Scotland has many interesting sights to offer. You should definitely not miss Edinburgh. The city is in a splendid landscape. The medieval Georgian town center is particularly worth a visit.
The Edinburgh Festival is held annually and should definitely be seen.
Hardly anyone can escape the charm of the centuries-old city. One thing is certain Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful cities throughout Europe.
Glasgow is definitely worth seeing. The city has been the European Capital of Culture since the 1990s. The city’s tourist highlights include the medieval Glasgow Cathedral and the Burrel Collection. There are also interesting art exhibitions in Glasgow.
The city of Aberdeen is also impressive. It is the third largest city in Scotland and is best known for its fish trade and the oil industry. A visit to the main building of the city’s first university, which dates back to 1495, will definitely be interesting. Furthermore, the St. Andrews Cathedral should not be missed.
St. Giles Cathedral is also worth a visit. Its main features are the two crown towers and the Thistle Caple.
One should have seen the St. Nicholas Kirk in Aberdeen. It is the largest church in Scotland. The facade from 1830 is particularly impressive. The Italian architectural style was used for the construction of the western part of the church. For the choir, the Gothic Renaissance style.
The Scottish Bishops Cathedral is St. Andrews Cathedral. The church was dedicated to Bishop Samuel Seabury and is more than a hundred and fifty years old.
Scotland has other interesting sacred buildings to offer.
But there are also some remarkable technical buildings to visit in the country, such as B. the HMS Unicorn. The HMS Unicorn is the oldest warship in Great Britain, which is still in service today. It’s in the Victoria Docks in Dundee.
The Fourth Bridges are impressive. These are two bridges in the town of South Queensferry over the River Fourth. One bridge is a railway bridge that was built in 1890. It is considered to be the largest steel lattice bridge in the world. Eight million rivets were used to build the bridge alone.
The second bridge of the Fourth Bridges is a highway bridge that is the second longest suspension bridge in the world.
Those interested in art among Scotland’s tourists can choose between the National Gallery of Scotland, the Scottish National Portrait Gallery or the National Gallery of Modern Art. At the Burrel Collection you can not only see an impressive collection of paintings, but also also tapestries, sculptures and magnificent stained glass windows from the fifteenth century.
A visit to the British Golf Museum is an absolute must for golfers. In the museum in the city of Dundee you can find out everything about the beginnings of the Scottish national sport. Even Maria Stuart was a passionate golfer.
The absolute highlight is Edinburgh Castle. The Castle is located high above the city of Edinburgh on an extinct volcanic rock. It was built by King Edwin of Northumbria in the sixth century. Over the centuries the castle fulfilled various functions. So it was already a royal palace, prison or military garrison.
Other interesting sights of Scotland include Holyrood Palace, Culean Castle and the Royal Deeside.
The country is also known for its natural beauty. The highlight of Scotland, which everyone knows one hundred percent, is Loch Ness.
Other natural attractions of Scotland are the Shetland Islands and the Western Isles.
Scotland climate
Although Scotland is relatively far north (comparable to Labrador in Canada) the climatic conditions are not really cold. Air masses warmed by the Gulf Stream noticeably soften the Scottish climate.
The east coast of Scotland is usually drier than the west coast, often warmer in summer and colder in winter. Temperatures on the coast rarely drop below 0 ° C, although cool winds often blow from the North Sea. The western highlands around Fort William is the wettest region in Great Britain, the annual precipitation reaches up to 3,000 mm here.
Scotland – how to get there
Airplane: many airlines offer flights to Scotland. These include Lufthansa (LH), Aer Arann (RE), Air Lingus (EI), Air France (AF), Air Malta (KM),British Airways (BA), easyJet (U2), Highland Airways (HS, Germanwings (4U), KLM Cityhopper (UK), Iceland Air (FI), Ryanair (FR) and Scandinavian Airlines (SK).
There are several daily direct flights to Glasgow and Edinburgh from Amsterdam, Brussels, Dublin, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hamburg, Madrid, Moscow, Paris, Prague, Stockholm, Warsaw, Rome, Oslo and numerous other European cities. More than a hundred flights depart from London and other British cities to Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Airports: Scotland has four international airports: Aberdeen (ABZ), Edinburgh (EDI), Glasgow (GLA) and Glasgow Prestwick (PIK). Some international short-haul flights also land in Dundee (DND), Inverness (INV) and Sumburgh (LSI).
However, London – Gatwick (LGW) and Heathrow (LHR) – is the main UK destination for long-haul international flights.
Ship: Stena Line and P&O Irish Sea ferries connect Northern Ireland and Scotland. For example, there are connections between Belfast and Stranraer, Larne and Troon, and Larne and Cairnryan.
Until 2009 Smyril Line operated a weekly car ferry between the Shetland Islands (Lerwick), the Faroe Islands (Torshaven), Iceland (Seydisfjordur), Norway (Bergen) and Denmark (Hantsholm). However, Norway and the Shetland Islands are no longer served by Smyril Line.
The ferry service between Rosyth (northwest of Edinburgh) and Zeebrugge in Belgium was discontinued in 2008.
Rail: Traveling to Scotland by train is faster and more comfortable than taking the bus, but it is also more expensive. In contrast to some air travel, for example from London to Edinburgh, taking the train can be a time-saving alternative. Timetables and fare information for all trains in the UK are available from the National Rail Inquiry Service.
With the opening of the high-speed link to the new St. Pancras International train station, it is possible to use the Eurostar travel from Paris or Brussels to London within two hours. St. Pancras has quick links to Kings Cross and Euston stations. Trains to Edinburgh and Glasgow run from there. A train journey from Paris to Edinburgh only takes about eight hours.
First ScotRail operates the Caledonian Sleeper, a night train connecting London Eiston with Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling, Perth, Dundee, Aberdeen, Fort William and Inverness. First ScotRail also offers a combined rail and ferry service between Edinburgh and Glasgow and Belfast via Stranraer and Troon.
Automobile: Entry with cars and motorcycles registered in the EU is straightforward. You need the registration papers, a country sticker and the vehicles must be insured. An international – green – insurance card is not compulsory but helpful. Scotland can be reached from mainland Europe via ferry or the Channel Tunnel and then via the M25, then the M1 and M6 heading north.
Bus: Buses are usually the cheapest way to travel to Scotland from other parts of the UK. The main operators are National Express and its subsidiary Scottish Citylink, with regular buses from London and other cities in England and Wales and Northern Ireland. Silver Choice Travel offers a daily night bus from London to Glasgow and Edinburgh and Megabus offers very cheap trips from London to Glasgow.
