Hi! We are thinking of ending our 3 month Europe trip in Scotland. Thought we might fly into Edinburgh and fly out of Glasgow. My husband loves Whiskey so that's a major interest to him. I want to see some castles and history. We'd be flying in on 01 Jan and out on 09 Jan. We don't want to rent a car so would be buses and trains. Any itinerary suggestions are appreciated.
Thank you!
- Ronda
Cant really help, since there are both distilleries and castles all over Scotland. However in both cases, availability may be reduced in both days and hours that are open. And advance booking may be required, since you are visiting in low season. Note that Scotch is whisky, not whiskey. And which distilleries to visit may depend on the type of whisky you prefer to drink, since the taste profiles vary greatly depending on the region. I'll leave it to our Scottish members to suggest a reasonable itinerary, given the time of year.
For castles, right in Edinburgh is of course a castle, well worth the tour, see the Scottish crown regalia and the Stone of Scone. Another worthwhile trip, accessible by train, would be Sterling Castle, another historically important sight.
For Whisky/Whiskey (The difference is purely spelling, like Color/Colour, Center/Centre, Defense/Defence), unfortunately most distilleries require a car and are located away from Edinburgh and Glasgow, up into the highlands or the islands. But do some searches for both cities. There are certainly lots of shops offering tastings and education. Edinburgh also has places like "The Scotch Whisky Experience", "The Edinburgh Whisky Trail", and the "Johnnie Walker Experience", bigger flashier, maybe interesting, maybe a bit too touristy, but maybe worth it.
