Best Outlander Tour in Scotland: Which Sites Are Worth Seeing?

For Outlander fans, your trip to Scotland won’t be complete without visiting a couple iconic Outlander filming locations.

Outlander was filmed all over Scotland — from Edinburgh’s Royal Mile to standing stones in the Highlands.

So which sites are worth your time?

I’ve been lucky enough to visit many Outlander locations in Scotland, and I’ve since learned the real-life Scotland is a magical, beautiful place, just as it appears in the show.

You may have a limited time in Scotland, so I’ve rated the most popular filming locations to help you decide which ones you must visit on your trip.

Table of Contents Show

About Outlander in Scotland

What’s Been the Outlander Effect on Tourism in Scotland?

The Outlander effect is real. Over the last few years, certain filming locations in Scotland have seen a surge in tourism.

For example:

Craigmillar Castle has seen a 42% increase in visitors.
Blackness Castle has seen a 360%+ increase in visitors.
Midhope Castle has seen a 550%+ increase in visitors.

Is an Outlander Tour Worth It?

Taking an Outlander tour is a must while in Scotland, particularly for Outlander fans.

But most of these locations are real places with real history that are just as fascinating — if not more so — than the role they played in a fictional series.

So while a fictional series may have brought you to Scotland, the real-life beauty of this country will make it all the more worth it.

That being said, Outlander ran for eight seasons, and there are so many filming locations … where to start?

A small blue ticket booth labeled Tickets Here stands near a barrier and sign for Midhope Castle. People walk along a gravel path lined with trees in the background. Various photos and signs decorate the booth. — Midhope Castle

Map of Outlander Filming Locations

Rating the Outlander Locations: Which Are Worth Visiting?

I went on an Outlander Day Tour, visiting five of the following locations, and I’ve also been able to visit a few more Outlander filming locations on my own via day trips.

Here’s a breakdown of what each Outlander location is like.

Midhope Castle

Cost: £9.50 per adult (online or walk up)
Time spent here: About 30 minutes
Was it enough time? No, it felt a bit rushed and we could have used another 15 minutes.
Worth seeing even without the Outlander connection? Not really
Skip it or not? Don’t skip it (if you’re an Outlander fan).

What was filmed here? Midhope Castle became Lallybroch, Jamie Fraser’s home in Outlander. It is probably the most famous and most visited Outlander location in Scotland.

Unfortunately, visitors are not allowed to go inside Midhope Castle and can only see it from outside.

To see it, you have to pay for an entry ticket, which is a bit expensive considering you are only there for a few minutes to look at it.

Someone’s husband on our tour group complained about this and wouldn’t pay for the ticket at all, leaving his wife to venture in the gates alone.

What to do at Midhope Castle:

Queue to take photos at the main photo spots (there’s usually a lot of people).
Scan the QR codes to learn more about the Outlander filming here.
See where they filmed Jamie entering the cave (it’s not actually a cave, though).

Without the Outlander connection, there really isn’t much to see at Midhope Castle — it’s somewhere only Outlander fans would visit!

A woman stands in front of a large stone archway entrance to Midhope Castle with weathered stone walls and steep, peaked roofs under a partly cloudy sky. — Midhope Castle

A black-framed sign with a QR code and text stands amid tall green grass and wildflowers, with a partially ruined, overgrown stone building visible in the background under a cloudy sky. — Midhope Castle

A group of people walk along a dirt path toward Midhope Castle, surrounded by green grass and trees under a partly cloudy sky. — Midhope Castle

A person stands outside Midhope Castle, a large, historic stone building with tall windows, turrets, and a sloped roof—one of the sites seen on an Outlander tour in Scotland. The area features a stone wall, bushes, and scattered rocks in the foreground. — Midhope Castle

A woman with a brown bag sits on stone steps in front of a Midhope Castle, an old stone castle, on an Outlander tour Scotland, with a wooden door, two rectangular windows, and surrounded by grass and cobblestones. — Midhope Castle

Blackness Castle

Cost: £7.50 per adult (online); £8.50 per adult (walk up)
Time spent here: About 45 minutes
Was it enough time? Not really, could have used another half hour
Worth seeing even without the Outlander connection? Yes, definitely!
Skip it or not? Don’t skip it.

What was filmed here? Blackness Castle stood in for Fort William and Black Jack Randall’s headquarters in Outlander.

You can go inside and explore Blackness Castle, so I found this castle much more interesting than Midhope Castle.

This castle is shaped like a ship (called the “ship that never sailed”). It has an incredible great hall and views of the Firth of Forth.

It’s well worth a visit! I really enjoyed learning about the history and walking around the different rooms and towers in the castle.

A woman with long brown hair and glasses stands smiling on a wooden boardwalk by a stone castle, with the sea, rocky shore, and historic buildings in the background under a partly cloudy sky. — Blackness Castle

A historic stone castle stands on a grassy field near water, with an informational sign in the foreground titled “The Ship That Never Sailed” featuring illustrations and text about the site’s history. — Blackness Castle

A tall, rectangular stone castle tower stands surrounded by high stone walls, with a few people walking along a pathway. Green fields and a river or estuary are visible in the background under a cloudy sky. — Blackness Castle

A stone building with stepped gables sits by a rocky, muddy shoreline at low tide, one of the sites visited on an Outlander tour. Grassy fields, trees, and scattered boats rest under a cloudy sky in the background. — Blackness Castle

View of a stone castle and rocky shoreline, seen through a window with a black crisscross grid pattern, on an overcast day—fields and water visible in the distance, one site on an Outlander tour in Scotland. — Blackness Castle

A narrow stone walkway with a metal railing runs along the top of an old castle wall, leading towards a small stone tower under a cloudy sky. — Blackness Castle

A person with long hair stands alone, leaning on the stone railing of a historic fortress, looking out over the edge. The weathered stone walls surround them under a partly cloudy sky. — Blackness Castle

Linlithgow Palace

Cost: £10 per adult (online); £11 per adult (walk up)
Time spent here: 1 hour and 25 minutes
Was it enough time? No, not nearly enough for lunch and visiting the palace
Worth seeing even without the Outlander connection? Yes, definitely!
Skip it or not? Don’t skip it.

What was filmed here? Linlithgow Palace served as Wentworth Prison in season 1 of Outlander.

Linlithgow Palace is a fascinating and huge ruin, and, most famously, it’s the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots.

Nearby, you’ll find Linlithgow Loch, which has a beautiful 2.5-mile pathway encircling it as well as the gorgeous, gothic St Michael’s Parish Church.

I went on Rabbie’s Outlander Adventure Day Tour, and Linlithgow was our lunch stop. I didn’t have enough time to eat lunch and explore the palace, which was a bummer.

However, Linlithgow is easily accessible from Edinburgh by train, so I was able to return another day on my own, where I spent 4.5 hours exploring the palace, loch, and town. About 1 hour and 15 minutes of that time was spent just in the palace.

A person with long hair stands near a wooden bench on a path in front of a large, old stone castle with arched entryways and multiple windows on a sunny day. — Linlithgow Palace

A woman with long brown hair stands smiling on a grassy slope overlooking a calm lake surrounded by trees and countryside under a partly cloudy sky. — Linlithgow Palace

A large, partially-ruined stone castle stands on a gentle hill beside a calm lake, with brown reeds in the foreground and trees in the background under a clear blue sky. — Linlithgow Palace

Doune Castle

Cost: £10 per adult (online); £11 per adult (walk up)
Time spent here: 1 hour
Was it enough time? Yes
Worth seeing even without the Outlander connection? Possibly.
Skip it or not? Could possibly skip.

What was filmed here? Doune Castle represented Castle Leoch, the home of Clan Mackenzie in Outlander. The surrounding area was also used to depict the castle grounds and Highland scenery in the series.

Your entry ticket to the castle includes an audio guide. So, while you explore the castle, you can listen to the guide and learn more about the history of the castle.

Numbers 17-19 on the audio guide are specifically about Outlander filming.

Doune Castle was also used to film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which excited some of the husbands on my group tour.

It is a more crowded attraction and it isn’t the prettiest looking castle. I didn’t mind visiting, but it wasn’t my favorite stop. Let’s just say that if it was left off the itinerary, I wouldn’t be too sad about it.

A person with a backpack stands on a grassy hill in front of a large, old stone castle with tall towers and arched windows under a sunny sky. — Doune Castle

A person stands on a stone staircase attached to an old, weathered stone building with arched doorways and small windows. The scene suggests a historical or medieval structure. — Doune Castle

A young woman stands smiling on a grassy area in front of an old stone castle with arched doorways and windows. Several people are near the entrance, and scaffolding is visible on one side of the building. — Doune Castle

Two audio guide signs, one labeled Outlander The Series 17 and the other with headphones and the number 3, are placed on stones in front of a large metal grate at a historic site with stone walls. — Doune Castle

Culross and Culross Palace

Cost: £13.50 per adult (online or walk up)
Time spent here: 1 hour
Was it enough time? Not enough to see the town and the palace
Worth seeing even without the Outlander connection? Yes, definitely!
Skip it or not? Don’t skip it.

What was filmed here? Culross was used as the fictional village of Cranesmuir in Outlander, so there are quite a few filming locations here.

On my Rabbie’s Outlander Adventure Day Tour, our driver walked us through town and pointed out Outlander filming locations, such as the mercat cross and the herb garden. We were then able to roam freely around Culross.

This town is very picturesque and charming, and while it’s small, you could spend quite a bit of time here just walking around.

Several yellow historic buildings with red-tiled roofs stand behind a stone wall. A gate and a brown banner reading Open Today are visible in front, with trees and houses in the background under a clear sky. — Culross Palace

A cluster of historic yellow houses with red tile roofs stands behind a lush green hedge, with more buildings, a grassy area, and a body of water visible in the background under sunlight. — Culross Palace

A narrow, cobblestone street lined with colorful houses, including orange and white buildings with flower pots and window boxes, curves uphill under a clear blue sky. — Culross

Hopetoun House

Cost: £15 per adult (online or walk up)
Time spent here: Over 5 hours
Was it enough time? Yes
Worth seeing even without the Outlander connection? Yes, definitely!
Skip it or not? Don’t skip it.

What was filmed here? So much! Hopetoun House was used as a filming location for the Duke of Sandringham’s residence, some of the Parisian scenes and several scenes from the Helwater and Elsmere estates. See Hopetoun House’s official Outlander location map to spot them all.

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

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

Learn more about Hopetoun House and how to get here with my post, “Day Trip to Hopetoun House from Edinburgh (Is It Worth It?)“

A person with long hair stands by a pond, gazing at a grand historic mansion with symmetrical architecture, reflected in the water. The large lawn and cloudy sky create a serene atmosphere. — 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. — Hopetoun House

Drummond Castle Gardens

Cost: £12.50 per adult (online or walk up)
Time spent here: About 3 hours
Was it enough time? Almost. Could have used another hour.
Worth seeing even without the Outlander connection? Yes, definitely!
Skip it or not? Don’t skip it.

What was filmed here? Drummond Castle Gardens was used to represent the elaborate gardens of Versailles in France in season 2 of the Outlander series.

Like the gardens of Versailles, Drummond Castle Gardens has a symmetrical design, manicured hedges, patterned garden beds, and hidden sculptures and fountains.

I’m sure it was much more cost-effective and convenient to shoot those garden scenes at Drummond than overseas in France.

And now visitors to Drummond can get the same experience — feeling like you’re in Versailles (or in Outlander) when you’re really in the Scottish countryside.

Whether you are an Outlander fan or just a fan of elaborate gardens, you need to add Drummond Castle Gardens to your Scotland itinerary.

This garden is absolutely gorgeous, and it’s so easy to reach Drummond Castle Gardens on a day trip from Edinburgh (I did it successfully).

Learn more about Drummond Castle Gardens and how to get here with my post, “Day Trip to Drummond Castle Gardens in Scotland.”

A person with long hair leans on a stone railing, overlooking a formal garden with manicured shrubs, pathways, and statues surrounded by colorful autumn trees. — Drummond Castle Gardens

a girl standing in the middle of a pathway looking up at Drummond Castle — Drummond Castle Gardens

a girl climbing the steps with a view of Drummond Castle Gardens in the background — Drummond Castle Gardens

Craigmillar Castle in Edinburgh

Cost: £7.50 per adult (online); £8.50 per adult (walk up)
Time spent here: About 2 hours
Was it enough time? Yes
Worth seeing even without the Outlander connection? Yes, definitely!
Skip it or not? Don’t skip it.

What was filmed here? In Outlander season 3, Craigmillar Castle became Ardsmuir Prison, where Jamie was imprisoned after the Battle of Culloden, alongside other Jacobites. The courtyard of Craigmillar Castle, with its yew trees, was the prisoners’ exercise yard.

Craigmillar Castle is about three miles away from Edinburgh Castle. Is it worth venturing to the outskirts of Edinburgh to visit Craigmillar Castle? Absolutely!

While a ruin, Craigmillar Castle reaches four stories in some sections and has a lot of rooms to explore. From the underground prison to the stunning great hall, you could easily spend a few hours getting lost in this castle.

I visited on my own and spent exactly two hours here, stumbling upon new rooms and nooks and crannies.

Learn more about Craigmillar Castle and how to get here with my post, “Day Trip to Craigmillar Castle in Edinburgh Scotland.”

A woman walks on green grass beside the ruins of an old stone castle with a round tower, under a partly cloudy sky. — Craigmillar Castle

girl looking out from an alcove at the top of Craigmillar Castle — Craigmillar Castle

Clava Cairns in Inverness

Cost: Free
Time spent here: About 20 minutes
Was it enough time? Yes
Worth seeing even without the Outlander connection? Yes
Skip it or not? Don’t skip it.

What was filmed here? Nothing. The filming location for the standing stones in Outlander — which were actually styrofoam — is a field in private property and out of the way. A real alternative? Clava Cairns in Inverness.

Clava Cairns is the inspiration for the filming site of the stone circle that takes Claire from Outlander back in time.

Aside from its fictional draws, Clava Cairns is also a fascinating historical site, or should I say Neolithic, dating back thousands of years ago.

It was special getting to visit Clava Cairns, almost magical. Just thinking that humans have been at this very spot for thousands of years? and that they felt it was special enough to build these stone monuments here? Incredible.

Author touching a stone in a stone circle at Clava Cairns near Inverness, Scotland — Clava Cairns in Inverness

Author touching a stone at Clava Cairns near Inverness, Scotland — Clava Cairns in Inverness

Culloden Battlefield in Inverness

Cost: £12.50 per adult (online or walk up)
Time spent here: About 1 hour
Was it enough time? Just about enough
Worth seeing even without the Outlander connection? Yes
Skip it or not? Don’t skip it.

What was filmed here? Nothing, technically. The Battle of Culloden was pivotal to the plot of Outlander season 3. The real, historic battle occurred here, but the battle scenes in Outlander were filmed elsewhere.

However, I still highly recommend visiting the Culloden Visitor Centre to learn about the very important historical event that changed Scotland and life in the Highlands forever.

One of our Inverness day tours with Rabbie’s stopped at the Culloden Visitor Centre, where we were able to walk around the battlefield and learn more about it in their newly built, million-pound museum.

At the museum, don’t miss:

360-degree video room: There’s a room with screens on every wall, giving you a 360-degree video of the battle, making you feel in the middle of it all.
Rooftop talk: There is also a brief talk on the rooftop, where a museum employee will point out how the battle unfolded.

All in all, the museum made history come alive, and I came away touched by the experience.

A stone memorial cairn stands in the background of a grassy, open field with patches of yellow gorse bushes in the foreground and trees in the distance under a cloudy sky. — Culloden Battlefield

Recommended 1 Day Outlander Tours in Scotland

All of the one-day Outlander tours from Edinburgh or Glasgow visit five filming sites. It’s a jam-packed day, but you’ll get to see some incredible parts of the Scottish countryside.

What tour did I do? I went on Rabbie’s Outlander Adventure Day Tour and loved my experience, but there are several other Outlander tours to choose from.

In most Outlander day tours, you’ll be visiting five of these sites:

Midhope Castle
Doune Castle
Culross
Blackness Castle
Linlithgow
Falkland

1-Day Tours From Edinburgh

Highland Explorer Tours’ Outlander Tour — Midhope Castle, Doune Castle, Culross, Blackness Castle, Falkland
Rabbie’s Outlander Adventure Day Tour — Midhope Castle, Doune Castle, Culross, Blackness Castle, Linlithgow
Gray Line Scotland’s Outlander Day Trip — Midhope Castle, Doune Castle, Culross, Falkland, Linlithgow
Haggis Adventures’ Outlander Day Tour — Midhope Castle, Doune Castle, Culross, Blackness Castle, Falkland

1-Day Tours From Glasgow

Rabbie’s Outlander Adventure Day Tour — Midhope Castle, Doune Castle, Culross, Blackness Castle, Falkland
Haggis Adventures’ Outlander Day Tour — Midhope Castle, Doune Castle, Culross, Blackness Castle, Falkland
Highland Explorer Tours’ Outlander Tour — Midhope Castle, Doune Castle, Culross, Blackness Castle, Falkland

A white tour van labeled Rabbies is parked in front of an old stone building with arched windows and weathered walls under a blue sky. — Rabbie’s tour van

Recommended Multi-Day Outlander Tours in Scotland

One day and only five sites may not be enough for you.

To see even more Outlander locations, consider going on a multi-day Outlander tour.

Multi-Day Tours From Edinburgh

2 Days: Highland Experience Tours’ Outlander Experience — Midhope Castle, Doune Castle, Blackness Castle, Falkland, Culross, Clava Cairns, Culloden Battlefield, Highland Folk Museum

4 Days: Rabbie’s Outlander Trail — 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)

What to Expect on a Group Tour

Smaller groups. The Outlander tours are not as popular as the day tours to Loch Ness or the Highlands. I went on Rabbie’s Outlander Adventure Day Tour, and there were 10 of us in a 16-passenger bus, which was a good amount of people (not too crowded). However, always double check the van size with the tour group you book to be sure.

Mix of real history with Outlander facts. On an Outlander tour, you can expect a mix of real history with Outlander filming facts. Our tour guide played the Outlander theme song as we drove through the Scottish countryside and told us the history behind the places we visited as well as the Outlander trivia.

A busy day. The Outlander day trips cover a lot of ground, visiting at least five sites and passing by a few others. By the third or fourth stop, most of the people in my tour group were wiped out. Bring water and snacks!

Tip: Save Money (Possibly) with a Historic Scotland Explorer Pass

One person in my Outlander tour group had a Historic Scotland Explorer Pass and was able to get into three of the castles we visited on the tour free.

What is the Historic Scotland Explorer Pass?

It costs £42 per adult and is valid for 14 days. In that time you’ll have free entry into a number of historic places and castles, including these Outlander sites:

Aberdour Castle and Gardens
Blackness Castle
Craigmillar Castle
Doune Castle
Linlithgow Palace

A grassy field with tall, weathered standing stones scattered among yellow-brown grass, with trees and shrubs in the background under a clear sky. — Standing stones near Culross

How to Go on Your Own Outlander Tour

Drive yourself. If you’re able to rent a car, the easiest thing would be to drive yourself around to your favorite Outlander locations.

Take public transportation. There are some Outlander filming locations easily accessible via train or bus. Not all. But a few. Doing it this way, you’ll only really have time to do one location per day. But adding a unique day trip to your itinerary may be a fun option.

A large blue outdoor bulletin board displays numerous photos and information about Midhope Castle, surrounded by greenery and a gravel path in front. An audio guide sign is visible on the right side of the board. — Midhope Castle

Which Sites to See on Your Own vs. on a Group Tour

Sites Easiest to See via Public Transport:

These are the Outlander filming locations that are easily accessible via train or bus.

For more information on these places and how to reach them, see my posts (linked below).

Sites That Group Tours Don’t Visit:

These are the Outlander filming locations that most group tours don’t ever visit. So if you want to see them, best to go on your own. Good news is: They’re easy to get to via public transportation!

For more information on these places and how to reach them, see my posts (linked below).

A large, historic castle with scaffolding on part of its walls stands on a grassy hill beside a calm lake, with clear blue sky and tree branches framing the scene. — Linlithgow Palace

Where to Stay While Touring Outlander Sites

Most Outlander tours depart from Edinburgh, so it makes sense to stay in Edinburgh while visiting the Outlander sites.

To make things even more convenient, check where exactly in Edinburgh your Outlander tour departs from (such as the bus station like mine did), so you can get a hotel nearby.

You could also consider staying near the Waverley Train Station or at a hotel with views of Edinburgh Castle.

Recommended hotels in Edinburgh near Waverley Train Station:

Recommended hotels in New Town with castle views:

The Balmoral Hotel (luxury)
The Old Waverly Hotel

Recommended hotels in Old Town with castle views:

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.