Scotland’s deep glens and dramatic coastline have long been a fixture of the silver screen. But nothing compares to discovering the place in real life: the endemic wildlife, the family-owned distilleries, the native writers who tell its tales. Here are the top 10 ways to experience this windswept country.
Cross a sandbar to Shetland Island beaches
On the Shetland Islands, a hundred miles north of the Scottish mainland, a 550-yard-long sand causeway connects two postcard-perfect beaches: one on the main southern island, and the other on the tiny St. Ninian’s Isle. On St. Ninian’s, the ruined chapel was the site of a large excavation of Pictish silver (now in the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh). The coast wends its way around deep inlets, home to birds including skerries, gannets, and puffins.
Time travel to Scotland’s ancient past
Photograph By JEFF MAURITZEN, Nat Geo Image Collection
Near the town of Oban in the West Highlands, Kilmartin Glen comprises around 350 archaeological sites that span 5,000 years of history. Many of these date from the Bronze and Neolithic Ages and include stone circles, cairns, and rock art. Learn more on a guided walk from Kilmartin Museum (booking essential). The museum has recently undergone extensive refurbishment and houses ancient ceramics and weapons, many of which were excavated just outside.
See all of Scotland’s UNESCO sites in one trail
Scotland’s UNESCO Trail, launched in 2021, is the world’s first tourist path linking all of a country’s UNESCO-designated sites. As well as the six World Heritage sites—including the Roman Antonine Wall and the far-flung island of St. Kilda—the route includes two global geoparks and two biospheres, and the UNESCO cities of Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Dundee. The full trail takes around 40 days to complete, but can also be done in part: a suggested six- or eight-day Northern Isles route, for instance, takes in the Shetland Global Geopark and the Heart of Neolithic Orkney.
Journey to “Whisky Island”
Plentiful peat gives Islay’s whiskies their distinct smoky character, says Anthony Wills, founder of Islay’s Kilchoman Distillery. Though only 25 miles long, this Hebridean island has nine working distilleries, making it ideal for whisky tours. “The small-town feel and incredible location, the rugged coastlines and wild landscapes become a key part of the tour experience,” says Wills. He suggests visiting for the Fèis Ìle festival in May, when the island comes alive with folk music and dance.
Visit the world’s first rewilding center
Scotland is leading the world in rewilding efforts, which aim to restore landscapes to their original, uncultivated state. Central to this movement is the Dundreggan Rewilding Centre near Loch Ness. Visitors can take guided walks of the area and tour the tree nursery, which grows 100,000 rare and native specimens annually. There are also self-guided paths up to 2.5 miles long, passing by heather-covered moorland and pine forests both new and ancient.
A pair of Eurasian wild boar sows are used for bracken control in a fenced woodland area at Dundreggan. Photograph By Desmond Dugan/Minden Pictures
Party like a pagan
Pagan Scots marked the beginning and the end of summer with fire festivals: Beltane on April 30 and Samhuinn on October 31. In 1988, a group of enthusiasts in Edinburgh formed the Beltane Fire Society and reimagined both festivals for the modern era, with drumming, costumed dancing, and pyrotechnic displays. Shetland’s Up Helly Aa festival in January—which started as a rowdy New Year celebration in the 19th century—sees torchlight processions through Lerwick, culminating in the burning of a Viking-style longship.
A Shetland Islander in a feathered helmet celebrates his Viking heritage at the annual Up Helly Aa fire festival. Photograph By Elliot Ross, Nat Geo Image Collection
Spot breaching whales from a Hebridean island
The Hebridean Whale Trail, launched in 2019, brings together 30 wildlife-watching spots from Cape Wrath to the Isle of Arran. In most cases, you can see marine creatures from land rather than from a boat, minimizing environmental impact. Bottlenose dolphins, orcas, and humpback whales are among the species that can be spotted all year; basking sharks and minke whales join them in summer. Perhaps the finest site of all is Tiumpan Head Lighthouse on the Isle of Lewis, known for its population of blunt-nosed Risso’s dolphins. Check Whale Track for news of the latest sightings.
Feast on fine food in Fife
“Fife is lucky to have some of Scotland’s best farmland while also being surrounded on three sides by a bountiful coastline—it’s a chef’s dream,” says Rosie Jack, who runs the Bowhouse weekend market at the Balcaskie organic farming estate near Anstruther. Tuck into farm-to-table steaks at the Balgove Larder in St. Andrews, or mackerel and lobster at the East Pier Smokehouse, which overlooks St. Monans Harbour. Jack also recommends her local greengrocer Greens of Crail for its cheeses, preserves, and homemade gin.
Take a city tour for social good
Invisible Cities is a social enterprise that trains unhoused people to become tour guides in Edinburgh and Glasgow. “Having a guide is like having a friend who already knows everything about the place and is willing to share its secrets,” says founder Zakia Moulaoui, one of National Geographic’s Travelers of the Year 2024. The guides’ knowledge extends far beyond the main sights: Edinburgh tour themes range from witchcraft to queer history. The Alternative Glasgow tour runs from the 19th-century People’s Palace museum to George Square, the site of both pro- and anti-independence rallies.
Delve into Edinburgh’s literary history
Edinburgh became the world’s first UNESCO City of Literature in 2004; most of its bookish attractions are in the walkable city center. Scale the 200-foot-high Scott Monument, dedicated to Sir Walter Scott; view first drafts by Robert Burns and Robert Louis Stevenson at the Writers’ Museum; stroll through the graveyard at Greyfriars Kirk, where J.K. Rowling found inspiration for Harry Potter characters. The three-week Edinburgh International Book Festival takes place every August, part of the world famous Edinburgh festivals.
(For more tips on what to do in Scotland, see our Explorer’s Guide.)