Visit Scotland.com - An official site of Scotland's national tourism organisation.
What to See and Do
In the year of Homecoming there is loads going on in Scotland, find the best places to see and the most exciting things to do!
RAF Leuchars Airshow
For one Saturday each September, St Andrews briefly loses its home of golf moniker as fighter jets, luxury Learjets and vintage flying machines all swoop and soar to this small corner of Fife to land at RAF Leuchars Airfield for one of the UK's finest and most established air shows. View full details
Perfect Day - Festivals in Edinburgh
With summer here and the weather hotting up, it's that time of year again when Edinburgh's many summer festivals release their full programme of events; so now's the time to start booking your Perfect Day in Scotland. View full details
Shetland Accordion & Fiddle Festival, & Shetland Food Festival
Visiting Shetland is unlike visiting any other part of Scotland. An island or chain of islands actually, that is home to a strong and deeply ingrained sense of culture, history and community. Steeped in thousands of years of history, the beautiful and often dramatic landscapes of Shetland have inspired and nurtured the islands' rich musical heritage and created the right environment to produce exceptional natural ingredients. View full details
Discover Ayrshire & Arran
Stretching up about 80 miles of Scotland's jagged and unspoiled west coast, the historic and naturally stunning Ayrshire, and its island neighbour of Arran, offer some of Scotland's finest experiences; from golden beaches and extreme sports to native culinary delights, centuries of rich history and some of Scotland’s most rewarding hill walking. View full details
Doors Open Day
Have you ever walked past a building and been curious as to what was inside? In the year of Homecoming, what better way to explore your 'hidden heritage' than to be given free roam of some of Scotland's most important and beautiful buildings? View full details
Blas & Gael Force
Discover a wealth of traditional music and art events taking place this summer and autumn, from the Highlands all the way to Dumfries & Galloway. View full details
Spotlight on Bute
Take a trip to the Isle of Bute this summer - enjoy 'the Isle of Bute's Food Festival "eatBute" as well as visiting the fantastic Mount Stuart and Isle of Bute Discovery Centre. View full details
Scottish Food And Drink Fortnight
From the shellfish in Orkney to Edinburgh's award-winning Farmers' Market and the fresh fruit found in the Scottish Borders, foodies are spoilt for choice come September as Scottish Food and Drink Fortnight gets into full swing. View full details
Johnnie Walker Championship @ Gleneagles
August sees perhaps the most prestigious event in Scotland’s golfing calendar returning once more, to decide who will come out on top as the historic Gleneagles welcomes back the Johnnie Walker Championship. View full details
Traditional Music Festivals Throughout Scotland This Summer
With a culture strong in creativity, community and celebration, Scotland’s summer is rife with traditional music festivals. From the jagged west coast to the green fields of the Borders, this summer Scotland is coming alive with the sound of Celtic, jazz, folk and contemporary music as festival season gets into full swing. Book your tickets now to experience this famously welcoming country at its most celebratory. View full details
Discover Highland Games
Held throughout Scotland and perhaps the most visual way to celebrate Scottish and Celtic culture and history, you haven't experienced the real Scotland until you've been to a Highland Games. Originating in the Scottish Highlands (hence the name!), these events, which attract locals, visitors and Games competitiors alike, now take place across the country. summer is generally the season to catch one of these iconic events for yourself. View full details
Speyside Autumn Whisky Festival
The word whisky comes from the Gaelic 'uisge beatha' meaning 'water of life', with the art and practice of distilling in Scotland dating back to the Ancient Celts. Though originally believed to have been brought to Scotland by Irish missionaries hundreds of years ago, Scotch whisky was first mentioned in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1495 and today there is very little more synonymous with Scotland, than whisky. View full details
The Discovery of Spain: Goya to Picasso
This autumn, make sure you take a break from the buzz and business of the festival to pop into the National Gallery Complex on the Mound, just off Princes Street. A spectacular celebration of Spanish culture, as seen through the eyes of British artists and art collectors, will be the highlight of the National Galleries of Scotland exhibition programme during the 2009 Edinburgh Festival. View full details
Scottish Ballet Autumn Season
Putting a spring into autumn, Scottish Ballet is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year with a triple bill of work like none other. The dazzling Autumn Season will see the company tour through Scotland, starting in Glasgow’s Theatre Royal and concluding the tour at Eden Court in Inverness. View full details
Merchant City Festival
With Glasgow holding a deserved reputation as the country's 'City of Culture', Scotland has never been short of creative talent and opportunities to showcase the arts. This autumn, prepare to take part in what promises to be the city's most interactive and visual creative arts festival ever as the Merchant City Festival comes to life in September. View full details
Perfect Experiences - Get Active
From the southern Borders right up to the islands of Orkney and Shetland, there's hardly a region in Scotland that isn't home to simply stunning wilds; from crystal clear sea waters and long sandy beaches to heather clad glens, long green fairways and thick, ancient forests. Where better to find a Perfect Outdoor Experience than in Scotland? View full details
Walking festivals in the South of Scotland
A good day's walking is about way more than getting out into the countryside for some exercise; it's about discovering what a landscape has to offer, finding somewhere new, sharing the clean air and epic views with friends and setting yourself a challenge. Surely there can be no better place than Scotland to enjoy walking at its best? View full details
A Perfect Setting
Think of naturally fresh ingredients, local produce, crystal clear water and perfect views; think of Scotland. Second to none, Scotland can claim to be home to perhaps the absolute best natural larder in the world; with seascapes and landscapes that have created ideal local environments to produce world-class food. View full details
Piping Live & World Pipe Band Championships
This August, the very best of national and international bagpipe players are set to converge on Glasgow for a week-long Homecoming event like no other. View full details
Edinburgh Military Tattoo
Join this year's Edinburgh Military Tattoo, as the spectacular show celebrates its 60th season, while paying tribute to the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns for Homecoming Scotland 2009. View full details
Arran Outdoor & Walking Festival
A good day's walking is not just about getting out into the countryside for some exercise; it's about discovering landscape, history and culture, sharing the clean air and epic views with friends and setting yourself a challenge. Surely there can be no better place than Scotland to enjoy walking at its best? Known as "Scotland in Miniature", this summer visit the Isle of Arran for some of the best walking routes with experienced guides. View full details
Classical Music Festivals
Classical music and Scotland go together beautifully; the epic landscapes and breathtaking scenery offer a perfectly natural backdrop to classical music. View full details
Edinburgh Cultural Events
Edinburgh is a hub of creativity during the summer months, when you can discover a host of exciting events just waiting to inspire and amaze you. View full details
Explore Scotland and discover your Perfect Experience
Turn your next break in Scotland into something really special and find your Perfect Experience: From exploring one of Scotland's grandest estates on a nature trail to touring the Highlands in a classic car, there's a perfect experience for everyone in Scotland, just waiting to be discovered. View full details
Spotlight on Mull
Though just a short ferry ride from Oban on the mainland, the Isle of Mull is one of Scotland's "must visit" destinations, awash with enough history, attractions, wildlife and local haunts to keep you coming back again and again. View full details
Edinburgh International Book Festival & Wigtown Book Festival
Lovers of literature should be sure to join these fantastic literary festivals, which both have a special programme to mark Homecoming Scotland 2009. View full details
Largs Viking Festival
The Viking Festival celebrates the town's historical heritage with an 8-day programme of special events View full details
Glasgow River Festival
Even today, the term Clydebuilt is a sure sign of quality and endurance throughout the world's shipping industry. All along Glasgow's historic River Clyde are attractions that delve into the famous thouroughfare's successful and eventful shipbuilding past. View full details
The Gathering
Whether you're a Scot abroad coming back to your homeland, or indeed a 'local', put the weekend of 25 - 26 July in your calendar and prepare to be part of history. View full details
Height of the Hebridean Summer
With deserted beaches, tranquil waters, an abundance of wildlife and a thriving community focus on local culture and the arts, there are endless reasons to visit the Outer Hebrides. This summer however, the chain of islands, on the very north-west edge of Europe will be hosting what is perhaps the most diverse and unique array of festivals anywhere outside of Edinburgh's August festivals! View full details
Big Tent Festival
Big Tent 2009 is Scotland's largest eco-festival and takes place in Cupar's Falkland Palace. View full details
Puffins near Edinburgh
Visit The Firth of Forth this summer and see an amazing range of wildlife! View full details
Melrose Massed Pipe Band Championships
Seated in a bend of the River Tweed, the small village of Melrose is worth visiting for many reasons. Melrose Abbey, one of Britain's most beautiful monastic ruins, which is also the burial ground of the heart of Robert the Bruce, is Melrose's most famous draw, though, each year, the village comes alive for an altogether different reason. View full details
Rat Race
If you venture out onto the streets of Edinburgh next month, you could come face-to-face with hundreds of rats! Fear not, as we don't mean the four-legged variety but instead teams of thrill-seeking adventurers who take to the city's streets each summer for Scotland's biggest urban adventure: the Rat Race. View full details
Robert Adam's Landscape Fantasies at the National Gallery
Known and renowned as perhaps one of Scotland's finest architects and interior designers, Robert Adam was responsible for pushing the limits of architecture forward; developing what became known as the “Adam Style”, which would contribute greatly to both European and American design practice, and see his stylistic legacy still awarded today. View full details
Run Rig & Blair Castle Horse Trials
Visit Perthshire this August to see one of the biggest open air concerts of the year as well the three-day Blair Castle International Horse Trials. View full details
The Hidden Jewel
Join this spectacular open air "walking theatre" performance around the bewitching grounds of medieval Dunollie House in Oban. View full details
Zig-Zag: The Path of Robert Burns
Known across the country as Scotland's "Bard", Robert Burns was a poet who keenly and knowingly perpetuated and created his own air of worldliness and passion through his writing. View full details
Fyvie Homecoming Festival
As part of the national “Homecoming Scotland 2009” initiative the historic village of Fyvie, in Aberdeenshire, North East Scotland, will host its own “Fyvie Homecoming Festival” from 28-30 August 2009. View full details
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Discover the biggest arts festival in the world in the vibrant, historic city of Edinburgh this August, where you can expect to see everything from theatre, comedy, music and dance to street art and exhibitions - with a few surprises thrown in along the way. View full details
Edinburgh Art Festival
Discover a hub of creativity at the Edinburgh Art Festival, where a special Homecoming Scotland programme will demonstrate that the 21st century is the dawn of the visual enlightenment. View full details
Aberdeen Tartan Day & North East Clan Fortnight
Don't miss an exciting programme of Homecoming events in Aberdeen City and Shire with the North East Clan Fortnight and Aberdeen's Tartan Day. View full details
Perfect Arts & Culture Experiences
With breathtaking scenery and inspiration at every turn, Scotland offers the perfect setting to discover your creative side on the arts and culture trip of a lifetime. Paint beautiful landscapes, capture the perfect photograph as you sail around hidden coastlines or experience true luxury and stay in a magnificent stately home. View full details
Inverness Highland Games & Tattoo
Attend two fanastic events in Inverness this summer; Inverness Highland Games and the Inverness Tattoo. View full details
Dundee Flower & Food Festival
Celebrating its 21st anniversary this year, the Dundee Flower & Food Festival will yet again showcase the very best in top Scottish talent from the worlds of food and horticulture. View full details
Edinburgh International Festival
Scotland's cultural heritage has always been rich in the performing arts; music, dance and theatre. For three weeks each summer, this is celebrated fully by the Edinburgh International Festival. View full details
Art on the Map
The beautiful light and landscapes of the Hebrides have provided inspiration to artists for generations and continue to support a thriving artistic community. View full details
Artists Rooms
An extraordinary collection of more than 700 works was acquired jointly by the National Galleries of Scotland and the Tate. The concept of the exhibition is to dedicate a room to each individual artist, allowing visitors to see that artist's work alone and without interruption. View full details
Discover your Perfect Day in Scotland
How would you spend your Perfect Day in Scotland? Would you explore fine landscapes and triumphantly scale lofty peaks, take a relaxing stroll along deserted beach or feel the thrill of teeing off from one of the famous links courses unique to the "home of golf"? View full details
Mackintosh 100
Enjoy a series of events in Glasgow in celebration of Charles Rennie Mackintosh. View full details
Famous Scots Exhibition
Have you ever wondered where your Scottish ancestors came from - how they contributed to Scotland and what legacy they left? View full details
Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival
A fantastic summer festival in Edinburgh for both the jazz aficionado and novice alike, the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival showcases contemporary and classic music in some of the Capital's best venues. View full details
Royal Deeside
With the meandering banks of the River Dee, the epic backdrop of the Cairngorm Mountains and the rolling, heather-covered hills in between, it is easy to see why Royal Deeside has been the Scottish home of the Royal Family since the reign of Queen Victoria. View full details
Perfect Foodie Experiences
Passionate about food and drink? Where better to head for your Perfect Food and Drink Experience than Scotland, renowned for its fresh seafood and seasonal produce. View full details
The Farmers Markets of Scotland
Visit many great farmers markets in Scotland to find the best local produce View full details
Enjoy a Warm Welcome from all of Scotland's Residents
Scotland is one of the best destinations in Europe to watch wildlife. With the variety of species and the rich diversity of habitats that our country offers, it provides an excellent opportunity for you to really feel at one with nature. View full details
Discover Some Undiscovered Fishing
The Tay in Perthshire is one of Scotland's premier salmon rivers. It can produce fresh salmon all season long and attracts anglers from throughout the world View full details
Big Tree Country. Home of the forest walk
Perthshire is known as Big Tree Country, and as you might expect, forest walks are plentiful. View full details
Be touched by the famous Highlands
Scotland offers an ever-changing landscape with magical views and encounters with all sorts of wildlife. View full details
After tiring you out, let us refresh you
Scotland has literally thousands of different days out to offer you. From historic sites to unexpected wildlife encounters, and from world-class architecture to award-winning gardens, you can see and do so much in Scotland. View full details
A Taste of Life 5,000 Years Ago
The Neolithic sites on Orkney are world famous, and for good reason. View full details
A Royal Welcome
Within Europe, Scotland has the largest population of red deer. Known as the Monarch of the Glen, these magnificent animals are the largest land mammals in Britain. View full details
A Game Fishing Paradise
The Outer Hebrides is an angler's paradise. Choose from over 6,000 lochs. Many contain good stocks of salmon and sea trout and all of them hold more wild brown trout than you could dream about. View full details
Visitor Centre at Dawyck Gardens, Scottish Borders
Visitor Centre at Dawyck Gardens, Scottish Borders View full details
See the Stunning Italian Chapel
The Italian Chapel, Lamb Holm, Orkney. During the Second World War Italian P.O.W.s built the Churchill Barriers It still has the capacity to render people speechless, even today. View full details
Stirling History
In Scotland's rich and often bloody history, fewer cities stand out for having experienced quite as much as Stirling. View full details
Homecoming events 2009
Celebrate the 250th Anniversary with Homecoming Scotland 2009 View full details
Doctor Who Exhibition
Visit the largest Dr Who exhibition ever in the UK, at Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, March 28 2009 , 4 January 2010. View full details
Discover delightful Dumfries & Galloway
With perhaps Scotland's most rich and varied scenery, it's easy to see why Dumfries and Galloway is fast becoming the perfect spot for a weekend away to get out and enjoy Scotland's great outdoors. View full details
© 2002 – 2009 visitscotland.com All rights reserved.