Known as the gateway to the Scottish Highlands, Stirling has historically been shown on maps as the only safe crossing point into the North. Due to its historic importance there is a lot of history to explore in Scotland’s smallest city. From Stirling castle to the battle of Stirling Bridge and even ancient remains of a whale found in the carse of Stirling! There are a lot of reasons to visit Stirling!
One of the key parts of Scottish history is Stirling Castle, a strategic fortress is played an important part in the Scottish Wars of Independence. It also boasts a Royal Palace where many important members of Scottish royalty lived over the years. Although Stirling has more to offer than it’s history! There are also many fantastic walks around the area, with the Trossachs mountain range not too far away. Children will also enjoy the nearby safari park, farm park and wildlife in the area.
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Where Is Stirling?
Stirling is in Central Scotland, around an hour from both Glasgow and Edinburgh, and half an hour South of Perth. It’s a great location to visit on its own, but also as part of a trip heading further North. Stirling is also perfectly located for walks in the local area, but also into the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park to the West. The National Park also has some excellent bike trails and lochs for swimming, SUP or kayaking on.
When To Visit Stirling?
Stirling is great to visit at any time of year. If you are spending more time outdoors and what dry weather, I’d recommend May or September, as these shoulder months are often warm and tend to have more dry days. December is good for various Christmas themed events. The Scottish school holidays also tend to be a good time for different events that are on around the city, however it will certainly be busier.
How To Get To Stirling
Stirling is well connected to the rest of Scotland and the UK by public transport. There are regular trains from Glasgow, Edinburgh and Inverness, passing through many smaller stations to Stirling railway station.
It’s easy to arrive in Stirling by car. The M9 easily connects you to Glasgow and Edinburgh by motorway, turning to the A9 if you wish to head further North in Scotland. You can also use the Castleview park and ride at the edge of the city, with regular buses to the centre.
There are also plenty of buses, including the electric Ember buses connecting Stirling to the main cities.
If you are flying to Scotland you can land at Edinburgh or Glasgow airports and either get a bus or train to Stirling or hire a car.
Best Things To Do In Stirling
There is a lot to do both in and around Stirling, but lets starts with the city of Stirling itself.
Visit Stirling Castle
If you only have time to visit one castle in Scotland, then I recommend you make it Stirling Castle! Yes, I even include Edinburgh Castle in that statement, Stirling castle has excellent history to learn about, fantastic reenactors, brilliant views and so much to explore. It’s hands-down our favourite castle to visit if you want a whole day out. Although if you have time for more castles on your visit, then there are plenty of others I’d also recommend. Check the list below for other fantastic castles! Or use the Historic Scotland app to find out about other nearby properties.
So what are the highlights at Stirling’s famous landmark? First you need to head to Queen Anne’s Garden for the best views from this volcanic crag. Then explore the little museum area to the left. It holds some interesting information about the history of the area, battles and a timeline of the history and royalty. Second you need to visit the corridor below the Royal Palace, filled with interactive activities, brilliant for kids, but adults can enjoy it too.
Then go into the Royal Palace, via the Lion’s Den and chat to the reenactors about what they do at the palace. Ask them anything about the history, they know everything! We’ve had discussions about sword fighting, Mary Queen of Scot’s football found in the ceiling, sports they would play, the type of textiles used and the location of the real bedrooms.
Don’t miss the Stirling heads museum in the courtyard. From here you can pass through a little passageway beside the Chapel Royal into the Douglas Gardens. Walk along the wall from the garden all the way to the cannons. It’s a nice little wall walk that you may miss if in a large tour group. Pop into the kitchens and then head down the hill to explore the Nether Bailey.
Stirling Castle also has a great cafe with local ingredients, so you can bring a packed lunch or get something tasty to eat there. They also have water for free for filling up your reusable water bottle.
Scottish castles you may want to visit:
- Huntingtower Castle in Perthshire with it’s ‘maiden’s leap’ legend.
- Stirling Castle is a fun family day out, with excellent re-enactors.
- Dunnottar Castle near Stonehaven is an impressive cliff top fortress.
- Craigmillar Castle is Edinburgh’s second castle and well worth exploring.
- Duart Castle on the Isle of Mull has great history and excellent views.
- Visit Tantallon in East Lothian for a dramatic view to Bass rock.
- Edinburgh castle is great to explore during the day, with the Scottish Honours on show too.
- Edinburgh Castle of Light is all lit up in the winter months!
- Crathes Castle and Gardens in Aberdeenshire is stunning.
- The strange shape of Blackness castle is almost ship like as a fortress.
- High up above Dollar is Castle Campbell, a fantastic lookout castle.
- Brodick Castle on Arran is popular with visitors, it’s more of a mansion house than castle.
- Inchcolm Abbey and Island in the Firth of Forth, day trip from Edinburgh Queensferry.
Visit Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum
The Smith Art Gallery and Museum is located below castle rock, beside the King’s Knot. There isn’t much parking, so it’s best to walk there if possible, or park on the road if there’s no spaces.
The art gallery is over two separate rooms and although some of the artwork remains on display, others can change periodically. The kids will especially love the sculpture of the tiger made from Tunnocks foil wrappers! There is also a a good size museum filled with interesting artefacts, explaining the history of Stirling, from whale bones and early planes, to Mary Queen of Scot’s football. It’s definitely worth a visit when you are in the area.
There is a small cafe inside the building too, it sells delicious lunches and home baking.
Stirling Old Town Jail
Located in the heart of Stirling, just down the hill from Stirling Castle is this historic building, once the old town jail. Today it’s used to show tourists Victorian Scotland’s last reformed prison. There is also an area of the building used as Escape Rooms!
Free parking is available at the jail and there’s a left luggage area (for a small fee). The jail tour is a performance tour, so expect to be in a group of visitors who are lead around the jail by an actor. You will learn a lot about the conditions and punishments enforced upon the inmates and at the end take some time to explore the last part yourself and go outside on the balcony for a great view.
Church of the Holy Rude
The Church of Holy Rude is just a few minutes walk below Stirling castle. Beside it is the Old town Cemetery, which is also worth visiting. The church is an important part of Scottish religious history, with it being the main place of worship for Stuart Kings and Queens. This is also where Mary Queen of Scot’s son, King James VI coronation took place.
Take a leaflet for the the Stories in Stone to explore the graveyard outside. There are lots of interesting stones to explore throughout!
Battle of Bannockburn Experience
The Battle of Bannockburn Experience is located outside of the centre of Stirling. You can drive there or take public transport from Stirling bus station. The visitor centre is a National Trust for Scotland site, so anyone with a NT card for other areas of the UK can also get in free.
The visitor centre is built on the land near where the Battle of Bannockburn took place. This is where the Scottish army crushed the English army over a 2 day battle in 1314. It was the turning point in the Scottish Wars of Independence and led to a truce between Scotland and England, with King Robert the Bruce being recognised as King of Scotland by England. The experience takes you through the details of the battle on a guided tour, finishing with a walk out to the memorial park where you can see where King Robert the Bruce raised his royal standard.
There is a cafe and gift shop on site too.
Radical Weavers – Visit Stirling
Although this is not a tourist site to visit, it is an experience that tourists may enjoy during their visit to Stirling. Radical Weavers is a weaving shop, but also run workshops and experiences. You can choose from a whole day experience, such as weaving your own wool scarf in a day, to a 60 minute weaving taster. The staff are friendly and on hand to help every step of the way. So I highly recommend this if you would like to create your own family tartan or see how people in Scotland once made clothing.
Cambuskenneth Abbey
Just on the outskirts of Stirling enclosed in a curve of the river, is Cambuskenneth Abbey. This abbey was created in the 1200’s to serve Stirling Castle, similar to Holyrood Abbey serving Edinburgh Castle. The remains of King James III and his queen Margaret of Denmark were buried beside the altar in the abbey. Later these remains were removed and reinterred under a stone monument by order of Queen Victoria.
The abbey is in ruins now and it’s said that many of the stones from the abbey were quarried by Earl of Mar to build Mar’s Wark beside the castle.
Things To Do Near Stirling
Stirling is rather small city and it doesn’t take much time to get further out into the surrounding area. So you can always include a day trip or 3 in your stay as well! It’s definitely easier to drive yourself, although there are also a variety of different buses in the area. Please do check bus times carefully for your return journey, they are not as regular as you may find in cities.
National Wallace Monument – Visit Stirling
Standing high on Abbey Craig is the National Wallace Monument. It was from this craggy rock jutting out above the River Forth that Sir William Wallace and Andrew de Moray made plans and held their armies before victory at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. The monument is to the national hero William Wallace and each floor inside discusses the history of Stirling bridge, important figures in Scottish history and has plenty of hands-on activities for children too. Don’t forget to head up to the crown, where you can look out across the local area from this brilliant vantage point.
The monument is a tower with a spiral staircase of 246 steps, there is no wheelchair access. There is a great little shop at the base of the tower and toilets too. At the bottom of the hill (at the car park) you will also find a great cafe, shop and toilets.
Blairdrummond Safari Park
Blairdrummond safari park is just 20 minutes drive from Stirling city centre. The safari park includes a large drive through safari area, with a variety of animals including rhinos, antelope, lions and macaques. Then there are lots more animals that can be seen on foot once you’ve parked up, including giraffes, zebras, meerkats, lemurs, sea lions, tigers and farm animals. Don’t miss the dinosaur enclosure, birds of prey displays, kids adventure play areas, pedal boats and the new train that takes you round to see chimp island.
You can also find a variety of places to eat, funfair rides and gift shops. The whole family will have a great time at Blairdrummond!
Briarlands Farm Park
Briarlands Farm park is right beside Blairdrummond safari park. Just a 20 minute journey from Stirling city centre is the fantastic Briarlands Farm Park. This a large kids adventure park mixed with farm animals to feed, pet and watch. It’s a great place for the kids, with jumping pillows, go karts, archery and slides. Plus a lovely tractor and trailer ride. There is also a large cafe, shop and a small indoor soft play for under 7’s.
Doune Castle
This small but mighty Scottish castle has featured in many television series and films. Including Monty Python’s Holy Grail and Outlander. Doune castle does have its own unique history that makes it worthwhile visiting too. It was once the home of the Duke of Albany, Governor and Guardian of Scotland. Do take the offer of the self guided headsets, the information is very informative and tells you about little things you wouldn’t notice otherwise.
There are lovely walks around the castle and some great cafes in the village of Doune too.
Argaty Red Kites and Beavers
Argaty Red Kites is located just outside of Dunblane, 5 minutes from the A9. It’s a rewilding estate, where they are trying to encourage wildlife into the estate. You can book to view the red kites at the daily feeding time, swooping and diving from the sky. There are also tours during the spring and summer to see the reintroduced beavers and also pond dipping for the kids. Or even have a picnic in the woodland hide and watch red squirrels and woodland birds roam. A perfect afternoon of wildlife fun!
Inchmahome Priory
Inchmahome Priory is a little further out from Stirling, around 30 minutes drive. However, it’s worth a visit for the serenity, history and beauty. Inchmahome Priory is located on a tiny island in the lake of Mentieth, beside the village of Port of Mentieth. It’s Scotland’s only lake!
You are best to book your tickets in advance as there is a limited number of spaces on each boat over to the island. The priory ruins are beautiful to walk around and have links to Mary Queen of Scot’s. Mary hid here as a child before heading to France during the Rough Wooing. Nowadays the island is a quiet serene place, filled with woodland and ruins of the priory. If you are lucky you may even see an Osprey diving into the lake!
Dumyat Hill Walk
Above the city of Stirling are the Ochil hills, including the easy climb of Dumyat. This hill walk can be started from a car park part way up the hill. So it’s only a 45 minute walk to the summit of the hill. From this vantage point you can get amazing views across Stirling and beyond! It’s very popular with locals, but during the week you may still have it to yourself for part of the way!
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