Edinburgh Castle is the most visited attraction in Scotland, welcoming over 1.3 million visitors…read moreeach year who come in search of views, royal history, and a glimpse at the 'Honours of Scotland' - Britain's oldest crown jewels. Edinburgh Castle is not only the dominant feature of the city's skyline, visible from miles around, it's also the feature which gives the city its name -- the old Gaelic name translates roughly as 'the fort on the hill'. trust me, you might underestimate this castle, and even i have kept 2 hrs for this, but it needs more time. With several museums, a large war memorial, a royal palace, a Great Hall & several other little stops/activities, if you want to actually see all of Edinburgh Castle's sights and attractions, you'll need much more than two hours... especially considering the line to see the Honours of Scotland (AKA the Crown Jewels) can last 20+ minutes. * Three regimental military museums * The National War Museum * The Scottish National War Memorial * The Honours of Scotland, featuring the Scottish crown jewels and Stone of Destiny * St Margaret's Chapel, the oldest surviving building in Edinburgh * Optional 30-minute introductory tours available throughout the day * Prisons of War exhibition * The Great Hall where banquets were held * The One O'Clock Gun, fired every day (except Sunday) at 1pm * Visit the small antechamber where Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to her son, James VI of Scotland * Three gift shops and two cafes The oldest surviving structure at the castle (and the oldest in the city) dates back to the 12th century. It is of course St Margaret's Chapel, built by King David I in honour of his mother. This same king is the one credited with turning Edinburgh Castle into a royal residence. As the years rolled on, royals came and went, with new additions being made to the castle, creating the complex we see today. The Renaissance of the 1400s for instance brought us the Royal Palace that now houses various royal paintings and displays (including THE closet where Mary, Queen of Scots gave birth to King James VI of Scotland, AKA King James I of England). The 1500s brought us the Great Hall, which was needed of course for fancy banquets. The 1600s brought new defences and barracks as the castle eased into its role of a military outpost more than swanky royal digs Tickets to Edinburgh Castle should be booked online before you arrive. Tip: these spots across the city offers great view of the castle- Calton Hill, The Grassmarket, Salisbury Crags, Castle Esplanade, Ross Fountain, St Cuthbert's Churchyard, The Vennel

Must-visit if you're in Edinburgh…read more We had reserved tickets to get in, and got lucky as it was a beautiful day, sandwiched between dreary rainy ones which are more common in this part of Great Britain. We enjoyed the history, the magnificent views of old and new town sprawled below us and the Firth of Forth beyond, the museum, and the One-O-Clock gun! Pro-tip: Book a late morning entry time so you can be there at 1 pm for the gun, duck indoors into the museum or gift shop if it rains, and dress in layers, as the weather can change in minutes.

It's only right that I review the place where I've spent 3/4 of my life over the past three years!…read moreThe university's campus is seriously indescribable. It's beautiful with an abundance of wildlife on campus. (Hello rabbits! Lots of them.) The loch is huge and great for talking a walk around. The campus even has its own castle within which the university's law department is based. - Airthrey Castle is worth taking a wander to see and is alongside Airthrey golf course if you're partial to a putt! In my two years living on campus, I was so impressed. The university is acclaimed for its sports department and the gym and swimming pool are just a short walk from the residences and main buildings. These are both very well-maintained and offer great value. There is also the Macrobert Arts Centre which is essentially a cinema and theatre with a bar and restaurant. I've seen so many films in Macrobert centre, seen some great productions and my band even played a gig there. Whilst all these things are great, the thing that I take away most from Stirling, and that I hear from so many other students, is the excellence of the support system for students. The Career Development Centre offers advice from the moment you leave until you retire and the university takes great interest in the university alumni. I myself called graduates one year on to guage graduate employment rates and have participated in another campaign to reach out to parents of new students and collate feedback on the university. There is also a great councilling and money advice service on campus. In my final year of study, I know that I am in safe hands. - If I need help, it is there and I need not be ashamed to ask for it. I couldn't imagine a better place to have met my boyfriend and my band! Stirling University will always make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Well, I am biased. I spent five years studying here and two years living right on campus. However,…read morethis means I have a pretty expansive knowledge of the campus so I will try to be as even handed as possible. It's beautiful. It has a castle, a loch, a golf course, trees, trees, trees. The residence buildings are very sixties architecture which doesn't so much do the beautiful setting justice. However, the University is currently rebuilding and renovating the residence buildings and they're all shiny, new and modern. There's a cinema on campus and a theatre in the form of the MacRobert Centre. I've seen movies in the place, had a coffee fuelled history seminar in the cafe and been to an insane electro rave here. They even put panto on at Christmas. Anyway, I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for this place!

Was here for an improv festival and this is such a nice venue! Smart to have a cafe and hangout…read morearea for people to gather before or after shows and have a drink or a bite to eat. Lovely facility and very convenient being right on the Royal Mile.

Excellent story telling venue. We heard a Viking story called "Walk the Oars." If you get a…read morechance, don't miss it. You will participate in a story of an adventure from a fiord to Shetland. Quite an adventure, but my arms are tired from all the rowing!

We drove past them on the highway and I tried hard to take a good picture but as an added surprise,…read moreour tour guide stopped for an hour to give us time to explore the park. Entrance is free and a great place to enjoy. They are reported to be the to be the tallest horse sculpture in the world standing at 100 ft tall. They are an impressive sight!

Wow! We didn't even have to visit The Helix park in Falkirk to see them. They were there to greet…read moreus along the M9 Motorway on the way to Glencoe. What a sight to see on an early Friday morning. Their names are Duke & Baron. They are the steel sculptures (100 ft tall) modeled after the Clydesdale horses that were vital in moving barges along the canals. It's a perfect location for them being near the link between the Forth and Clyde canals. They are named after mythical shape-shifting spirits called "Kelpies" that would appear in the form of a horse. It's like the one that Newt rides in Fantastic Beasts. A very mysterious and mythical creature. Well, they certainly looked that way to me when seeing their heads peeking over the motorway through the morning fog. It was mesmerizing! So much so, that I didn't even think of taking a picture of it. I was too stunned at the sight we were seeing, as well as the fact that there is no viewing point to stop at from the motorway. I kind of regret not being able to visit the park to get the whole experience. There is even a tour that will take you inside one of the sculptures. I'm hoping we can visit the next time we're in Edinburgh on a cruise of the British Isles. I can only hope.

Hands down a must visit in Glasgow! Free admission!…read moreLocated in Kelvingrove Park, West End. This is a popular museum and art gallery with the likes of Dali and more. It's a large space and it's divided up by fine art, natural history, etc. I wandered through all of the rooms and believe that I saw almost every exhibit. I spent hours and just took my time taking it all in. Stopped by the cafe' for a cuppa tea too. Fantastic museum.

The museum is one of the top attractions in Glasgow. It was established in 1901- 125 years ago. The…read morearchitecture of the building itself is a marvel. I'm not much of a museum person, but entrance is free. The expansive museum's west wing focuses on "Life" (natural history/prehistory), while the east wing focuses on "Expression" (fine art). There are 22 galleries with 8,000 objects. Salvador Dalí's "Christ of Saint John of the Cross" is one of their most famous works of art. I was most interested in "The Floating Heads" installation by Sophie Cave. We spent most of our time viewing Scotland's Wildlife, where most of the kids were. While we were there, we also enjoyed an organ recital- 1:00pm Monday-Saturday and 3:00pm on Sunday.

Tron Kirk is a cute little makers market that's housed within an old church…read more The architecture has obviously been around much longer than the market, but it's also something to appreciate while shopping the maker booths. You can find almost anything here if you're looking for a gift or something cute for yourself to take home. I will say that a few of the stalls did not seem like they had made their own products, and maybe bought a lot of something (like souvenirs) and are re-selling them for a pretty penny more. When we visited, though, I definitely focused on the stalls that had handmade items - jewelry, art, and even small things for my cats! It's a very adorable little market housed in a beautiful church, so definitely plan a stop there if you're interested in shopping around (you don't even have to buy anything, it's all just neat to see!)

Another gem on the Royal Mile. It is a beautiful church inside and outside that has been converted…read moreinto a maker's market with wonderful artisan stores. I ended up buying a hat and some art.

You know what McBob, you're awesome…read more The MacRobert is perhaps one of those under appreciated places which just always comes through when people need it too. Being set in the University of Stirling Campus it really is in one of the most beautiful locations in Stirling, and as for the facilities in the centre itself, the MacRobert has a fantastic theatre and cinema, a number of different function rooms, and a cafe and bar both of which are reasonably priced. Add to that a host of friendly and helpful staff and you have yourself a venue. The cinema has a range of films both current box office hits and international films from festivals and competitions. The theatre always has a couple of shows on the go ranging from professional companies to amateur groups, yet the open auditorium and grand stage makes any performance feel professional and entertaining. I would definitely recommend the MacRobert to anyone and look forward to going again myself.

Wonderful arts centre, movies are normally late release but always cheap and worth a check, the…read moretheatre is huge and modern and pushing the space to a 5 star is the new management running the resreraubt and cafe. Congrats macbob.

A friend recommended this place and her elevator pitch was simple "it has a wall of vintage cars"…read more A very interesting museum that has transportation displays but also a recreation of a classic Scottish main street, glasgow punk vinyls, and old toys. It was one of the most unique museums we've been to and like all the museums in Scotland it was free! The architecture is interesting and was done by one of my favorite architects, Zaha Hadid. The roofline is undulating and angular and the whole form is extruded backwards toward the river to form the museum. From the back you get a very interesting view with the restored old ship and the modern museum juxtaposing each other. The interior is also distinctly Zaha, with curved lines that seem to guide you and your eyes through your space. The only jarring thing is it feels a bit disorientating, especially when trying to take photos and videos and looking for horizontal and vertical lines to help line you up. The wall of motorcycles and cars are visually stunning though the ones high up are really hard to see so I enjoyed the vehicles on the floor more because you could see everything much better. There is a second floor you can get to with all the interactive displays and a hypnotizing carousel of giant model ships that move in a continual loop.

What a fun, big and FREE museum! We spent four hours here and probably could've stayed a bit…read morelonger. We got licky and made it just in time for a FREE guided tour. The tour guide took us around the whole museum highlighting the more Scottish items. The museum is mostly transportation but also has a section that is a recreation of a 1920's street complete with shops you can walk into. I highly recommend coming solo, with friends, or family! Donations are asked to help keep this amazing museum free to the public and there is a parking lot for a fee

You can borrow a wide selection of books,cds,videos and audio books FROM THE LIBARY WHICH IS…read moreSITUATED WITHIN THE CENTRE.The centre aso hosts keep fit classes,photography classes. it has a shop where you can buy postcards maps and a lovely cafe which serves snacks and meals.

This is basically just a library. It has a decent selection of books - although it seems as though…read moreall the ones I want are in other local libraries! You can also borrow quite a large selection of DVDs for a decent price, as well as use the computers to access the internet. The library has a small and very basic cafe that sells sandwiches and coffee. It also has rooms for rent that are often used by local drama, dance and martial arts groups.

We came to see Chicago the musical and it was so fun! This venue is gorgeous and every seat had a…read moregreat view. The inside was ornate and special and the seats were comfy. They had multiple snack and drink bars that were averagely priced - nothing outrageous. The bathroom lines at intermission were organized, with staff trained to keep everyone moving. The show itself was sooo well done and entertaining. There was awesome dancing, singing, acting, and lots of jokes sprinkled throughout for added entertainment. As of last week, you must show a vaccination card at the entrance and wear a mask during the show unless you're eating or drinking.

A really beautiful venue. I went and saw Dynamo here a few weeks back, this was the perfect space…read moreand from the upper balcony we could see everything perfectly on the stage. Lines for snacks and the bathroom can be quite long pre show and during intermission. Very easy to navigate within the venue and the architecture is gorgeous.