Edinburgh Travel Guide
Day Trips from Edinburgh
The best days out from the capital, by tour or by train — Loch Ness and Glencoe on a guided coach, Stirling Castle, St Andrews and the Fife coast, the Forth Bridges at South Queensferry, Glasgow, Rosslyn Chapel and the seaside at North Berwick.
One of Edinburgh's great advantages is how much of Scotland you can reach in a day. Fast trains run to Glasgow, Stirling and the coast, buses reach the villages and chapels around the city, and guided coach tours head deep into the Highlands. If you have four days or more, give one of them to a day trip; it changes how you understand the capital.
Loch Ness, Glencoe and the Highlands. The most popular day trip is also the longest. Guided coach tours leave Edinburgh early in the morning and return in the evening — typically around thirteen hours — passing Stirling and the Trossachs, crossing the wild bog of Rannoch Moor, stopping in Glencoe for photographs in one of Scotland's most dramatic glens, passing Fort William beneath Ben Nevis and reaching Fort Augustus at the southern end of Loch Ness, where many tours include a cruise on the loch. The return runs through the central Highlands via the Drumochter Pass. It is a lot of coach time, but for visitors without a car it is the most efficient way to see the Highlands. Book ahead in summer, bring layers and a waterproof, and schedule it in the middle of your trip rather than the last day.
Stirling Castle and the Wallace Monument. Under an hour by train, Stirling is the essential short day trip for history lovers. Its castle, on a volcanic crag above the plain where Scotland's independence battles were fought, rivals Edinburgh's — the restored Renaissance Royal Palace is the highlight — and the National Wallace Monument rises on a hill nearby, commemorating William Wallace's victory at Stirling Bridge. Combine the two with the old town between them. Many guided tours combine Stirling with the Trossachs or Loch Lomond.
St Andrews and the East Neuk of Fife. The home of golf is about ninety minutes away by train to Leuchars and a short bus ride, or by guided tour. Beyond the Old Course, St Andrews has a ruined cathedral, a clifftop castle, an ancient university and a long beach. Many tours also visit the East Neuk, a string of pretty fishing villages along the Fife coast — Anstruther, Pittenweem, Crail — famous for fish and chips and painterly harbours.
South Queensferry and the Forth Bridges. Half an hour from the city centre by train or bus, the village of South Queensferry sits beneath three bridges spanning the Firth of Forth across three centuries: the Victorian Forth Bridge, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the great feats of engineering, the Forth Road Bridge and the modern Queensferry Crossing. Walk the cobbled High Street, eat seafood with a bridge view and, in season, take a boat trip under the bridges into the Firth. It is an easy half-day.
Glasgow. Scotland's largest city is around fifty minutes by train and makes a striking contrast with Edinburgh: grander Victorian architecture, the Charles Rennie Mackintosh buildings, free museums such as Kelvingrove, and a famously lively music and food scene. A day is enough for a taste; many visitors come back for more.
Rosslyn Chapel and the Pentlands. South of the city, Rosslyn Chapel is a fifteenth-century church covered in extraordinary stone carvings, made world-famous by The Da Vinci Code; it is reachable by bus in under an hour. Nearby, the Pentland Hills offer real hill walking close to the city, and the Water of Leith walkway begins at Balerno on their edge.
North Berwick and the East Lothian coast. About half an hour by train, North Berwick is a seaside town with sandy beaches, a conical hill to climb for views, and the Scottish Seabird Centre looking out to the Bass Rock, home in season to one of the world's largest northern gannet colonies. The ruined Tantallon Castle on its clifftop is a short way east.
Linlithgow and the Kelpies. Linlithgow Palace, the ruined birthplace of Mary, Queen of Scots, stands beside a loch about twenty minutes from Edinburgh by train. Further west near Falkirk, the Kelpies — two giant steel horse heads — and the Falkirk Wheel, a rotating boat lift, are popular with families; several tours combine them with Stirling or Loch Lomond.
Tour or independent? For Loch Ness and the Highlands, a guided tour is far easier than driving. For Stirling, Glasgow, North Berwick, South Queensferry and Linlithgow, the train is quick and simple, and you set your own pace. For St Andrews and the East Neuk, a tour saves juggling trains and buses. Whatever you choose, put day trips in the middle of your stay, check weather forecasts, and remember that winter daylight is short.
Back in the city. A long day out pairs best with an easy evening: a hotel near Waverley, where many tours and trains depart, means you can be in your room within minutes of returning. The Balmoral and Motel One Edinburgh-Royal both sit right by the station, and Gleneagles Townhouse is a few minutes away on St Andrew Square.