City: Scotland
Top Things to do in Scotland
Top Hotels in Scotland
Countries
10 Things to do in Scotland That You Shouldn't Miss
– in Europe (green & dark grey)
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Restaurants in Scotland
1. Royal Yacht Britannia
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 22,167 reviews
Step aboard The Queen's former floating palace and experience this iconic 5 star attraction for yourself. Rated Scotland's Best Attraction for 12 years running and in TripAdvisor's UK Top 10 for the last 5 years, Britannia is one of the most famous ships in the world. Sailing a million miles on a thousand official visits, during 40 years in service, the Royal Yacht played host to glittering state banquets and official receptions, but was also home to the Royal Family and crew of 220 Royal Yachtsmen. Explore Britannia's highly accessible 5 decks with highlights including the elegant Royal Apartments, Crew's Quarters, Engine Room and stunning Royal Deck Tea Room. Highly accessible for wheelchairs and buggies. Open year round .Only 15 minutes from Edinburgh city centre (local buses every 10 minutes - 11, 22, 34 and 35 to Ocean Terminal).
Reviewed By JCBH_1 - McLean, United States
The (now retired) Royal Yacht Britannia is a national treasure, frozen in time for all of us to enjoy. Wonderful "whisper" audio sets tied to numbered highlights so you can't miss a thing. Britannia is crowded, but for great reason: It's fantastic. You visit everything from the Bridge to the (impeccable) Engine Room, including the impressive State Dining Room and Salon, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip's staterooms - staff quarters and even the ship's infirmary and laundry rooms. The Royal Rolls Royce is on board, and the Queen's motor launch (alongside the Britannia - you'll see it last) is very impressive. Furnishings are original. It's amazing. Very nice shoreside ticket facility, gift shop, etc. There is also a tea room - which is apparently very popular. Britannia is a national treasure - terrific to be able to experience it.
2. Edinburgh Old Town
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 15,961 reviews
Edinburgh's oldest neighborhood, dating back to medieval times: these small streets are lined with wool shops, pubs and historical monuments.
Reviewed By annemacmillan
When in Edinburgh you must visit The Old Town, .. See the Old Tenement Buildings.. Feel the History of this old Historical Town, with its cobbled streets....Take a walk along the Royal Mile, from the Castle to Holyrood Palace.. You can easily feel what it must've been like living in "Auld Reekie" centuries ago.. and hearing the words being shouted from the tenement windows "Gardy Loo" ..the warning that Waste was going to be thrown out the window...Visit Grassmarket.. and the weekend Farmers Markets... If you looking for souvenirs to take home you will definitely find them here, from the array of shops to choose from,.. if your looking for Cashmere, Whisky., Tablet or some nice Edinburgh Rock..You will find it all in the Old Town and much more.
3. Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 15,301 reviews
Free Entry. Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is Scotland's most visited free attraction. With 22 themed, state-of-the-art galleries displaying an astonishing 8000 objects, the collections are extensive, wide-ranging and internationally-significant.
Reviewed By mkoperabuff
Great museum fabulous art deco MacIntosh exhibits, natural history, social and Scottish history, furniture, decorations and marvelous paintings of Scottish, French, Dutch, English and other masterpieces, e.g. Rossetti, Turner, Monet, Cezanne. Beautiful high Victorian opulent building, organ concert, nice cafe and shops and free, please shop or leave a donation well worth it. Great for children too especially the natural history exhibits.
4. Arthur's Seat
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 21,026 reviews
Arthur's Seat is one of four hill forts, dating from around 2,000 years ago. Situated within Holyrood Park, as well as it's rich cultural heritage, the park offers walks, solace, wildlife, volcanic geology and unparalleled vistas of the city from its many vantage points. The park has several Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) designations due to its exceptional range of grassland habitats and its internationally important volcanic geology. Ranger service on site.
Reviewed By holland21 - Stirling, United Kingdom
Arthur’s Seat is a massive hill in Holyrood Park in Edinburgh and if you’re feeling fit you can walk and/or climb it and of course you can drive round it, able to stop along the way to marvel at the views around the city and beyond, depending if you’re looking North, west south or east and see so many landmarks near and far. I would say that this is a must see and do when visiting Edinburgh !
5. Ben Nevis
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,460 reviews
Fondly called "Ben" by the locals, Britain's highest mountain towers 4,406 feet above the town of Fort William.
Reviewed By Scotlandmac - Glasgow, United Kingdom
5 stars for the brilliant path, nice and wide,which takes even the least experienced of walkers safely to the top. Best path I've ever used on any Scottish mountain and we climb these regularly.Also, as Scotland is my home, I cannot bring myself to demote Ben Nevis to less than 5 stars.It has my respect.Unfortunately most people on this route never see its true grandeur , it's North Face, where it's then obvious that this is the remains of an ancient volcano once twice as high.Climbing Carn Mor Dearg or the Aonachs nearby, give the best views of The Ben's real grandeur. It's certainly not a wilderness experience as such, this route - in August there must have been 3,000 other people plodding up the mountain! Good views , not fabulous but nice, until we got part way up and entered the mist. It's a strenuous walk though - anything is that is 1345m high and with a sea level start.But it wasn't anywhere near as hard as we thought it might be.Just LONG. We are in our 60s and it took us 3hr 10 min to the top, including a 10 min break beyond the Red Burn.But we are regular hillwalkers and reasonably fit. The climb can divided into 4 sections IMO.I found this helped pace out the day/progress.Our time is given for each stage but it is approximate.Younger people who are fit passed us. 1st Stage: Visitor Car Park to The Corner - 45 mins. The path climbs steadily above Glen Nevis, then over a bridge where it turns sharply left.I call this The Corner as the climb is now more open with the open hillside and the burn to your right and below. We were now 390m above the glen. 2nd Stage: The Corner to the Red Burn crossing. 40mins. This section passes the lovely Lochan which is NOT the halfway stage despite its name in some publications.Nice flat section for a short bit. The lochan is only at around 560m and the mountain summit is 1345m. 3rd Stage: The Red Burn to the End of the Zig Zags: 1hr 15mins including a 10 min stop. Now the path turned much more rough and bouldery in places but still excellent.This upper part of the mountain is a boulderfield and turns quarry like nearer the top.The zig zags go up at a very pleasant angle of ascent, though still feel VERY long.At the end of this section , we were now at 1190m - less than 200m to go with the back of the climb broken. Final Stage: End of zig zags to Summit Cairn:30 mins. This bit seemed to go on forever too mainly because we were now in thick cloud/mizzly rain and couldn't see that far ahead.I thought this was a flattish bit but the path is still climbing. The appearance of large marker cairns on the right confirm the end is in sight.They are set well away from the various gullies on the left which the path is fairly close to.These have been the scene of fatalities in the past, in whiteout conditions, with the path under snow or not clear due to very poor visibility. We then had a 10 min wait in a queue to climb the summit cairn for a photo! Crazy! We only had views from the zig zags downwards.But it was still well worth the climb. The crowds are nuts - I've never seen anything like it on any other Scottish mountain(which often have much better, more dramatic views too.) A lot of people couldn't stay long at the top because they had barely more than t-shirt and shorts on.Their clothes looked sweaty and very damp from the effort and mist.You cool down mega quickly at that height and in those conditions and in damp clothes. It's a LONG strenuous hike made much easier by the great path but if someone is not very fit - well, I saw some young women crying on the 1st stage of the path. We arrived at the visitor centre car park before 9am on a Sunday in August and could hardly get parked.It costs £6 to park - machines were not working so paid in the Visitor Centre.Toilets were (unhelpfully) closed when we returned at 4.45pm. No toilet facilities on the hill as you would expect and it's not easy to find a place to go without other people being around. The summit is swarming with people and it would be difficult to find a spot even in the various ruined buildings as people are EVERYWHERE. Fantastic sense of achievement once we were down (it felt VERY long coming down - it took us slightly longer to do so as the path was very busy with lots of people still going up and also us catching up with people going down and having to wait or give way.) Everyone was very polite on the hill and were - mostly - smiling and seemed happy. Always great to climb the highest mountain of any country you visit, if safe to do so that is for the 'ordinary walker' and to be honest, even on the kind of low mist day we had too.
6. Aberdeen Maritime Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,824 reviews
Aberdeen has long prospered off of sea-based industries, from the boom of the city's fishing industry in the early 20th century to its oil industry today; this museum explores the historic developments behind the city's maritime industries.
Reviewed By Lummox60N - Lerwick, United Kingdom
This museum is, perhaps, an undersold heritage gem. It covers every aspect of Aberdeen's maritime heritage, exploring the city's history and development both as a city and harbour, and offers a deeper insight into the oil industry modern Aberdeen is so dependent on. Well worth a visit, and there's a cafe in there too.
7. The Riverside Museum of Transport and Travel
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 9,436 reviews
Riverside Museum is Glasgow's award-winning transport museum. With over 3,000 objects on display there's everything from skateboards to locomotives, paintings to prams and cars to a Stormtrooper. Get hands on with our interactive displays. Walk through Glasgow streets and visit the shops, bar and subway. Climb aboard a train, tram or bus and get a real feel for old public transport. Discover Glasgow's rich shipbuilding history, explore the car and motorbike walls and help put out a fire with our interactive fire engine. There are over 90 large touch screens panels full of images, memories and films that tell the fascinating stories behind the objects. There really is something for all ages to enjoy at the Riverside Museum.
Reviewed By 425grace13
What a fabulous place and free lovely setting and wow so interesting old cars fab old buses wonderful cafe you can even use the Segways for a small amount great go visit
8. Discovery Point
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,126 reviews
MADE IN DUNDEE | DESIGNED FOR ADVENTURE Discovery Point is home to the world famous Antarctic research vessel RRS Discovery. This award-winning visitor attraction tells the story of the Discovery, from her beginnings in Dundee in to her amazing Antarctic expedition and her voyages thereafter. Follow in the footsteps of Captain Scott and his heroic team at Discovery Point! Find out about the Heroes of the Ice who braved the harsh conditions of the Antarctic and hear their stories first hand. As you explore the self-led museum at your own pace you will: Enter the shipyard and find out how and why Discovery was built Learn about the first voyage of Discovery to the most inhospitable place on the earth Walk in the footsteps of Heroes and climb aboard one of the most incredible ships ever built Find out about ‘Scott of the Antarctic’ and explore the crews quarters and the Officers Wardroom Discover more about the ships voyages and journeys after The Discovery Expedition. Don't forget to visit the gift shop for unique Discovery themed items or your very own cuddly toy Emma Penguin. There is also a cafe on site with something for all tastes.
Reviewed By Dexter2707 - Sheffield, United Kingdom
Great tour inside the main building topped by actually stepping on Captain Scott’s ship. If you don’t know him it’s definitely worth the visit to learn about this great man, to learn more I recommend Sir Ranulph Fiennes excellent biography on Captain Scott
9. Fort George
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,709 reviews
Fort George is now open and we are delighted to welcome you back. Booking in advance is essential. Find out more and book at restarthistory.scot. Fort George is the mightiest artillery fortification in Britain. Following the 1746 defeat at Culloden of Bonnie Prince Charlie, George II created the ultimate defence against further Jacobite unrest. The result, Fort George, is the mightiest artillery fortification in Britain, if not Europe. Its garrison buildings, artillery defences bristling with cannon, and superb collection of arms - including bayoneted muskets, pikes, swords and ammunition pouches - provide a fascinating insight into 18th century military life.
Reviewed By LJH_Worcs - Worcester, United Kingdom
If you want to see the aftermath of the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion, then this is it! Built after the '45 with the intention of being able to crush any further rebellions on their own ground, Fort George offers a wonderful chance to go around a major historical site which is still in use as a working barracks today, and that adds its own atmosphere to the place. The fort is built to the classic plan which would remain in use throughout the Napoleonic Wars and beyond, so great for history lovers, but also for children as there's a lot to explore.
10. National Museum of Scotland
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 21,359 reviews
Explore the diversity of the natural world, world cultures, science and technology, art, design and fashion, and Scottish history, all under one roof.
Reviewed By bellobabe - Urunga, Australia
We went yesterday with our two youngish girls. It was amazing: got to see Dolly the Sheep (stuffed, of course), lots of great interactive exhibits for the kids, great telephone and early computer exhibit, a great mineral display, meteorites, one on the Scottish clearings and so much more we couldn’t get through even half of it before exhibit and crowd fatigue hit (Fringe is on). Defo worth it.
