13 BEST Day Trips from Edinburgh, Scotland

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

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.

Here are the best Edinburgh day trips, that can be visited in either a half day or a full day (0-2 hours max driving distance) 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 the Outlander TV series, and has since become a very popular tourist attraction in Scotland. Its a tiny castle that you can’t go inside, but is located on a large estate, that you can walk around.

The area surrounding Midhope Castle is a decent place to just get outdoors. There is a beautiful walk through a woodland forest, with signs showing several filming locations from the show, and a river running through it. We found the walk so peaceful.

There are also sometimes pop-up coffee places on-site. It doesn’t take long to visit Midhope (maybe an hour or two, if you’re wandering the trails) but it can be combined with other castles in the area too. 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

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.

Blackness is a castle that could be easily combined with a visit to Midhope Castle above, as its only 15 minutes away by car!

The castle was not only a royal castle, but also a prison. It has a lot of interesting history. The views from Blackness Castle of the bay are gorgeous.

Pro Tip (if you’re into hiking): There’s a 9 km hiking trail that covers both Blackness Castle and Midhope Castle. The castles do not provide all day parking, so you would park in a nearby town to do this full day hike

3. The Kelpies

Distance from Edinburgh: just over an hour by car

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

The Kelpies is basically a stop off the highway, and can be combined with visiting other things in the area.

You could spend anywhere from 30 minutes to hours here if you wanted to. It’s especially good for if you’re in Scotland with kids, because there’s tons of room for them to run around and there’s a large wooded playground on-site.

Onsite at the Kelpies, you’ll find:

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

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 bas some notable things to see – a ruined castle, the Dunbar battery, and lookouts over the sea.

Awesome Things to do in Dunbar, Scotland

• See the ruined 11th-century Dunbar Castle. You can’t go inside due to it being unsafe, but you can get many views of it from Victoria Harbour
• Book a history tour at the Dunbar Battery, which is right on the harbour, and also has views of the ruined castle
• Walk along the historic downtown, visit shops and see the John Muir statue
• Visit the birthplace of John Muir (it’s a museum, and also starting point for the ‘John Muir Way’ a hiking trail)

There are more ideas on the town’s tourism website – 60 things Dunbar.

5. North Berwich

Distance from Edinburgh: 51 minutes by car

North Berwick is a small town located along the 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
• Check out the harbour and ruined castle in Dunbar, which are only 20 minutes away

Pro Tip: The towns of North Berwick and Dunbar (mentioned above) are only about a 20 minute drive from eachother, so you could also lump them into the same trip if desired! A full day trip 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.) Stirling is one of the key Scottish castles to visit; historically significant in a number of ways. Its where Mary Queen of Scots was crowned Queen.

We loved exploring Stirling Castle. It has so many rooms, interactive displays (clothing for kids to try on), and visual set ups so you can see what life was like here in the Middle Ages. It was also much less busy than Edinburgh Castle.

One thing underrated about Stirling Castle is the views – its located just at the base of the highlands, so the scenic beauity from the top of the castle is incredible.

The town of Stirling, located below the castle is a reall nice place too. It has shops, cafes, restaurants, and pedestrian-only streets. We visited the caslte, and then spent some time strolling around the city and got lunch and ice cream.

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, but 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 to grab something to eat and see the adorable highland cows.

We combined Doune Castle, Stirling Castle,Trossach’s Woolen Mill and the Kelpies into one full daytrip. It was a packed day, and I probably recommend eliminating one to make it less intense and have more time at each place – but totally doable if you don’t mind rushing.

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 from the Scottish people I’ve talked to, Glasgow is the one that still feels more like Scotland.

Edinburgh has changed in vibe over the years, partially due to becoming busier with tourism. Glasgow has a better sense of community and is still more ‘livable’ by locals. Its more low key, but it has a better sense of how locals live.

There’s also some interesting things to check out in Glasgow as well, such as:

• The city centre Mural Trail (a self-guided walk of street art.) It takes about an hour to walk the whole trail, but you can do less if you want. Find the trail map here
• The Glasgow Cathedral, which dates back to the 1100s and is the oldest in-tact cathedral in the city. It’s a gorgeous gothic building from the inside and outside. Going inside is free of charge
• The Women’s Heritage Walk, its run by the Women’s Library, and covers influential women in Scottish history and their contributions to Scotland. The walk costs £10 and can be booked here
• Buchanan street, the large pedestrian fare with lots of shops. A visit to Glasgow isn’t complete without it. You may see buskers performing live music in the warmer months

9. Moffat

Distance from Edinburgh: 90 minutes by car

Moffat is a small town of only 2,500, south west of Edinbirhg. Its known as the “dark sky town” and is the first dark sky town in Europe. It has a lot of scenic beauty in the surrounding area.

Honestly, the town of Moffat does not have a lot to do, but it’s worth visiting because of the scenic views surrounding it. A visit can be planned to see some of the geology in the area, followed by getting coffee or lunch in town. Here are the things to do in and near Moffat:

• 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 the 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 are some great things to do right in the area.

Pitlochry is popular, but it has a quieter vibe from Edinburgh. We actually stayed 2 nights in this area (although it can just be a daytrip as its less than 2 hours by car) and the beauty in the area is incredible.

Things to Do in and near Pitlochry:

• Walk down the main street, which is lined with Victorian greystone architecutre. There are so many shops, and good places to eat, blooming flowers in the warm months
• Drive out to Queen’s View (17 minutes from town), which is one of the prettiest sights in all of Scotland
• The Hermitage is 23 minutes away, its a nature preserve with caves and a waterfall
• Visit Blair Castle (13 minutes away) which looks completely different from all other castles in Scotland. It’s made of white stone, and has a gorgeous woodland on the estate, red deer, a kid’s playground, and a ruined chapel

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 in 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 Castle 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, waterfall at he Hermitage 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.

We spend a few hours in Luss, on our way to fly out from the airport, and it was an amazing place to finish off our time in Scotland and I’m glad we didn’t miss it.

In Luss, you can do boat tours, watersports, have a cuppa at the cute café, and there’s an amazing fairy trail for families with kids. Don’t miss the old stone church, which has a Viking grave!

Day trip Idea: Drive out to Luss, spend the day. Check out things to do in town here. 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.