Stopping at Stirling Castle when we leave Glasgow AP traveling to Endinburgh

You certainly could do that.
Take the airport bus #500 to Queen Street Station then train to Stirling (a pretty frequent service) then at the end of the day an equally frequent train to Edinburgh.

Personally I'd be inclined to go to Edinburgh first, dump my stuff at the accommodation, then nip out to Stirling on the train, but that is just how I tick. Sort out left luggage at Stirling (there is a thread about that) and your plan is fine.

This is the relevant forum thread on left luggage at Stirling- https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/scotland/anyone-used-stasher-or-radicalstorage-particularly-in-stirling

Stirling Station was just formally re-opened on 27 June after a total refurbishment both of the station itself and of the public realm outside so all is brand new there.

Only storage I know of in Stirling is City Spare Space, there may be others.

If that's an overnight flight though that could make for a gruelling day. It's going to take a while to get to Stirling then store bags then go to the castle then get to Edinburgh. Stirling Castle is a superb location to visit but it might make for an overwhelming day - only you will know how you handle overnight flights (again, just presuming that)

Cheryl, here's a link that might help: https://www.citysparespace.com/locations/luggage-storage-stirling/#gref

I'd be cautious not to underestimate how tired you'll be after an overnight flight, and it's such a short train ride to Stirling from Edinburgh that it may be worth dedicating an entire day to it instead. There is so much to see that a 'viewing' may be unsatisfactory. We spent 6 hours there.

So we have decided to stop at Stirling. We are very used to traveling overnight and yes will be tired, but we will not be driving and we are confident we can make this work. So now I need your help. It looks like there is a train that leaves Glasgow AP and goes to Central Terminal, but you have to transfer to Queen station. To you walk between stations for the transfer? Are the stations next to each other? At what point would we store our luggage for the day. Once done in Stirling we would need to get luggage and continue on to Edinburgh. Help & directions would be appreciated. Thank you

Hi, Cheryl,

There is no train from Glasgow Airport to Glasgow Queen Street Station, or Glasgow Central. You'll need to take the 500 Express bus from right outside the terminal. The bus will drop you off at Queen Street Station, where you can catch the train for Stirling. The trains run very frequently.

There are several locations in Stirling where you can store your luggage while you're exploring. I'd recommend the Premier Inn, which is near the train station. It's in the opposite direction to the castle, but your other options are uphill. The arrangements are made by a company called Stasher, and I'm pretty sure you need to make advance reservations.

There are many places to eat in Stirling, in all budget ranges, mostly on the way to the Castle. Restaurants are mainly along Barnton Street, Murray Place, and Baker Street. As the castle is uphill, and you'll just be getting your feet wet, you may want to consider taking a taxi to the castle, and walking back down hill.

Safe travels!

Mike (Auchterless)

Mike, Thank you so much. I did not think there was a train from AP to stirling, but I ran it through Romeo2 and it appeared. I second guessed myself. If I look up stasher will they give me the choice of Premier Inn? IYO if we arrive Glasgow 6:50 AM we could get bus by 9-9:30 I am thinking. Would you think a couple hours in Stirling? Would there be anything else in the area to see? On our return we would grab our luggage and head back to station. Would we leave for Edinburgh from the same station? Also would we have to book tickets in advance for the airport to Stirling and then Stirling to Edinburgh. We will get off at the Waverly station and walk to our accomodations. Appreciate all your input.

Hi again, Cheryl,

If you go to the Stasher website, and enter Stirling, Scotland, you'll be given the choice of the Premier Inn. As I said, it's in the opposite direction to the castle, but it saves dragging your luggage uphill. The Premier Inn is a short distance from the train station, over the spiky bridge.

The trains to Stirling run about every 20 minutes from Queen Street Station. There's no need to pre-book. If you arrive at the station after 9:30, the tickets are cheaper. Same thing with Stirling to Edinburgh. Given your arrival time at GLA, and the long walk from the gate to luggage retrieval, it would be close to 9:00 by the time you exit the terminal. If I remember correctly, the bus stance for the 500 Express is to the right as you exit the terminal. Given your early arrival time, I have to assume that you're on a direct flight from JFK. You'll need to clear Immigration before you retrieve your luggage. Immigration does not take too long at GLA.

You will definitely need more than two hours in Stirling if you are visiting the castle. It's a good half hour walk from the station or the Premier Inn to the castle, and of course a half hour back. So that gives you only an hour at the castle, which does not do it justice. You could take a taxi to the castle, which would allow you more time there. By all means, read up on the castle before you arrive, so that you'll have a better idea of what to look for. Check out the view of the Forth Valley and the Wallace Monument from the battlements. That will give you an idea how high up the castle is in respect to the surrounding area.

The trains to Edinburgh leave from the same station. Again, you don't need to purchase your tickets ahead of time. Just purchase them when you arrive at the station. Both train journeys are under an hour, and the trains run very frequently.

Hope that gets you started.

Mike (Auchterless)

p.s.: You don't need to pre-book the Express bus either. In fact, I don't think that you can. Just get on the bus, pay (it's contactless payment - I think that it's about 9 pounds), and find your seats.

Thank you so much. You appear to be very knowledgable and I thank you. I guess when I said a couple hours sounds like 2, my fault. I know we will need more that that. Just thinking if we arrive, possibly take the cab to the castle then spend several hours enjoying it and surroundings. Appreciate all the train info sounds like we can handle ok. Glad to hear customs goes quickly in GLA. you never know. Either way we arrive early and should be able to enjoy a good part of the day before heading to Edinburgh.. Thanks again. (for now, I may have more questions)

If I remember correctly, the bus stance for the 500 Express is to the right as you exit the terminal.

Actually, the bus stance is to the left, Mike. 😊 Cheryl, you walk out of the airport, turn to the left and then keep walking till you walk right into it (it's right past the taxi queue).

Also you can buy your 500 Express ticket ahead of time and store it in the FirstBus app until needed, but it's just as quick and easy to use a credit card with tap and pay when you get on.

And yes, going through immigration at Glasgow was easy-peasy! So quick and so simple!

ETA: Lastly, as Mike said, there are a number of restaurants in Stirling in the town. I actually ate a very nice lunch at Darnley Coffee House, which is at the lower end of Broad Street. This house is where Mary Queen of Scots' second husband, Lord Darnley, is said to have stayed while the Royal entourage resided at the castle. I had a wonderful lunch with a cream tea. While I was there, a large group of locals came in and we got to talking. They raved about it and said they eat there all the time. :) Everything was delicious, and the atmosphere was wonderful (we sat in these large barrel-vaulted rooms that are a unique feature of the house).

Hi once again, Cheryl,

Between Mardee and me, you are going to be overwhelmed with all things Stirling! I thought of a few more places to visit in Stirling, since you're going to be there more than a couple of hours. All are near the castle.

There's the Church of the Holy Rude, parts of which date from the 15th century, and the Old Town Jail. There's also Argyll's Lodging, which is included in your ticket to Stirling Castle. There is a charge for the jail; I'm not sure about the church.

There is a good walk back from the castle along Back Walk, if you're not too tired. There are a couple of spots where you can cut over to St John Street.

If you decide to walk to the castle, there is a short cut which will save you a bit of walking. Go up the hill from the train station area. That's Station Road. Turn right at the top on to Barnton Street. Cross over Barnton Street. Turn right, then turn left at Friars Street (Oxfam shop on the corner). Friars Street is a pedestrian precinct. Go up Friars Street to the end, and turn right on Baker Street. Follow Baker to Broad Street, turn left, and you're just about there. If you take a taxi to the castle, and walk back, you can either reverse this route, or take Back Walk back to town. Balk Walk is a footpath.

Best wishes once again!

Mike (Auchterless)

Between Mardee and me, you are going to be overwhelmed with all things Stirling!

Ha ha ha!!! Well, I can never compete with you, Mike, but thanks for including me!

Wow and thank you Mike & Mandee. Yes I am a bit overwhelmed but I will put it all together! Our next stop after Edinburgh will be Broughty Ferry. Do either of you have any tips or insights for that area...Can't blame a girl for asking!

Hi once again, Cheryl,

I've never stayed in Broughty Ferry, but if you need suggestions for Dundee, Arbroath, and Montrose, I have plenty of those!

Mike (Auchterless)

p.s.: Never believe anything you see on the Rome2Rio website. Their information can be hilariously inaccurate!

Would love to hear them we have 4 full days there. My husband and our friend will be playing St Andrews one day. Other than that we are open to all day trip sights. Like to see a bit of everything, We will have a car at this point we will p/u at the airport on our way out of Endinburgh.

Hi all again. So still on the arrival plan of going to Stirling. After rereading all of the responses the one thing I did not think of would
be to take the train to Edinburgh as soon as we arrive, drop our luggage. Then jump on train and head back to Stirling to spend the day and not have to worry about our luggage. I tried to run a mapquest Edinburgh to Stirling at it tells me 3 hours. Thinking I may be doing it incorrectly. Input please.