Scotland

The best time to go to Scotland is spring, summer, or fall. The only time to avoid is the depth of winter—unless you enjoy dark nights, short days, and the occasional gale force wind. The best seasons are spring and autumn, when crowds thin and you’ll get more of the country’s attractions to yourself. However, summer is also nice, with several festivals, moderate temperatures, and days that don’t end until well after 10 p.m., especially in the north. Regardless of when you visit, be sure to bring a waterproof jacket.

If you’re planning on spending time in the cities, you can rely on public transportation—Glasgow has an underground train, while Edinburgh has buses and a newish tram. If you’re heading to the countryside, however, you’ll want to rent a car for the most freedom. Trains and buses across Scotland don’t really compare with those in Europe.

Cuisine in Scotland is no longer an afterthought or risky proposition. Sure, you can still find stodgy food and oddities like the deep-fried Mars bar, but the country’s natural resources are superb. Whether it’s heather-fed lamb or Galloway beef, smoked salmon or creel-caught lobster, craft beer or single-malt whisky, it’s all among the best in the world. Local dishes to try include the smoked haddock chowder known as Cullen skink, grilled langoustines, and pan-seared scallops served with Stornoway black pudding.

Scotland has a long intellectual and literary history. Some of the most influential English-speaking leaders of the Enlightenment were Scots (David Hume, Adam Smith), as were famous writers like Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson (plus Alasdair Grey and Ian Rankin, both still working today). Equally alive is the music scene—contemporary acts like Belle and Sebastian, Idlewild, and Withered Hand attract international attention, and there’s a prominent folk music scene with standouts like singer Karine Polwart and fiddle player Aly Bain. Scotland also has its own national art collection, jazz orchestra, and theater, ballet, and opera companies.

Barry Steven Shelby is a Berkeley, California–born journalist and author who has lived in Scotland since 1997. After a decade in Glasgow, he moved to the Western Isles.