Rated Tourist Attractions in Scotland

One of Scotland's most visited attractions, the free Riverside Museum in Glasgow gathers together the history of transportation by land and water in an eye-catching new venue. During the course of a visit, you'll see trams, locomotives, buses, horse-drawn carriages, and vintage cars, along with ships and other models.

The Scottish Highlands have a mystique born of rugged, untamed landscapes and a long history, at once violent and romantic. Sparsely inhabited, these mountains and rocky shores are loved equally by hikers and bikers and by those who enjoy fishing, golf, sea kayaking, white-water rafting, gorge walking, and other outdoor adventures in Britain's largest area of outstanding natural beauty.

The lovely Isle of Arran is called "Scotland in Miniature" for good reason. This picture-perfect island off the country's west coast mirrors the landscapes of the entire country in an area of scarcely 166 square miles. Here, you can find rolling moors, rugged mountains, sandy beaches, fishing harbors, castles, and golf courses, all less than an hour's ferry ride from Glasgow, and all within an area you can easily explore in a day or two.

Few tourist attractions in Scotland yank the heartstrings in quite the same way as the Culloden Battlefield and Visitors Centre. It was here in April 1746 that Scotland's last attempt at attaining its independence from England was quashed in what came to be known as the Battle of Culloden, although many consider it a massacre.

No visit to Scotland is complete without visiting at least one or two sites associated with the country's most famous son: poet Robbie Burns. A great way to experience a little of Burns' life and times-as well as seeing some of the most beautiful parts of the country-is along the Burns Heritage Trail.

Since a fire devastated much of the work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh at the Glasgow School of Art, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum has become the primary destination for admirers of the Glasgow Style, a distinctive part of the Arts & Crafts movement and Art Nouveau styles of the early 20th century.

The palace of James V and childhood home of Mary Queen of Scots, Stirling Castle is one of the best-preserved Renaissance buildings in the UK. While some earlier structures still stand, the castle's grand halls and rooms are carefully restored and furnished to its 1500s appearance, even to painstaking reproductions of its tapestries. Costumed interpreters interact with visitors to bring the castle and its history to life, and History Hunter programs on weekends are designed for young explorers.

The largest of Scotland's inner isles, Skye is especially popular with birders, ramblers, and nature lovers. Its wild, romantic mountain scenery is marked by green valleys, caves, lonely glens, sandy beaches, and rushing waterfalls-quite a remarkable variety for an island just 50 miles long and never more than 15 miles wide.

For more than 40 years, the Royal Yacht Britannia was a floating royal residence, traveling more than 1,000,000 miles around the world. Glimpse the life of the royal family, their guests, and the crew as you explore Britannia's five main decks with an audio tour, visiting the Bridge, State Apartments and Royal Bedrooms, Crew's Quarters, and Engine Room.

Think of Loch Ness and you'll probably picture the mythical monster that, according to legend, has made this 23-mile-long loch home for countless centuries. The largest body of water in Scotland's Great Glen, Loch Ness is part of a waterway connecting the east and west coasts of Scotland. It and three other lochs are joined together by the Caledonian Canal, which you can cruise on short excursions, or on a six-hour voyage from one end to the other, through the canal locks that adjust the varying water levels.