Scotland's UNESCO Trail
Looking up at Edinburgh Castle, the tops of some blossom trees below

Experience the Complete UNESCO Trail from Edinburgh

This version of the full UNESCO Trail begins in the capital city of Edinburgh, covering the four designations in the east of Scotland. You'll then head west to the three designations surrounding Glasgow, before travelling south to the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere.

Next it's off to the islands of the Outer Hebrides to learn about St Kilda, before heading back to the mainland and the two designations of north Scotland. Lastly, you'll travel over the sea again to the islands of Orkney and Shetland.

Jump to

Map of Full Trail map - Edinburgh

Getting to Edinburgh

Getting to the east of Scotland is easy by train. You can travel from various stations across the UK straight into Edinburgh Waverley Train Station, in the city centre. Or why not book the Caledonian Sleeper from London and journey overnight in your own cabin, complete with your own bed?

You can also travel by road with coaches running directly into Edinburgh Bus Station, located in the city centre.

If you’re travelling by road, hire an electric car and drive up either the A1 through the east or the M74 in the west. Why not take the Borders Historic Route, a 90-mile driving route which begins just north east of Carlisle and takes you through the beautiful Scottish Borders, heading north to Edinburgh?

Fly to Edinburgh Airport from a number of destinations across the UK and Europe, including Gatwick, Heathrow, Manchester, Birmingham, Belfast, Dublin and Amsterdam.

Find detailed information on trains, flights, road routes, car hire and more for getting to Edinburgh.

Looking out across Princes Street, the Balmoral Hotel, Edinburgh Castle and the buildings inbetween at sunset

Journey one - Central east Scotland

Spend the first few days of your trip exploring the capital city of Edinburgh, home to two UNESCO sites – a Creative City and a World Heritage Site.

Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature

  • The world’s first City of Literature
  • Home to the world’s largest literary festival
  • Only city in the world with a 60 metre-high monument to a great writer

Read more on Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature.

Old and New Towns of Edinburgh UNESCO World Heritage Site

  • This UNESCO site is home to 4,500 buildings
  • The Old Town was considered unfit for purpose in the 18th century
  • The spacious Georgian New Town created a new standard of living

Read more on the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Looking across Holyrood Park to the Palace of Holyroodhouse with Calton Hill behind
Looking down on the Water of Leith and buildings of the Dean Village
Two women entering the Golden Hare Books bookshop, walking up the steps
Two women with a tour guide in an Edinburgh graveyard
A group of people are served drinks in the rooftop garden of the Johnnie Walker Experience
A red City Sightseeing bus on the Royal Mile

Travelling to the Forth Bridge

Time – 30 minutes

Train

You can travel out to Queensferry to see the Forth Bridge by train from Edinburgh to either North Queensferry or Dalmeny, and then walk down to the Forth Bridge and view it from the waterfront.

Bus

There are regular bus services from Edinburgh to both North Queensferry and Queensferry, plus a stop at the south end of the Forth Road Bridge, and the Ferrytoll Park and Ride.

Check out how to get to the Forth Bridges for more detail.

The Forth Bridge UNESCO World Heritage Site

  • 130 years old, it stands beside the Forth Road Bridge and Queensferry Crossing
  • A true feat of engineering, renowned throughout the world for its technical ingenuity
  • Made from over 50,000 tonnes of mild steel, with over 6 million rivets

Read more on the Forth Bridge UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The stone walls, road and shoreline leading up to Blackness Castle beside the Firth of Forth
A close up of the Flying Scotsman coming off the Forth Bridge and into the station
The houses of North Queensferry under the Forth Bridge
The lifeboat station building under the Forth Bridge in Queensferry
A close up of the Forth Bridge and Forth Road Bridge at sunset

Travelling to Dundee

Time – between 1 hour 30 minutes and 2 hours

Train

Travel to Dundee Train Station directly from Edinburgh or the Forth Bridge stops, which takes about 1 hour 30 minutes.

Bus

You can also take the new Ember electric bus from Rosyth, or a Stagecoach bus directly from Ferrytoll Park & Ride to Dundee. You can also take a local bus to Halbeath Park & Ride and then the Megabus or Citylink to Dundee. The buses take just under 2 hours in total.

Driving – join the Fife Coastal Route at Inverkeithing and head right around the Fife coast before finishing at the Tay Road Bridge for Dundee.

Dundee UNESCO City of Design

  • A city of transition, moving from textiles and shipbuilding to a cutting-edge multidisciplinary hub of design
  • The original home of Rockstar North, creators of Grand Theft Auto
  • Uses design and creativity to solve problems, uplift communities and create change

Read more on Dundee UNESCO City of Design.

Follow the central east Scotland journey for tips on what to do during your trip at these four designations, with ideas on where to stay and places to eat, and local tips.

Looking along a paved path within 4J Studios, with people sat at small tables to the side, posters and displays on the wall
A man and a woman sit at a bar table in a booth in Abandon Ship bar
A family play with an interactive exhibit sitting on a desk in Dundee Science Centre
Oor Wullie statue outside The McManus: Dundee's Art Gallery and Museum
A painted mural of a face in different colours on a doorway
A family explore inside the V&A: Dundee
A guide at Verdant Works, a restored Jute mill in Dundee, gives a demonstration operating original machinery
An aerial shot of the buildings of New Lanark, surrounded by trees and the river

Journey two - Central West Scotland

Travel to Glasgow

Time: Under 2 hours

Train

You can take the train directly from Dundee to Glasgow.

Bus

You can take a number of different bus services, directly from Dundee to Glasgow.

Driving route

You could follow the Fife Coastal Route right to the end in Kincardine, and then follow the M876 and M80 directly to Glasgow.

Glasgow UNESCO City of Music

  • Over 100 music events take place in the city every week
  • A legendary music scene across a variety of venues from contemporary to classical, Celtic to country
  • Famed for the enthusiasm and energy of its audiences

Read more about Glasgow UNESCO City of Music.

A bus coming out of the tunnel under Glasgow Central Station
An orange Glasgow subway train inside the tunnel at a station
An audience in a dark venue watch a show
A man and woman taking in a walking tour of Glasgow, looking over the tour guide's shoulder
The crowd watches Ella Eyre perform at TRNSMT, a music festival staged at Glasgow Green in Glasgow, Scotland, organised by DF Concerts.

Travelling to the Antonine Wall

When you’re visiting sites and places connected to the Antonine Wall, there are many ways to get around.

  • This part of central Scotland is well-served by public transport links including rail and bus
  • There is an extensive cycle path network
  • You’ll find several locations along the iconic John Muir Way, a long-distance walking route which runs from Helensburgh to Dunbar
  • You can even travel by water, as the Forth and Clyde Canal runs parallel for much of the wall’s route

Frontiers of the Roman Empire, The Antonine Wall UNESCO World Heritage Site

  • An ambitious engineering project which struck fear into the hearts of Scotland’s native tribes
  • Once lined by 17 forts and patrolled by 17,000 soldiers from all corners of the empire
  • Took advantage of the defensive features of the landscape, using high ridges and steep drops to create a formidable barrier

Read more about Frontiers of the Roman Empire, The Antonine Wall UNESCO World Heritage Site.

A man looks at a large Roman head sculpture sitting amongst the grass and trees
A man standing on the grass, beside some trees, at Bar Hill Fort
Stone ruins within the ground and paths, with grass, trees and houses in the background
A man looks at some stone ruins amongst the grass, with trees and houses in the background
A walker crosses Croy Hill, the location of a former Roman fort and camp on the Antonine Wall, located north-east of the village of Croy.

Travelling to New Lanark

Travel to Lanark

  • The nearest train station is Lanark and trains run every hour from Glasgow Central to Lanark
  • There is also a bus service between Buchanan Bus Station in Glasgow and Lanark

Travel from Lanark to New Lanark Visitor Attraction

  • Local buses and taxis are then available at the bus stance, adjacent to Lanark railway station and Lanark iCentre
  • There is an electric shuttle-bus service, which does a circuit around Lanark and the surrounding area

Driving

The heritage site is around an hour's drive from Glasgow. The town has a large free car park, and a second electric shuttle-bus service runs from the car park to the top of the hill and back.

New Lanark UNESCO World Heritage Site

  • The cotton mill was thought to be the largest industrial facility in the world
  • It became a world-renowned blueprint for the ideal working and living environment for workers and their families
  • The award-winning restored mill village shows this progressive story in a series of buildings, exhibitions and attractions

Read more about New Lanark UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Follow the central west Scotland journey for tips on what to do during your trip at these four designations, ideas on where to stay and places to eat, and local tips.

An aerial shot of the buildings that make up New Lanark amongst the trees
An aerial shot of New Lanark roof garden, the circles and shaping visible within the roof space
A woman looks at a display of jumpers on a table in the shop
The waterwheel and stone wall in front of a building at New Lanark
A room inside Robert Owen's House at New Lanark, green walls, fireplace, chairs and table
The side view of the operational loom in Mill Number 3, New Lanark
Cones of New Lanark yarn in different colours in baskets
Looking down onto the water, trees and hills of Glentrool

Journey three - South Scotland

Travel to south Scotland

Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Train

Travel from Glasgow on the Carlisle line to Kirkconnel or Sanquhar within the biosphere. You can travel from the city to places just outside of the biosphere too, such as Dumfries or Stranraer.

Bus

You can easily catch a bus from Glasgow Bus Station, which runs regular services to Dumfries. The local bus service will take you between towns within Dumfries & Galloway from the main bus station in Dumfries.

Driving routes

The biosphere is home to the Galloway Tourist Route, which would take you from Ayr right into the heart of the area. The South West Coastal 300 also circles and then travels through the north of the biosphere.

Ayrshire is home to the Coig, a series of five driving routes. The Shire runs for over 130 miles, with the south part of the route cutting through the north of the biosphere.

Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere

  • 5,000 square kilometres of hills and moors, originally formed by glaciers
  • It’s a natural playground, full of outdoor adventure and geological wonders
  • The biosphere landscape has inspired creative talent for years, from Robert Burns to Andy Goldsworthy

Read more about the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere.

Follow the south Scotland journey for tips on what to do during your trip at the biosphere, ideas on where to stay and places to eat, and local tips.

Looking down onto the grass and hill sculptures of Crawick Multiverse, a land art project
A man cycles along a road, the green grass and bushes on either side, the hills in the background
The shops and buildings along the main street in Kirkcudbright
People stand in a viewing booth, while a Highland coo stands in a field
One of Andy Goldsworthy's Striding Arches at dusk, Cairnhead, Dumfries & Galloway
An aerial shot of lots of small and rocky islands amongst the sea

Journey four - Outer Hebrides

Travel to the Outer Hebrides

Travel back to Glasgow from the biosphere, before heading onto the islands of the Outer Hebrides.

Train – 3 hours

You can take the train from Glasgow Queen Street directly to Oban.

Bus – 3 hours

Citylink run a service directly from Glasgow Bus Station to Oban.

Ferry – 5 hours

The ferry runs from Oban to Castlebay on Barra.

Other options for getting to the islands

Ferries also run from:

  • Mallaig to Lochboisdale on South Uist
  • Uig on Skye to either Lochmaddy on North Uist or Tarbert on Harris
  • Ullapool to Stornoway on Lewis

Flights – 1 hour

Fly to Stornoway on Lewis, Benbecula or the world’s only beach airport on Barra with Loganair, directly from Glasgow Airport.

St Kilda UNESCO World Heritage Site

  • A remote archipelago off the coast of the Outer Hebrides, composed of five islands
  • People lived and thrived on these islands until 1930, just as on the main Outer Hebridean islands, sharing a distinctive culture
  • Remarkable for its striking landscape, unique human story, geographical position, oceanic climate and inter-dependent ecosystems

Read more about St Kilda UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Follow the Outer Hebrides journey for tips on what to do during your trip at the biosphere, ideas on where to stay and places to eat, and local tips.

The main island of St Kilda surrounded by a cool sea
Looking out over the main island of St Kilda, a natural harbour area with the sea, green and brown hills around it
Looking through a natural arch between the rocky parts of the island
A close up of seabirds on the rocks at St Kilda
The green mountainous shape of St Kilda, jutting out of the sea, looking from behind a rock
A row of stone houses sitting on the grass, the hill behind it
A panoramic image of the hills, mountains and rocky grassy ground, a river running through the middle

Journey five - North Scotland

Travel to the north of Scotland

Ferry – 3 hours

Travel from Lewis over to Ullapool on the Calmac ferry.

Plane – 30 minutes

Fly from Stornoway or Benbecula to Inverness.

Travelling from Inverness

Take the train to Achnasheen, Strathcarron and Kyle of Lochalsh from Inverness.

The Westerbus service operates between Inverness and Gairloch from Monday to Saturday. It stops at all the major settlements along the route of the A832 which is the main route through the area. 

Driving

Wester Ross has four main communities Ullapool, Gairloch, Lochcarron and Kyle of Lochalsh; all can be reached from Inverness in about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Wester Ross UNESCO Biosphere

  • A place of astounding natural beauty and eco-diversity, where communities live in harmony with the land and sea
  • A natural playground formed by some of the oldest geology in the world
  • Each habitat provides for an incredible array of rare wildlife and plant species of international significance
A woman walks along a path amongst the dense forest and grass
A woman carrying a walking stick with a backpack looks out over a loch and trees to some hills, from a rocky ledge
A man sits at the side of a path through the trees, mountains around him
A man moves baskets standing on a pier beside a blue creel fishing boat, the hills behind
A woman stands within a display room at Gairloch Museum, looking at the original lens from Rubh Re lighthouse

Travel around north Scotland

Due to the secluded location on the north west corner of Scotland, the geopark is best explored using a private vehicle. There are local buses to Ullapool, Scourie, Kinlochbervie and Durness.

Visit the North West Highlands Geopark travel section for more details on travelling up, and useful information such as available petrol stations.

North West Highlands UNESCO Global Geopark

  • A striking example of different rock geologies
  • Home to the earliest evidence of life to be found anywhere in Europe
  • Explore white sandy beaches, rocky mountain ridges, atmospheric rock caves, and grass, peatland, moors and forest

Follow the north Scotland journey for tips on what to do during your trip at the biosphere, ideas on where to stay and places to eat, and local tips.

A tour guide shows a couple a large rock on the Rock Route
A tour guide leads a couple along the beach, following the Rock Route
A brown sign in front of a loch and trees, marking the Rock Route
Four people sit around a picnic bench outside a wooden cabin with a loch in the background
The buildings along Lerwick harbour, the light fading against the water

Journey six - Northern Isles

Travel to Orkney

Bus

Take the bus from Durness to Thurso. From there you can take a taxi to Scrabster, or catch a connecting bus onto Gill’s Bay.

Ferries

Pentland Ferries from Gill's Bay to St Margaret's Hope, Orkney (1 hour) is the quickest sailing, and the most environmentally-friendly passenger ferry of its type in Scotland, thanks to the new purpose-built catamaran MV Alfred.

You can also sail with NorthLink Ferries for 1.5 hours from Scrabster to Stromness in Orkney.

During the summer, there is a third ferry route for foot passengers from John O’Groats to Burwick.

Heart of Neolithic Orkney UNESCO World Heritage Site

  • Thousands of years ago, the prehistoric people of Orkney built monuments out of stone
  • Those domestic and ritualistic monuments still survive today, giving incredible insights into society and spiritual beliefs
  • Gives a real sense of place, in how the sites relate to the landscapes and the changing light and weather
Looking down on one of the Churchill Barriers, connecting the land across the water
Cuween Chambered Cairn made of stones, sits on the top of Cuween Hill as the light fades against the water
The white exterior with red detailing of the Italian Chapel sitting on the green grass
The Northlink Ferry sails past the Old Man of Hoy and the cliffs
The sandy beach of Scapa, the green land behind
Looking down into the ruins of a house built into the ground at Skara Brae

Travel to Shetland

Take the overnight ferry from Kirkwall in Orkney to Lerwick in Shetland, running four nights a week.

You can also take a plane from Kirkwall Airport to Sumburgh Airport, which takes around 40 minutes.

Shetland UNESCO Global Geopark

  • This land has travelled from near the South Pole, across the equator, to its current spot at the crossroads of the North Atlantic and the North Sea
  • The geology of the islands influences every part of life
  • Some of these rocks range from 3 billion to just over 300 million years

Follow the northern isles of Scotland journey for tips on what to do during your trip at the biosphere, ideas on where to stay and places to eat, and local tips.

Looking across the rocks and sea to Dore Holm, a natural sea arch on the Shetland coast
The dark Eshaness cliffs against the sea
The buildings around Lerwick harbour, a few boats in the water
The shiny metal exterior of Shetland Museum & Archives sitting in the harbour, with a boat outside
A Shetland pony stands in the grass, with a green hut in the background, at Eshaness

Travel back to Edinburgh

From Shetland you can fly directly back to Edinburgh.

Or you can take the ferry back to Aberdeen, which takes around 13 hours. You can then travel directly back to Edinburgh by train – taking around 3 hours – or by bus – taking around 3 hours.

Driving

You could follow the Angus Coastal Route from Aberdeen around the coast to Dundee, picking up the Fife Coastal Route around the east coast back to Inverkeithing. It’s then a short drive back to Edinburgh.

Or you could take the Deeside Tourist Route through the Cairngorms National Park, heading south to Perth. It’s then a 1 hour drive back to Edinburgh.

More information

Check Traveline Scotland for help planning your journey, or contact the local VisitScotland iCentre for local advice.

Other things you might like
Find out more about the UNESCO Trail in Scotland.
https://www.visitscotland.com/unesco-static/assets/general/DJI_0020eeeA4.jpg
Explore South Scotland & Its UNESCO Site
https://www.visitscotland.com/unesco-static/assets/general/royal_mile_02.jpg
Discover & Explore the UNESCO Sites of Central East Scotland
https://www.visitscotland.com/unesco-static/assets/general/beinn-eighe-loch-woman.jpg
Tour the Complete UNESCO Trail from Inverness
https://www.visitscotland.com/unesco-static/assets/general/new_lanark_04.jpg
Explore the Complete UNESCO Trail from Glasgow
https://www.visitscotland.com/unesco-static/assets/general/falls_of_clyde_01.jpg
6 UNESCO Family Day Trip Ideas