Things to do in Scotland

There are many other things to visit around Glasgow and Scotland. You won't have time to get bored!

Other cities

The South of Scotland is rich in small towns of character with a charm that is just as different from each other. In the surroundings of Glasgow, you can visit:

Lanark/New Lanark is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (50 minutes from Glasgow Central Station)
Perth was the former capital of Scotland in the Middle Ages. If you like castles, you should visit the Scone Palace, located only 3km from Perth.
Ayr, a former commercial port with France and the West Indies, is now a city transformed into a seaside resort. There is a long sandy beach where you can walk along the sea in peace and quiet (1 hour from Glasgow Central Station).
Troon, a small seaside town, which exudes a lot of charm and is surrounded by vast green golf courses. Very good coffee shop'Bhaile' (45 minutes from Glasgow Central Station).
Oban is nicknamed the "gate of the islands" because ferries regularly leave to visit the islands of Mull, Coll, Tiree, Islay and others. It is a small town that has managed to preserve its seaside charm. If during your trip in the Highlands you pass not far from Oban, do not hesitate to stop there (very good youth hostel Corran House) (3 hours from Glasgow Queen Street Station).
St Andrews, a golfers' paradise city due to its many prestigious golf courses.
St Monans was once a fishing village. Today it is a tourist destination as the village overlooks the Firth of Forth, with views of North Berwick, Bass Rock and May Island.
And many more....

Troon

St Monans

The Highlands

Visiting the Highlands is a crucial part of your journey in Scotland. It is better to visit the Highlands over several days, for this you can either rent a car or make an organized excursion with a guide.

Important places to see in the Highlands:

Loch Lomond
Village of Luss
Loch Tulla
Three Sisters
Glencoe valley
Eilean Donan Castle
Isle of Skye
Old Man of Storr
Mealt Fall & Loch Mealt
Dunnottar Castle (Disney Pixar's Brave)
Glenfinnan Viaduct (Harry Potter bridge)
Loch Ness
And so many other magnificent landscapes and places to see...

Loch Lomond

Three Sisters

Glenfinnan Viaduct

To book excursions, you can check with the Tourist Office or on their website for tours organised with external companies: https://www.visitscotland.com/info/services/glasgow-icentre-p332751
Personnaly, I recommend you to book excursions with Rabbie's because they offer many different tours and the organization is very good. Here is their website: https://www.rabbies.com/en

Advice: the weather is often wet and rainy so don't forget your windbreaker, rain boots and hiking boots.

The Islands

There are many islands to visit in Scotland including

The Isle of Skye, famous for its coasts and spectacular landscapes. Isle of Skye is the largest and most northerly major island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland and it was recently voted as the '4th Best Island in the World'.

Isle of Arran is the seventh largest island in Scotland where there are some very beautiful hikes to be made (train and ferry from Glasgow Central Station).
Isle of May has the label of "National Nature Reserve" due to the multitude of seabirds and seals that live there. The island enjoys special protection, as do several other islands in the Firth of Forth: the Forth Islands Special Protection Area.
Isle of Mull, accessible by ferry from Oban, it is the second largest island in the interior Hebrides after Isle of Skye. You can visit Iona Abbey and the cute little port of Tobermory, the island's main town.

Port of Tobermory
I recently did the Isles excursion which allows you to visit the Isle of Mull, the Isle of Iona and the Isle of Staffa in three days. I did this tour with Rabbie's and I really recommend you to do it because the Isle of Iona and the Isle of Staffa provide a magnificient spectacle. If you are lucky you will be able to observe seals and puffins. It was the best trip of the year!
Here is a short video above of the Isle of Staffa.

And many other islands....

Edinburgh

Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, is a beautiful city with an architecture that is totally different from Glasgow. If you come to Scotland, you have to visit Edinburgh.

The city is divided into two parts with Old Town to the south and New Town to the north. New Town's architecture is Georgian with its elegant facades and wide streets. It is better to visit Edinburgh on foot because the city centre is not very large.

Also worth seeing in Edinburgh: Edinburgh Castle (paying entrance), Calton Hill, Arthur's seat, BT Murrayfield Stadium...

To get there, you can take a bus from Buchanan Bus Station or a train from Glasgow Central Station (about 1 hour's journey in both cases).

England

By train or bus, you can easily travel to England and visit London or Manchester.

I have friends from my Montpellier class who are in Erasmus this year in Preston, in the north of England.

I haven't visited England yet but it's something I plan to do before I return permanently to France.

Ireland

If you are in Scotland and have time to travel, this is your chance to go to Ireland.

I have friends from my Montpellier class who are also in Erasmus this year, in Dundalk. It's a small town an hour's bus ride from Dublin so when I visited them, I went to visit Dublin at the same time.

So I went there at the beginning of February and I was not disappointed. Dublin is a charming city with its pubs and coffee shops with colourful facades. The city is divided into two parts, there is an old city part, with the famous Temple Bar district which is magnificent, and there is the modern city part with large administrative buildings and a multitude of shops that will make shopping addicts happy.

Be prepared to pay a high price because Dublin is an expensive and very touristy city.

In fact, I heard a lot of French spoken in the streets when I was there.

Here are Instragram accounts to follow to discover beautiful photographs of Scotland and new places to visit: