If you are spending a few days in Edinburgh, you might want to use one (or several) of them to visit some nearby towns and attractions. You definitely won’t lack options, as there are several cute towns, castles, unique locations and, if you are willing to drive a bit further, some beautiful lochs and great hiking options. Below we present our Best Day Trips from Edinburgh Guide to help you get the most out of your time when visiting this area of Scotland.
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You might also be interested in these pages:
Best Things to See and Do in Edinburgh
Best Stops and Attractions Between Skye and Glasgow
Best Things to See and Do in St Andrews
We’ve covered the Best Things to See and Do in Edinburgh in a separate guide, so we won’t go over these here. Edinburgh is ideally located and well connected with several other towns to allow for a wide variety of interesting day trips. Although you can reach most of the suggested attractions below by public transport (bus or train), combining several of them in a single day trip will be easier either with your vehicle.
For advice and tips on how to drive in Scotland, check out our Scotland Roadtrip Driving Guide.
If you haven’t booked your rental vehicle yet, we highly recommend using Discover Cars to get the best rates on your rental in Scotland.
Alternatively, you can join group tours that leave Edinburgh to explore various parts of Scotland as a day trip. We will present several group tour options further below after having presented the various towns and attractions that are included in their itinerary.
Day Trip Attractions – Less than an hour from Edinburgh
Blackness Castle – 35 minutes
Blackness Castle is an impressive 15th-century castle beautifully positioned along the shores of the Firth of Forth. Often referred to as ‘the ship that never sailed’ due to its great stone ship appearance, these days the castle is known by many for its use as the setting for Fort William in Outlander. We found it to be a very interesting castle to visit, and it is rarely as busy as some other more well-known castles in Scotland.
Blackness Castle is just a 35-minute drive from Edinburgh. For more information on visiting this castle, check out our Blackness Castle Visiting Guide.
The Kelpies – 45 minutes
Unveiled in 2014, standing just under 100 feet tall and located within a community park known as The Helix, these giant horse sculptures quickly became a symbol of the town of Falkirk and the surrounding region. These beautiful sculptures are based on mythical water horse creatures known in Scotland as Kelpies and also pay homage to the Clydesdale workhorses that in the past would pull barges along the canal. Though many just make a quick stop at the Kelpies, there’s much to do here to keep you longer, including guided tours of the Kelpie interiors and beautiful walking trails along the canals.
The Kelpies are just a 45-minute drive from Edinburgh. For more information on visiting this attraction, check out our Kelpies Visiting Guide.
The Falkirk Wheel – 50 minutes
The Falkirk Wheel was built as part of various projects to celebrate the millennium and was finalized in 2002. The Wheel is a great example of remarkable modern Scottish technical know-how and was designed to provide a link between two canals that are separated by 80 vertical feet: the Forth & Clyde Canal and the Union Canal. Historically these two canals were connected via a series of 11 locks, which were dismantled in the mid-20th century after falling into disuse.
At the visitor center, there is a cafe and a shop. here you can book a short canal boat journey up on the wheel and back. The Falkirk Wheel is just a 50-minute drive from Edinburgh.
Sterling Castle – 55 minutes
Located in the nearby town of Stirling, this castle was honestly our favorite Castle to visit in Scotland. The large and imposing Stirling Castle is one of the most historically and architecturally important castles in Scotland. Mary Queen of Scots spent most of her life here, the castle changed hands between the British and the Scots many times, and William Wallace (the main character of Braveheart) played a key role in one of Scotland’s victories in reclaiming the castle. The guided tour of the castle was also one of the more interesting ones we experienced.
Stirling Castle is just a 55-minute drive from Edinburgh. For more information on visiting this castle, check out our Stirling Castle Visiting Guide.
Doune Castle – One hour
An imposing 14th-century courtyard castle in Doune, with a striking 100-foot high gatehouse and one of the best preserved great halls in Scotland. You are very likely to have seen Doune Castle in film or on TV, as it has been heavily featured in Month Python, was used as the Winterfell castle in the Game of Thrones pilot episode and has served as Castle Leoch in Outlander.
Recent research has shown that Doune Castle was originally built in the thirteenth century, then probably damaged in the Scottish Wars of Independence, before being rebuilt in its present form in the late 14th century.
Doune Castle is just a 60-minute drive from Edinburgh, not far from Stirling Castle.
Day Trip Attractions – Less than two hours from Edinburgh
Highland Cows at Callander – 70 minutes
A great spot to observe and take pictures of the famous Highland Cows (or the Hairy Coos as they are often referred to) is at the Trossachs Woollen Mill. This lovely gift shop is also home to three lovely hairy coos that you can visit and even feed if you would like! There’s also a small café on site.
The pictures shown above were taken from a farm along the side of the road, not far north from where the Trossachs Woollen Mill is located. However, since it wasn’t signposted or advertised, we haven’t been able to find the exact location on Google Maps unfortunately. If you are willing to drive up further north along the same road (A84) for 10-15 minutes (or if you are simply continuing along that road), you are likely to come across them.
The Wollen Mill is located a 70-minute drive from Edinburgh.
St Andrews – 75 minutes
Though this lovely coastal town is synonymous with golf for many, St Andrews, has a rich and diverse history, an enchanting historic center with impressive architecture and an idyllic coastline with beautiful sandy beaches. The cathedral and castle ruins here are truly fascinating to visit, both because of the actual sites themselves and also because of their stunning locations along the coastline. St Andrews is also home to one of the most famous golf courses in the world (one you can walk on for free on most Sundays) and to the third oldest University in the English-speaking world (after Cambridge and Oxford). Although we really enjoyed visiting the castles listed above, St Andrews is our favorite town day trip option from Edinburgh.
St Andrews is just a 75-minute drive from Edinburgh. For more information on visiting this charming seaside town, check out our Best Things to See and Do in St Andrews Guide.
Day Trip Attractions – Less than three hours from Edinburgh
Glen Coe – 2h30
If you want to see some of the most beautiful landscapes that the Scottish Highlands have to offer, then Glen Coe is the place to. The mountain scenery is simply beautiful and the area as a whole is a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts with the plethora of fantastic hiking and walking trails. Some of our favorites are the Lost Valley Trail and Devil’s Staircase, both of which are diverse and rewarding trails that can be completed in under 3 hours.
But even if you are not an avid hiker, the drive through Glen Coe is simply stunning with several great viewpoints. We built a One-Day Road Trip Itinerary guide that highlights several of these viewpoints, in addition to some castles and churches if you are willing to extend your drive a bit longer.
You can reach the Glen Coe Valley in about 2h20 from Edinburgh and Glencoe village in about 2h40, which lies at the western end of the Valley. For more information on visiting Glen Coe, check out our Guide on the Top Things to See and Do in Glen Coe.
Oban – 2h45
Oban’s most known attraction might be the historic Oban Distillery (established in 1794), a favourite amongst whisky aficionados, but it also has a beautiful boardwalk promenade along Oban Bay with views of the Isle of Kerrera. Oban is also home to Roman-inspired McGraig’s Tower overlooking the town and some of the best seafood restaurants in the country. For those who want to stay longer, it’s a great base from which to explore the Hebrides islands, such as Mull, Iona and Kerrera.
Two great stops to make along the road on your way to Oban are at St Conan’s Kirk and Kilkurn Castle, both of which are literally just off the road.
We cover both these attractions in greater detail in our Circular Oban to Glencoe Itinerary Guide.
Loch Ness, Glenfinnan & Skye
We don’t recommend visiting Loch Ness, Glenfinnan, or the Isle of Skye as part of day trip from Edinburgh, you’ll just spend too much time in the car. To be honest, despite its fame, Loch Ness isn’t that impressive of a loch in our opinion, and it’s a good 3h20 drive from Edinburgh. And that’s just to reach the southern tip of the lake at Fort Augustus. If you want to drive along the lake to reach Urquhart Castle, that’s another half hour, each way.
The big draw at Glenfinnan is the viewpoint that allows you to watch the “Harry Potter” steam train go over the Glenfinnan viaduct. Like Loch Ness, it’s about a 3h20 drive to reach the viaduct viewpoint parking lot. Another potential issue is timing your trip right – if you don’t arrive in time the parking lot will have filled up and you will have driven all that distance for nothing. Instead, we recommend visiting only if you are spending at least a night somewhere closer to Glenfinnan. For more information on visiting the viaduct and seeing the Jacobite steam train, you can check out our Glenfinnan Travel Guide.
Although the Isle of Skye is more worthy of a visit in our opinion, the drive there is even longer than to Loch Ness (around 4-5 hours, depending on your exact destination). For Skye, we definitely recommend a multi-day trip. In fact, we wrote a 4-day Roadtrip itinerary in Skye guide and a separate one on the Top Things to See and Do in Skye. Of all the places we visited in Scotland, Skye had the most beautiful landscapes and scenery in our opinion. If you love hiking, there are several unique and iconic trails here.
Day Trip Itinerary Suggestions
The Castles & The Kelpies
The most obvious attractions that can be bunched together in a single day trip outing from Edinburgh are the various castles highlighted above along with The Kelpies, given their close proximity to one another and because they are all roughly in the same direction from Edinburgh.
Driving to all these attractions will take about three hours, which might sound like a lot but isn’t so bad when you think that you will be stopping at least 4 times. We would recommend stopping twice out the outbound trip, for instance at the Kelpies and then Doune Castle, and then stopping twice during the return leg, for instance, Stirling Castle and then Blackness Castle. This will break up the drive into roughly four even parts.
Stretching the drive to Callander to see the Highland Cows, which is a bit further beyond Doune Castle, will add a total of about of 30 minutes driving time (15 each way).
Stirling Castle & St Andrews
If you have just one day to spare on a day trip and would love to see both Stirling Castle and St Andrews, which are the two attractions with the richest and most interesting history, you can create a circular itinerary that will require you to be on the road for about 4 hours.
If you start your day early, you can aim for spending 1h30 at Stirling Castle and about 3h in St Andrews, and then be back in Edinburgh by late afternoon.
Adding any other attractions (e.g. The Kelpies or Doune Castle) along this route will add at least 20 minutes to this itinerary, plus whatever time you spend at the site itself.
Alternatively, if you would prefer to see the Kelpies instead, you can probably cut at least an hour from the itinerary, since you won’t need to drive as much and The Kelpies don’t require as long a visit as Stirling Castle does. The same is true for Blackness Castle, although you can spend more time there than at The Kelpies your driving time will be even less.
The Road to Glen Coe
Although we highlighted the various attractions and things to see in Glencoe above, it is worth pointing out that the vast majority of all the other attractions in this guide, such as The Kelpies and Stirling Castle, are all just off the main road connecting Edinburgh to Glen Coe. So stopping at any of the sites won’t add much driving time, but the time spent visiting these places will definitely prolong an already long day, especially if you want to do some sightseeing or hiking in the Glen Coe. The least time-consuming of all the possible stops is no doubt visiting the Highland Cows at Callander, which is just off the main road and doesn’t require much sightseeing time. Although the Kelpies can be visited quickly, they still require a 20-minute detour off the main highway.
If you are really keen on making stops at Sterling or Falkirk, it might make sense to do them during the return leg to Edinburgh, when you’ll have a better idea of how much time you have left before you have to (or want to) be back in town.
Organized Group Tour Options from Edinburgh
Sterling Castle, the Kelpies & Loch Lomond Tours
Outlander Castle Tours
St Andrews Tours
Glen Coe and Scottish Highlands Tours
Ile of Skye Multi-day Tours
Preparing a trip to Edinburgh and the lowlands?
You might be interested in these pages:
Best Things to See and Do in Edinburgh
Best Stops and Attractions Between Skye and Glasgow
Best Things to See and Do in St Andrews
Preparing a trip to Scotland?
You might be interested in these Scotland pages:
10-Day Scotland Roadtrip Itinerary (Edinburgh and Highlands)
Scotland Driving Guide and Tips
7 of the Best Castles to Visit in Scotland
Best Things to See in the Scottish Highlands
Best Hikes to do in the Scottish Highlands
We also highly recommend these guidebooks:
Rick Steves Scotland
Lonely Planet Scotland’s Highlands
Photography Gear
If you like our photography, you might be interested in some of the gear we use to shoot our travel and hiking destinations.
Camera Body – Nikon Z 6ii Fx-series Mirrorless Body
Main Lens – NIKON 24-120mm F/4G ED VR AF-S
Zoom Lens – Sigma 745-306 150-600mm f/5-6.3
Polarizing filters – Urth Circular Polarizing (CPL)
Camera Tripod – K&F Concept 64-inch Camera Tripod
Mini-tripod – Lammcou Flexible Camera Tripod
Camera/hiking backpack – Vanguard Alta Rise 48 Backpack
Universal Travel Adapter – VYLEE Universal International Power Travel Plug
Other Travel Essentials
Travel Insurance
SafetyWing is a travel insurance company that offers comprehensive coverage for travellers. Includes Medical Insurance and Travel Insurance. Primarily geared towards long-term travellers, digital nomads, and expats.
e-Sim cards
Airalo is the world’s first and largest eSIM store with eSIM plans for 200+ countries and regions worldwide. With Airalo eSIMs, travellers can get connected the moment they land at their destination and avoid nasty data roaming charges
eSIMS are a sustainable alternative to single-use SIM cards – they are 100% digital, require less energy to produce and be re-used rather than disposed of.
Car Rentals
Discover Cars is our go-to website for car rentals. We almost always find our preferred rate there.
Transfer from Airport
Welcome Pickups is our favourite private transfer service, which you can pre-book at a fixed price. Currently available in 220 cities all over the world (mostly in Europe, but with several major cities in Asia, the Middle East and the US).
Kiwitaxi is another private transfer service – we haven’t tried it yet, but it’s currently available in a few more countries (102 as of 2024).
Hotels and Accommodations (coming soon)
Photography Prints
If you found this blog useful, you can help support our blog by purchasing low-cost digital prints. Printed physical prints are also available for purchase.
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Well, that wraps it up! We hope you enjoyed our Best Day Trips from Edinburgh Guide and that it will prove useful for planning your trip to the beautiful Scottish Highlands.
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