13 BEST Day Trips from Edinburgh, Scotland

Looking for daytrips from Edinburgh? You’ve come to the right place.

I visited Edinburgh just last year, after hearing about how beautiful it was. While Edinburgh is a beautiful city, it wasn’t my favourite part of Scotland – my favourite thing was all the hidden gems outside of the city.

Edinburgh has so many amazing daytrip options that I think you’re missing out on Scotland to not see some of them.

Here are the best ones, that can be visited (as half or full day) from Edinburgh.

Half-Day Trips from Edinburgh (Less Than 1 Hour By Car)

These options are less than an hour from Edinburgh, and take less than an hour to get there from the city. These could be also combined as a full-day trip

1. Midhope Castle

Distance from Edinburgh: 40 minutes by car

Midhope Castle was used as Lallybroch in Outlander, and has since become a very popular tourist attraction in Scotland.

Midhope is a tiny castle that you can’t go inside, but you can get all the photos you want from the outside.

There is also a beautiful walk through a woodland forest, with signs showing several filming locations from the show.

There are also sometimes pop-up coffee places on-site. Book tickets online to visit Midhope Castle, up to 2 months out.

If you’re an Outlander fan, you can do a full organized day bus tour from Edinburgh (7 hours long, $140 per person) that includes Blackness Castle, Midhope and other locations used in the show.

2. Blackness Castle

Distance from Edinburgh: 40 minutes by car (could be easily combined with a visit to Midhope Castle above, as its only 15 minutes away by car)

Blackness Castle is a large medieval castle right on the lake, and it’s been used in several big movies and TV shows.

Blackness Castle was Fort William in Outlander, its also been used in Hamlet, Monty Python & The Holy Grail, and many, many others.

Pro Tip (if you’re into hiking): There’s a 9 km hiking trail that covers both Blackness Castle and Midhope Castle. In order to see these castles on this hiking trail, you’d have to park in a nearby town to one of the castles as neither of them provide all-day parking

3. The Kelpies

Distance from Edinburgh: just over an hour by car

The Kelpies is basically a stop off the highway, but you could spend hours here if you wanted to. It’s especially good for if you’re in Scotland with kids.

The Kelpies are tall, medal ‘horse-like statues’ made by a Scottish artist. Kelpies are based on horse-like figures from Scottish folklore.

Onsite at the Kelpies, you’ll find:

• 25-minute tours that take you inside of the Kelpies (costs £7.00 per adult)
• a kids’ Adventure Zone, an awesome playground made with nature (all made from timber,)
• a cafe with fancy baked goods
• a Scottish souvenir gift shop

The Kepies are free to visit, unless you book a guided tour. Be prepared to pay for parking, because they have 2 parking lots of but the free one was completely full by the time we showed up.

Itinerary Idea: Drive to Malahide Castle, and then to While these options can be half-day trips in themselves, you could combine two or three of them together to make it a full day trip.

Several day tours from Edinburgh stop at the Kelpies, here are some examples:

• Stirling Castle, Loch Lomond and the Kelpies from Edinburgh (9 hours, $100 per person, ages 5+ allowed)
• Stirling Castle, Loch Lomond, Whiskey Tasting and the Kelpies (9.5 hours, $120 person, ages 12+ only)

4. Dunbar

Distance from Edinburgh: 50 minutes by bar

Dunbar is a cute, underrated town less than an hour east of Edinburgh. It’s just a small town, but it has a ruined castle, and a lot of things to see and do. so much that they made a website called 60 things Dunbar.

Key Things to do in Dunbar, Scotland

• See the ruined 11th-century Dunbar Castle
• Visit the birthplace of John Muir (it’s a museum)
• Book a history tour at the Dunbar Battery, which is right on the harbour
• Walk along the historic downtown, visit shops and see the John Muir statue

5. North Berwich

Distance from Edinburgh: 51 minutes by car

North Berwick is a small town located along stunning coastal cliffs of what’s known as East Lothian.

There are a few really cool and unique things to do near this town called North Berwick, so I’ve lumped them all together!

Key Things to do in and near North Berwick

• Go to the famous Scottish Seabird Centre, where you can take a boat tour that takes you to see wildlife along the cliffs
• Visit Tantallon Castle (pictured above), a stunning ruined 14th-century fortress, just 10 minutes from town. *Depending on the time of year, some parts of the castle are closed to visitors. See up to date info here

Pro Tip: Dunbar and North Berwick are about a 20 minute drive from eachother, so you could also lump them into the same trip if desired! A day tour of the eastern Scottish coastline would be an awesome daytrip from Edinburgh

There’s a unique, organized day tour from Edinburgh which isn’t usually as crowded as some of the other tours – its East Lothian; the coastal cliffs, ruined castles, and many of the stuff I described above. (9.5 hours, and $120 per person, ages 5+ only)

FULL Day Trips from Edinburgh (1-3 Hours By Car)

Edinburgh can absolutely be used as a home base for exploring pretty much everywhere in Scotland – there are long day tours (11-12 hours in length) that will take you to Inverness, Fort William, Isle of Skye, and more. However, if you want to drive around exploring the country at your pace, then check out my 10-day Scotland Itinerary

6. Stirling Castle (and the city)

Distance from Edinburgh: 1 hour, 5 minutes

Stirling Castle is a gorgeous castle located at the base of the Scottish Highlands (the opposite direction from the Scottish coastline daytrips mentioned above.)

We loved exploring Stirling Castle. It has so many rooms, beautiful views and it was less busy than Edinburgh Castle.

The town of Stirling, located below the castle is a nice place too. It has shops, cafes, restaurants, and

7. Doune (the town and/or the castle)

Distance from Edinburgh: 1 hour and 10 minutes (*only 15 minutes from Stirling Castle)

Doune is a small castle, but one that we enjoyed visiting more than some of the larger, busier ones.

It was used as Castle Leoch in Outlander, and Winterfell in Game of Thrones. It’s a very small castle, and fun to explore.

Just 15 minutes from Doune Castle you’ll find Trossach’s Woollen Mill, a large souvenir shop, cafe and restaurant and get this – they have highland cows on site! Several tour buses stop here, but its a nice spot.

You could stop here for a bite to eat and a hot drink after exploring Doune or Stirling Castles.

8. Glasgow

Distance from Edinburgh: 1 hour, 12 minutes

Glasgow and Edinburgh are only around an hour apart from eachother, and each could be a daytrip to the other place.

Edinburgh is the prettier, medieval looking city, but Glasgow has some interesting things to check out as well, such as:

• Do the city centre Mural Trail (a self-guided walk of street art.) Find the trail map here
• Visit the Glasgow Cathedral, dating to the 1100s and is the oldest in-tact cathedral in the city
• Do a Women’s Heritage Walk, they cost £10 and can be booked here
• Walking along Buchanan street, the large pedestrian fare with lots of shops

9. Moffat

Distance from Edinburgh: 90 minutes by car

Moffat is known as the “dark sky town” and is the first dark sky town in Europe. It’s a small town of only 2,500 people.

Honestly, the town does not have a lot to do, but it’s worth visiting because of the scenic views surrounding it. It has:

• Devil’s Beeftub, a dramatic drop in the hills which was once used to store stolen cows. Only 10 minutes from town
• The Grey Mares Tail, the tallest waterfall in the UK. It’s a 20 minute drive from Moffat (best visited on the way to, or back to Edinburgh.) Details here
• Great stargazing, because they’ve committed to being a “dark sky” town, but you’d likely have to stay overnight to witness it. See details and best time to visit here.

10. Pitlochry

Distance from Edinburgh: 1 hour and 40 minutes by car

Pitlochry is a touristy, stone village with blooming flowers and its located in the southern part of the Highlands. It’s a really nice day out, and there’s some great things to do right in the area.

Things to Do in Pitlochry:

• Walk down the main streets, there are so many shops, and good places to eat
• Drive out to Queen’s View (17 minutes from town), which is one of the prettiest sights in all of Scotland
• Visit Blair Castle (13 minutes away) which looks completely different from all other castles in Scotland – see my tip below!

11. Blair Atholl (the town and/or Blair Castle)

Distance from Edinburgh: 1 hour, 45 minutes

Blair Atholl is a very small town just north of Pitlochry. It’s nestled int the mountains and is stunning – it has the 500-year-old Blair Watermill which has been turned into a cozy bakery.

We chose to actually spent a couple nights in Blair as apart of our Scotland itinerary, as it was much cheaper than Pitlochry, and quieter too.

The beautiful, white-stoned Blair Caslte and Gardens are located in Blair, plus you’re close enough to visit all the same things that you can see near Pitlochry.

This day tour from Edinburgh includes Queen’s View, Blair Caslte, waterfalls and highland cows (9.5 hours, $150 per person)

12. Luss (Loch Lomond)

Distance from Edinburgh: 2 hours

Luss is a supercute, storybook kind of village right on the lake, called Loch Lomond. It’s a touristy spot in the warm months. It has a sandy beach, ice cream stands, cute little shops, and old stone buildings.

Day trip Idea: Drive out to Luss, spend the day. On the way back to Edinburgh, hit the Kelpies or one of the other castles nearby on the way (Doune, Stirling and Midhope would all be on the path)

13. Stonehaven

Distance from Edinburgh: 2.5 hours by car

Stonehaven, being 2.5 hours by car, is starting to push it in terms of what I consider a “day trip” from Edinburgh – but it’s worth adding to the list.

Stonehaven is along the east coast, and has the coolest-looking bearby castle – known as Dunnotter Castle.

Since not everyone typically makes their way to Stonehaven on a first-time visit to Scotland, most people have seen pictures of this ruined castle but don’t get to see it in person.

Stonehaven also has:

• a large heated outdoor swimming pool in the warm months
• a cute harbour
• a seabird colony where you have a chance of spotting puffins, in the spring only
• a woodland trail in the Dunnotter woods

I think that Stonehaven is one of the nicest day trips if you’re in Edinburgh with kids, especially – the only thing to keep in mind is its a little far.

Places to Stay in Edinburgh

Tip: If you’re planning to make Edinburgh a home base and explore Scotland via day trips, then I recommend staying somewhere central, so that you’re close to pickup areas for day tours.

• Budget: Wilde Aparthotels ($200-$400 per night) This place is within ‘budget range’ but is still right in the city centre, beside Edinburgh castle. You can even see the castle from some of the rooms
• Mid Range: Radisson Blu Hotel on the Royal Mile ($500-$600 per night) Offers breakfast and has a swimming pool, and it’s close to a lot of the pick up points
• Luxury: Cheval The Edinburgh Grand ($700-$3,000 per night) Stunning high-end hotel right in the city centre. The rooms have an old fashioned look, and they serve an amazing breakfast

Final Thoughts on the Best Edinburgh Day Trips

Edinburgh a beautiful city, but I’ll be blunt here – it suffers from overtourism. You should absolutely make time to see other parts of Scotland if you’re making your way to Edinburgh.