Scotland Holiday Visitor Travel Guide

About Scotland

Scotland is part of the United Kingdom. It its mainland territory occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Scotland has two main cities, these being Glasgow the largest city and Edinburgh the second largest and the capital of Scotland. Scotland has something for everyone, from the vibrant bustling city of Glasgow, the historic city of Edinburgh to the glorious unspoiled and peaceful countryside of Scotland.

County Visitor Guide's

We have compiled a travel visitor guide for each county in Scotland. The county visitor travel guide includes information about the county including attractions, history, heritage sites, golf courses, useful contact information and more. Aberdeenshire Visitor Guide Angus Visitor Guide Argyllshire Visitor Guide Ayrshire Visitor Guide Banffshire Visitor Guide Berwickshire Visitor Guide Buteshire Visitor Guide Caithness Visitor Guide Clackmannanshire Visitor Guide Dumfriesshire Visitor Guide Dunbartonshire Visitor Guide East Lothian Visitor Guide Fife Visitor Guide Inverness-shire Visitor Guide Kincardineshire Visitor Guide Kinross-shire Visitor Guide Kirkcudbrightshire Visitor Guide Lanarkshire Visitor Guide Midlothian Visitor Guide Morayshire Visitor Guide Nairnshire Visitor Guide Orkney Visitor Guide Peeblesshire Visitor Guide Perthshire Visitor Guide Renfrewshire Visitor Guide Ross-shire Visitor Guide Roxburghshire Visitor Guide Selkirkshire Visitor Guide Shetland Isles Visitor Guide Stirlingshire Visitor Guide Sutherland Visitor Guide West Lothian Visitor Guide Wigtownshire Visitor Guide

Travelling to and within Scotland

Airports Scotland is well served by international and domestic direct flights to its airports. Aberdeen Airport - Direct flights from many European cities including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Dublin, Paris and many more. Edinburgh Airport - Direct flights from many European cities and some further a field like New York. Flights from Alicante, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bremen, Brussels, Cologne, Copenhagen, Cork, Dortmund, Dublin, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hamburg, Madrid, Malaga, Marseille, Milan, Munich, New York, Nice, Oslo, Palma de Mallorca, Paris, Prague, Rennes, Rome, Stockholm, Tenerife, Toronto, Toulouse and more. Glasgow International Airport - Direct flights from many European cities and some further a field like New York. Direct flights from Alicante, Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Belfast, Berlin, Copenhagen, Dubai, Faro, Geneva, Gran Canaria, Las Vegas, Madeira, Malta, New York, Nice, Orlando, Palma de Mallorca, Paris, Philadelphia, Prague, Tenerife, Toronto, Vancouver and more. Glasgow Prestwick International Airport - Domestic flights to London Stansted and Bournemouth. Doesn't have as many international flights as Edinburgh and Glasgow airport but you can still get a direct flight from/to Brussels, Budapest, Cork, Dublin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Krakow, Milan, Murcia, Paris, Pisa, Reus, Riga, Rome, Stockholm and a few more. Ferry Ferry service from Belfast in Northern Ireland to Stranraer in Scotland via Stena Line. Ferry service from Larne in Northern Ireland to Cairnryan in Scotland via P&O Irish Sea. Ferry service from Bergen in Norway and Torshavn in Faroe Islands to Scrabster in Scotland via Smyril Line. Getting Around The Scottish rail network covers most of the country, the mail railway stations are Aberdeen Station, Edinburgh Waverley Station, Glasgow Queen Street Station and Inverness Station. Travelling by road can take much longer than expected due to the lack of motorways and dual carriageways. Road conditions in Scotland are generally below European standards. Travelling by bus is by far the cheapest way of getting around Scotland with fares starting from £1 (booked in advance). The two main bus operators are Citylink which allows travellers to get to almost everywhere in Scotland and Megabus which travels to the main towns and cities and a few English locations. Travelling to the large islands like Orkney and Shetland Isles and across the Clyde is provided by ferry services Caledonian MacBrayne, NorthLink Ferries, Pentland Ferries and Orkney Ferries.

Scotland Facts and Useful Information

Population: 5.1 million approx. Capital: Edinburgh Currency: British Pound Sterling (GBP) Electrical Plugs: 220V 50Hz Languages: English Recognised regional languages: Gaelic, Scots Time Zones: GMT/UTC 0 Country Dialing Code: +44 Scottish Public Holidays   2008 2009 New Year's Day 1 January 1 January New Year 2 January 2 January Good Friday 21 March 10 April Early May Bank Holiday 5 May 4 May Spring Bank Holiday 26 May 25 May Summer Bank Holiday 4 August 3 August St Andrew's Day Bank Holiday 1 December 30 November Christmas Day 25 December 25 December Boxing Day 26 December 28 December

Scotland's Most Popular Tourist Attactions

Edinburgh Castle - Edinburgh Edinburgh Castle attracts over a million visitors a year and once you have visited this magnificent and evocative landmark with fascinating history spanning 3000 years you will understand why. The castle was the residence of several Scottish Kings and Queens and is home to the Scottish Crown Jewels. Sitting on top of the renowned Edinburgh rock it offers splendid panoramic views of Edinburgh city and the surrounding countryside. Glencoe - Location Glencoe is a historic and scenic glen and continues to rank among the most frequented areas in Scotland. Glencoe's sheer extent and splendour of its surrounding mountains astonishes visitors and offers very good walking, climbing and skiing. Loch Lomond - Northwest of Glasgow in West Dumbartonshire Can be reached from Glasgow in about 45 minutes by car. Loch Lomond is an excellent body of fresh water with pretty scenery making for a perfect day out or short stay allowing you to relax and take in the natural beauty of the Loch and surrounding area. Loch Ness - Inverness - Middle of Scotland Loch Ness is famous for the myth of the Loch Ness Monster, running along the Great Glen, the dark, mysterious expanse of Loch Ness is revealed. At 23 miles long and over 750 feet deep it is one of the world's most famous attractions. Melrose Abbey - Scottish Borders Melrose Abbey is probably the most famous ruin in Scotland. Built in 1136 by David I as a Cistercian abbey. The abbey was largely destroyed by the English army of Edward II in 1322 and rebuilt before once again being destroyed this time by the English army of Richard II's in 1385. After this a hundred years of rebuilding took place. The abbeys noble columns, windows and arches are of superb beauty. Stirling Castle - Stirling Stirling Castle is Scotland's grandest castle; its location rivals even Edinburgh Castle for sheer splendour. Sitting on top of its volcanic rock makes it visible for many miles in all directions. The castle overlooks some of the most famous and important battlefields in Scotland's rich history of battles. These include William Wallace's defeat of the English in 1297 and Robert the Bruce's defeat of the same foe in 1314. Scottish Mining Museum - Newtongrange in Midlothian The Scottish Mining Museum is the main visitor attraction for experiencing the life and times of Scotland's mining heritage. The museum is a wonderful day out for all the family with guides giving you a true insight into the life of a nineteenth century miner.

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