Discover the Best Tours in Scotland

Drumlanrig Castle is not a castle at all, but the grandiose stately home of the Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry. Approached by an impressive driveway that sweeps along an avenue of lime trees, the seventeenth-century sandstone “Pink Palace” bristles with cupolas, turrets and towers. The highlights of the richly furnished interior are the paintings by the great masters, most notably Rembrandt, van Dyck, Holbein and Gainsborough. You can take a guided tour of this magnificent house.

Rescued from exponential dilapidation by a consortium led by Prince Charles, the handsome Palladian villa of Dumfries House is an essential stop for anyone with an interest in domestic architecture. Lively tours illuminate the beauty of the furnishings: the house was built and decked out swiftly - between 1756 and 1760 - meaning its Rococo decorative scheme is in perfect harmony with the graceful sandstone exterior. You need to book a pre-guided tour to enjoy the building in all its glory

The Scottish Maritime Museum is spread across several locations down at Irvine’s carefully restored harbour. Free guided tours set off regularly for the nearby Shipyard Workers Tenement Flat. It was restored to its appearance in 1910, when a family of six to eight plus a lodger would have occupied its two rooms and scullery. Moored at the pontoons on Harbour Street is an assortment of craft that you can board, including the oldest seagoing steam yacht in the country.

Dominating the West End skyline, the turreted tower of Glasgow University, designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott in the mid-nineteenth century, overlooks the glades edging the River Kelvin. Student-led guided tours of the campus begin at the University Visitor Centre & Shop, in the dark neo-Gothic pile under the tower. No buildings are entered, but the tour focuses on the university’s history, taking in the grounds and the like.