The UK's northernmost country certainly has its share of dramatic landscapes.
Trademarks include trying haggis, hearing bagpipe melodies, visiting fairy tale castles, taking epic road trips to seeing men in kilts.
Everywhere is accessible because the cities are only 3 hours away from each other. You can easily hop on trains, local buses or hire a car to travel from place to place.
1. Glasgow
The largest city in Scotland is Glasgow that is constantly changing and offers plenty for everyone to do regardless of your interests.
It is perhaps not as well-known as Edinburgh to international travelers, but the reward of visiting here is a less crowded city where experiences seem less rushed and more authentic.
The music scene is alive in Hydro, King Tuts Wah Wah Hut, and the iconic Glasgow Barrowlands.
If art is your thing then you could head to somewhere like the Kelvingrove museum and take a look around the 22 different galleries on offer. The Kelvingrove museum is completely free to visit.
The main shopping streets of Sauchiehall, Buchanan, and Argyll give shoppers a wide variety of choice.
The main city square in central Glasgow is George Square. You can also visit the Glasgow City Chambers, a large Victorian era building that dominates the east side of George Square. You can take free guided tours of the inside. Tours are free and are typically given twice a day Monday to Friday.
2. Stirling
Stirling is the location of William Wallace's first victory in the First War of Scottish Independence.
Stirling's beautifully preserved Old Town is a treasure trove of historic buildings and cobbled streets winding up to the ramparts of its impressive castle, which offer views for miles around.
The National Wallace Monument is a tower built on the Abbey Craig to commemorate Wallace. Check out the monument from Stirling Castle atop Castle Hill. The castle dates back to at least the 12th century.
The Bannockburn Heritage Centre uses interactive technology to bring Robert the Bruce's defeat of the English army on 24 June 1314 at Bannockburn back to life.
The impressive Victorian prison building Old Town Jail lay derelict from the 1960s until 2015, when it was reopened as a visitor attraction. The National Wallace Monument is so Gothic it deserves circling bats and croaking ravens. It commemorates William Wallace, the hero of the bid for Scottish independence depicted in the film Braveheart.
3. Shetland Islands
These islands are a beautiful blend of both Scottish and Nordic cultures. The Shetland Islands are Britain's most northerly outpost. If you are willing to go on an adventure, you'll find plenty of archeological sites and beautiful beaches to visit.
Streets named King Haakon or St Olaf are reminders that Shetland was under Norse rule until 1469 when it was gifted to Scotland in lieu of the dowry of a Danish princess.
Nature rules the seas and islands, and the birdlife is spectacular: pack binoculars.
Also, it has some of the most incredible landscapes in the UK with an abundance of wildlife and a Viking heritage second to none.
Awarded Lonely Planet's Best in Europe 2019 as one of Europe's top destinations, explore 4,000 years of Shetland history, streching back to the Bronze Age with fascinating Iron Age brochs and mysterious standing stones.
Other than Edinburgh, which is a go-to tourist attraction in Scotland, these are the places you should be visiting.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
