie

Highland Perthshire

　　The beautiful, rugged Pass of Killiecrankie, 3.5 miles north of Pitlochry, where the River Garry tumbles through a narrow gorge, was the site of the 1689 Battle of Killiecrankie that ignited the Jacobite rebellion. The visitor centre has great interactive displays on Jacobite history and local flora and fauna. There's...

Edradour Distillery

Highland Perthshire

　　This is proudly Scotland’s smallest and most picturesque distillery and one of the best to visit: you can see the whole process, easily explained, in one building. It’s 2.5 miles east of Pitlochry by car, along the Moulin road, or a pleasant 1-mile walk. ...

Pitlochry Dam Visitor Centre

Highland Perthshire

　　Opened in 2017, this architecturally stunning visitor centre is perched above the dam on the River Tummel, and houses an exhibition that details the history of hydroelectricity in Scotland, alongside the life cycle of the Atlantic salmon (all hydro stations need a fish ladder to allow salmon to migrate upstream...

Pulpit Hill

Oban

　　An excellent viewpoint to the south of Oban Bay; the footpath to the summit starts by Maridon B&B on Dunuaran Rd. ...

Oban War & Peace Museum

Oban

　　Military buffs will enjoy the little Oban War and Peace Museum, which chronicles Oban’s role in WWII as a base for Catalina seaplanes and as a marshalling area for Atlantic convoys. Opening hours are subject to change, depending on volunteer availability. ...

McCaig’s Tower

Oban

　　Crowning the hill above town is this Colosseum-like Victorian folly, commissioned in 1890 by local worthy John Stuart McCaig, with the philanthropic intention of providing work for unemployed stonemasons. To reach it on foot, make the steep climb up Jacob’s Ladder (a flight of stairs) from Argyll St; the bay...

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 glass and a taste straight from the cask. Specialist tours (£40) run once on Mondays to Fridays in summer. Even without a tour, it’s still worth looking...

Dunollie Castle

Oban

　　A pleasant 1-mile stroll north along the coast road leads to Dunollie Castle, built by the MacDougalls of Lorn in the 13th century and unsuccessfully besieged for a year during the 1715 Jacobite rebellion. It’s ruined, but ongoing conservation work is offering increasing access. The nearby 1745 House – seat...

St Andrew’s Cathedral

Inverness

　　The red-sandstone towers of St Andrew’s Cathedral date from 1869. ...

Inverness Castle

Inverness

　　The hill above the city centre is topped by the picturesque Baronial turrets of Inverness Castle, a pink-sandstone confection dating from 1847 that replaced a medieval castle blown up by the Jacobites in 1746; it serves today as the Sheriff's Court. It’s not open to the public, but there are...

Inverness Museum & Art Gallery

Inverness

　　Inverness Museum & Art Gallery has wildlife dioramas, geological displays, period rooms with historic weapons, Pictish stones and exhibitions of contemporary Highland arts and crafts. ...

Ness Islands

Inverness

　　The main attraction in Inverness is a leisurely stroll along the river to the Ness Islands. Planted with mature Scots pine, fir, beech and sycamore, and linked to the river banks and each other by elegant Victorian footbridges, the islands make an appealing picnic spot. They're a 20-minute walk south...

Orkney Wireless Museum

Kirkwall

　　This curious little museum is jam-packed with old radios and war memorabilia. Mostly local in character, it's an impressive collection. ...

Scapa

Kirkwall

　　Two miles south of Kirkwall's centre, on the shores of Scapa Flow, this is one of two Orcadian whisky distilleries and, though less famous than Highland Park, produces a quality, well-balanced, delicate malt. It offers a standard tour, which includes a dram, and an 'experience' tour (£20), which gives you...

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 perspective of the cathedral from the tower. Admission is included with entry to the Earl's Palace. ...

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 the ba’. Most engaging are the last rooms, covering 19th- and 20th-century social history. ...

Kirkjuvagr Orkney Gin

Kirkwall

　　Opened in 2018, this distillery and visitor centre on the waterfront is a new showcase for this tasty Orkney spirit. Tours run for an hour and include an audiovisual display and a tasting; it's wise to prebook online. There's also a cafe-bar here. At the time of research, it was...

Earl's Palace

Kirkwall

　　The intriguing Earl’s Palace was once known as the finest example of French Renaissance architecture in Scotland. One room features an interesting history of its builder, Earl Patrick Stewart, a bastard in every sense of the word, who was beheaded in Edinburgh for treason. He started construction in about 1600,...

Highland Park Distillery

Kirkwall

　　This distillery, South of Kirkwall's centre, is great to visit. Despite a dodgy Viking rebrand, it's a serious distillery that malts its own barley; see it and the peat kiln used to dry it on the excellent, well-informed hour-long tour (book ahead). The standard 12-year-old is a soft, balanced malt,...

St Magnus Cathedral

Kirkwall

　　Constructed from local red sandstone, Kirkwall's centrepiece, dating from the early 12th century, is among Scotland's most interesting cathedrals. The powerful atmosphere of an ancient faith pervades the impressive interior. Lyrical and melodramatic epitaphs of the dead line the walls and emphasise the serious business of 17th- and 18th-century bereavement....

City Square

Dundee

　　The heart of Dundee is City Sq, flanked to the south by the 1930s facade of Caird Hall, which was gifted to the city by a textile magnate and is now home to the City Chambers. A more recent addition to the square, unveiled in 2001, is a bronze statue...

Dundee Contemporary Arts

Dundee

　　Pioneering the development of the city's Cultural Quarter from its opening in 1999, Dundee Contemporary Arts is a centre for modern art, design and cinema. The galleries here exhibit work by contemporary UK and international artists, and there are printmakers' studios where you can watch artists at work, or even...

McManus Galleries

Dundee

　　Housed in a solid Victorian Gothic building designed by Gilbert Scott in 1867, the McManus Galleries are a city museum on a human scale – you can see everything there is to see in a single visit, without feeling rushed or overwhelmed. The exhibits cover the history of the city...

Dundee Law

Dundee

　　It's worth making the climb up Dundee Law (174m) for great views of the city, the two Tay bridges and across to Fife. The Tay Rail Bridge – at just over 2 miles long, it was the world's longest when it was built – was completed in 1887. The 1.5-mile...

HMS Unicorn

Dundee

　　Dundee's second floating tourist attraction – unlike the polished and much-restored RRS Discovery – retains the authentic atmosphere of a salty old sailing ship. Built in 1824, the 46-gun Unicorn is the oldest British-built ship still afloat – she was mothballed soon after launching and never saw action. Wandering around...

Verdant Works

St Andrews

　　One of the fi­nest industrial museums in Europe, the Verdant Works explores the history of Dundee's jute industry. Housed in a restored jute mill, complete with original machinery in working condition, the museum's exhibits follow the raw material from its origins in India through to the manufacture of a wide...

Iona Abbey

St Andrews

　　Iona's ancient but heavily reconstructed abbey is the spiritual heart of the island. The spectacular nave, dominated by Romanesque and early Gothic vaults and columns, is a powerful space; a door on the left leads to the beautiful cloister, where medieval grave slabs sit alongside modern religious sculptures. Out the...

V&A Dundee

St Andrews

　　The centrepiece of Dundee's revitalised waterfront is this stunning building designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. Opened in late 2018, it houses an outpost of London's Victoria & Albert Museum of art and design with exhibitions showcasing the work of Scottish designers past and present, from famous names such as...

Sub Club

St Andrews

　　Scotland's most famous house club is still going strong several decades on. Saturday at the Sub Club is one of Glasgow's legendary nights, offering serious clubbing with a sound system that aficionados usually rate as the city's best. The claustrophobic, last-one-in vibe is not for those faint of heart. Check...

National Museum of Scotland

St Andrews

　　Elegant Chambers St is dominated by the long facade of the National Museum of Scotland. Its extensive collections are spread between two buildings: one modern, one Victorian – the golden stone and striking architecture of the new building (1998) make it one of the city's most distinctive landmarks. The museum's...

Speyside Cooperage

St Andrews

　　Here you can watch the fascinating art of barrel-making during a 45-minute guided tour. It’s a mile south of Craigellachie on the Dufftown road. ...

Discovery Point

St Andrews

　　The three masts of Captain Robert Falcon Scott's famous polar expedition vessel the RRS Discovery provide a historic counterpoint to the modern architecture of the V&A Design Museum. Exhibitions and audiovisual displays in the neighbouring visitor centre provide a fascinating history of both the ship and Antarctic exploration, but Discovery...

Three Chimneys

St Andrews

　　Halfway between Dunvegan and Waterstein, the Three Chimneys is a superb romantic retreat combining a gourmet restaurant in a candlelit crofter’s cottage with sumptuous five-star rooms (double £345) in the modern house next door. Book well in advance, and note that children are not welcome in the restaurant in the...

Scone Palace

St Andrews

　　'So thanks to all at once and to each one, whom we invite to see us crowned at Scone.' This line from Macbeth indicates the importance of Scone (pronounced 'skoon') as the coronation place of Scottish monarchs. The original palace of 1580, laying claim to this historic site, was rebuilt...

Culzean Castle & Country Park

St Andrews

　　The Scottish National Trust's flagship property, magnificent Culzean (kull-ane) is one of the most impressive of Scotland's stately homes. On approach the castle floats into view like a mirage. Designed by Robert Adam, encouraged to exercise his romantic genius, this 18th-century mansion is perched dramatically on a clifftop. 　　There's a...

Maeshowe

St Andrews

　　Constructed about 5000 years ago, Maeshowe is an extraordinary place, a Stone Age tomb built from enormous sandstone blocks, some of which weighed many tonnes and were brought from several miles away. Creeping down the long stone passageway to the central chamber, you feel the indescribable gulf of years that...