cities to visit in the north

In my view you have three options in Scotland. First, Edinburgh. This is the political capital and is wonderful small city to visit. Edinburgh Castle offers not only the history but wonderful views of the city itself. It has the fascination of the Old Town with the Royal Mile and the New Town (1800's) over by Princes Street. The Museum of Scotland is wonderful and there are great restaurants and cultural activities. Second, Inverness. This is a much smaller city and is the unofficial capital of the highlands. From here you can take easy day trips to see the countryside of the highlands. You can visit Loch Ness, Urquhart Castle, the Batllefield of Culloden is near by, you can see stone circle and there is lovely castle, Cawdor Castle. Also, of course, you are not too far from Speyside and distilleries if that is your interest. Third, Glasgow. This is the biggest city in Scotland and has historical sights that range from the medieval cathedral to the Tenement House Museum. There is also a new redone Museum of Transport which industry has played a vital role in Scotland's history. And, there is a strong music scene. Both Edinburgh and Glasgow offer art museums. Pam

If you prefer smaller cities then you should consider Oban. Lots of good food, day trips and one distillary. We were just there for three nights and would have liked to stay longer.

If you haven't been to Scotland before, then Edinburgh is essential. It's full of historic, cultural and arty stuff. Lovely restaurants. There are nice areas outside (sea and hills). The airport's an international hub. On your first journey I'd give the others a miss unless looking for specific things. (I live in Scotland - edinburgh's not my favourite place, but I'm looking at the cities in terms of quality of life compared to visitor experience).
S :0)

Do you really think you can call Oban a city? I thought I was pushing it by including Inverness. I just looked up the populations of the cities mentioned. Oban: 8,100 characterized as a resort town in Wikipedia. Inverness: 56,660 characterized as a city and the capital of the highlands. Edinburgh: 486,120 and is the capital city of Scotland Glasgow: 592,820 the largest city in Scotland and the third largest in the UK. BTW the other Scottish cities by population size are: Aberdeen 217,120, Dundee, 144,290, and Stirling 89,850. Oban is good town to base yourself for day trips, but I have a very hard time calling it even remotely a city. ; ) BTW there are very good reasons why neither Susan nor myself recommend either Dundee or Aberdeen. You can easily do a nice day trip to Stirling from either Glasgow or Edinburgh. Pam

Having just returned from Scotland, I would also recommend Edinburgh. Even with all the festivals going on in the month of August, it was enjoyable. I would also recommend Inverness and Glencoe/Fort William area. Inverness has the Highlands feel and history; you can tour Loch Ness or other nearby Highlands villages. Glencoe/Fort William is beautiful and I wish I could have stayed longer. Hope this proves helpful!
Annaliese

I would pick Edinburgh for Scotland and Dublin for Ireland (although I think Ireland is much better experienced in smaller towns). Both offer the most to see and do. Glasgow wouldn't be at the top of my list. I haven't been to Belfast. I loved Galway but Limmerick was industrial (like Glasgow). Places like Cork and Waterford are nice enough but not something to plan a trip to.

If I had to pick one Scottish location for 3 days, it would be Inverness. Lovely small city. Easy to walk. Lots to see and do. Lots of good day trips through the tourist information office. I also think there is good service between Ireland airports and Inverenss.

Pamela, Bigger isn't always better, just depends on what you like. I prefer smaller cities and being with the local people. Edinburgh was nice, but my favorite memories are from small towns.

She asked about an interesting CITY. I agree and said so that small towns are great places. I have been to Oban and I have spent many days in Strathpeffer and Fortrose as well as spent the night in Ballater, Tobermory, Tarbert, Stromness, Kerrimuir, Dunkeld, Killen, Birnam, Aberfeldy, Melrose, Durness, and more. When someone asks about towns and villages to stay in Scotland I will be happy to talk about them. When they ask about cities, I'm going to refer them to a city. This comes back to the issue of answering the question that was asked. We've debated this on the Helpline in the past. In some ways, I can more easily see an answer that would go something like this, "I've been to the cities in Scotland, but I would recommend that you spend time in a small town or village in Scotland. My favorite is Oban." That tells the poster that you understand the question and want to suggest an alternative. Just saying Oban, seems to imply to me that it is a city. Pam