Day Trip to Hopetoun House from Edinburgh (Is It Worth It?)

Hopetoun House is so much more than an Outlander filming location (as cool as that is).

I wasn’t drawn to Hopetoun House because of its Outlander connection but because of its snowdrops (and, well, it looked like a really pretty house!).

I wandered around Hopetoun House one day from opening until closing time, and after all that — do I think it’s worth one of your precious days away from Edinburgh?

Final verdict: Possibly.

Let me break down all the pros and cons of what it’s really like visiting Hopetoun House to help you decide whether you should spend your precious time and energy here.

Table of Contents Show

Why Visit (or Why You Shouldn’t)

Pros

Let’s start with the positives, what are some reasons to visit Hopetoun House?

Reflective pond. The round pond has a truly beautiful reflection of the west facade of the house, perfect for photography. This side of the house is older, designed in the 17th century. It was noted by several staff members as being the warmer more intimate side of the house, as opposed to the east side that is colder and less inviting (not my words).

Stately home. I find it strange Hopetoun is called a house and not a palace because it’s very grand indeed. I mean, some of the rooms are just jaw-dropping — I spent a good half hour staring at the staircase alone.

Convenient location. Hopetoun House is very close to Edinburgh, only 12 miles from Edinburgh Castle, so getting here won’t take you much out of your way.

Cons

Looks more French than Scottish. If you’re visiting Scotland, you most likely want to feel like you’re in Scotland. You want to see Scottish architecture and Scottish interiors. Despite being in Scotland, Hopetoun House doesn’t feel very Scottish, and actually looks and seems more French.

At the end of the day, it’s just a house… It’s a pretty house, a grand house, but that’s really all it is. If you’re curious to see how the 1% live, this is your chance. However, you’ll most likely leave feeling infinitely poorer.

How Long to Spend There

Hopetoun House is a very big house, so it can take awhile to properly see everything. For example, I arrived around 10:30 a.m., then I toured the house and gardens until closing time at 4 p.m.

I did not expect to spend so long at Hopetoun but the time really flew by!

Here’s an approximate amount of time to spend at Hopetoun House:

Tour the house: 2 hours
Lunch at the Stables Kitchen: up to an hour
Wander the grounds: 1-2 hours
Take pictures by the round pond: 20 minutes

A large, historic stone mansion with many windows and multiple chimneys sits on a wide, neatly manicured green lawn under a cloudy sky. — Hopetoun House (West Side)

What to Do

Explore the Ground Floor (West Side)

As a reminder, the west side of the house is the oldest. These are the rooms the staff called warmer and homier. The ones the family has actually lived in.

Here, you’ll tour the library, study, and garden room.

The library contains 3,200 books, including a first edition of A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.

There’s a billiards table there, as well, and a staff member pointed out the dents in the piano caused by stray billiards balls.

A woman with long brown hair stands facing tall wooden bookshelves filled with old books in a cozy library. A decorative armchair and a patterned rug are also visible in the room. — Library, Hopetoun House

A richly decorated library with tall bookshelves filled with books, ornate armchairs, a patterned rug, and a marble fireplace topped with lamps and a large classical painting above it. Warm light fills the room. — Library, Hopetoun House

A dark, elegant room with large windows and a glass door showing a view of a green lawn outside; two lit wall sconces cast a warm glow on either side of the doorway. — Garden room, Hopetoun House

A cozy library corner with a tall bookshelf filled with books, a wooden chair with a cushioned seat, red velvet curtains, and a large window letting in natural light onto red carpeted floor. — Study, Hopetoun House

A wooden-paneled library with shelves filled with old books, a fireplace, ornate gold-framed paintings, and a decorative embroidered firescreen featuring colorful floral patterns. — Study, Hopetoun House

Admire the Staircase

The artwork and wood carvings in the staircase are stunning. Expect to spend a lot of time admiring it! I sure did.

The panel artwork was painted in the 1960s by Scottish artist William McLaren.

The artwork in the Cupola dome was painted separately when the house was first built but was covered up sometime in the 19th century.

It wasn’t rediscovered and restored until the 1980s, and surprisingly, it matched the style and color palette of the panels.

A woman in a long dark dress leans over a wooden banister in an ornately decorated hall with carved wood paneling and large classical-style murals, beneath a hanging lantern. — Staircase, Hopetoun House

A person with long hair ascends a wooden staircase bordered by ornate carvings and large painted murals, with natural light coming from a window above. — Staircase, Hopetoun House

Explore the Upper Floor Bedrooms (Filming Locations)

Outlander fans will surely recognize these bedrooms, but so will fans of Belgravia.

Has anyone else out there seen Belgravia?

I might be the only one who has seen Belgravia more than a hundred times (it’s a comfort show). So it was pretty cool for me to see the rooms the Trenchards lived in during their time in Brussels.

Even if you haven’t seen either show, there is a lot to admire in the bedrooms, including the tapestries on the wall and the canopy beds.

A person with long hair takes a photo of themselves in a mirror inside an ornate, vintage bedroom with a canopy bed, tapestry on the wall, and antique furniture. — West Wainscot Bedchamber

A luxurious historic bedroom with a canopy bed covered in green bedding, ornate woodwork, and richly decorated tapestries depicting a scenic landscape on the wall behind the bed. Antique wooden furniture and rugs complete the decor. — White Satin Bedchamber

Explore the State Rooms (North Side)

The north side of the house is the newest part, added in the 18th century, just for show. The family never intended to use the rooms, aside for entertaining, and indeed they still don’t.

The Red Drawing Room is famously also the Duke of Sandringham’s house in Outlander.

Both the yellow and red rooms seem very French with ornate ceilings and gilded frames.

It’s impressive, but I can see why the staff called this part of the house cold — it feels more like a museum than a home.

A woman in a long dark dress stands in an opulent room with ornate gold-trimmed ceilings, red brocade walls, historic portraits in gilded frames, and antique red-upholstered furniture. — Red Drawing Room

Ornate dining room with a round wooden table, red-upholstered chairs, candelabras, chandelier, and gold-framed portraits on gold walls. Decorative ceiling and mantelpiece add to the lavish historic decor. — State Dining Room

See the View from the Roof

Don’t miss the roof!

It’s about 90 steps to the viewing platform, where you can look out at the incredible views.

What can you see from the roof?

You can see the Firth of Forth, the famous Forth Bridge, and the estate at large (including the round pond).

A person with long brown hair, wearing a black outfit, stands on a fenced platform overlooking a body of water and distant hills under a cloudy sky. Four chimneys and an ornate stone pillar are visible nearby. — Roof viewing platform, Hopetoun House

A person with long brown hair stands on a balcony overlooking a grand historic building with columns and a clock tower, surrounded by trees and rolling hills under a cloudy sky. — Roof viewing platform, Hopetoun House

See the Servants Room

On your way up the staircase to the roof, you’ll pass by a servants room.

It’s decorated very simply — especially in comparison to the elaborate Red Room you just left.

The wallpaper is peeling, the paint is drab. However, this was said to be a comfortable room, by servants standards of the day.

In 1767, the archives counted 47 employed servants at Hopetoun House.

Be sure to have a peek inside, it’s an interesting look at a time long past.

A cozy vintage bedroom with a metal-frame bed, a fireplace with green tiles, an armchair with a pillow, a floral carpet, a small ottoman, and a window letting in daylight. — Servants Room

Explore the Gardens and Grounds

Last but not least, head outside to explore the grounds!

I’m sure the gardens are much more lively in spring and summer, but I visited in February, during their snowdrop weekend, one of the rare times the house is open in winter.

The snowdrops were popping up all over the estate, and we were given a handy map to more easily find them.

Aside from snowdrops, you may also spot red deer (like we did) and enjoy walking down the tree-lined paths.

A woman with long brown hair walks along a muddy path beside a slope covered with blooming white snowdrops under leafless trees on a cloudy day. — Snowdrops, Hopetoun House

A woman in a dark dress stands under a leafless tree, surrounded by a field of blooming white flowers, with dense green foliage and more trees in the background. — Snowdrops, Hopetoun House

A deer with large antlers stands alert in a grassy, leaf-strewn clearing, with bare trees and a green field in the background. — Red deer, Hopetoun House

Is It Worth Visiting on a Day Trip?

I’d say so, but only if you like touring historic grand houses.

Otherwise, you may not find it very enjoyable.

Overall, I’m glad I visited Hopetoun but I didn’t connect with it enough to want to visit again (like I did with other grand estates, like Chatsworth House).

But, to each their own!

A grand historic mansion with symmetrical architecture is reflected in a large, still pond on a green lawn under a cloudy sky. — Round pond, Hopetoun House

How to Get There via Public Transport

Step 1: Train to Dalmeny: From Edinburgh, you can take a train from Waverley Station to Dalmeny Station (book tickets easily on the Trainline app). The ride is less than 20 minutes and costs less than £4 round trip!

Step 2: Taxi to Hopetoun House: From Dalmeny Station, it’s about a 3-mile drive to the house. Unfortunately, there are no bus routes directly to the house, so you’ll have to take a taxi or Uber. It cost me about £10 each way.

How hard is it to get a taxi? I had no trouble booking an Uber from the station to the house. The return trip, however, was another story. After failing to get an Uber for almost half an hour, one of the staff members at Hopetoun gave us the number for a local taxi service.

Keep Dalmeny Cars‘ number in your phone, just in case. They were a lifesaver!

How to Visit with a Group Tour

I found two group tours that stop at Hopetoun House, one is a day tour and one is a 4-day tour. Both visit several other locations and are Outlander themed.

Highland Experience Tours’ 1-Day Outlander Experience with Attractions — Culross, Doune Castle, Linlithgow, Midhope Castle, Hopetoun House

Rabbie’s 4-Day Outlander Trail From Edinburgh — Midhope Castle, Doune Castle, Blackness Castle, Falkland, Culross, Clava Cairns, Culloden Battlefield, Highland Folk Museum, Hopetoun House, Linlithgow (plus other non-Outlander sites such as Urquhart Castle, Loch Ness, Fort William, Glenfinnan Viaduct, Glen Affric, Rogie Falls, and Perth)

When to Visit

Spring to September: The house is open from Easter to September, which is generally considered the best time to visit anyway (for weather and nature).

February? Additionally, Hopetoun is occasionally open for special events during their off-season. I went during their snowdrop weekend in February and got to see the estate covered in those white dainty flowers.

Keep an eye on their website for special events.

Cluster of white snowdrop flowers growing on green grass, with more snowdrops in the background and a large, leafless tree surrounded by dark green foliage. The scene appears to be in a wooded area. — Snowdrops, Hopetoun House

A small bunch of white snowdrop flowers is placed in front of old, leather-bound books on a wooden bookshelf, next to a patterned cushion with red and brown tones. — Hopetoun House

Where to Stay While Visiting

I’d recommend staying in Edinburgh and doing a day trip to South Queensferry. It’s the most convenient option if you’re already planning to be in Edinburgh.

For a full, detailed breakdown of the best areas to stay in Edinburgh, see my post, “Where to Stay in Edinburgh the First Time: 5 Best Places + 5 to Avoid.”

Recommended hotels in Edinburgh near Waverley Train Station:

But if you’d like to make it an overnight trip, consider staying in charming South Queensferry.

Recommended hotels in South Queensferry:

the scenic houses in South Queensferry — South Queensferry

What to Pack to Visit Scotland

Warm, waterproof wear

If you’re visiting Scotland during its cold and rainy season (almost every month of the year besides a few weeks in summer), you should definitely bring a warm waterproof jacket and waterproof walking boots.

This waterproof jacket and these waterproof boots I took with me to Scotland helped us explore no matter the weather. We walked around Edinburgh in the rain and snow, during foggy mornings and chilly evenings, and enjoyed it all. Be prepared for rainy weather, and dress for it, so you don’t miss out.
Also consider bringing fleece-lined leggings — I loved this pair I packed!

Favorite travel essentials

I really recommend these compression packing cubes. They’re very thick and durable and allow you to pack more than you expect.
I also love this travel backpack that opens like a suitcase, fits almost as much as a carry-on, and has tons of pockets as well as a strap to attach to your luggage handle. It makes traveling so much easier and more organized. It also fits nicely under the airplane seats.
I bring this AirFly receiver for AirPods with me on long-haul flights, so I can connect to the plane’s video screen with my own AirPods.
I no longer hop on a flight without wearing my Sockwell compression socks because they really do help relieve/prevent leg cramps from sitting so long in one place. I have the lotus pattern, but there are other patterns to choose from. See all sock patterns in the Sockwell storefront.