Tourism in Scotland
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Tourism > Tourism in Scotland
There are several cities and towns which tourists visit in Scotland.
- Edinburgh is the capital city, and has major attractions, including Edinburgh Castle. It has several universities including the well established Edinburgh University founded in 1583.
- Glasgow has attractions such as the Burrell Collection, and also has a well established university, and several new ones.
- Stirling has a castle, and a newly established university.
- Aberdeen has a well established university.
- St. Andrews has the well established University of St Andrews.
- Dundee has a well established university.
- Perth is a small but historic town on the east coast.
- Inverness is the administrative centre for the Highlands
Other areas which are popular for tourists include the Highlands and islands, such as the Isle of Skye. Perthshire, the Scottish Borders and Orkney and Shetland are also popular tourism destinations.
Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in the United Kingdom, but there are a number of other significant mountains in Scotland, though by international standards all the mountains are relatively small. The Cuillin on the Isle of Skye does offer some challenging climbs, such as the Inaccessible Pinnacle.
Scotland also has a number of lochs, including Loch Lomond, and Loch Ness, which is considered by some to be the home of the Loch Ness monster. There are also many rivers, which are good for salmon and fly fishing. These include the River Tay, Tweed, Don, and Dee.
Scotland is generally thought to be good for hunting, especially deer stalking and grouse shooting.
Scotland is also the home of golf, with many historic and famous courses including, St. Andrews, Gleneagles, Royal Troon, Carnoustie, and Muirfield. There are hundreds of other less famous courses in the country.
Scotland has a long and complex history, and has thousands of historic sites and attractions. These include prehistoric Stone circles, Standing stones and burial chambers, and various Bronze Age, Iron Age sites. There are also many historic castles, houses, and battlegrounds to visit. While the cities are popular with visitors year round, the main tourist season is from April to October inclusive.